Cape Cod 2008 Page 3: Activities continued

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We then took a walk down the beach.

Foggy beach with four people walking along the shoreline in the distance

There were some fly fisherman in the water, presumably going for bass.

Fly fisherman standing waist-deep in the water casting a line in foggy conditions

Emily loved swimming in the water, even though it was a bit cool.

Young woman standing in the ocean in a blue swimsuit skirt and bikini top

Another cool item were the seals! There were a number of them in the water. It was a bit foggy, but the haze lifted some and we could see, out a ways, many seals on a spit of land. It is hard to tell from this picture, but yes, those are seals.

Distant sandbar in hazy water with a cluster of seals barely visible

We did the chocolate tasting that afternoon. In case you are interested, I got the chocolates used from Chocosphere. This picture is from Matt.

Group seated around a dining table during a chocolate tasting, with plates of chocolate in front of them

Clifton left after the tasting to head back to Philly. Paul had to leave after supper to head back to our house. We had the attic insulated on Tuesday (which we are very happy with). Kelly and I went into town and checked out the little shops that day. In the morning was a maple syrup tasting that Cori & Jeremy supplied. The 4 grades of syrup, in order of popularity, were Grade A Medium, Grade B, Grade A Dark, and Grade A Light.

Four bottles of maple syrup arranged from dark to light to show different grades

Wednesday Paul, Anne (me), and Ted took the kayaks up the waterway to Oyster Pond. I became more proficient at kayaking as we went along, although if I did it often I would probably need a pair of gloves!

Later everyone went to the Chatham fish pier. The actual unloading of the fish was, to put it succinctly, gross. Next to the pier is a little fish restaurant. I must be behind the times (since I don't eat this): they charged $20 for a lobster roll! Yikes. I'm sure it was very good.

Fish being unloaded on to a metal slide.

Man and woman standing in front of Nickerson's retail fish and lobsters building at the Chatham fish pier

Anyway, back to the pier. Due to scrap fish, gulls and seals hang around. This gives some great photo ops. The two types of seals are Gray, also known as "horse head seals", and spotted (according to an article I found in a magazine at the house).

Seagull perched on a wooden post with a fishing boat behind it at the fish pier

Dark gray seal swimming in green water near the pier

Spotted seal swimming near the surface and looking up toward the camera

Dark seal floating in the water near rusted chains by the pier

Child in a blue bucket hat leaning against a wooden railing and looking down at the water

Three children leaning against a wooden railing and looking down into the water

Child in a blue floral hat crouching by a wooden railing and looking into the water

Four family members posing on the fish pier with a seagull perched on the railing behind them

The evening was the wine tasting, sponsored by Matt & Kelly. This was fun, although it turns out the Truro wine was NOT a winner. It wasn't helped by the fact that it immediately followed the most expensive selection! (This picture is from Matt, I think.)

Woman standing beside a dining table set up for a wine tasting with numbered covered bottles

Thursday was the scavenger hunt at the Dennis beach. If the Chatham beach is large, this one is huge. Kelly had made lists of items to look for, and provide baskets for collecting items as required. We checked out the various tide pools in search of the targets. The thin shell is a razor clam.

Two men standing barefoot on a rocky beach at low tide with large boulders and dunes behind them

Man on the beach holding up a large shell and smiling at the camera

Close-up of a razor clam shell held between wet fingers

Three people standing in shallow water at low tide examining an item they found during the scavenger hunt

That evening was the beer tasting. This was an opportunity to try some types of beers beyond the ordinary. I don't particularly like beer, but find that a beer with lots going on is more interesting to me than a plain beer (where I can't get by that 'beer' taste). I'm still not ready to have one of my own, though. I'll mention two of the beers: The Boon Kriek was a bit sweet. The gruit had possibilities, but the one Ted made was with roasted malt, which was too much of a burnt flavor for me.

Friday, Matt's family & Anne's family wanted to visit the Stage Harbor Lighthouse. Unfortunately, in addition to the fact that we would have had to pay $15 per car, the walking path was closed due to Piping Plover nesting. So instead, Matt, Emily, Paul, and I went and did a Geo Cache. It was through a very nice walking area that showed the sandy soil and scrub pines that are so typical of Cape Cod.

Two men standing in a wooded area during a geocaching outing, one holding a GPS device

Young woman and two men standing in the woods during a geocaching outing, holding water and small items

Saturday was our departure day. We stopped on the way at the Cape Cod outlet mall to pick up some Corelle. (It is only break resistant; we had managed to break a plate and needed a replacement.)

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Updated March 2026