After we left Maine, we headed for Cape Cod, MA, one of the playgrounds of New England. We stayed in Eastham about ˝ mile from the entrance to the Cape Cod National Seashore. The Cape is covered with mostly pines and oaks, so the fall colors are not very diverse, but the seashore is beautiful. We explored where the Pilgrims first landed at Provincetown (before they crossed over to the mainland at Plymouth Rock). We found different beaches from which to enjoy sunrises and sunsets. We hiked trails, photographed lighthouses, drove through many 'thickly settled' areas (yes, they have signs that say that all over the place), climbed towers, walked in parks and learned lots of history. We also learned that squirrels are busy gathering (and dropping) acorns at all hours. We were parked right under a grove of oak, and when an acorn would drop, it would hit the APPLE's roof with a very loud CRACK! It almost sounded like a small gunshot at times...it sure caught our attention!
From Cape Cod we headed up to a KOA Campground at Middleboro, MA, west of Plymouth about 15 miles. This has been our base for the past two weeks. We visited Plymouth Rock and Plimoth Plantation, a living history recreation of the Pilgrim's Village and the Native American homesite. We took some time to walk the woods at Walden Pond and sensed some of what inspired Thoreau.
I did a presentation in Dedham, one of the suburbs of Boston, and then Tom and I spent a wonderful evening with friends from that area, Wayne and Carol Long. They were our son Marc's East Coast family when he went to school out here, and it was fun to touch base.
One of the best gifts of this past week has been the time Tom and I have spent with old and new friends in this area. Sometimes there are people that even though you've barely met, you KNOW them-at a much deeper level, a soul level. Well, the angels have brought us together with some very special people, Sandy Alemian-Goldberg and Karen Paolino (and their families, too). The heart connections we're building will last a long time. Sandy and Tom may even collaborate on an inspirational book based on her Seeds of Hope™ and his nature photography. We'll keep you posted as things develop.
The weather has been sunny and cool. Nights are now in the mid-20s and days only get to 50. The oaks are vivid splashes of rust, bronze and gold-both in the air and on the ground. As we crunch through the fallen leaves, it is clear that autumn is almost over. We'll be heading a bit further south soon-on to the Gettysburg area and then into Virginia.
