Away - Summer

We find ourselves lucky enough to be able to break away for a week here and there and go someplace different. Here are some images from our favorite place to stay on Cape Cod. Commissioned by James Lechay, the house was built by Hayden Walling in 1959. James and Rose Lechay lived here full time after they retired (I believe that was in 1978). You can see James Lechay's paintings here and read an interview with him as well. Some of his paintings hang in the house.

Here is a view of the studio from the front entrance of the house.
Studio from the back deckLooking towards the back deck from the front 

 We call this the "infinity deck"... no railing. It's a beautiful place to relax. We've seen a fox cross the deck and also are frequently visited by raccoons at night. They climb the tree emerging from the deck and drop down onto the top of the house. We've called it Cirque d'raccoon.

This is me after paddling my kayak like crazy against the incoming tide to get out to the National Seashore from Hemenway Landing. Some of the most fun and exciting kayaking I've done. We had the tides all wrong this time and had to fight to get out there and then fight on the return trip back to the landing with the tide going out. I'm still smiling. Can you believe it? My arms never hurt so bad ever in my life as they did that night!  



Below is a scene from the tidal flats out on First Encounter Beach. This beach is on the bay side of the Cape and when the tide goes out, you can walk out for over a mile...even further if you don't mind going in past your shorts. 




Jeff on First Encounter.



I'm hoping this video link will work. If not, I'll continue to try and embed the video here. The crab below should be a video link to the amazing hermit crab video that Jeff made for me. I begged him to get some footage of the hermits. And he did not disappoint!  Music by Mike Langley of Twink.

Tidal Pool FB from Briana Taylor on Vimeo.

Does anyone know what kind of flowering tree this is? We fell in love with it outside The Flying Fish restaurant in Wellfleet. It smelled soooo good, and the bees were going crazy over it.




We are giving away all our secrets! Here is one of the most hidden and wonderful hikes on all of the Cape. You'll find the entrance to the trail off of route 6 before you hit Provincetown. THIS is in the first 50 yards! A straight climb up a dune that spills down into a beautiful shaded Cape woodland forest.



At the top of the first dune you can see the ocean off in the distance. You can meander and wind your way all the way to the water from this point. Along the way, you can see the fabled Cape Dune Shacks. If you go, bring some drinks and some snacks, and don't forget your hat. It is truly desert-like and in the hot and blazing sun it can be daunting. We visited twice this year, and the first time it was a beautiful, overcast day. The next time it was hot and sunny! Don't be afraid to go if rain is threatening. It's actually better with some cloud cover.



From the basin you cannot see the ocean, which is straight ahead in this photo.








There's the ocean and also some fox prints in the foreground.



Sand Frog! We got lucky to spot this little guy hiding out in the sand. This was on the sunnier day and his eyes shone like gold.


The old dead branches crumbled on the ground sometimes look like bones.



I'm not sure if this is a shack that you can stay in in the residencies program, but through the windows, it did look like someone could actually sleep in there. 


In the photo below, I am standing at the crest of the dune cliff down to the beach. I didn't get a shot of it! This is looking back at the tiny shack.


After climbing down the dune cliff you are finally dropped down onto the beach. This is the Atlantic Ocean. It's really cold, and these days you can see seals swimming along about 40 feet from shore fishing.



We brought this gorgeous loaf of pain au fromage from PB Boulangerie, and also a hunk of cheddar cheese and lots of ice water. Why does food taste so good after a long walk in the hot sun?


Jeff was taking a nap, so I was playing around. Here's me with the ocean. This was on the overcast day...it was colder so I had my jacket all synched up.
 

I found this little June Bug beetle (actually not that little) and didn't realize that it was still alive (a little). After another search around the beach, I found a few others in various states of dying. I'm not sure of the lifespan of a June bug, but there were many of them scattered around.


I recommend the dune shack hike. If you are a little out of shape, just take your time climbing the several dunes you have to traverse. It's worth it.