Affordable Family Vacation on Cape Cod
(Days 6 & 7)

The little girl was so cute - going on and on about the fish and the birds and the live honey bee hive she saw. And mostly about the turtles. (Pretty funny hearing her grandma explain, probably for the 110th time, why they couldn't bring Myrtle the turtle home with them!)

When we woke up this morning to a cloudy day - the first "iffy" weather we've had during our entire vacation in Cape Cod - the Natural History Museum was the perfect solution to "What do we want to do today?"

You'd never guess this small museum holds so much inside. From the live starfish in the touch tank, to the osprey cam - giving a live "peoples-eye" view of the osprey chicks in their nest ...

It's fascinating to see all the different species that call the Cape their home.

Tomorrow's our whale watch day, so we hung out at the whale exhibit for a few extra minutes listening to the whale "songs".

From the Marshview Room we watched birds and squirrels at the feeders, with a gorgeous view of the marsh as the backdrop.


Here Comes the Sun!

Soon the sun began peeking out through the clouds, so we ventured outside to walk the museum's grounds.

On the nature path behind the museum, we watched an osprey circling high in the sky, looking for lunch. All of a sudden he tucked his wings, took a nose dive, and came up carrying a flapping fish. What an amazing sight to see!

Scenic as the marshlands are, I never expected the panorama that greeted us at the end of the trail ...

The tide was going out, leaving little fish and crabs hiding in the tidal pools and sea grasses.

Now I can empathize with that lady at dinner last night. Today it was my turn to explain why we couldn't take a hermit crab home with us!

On our way back to the Museum, we took a stroll through the wildflower gardens (easy to see why the gardens have won all sorts of awards!) - then went back inside to add our bird and animal sightings to the museum's log book.

With the day heating up, we were ready for lunch and another afternoon of sun and fun at the beach.

What's a Vacation in Cape Cod Without Mini-Golf?!

Everybody says that a summer vacation on Cape Cod isn't complete until you've played at least one round of mini-golf.

Tonite's outing ... Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf.

We've played some fun courses before, but Pirate's Cove takes putt-putt golf to a whole new level!

36 holes of pirate stories, treasure chests, booming water cannons ...

On a course that winds through colorfully lighted caves, over and under enormous waterfalls, and across the deck of a "real" pirate ship.

As the sun went down and the lights came on, the kids were on a roll - beating us old duffers soundly when the scores were tallied!

A Cape Cod whale watch cruise ... and a lobster feast.


Whale Watching Cruise

The minute I saw the sleek, shiny whale watch boat, I knew this adventure was going to be one of the highlights of our vacation on Cape Cod.

So we had a prime sightseeing spot on the left (or as mariners say: "port") side of the boat ...

The best place for a close-up view of Sandy Neck and its beautiful lighthouse, as we motored down the channel.


As we cleared the end of the channel, the boat's waterjets revved up and off we went across Cape Cod Bay. In about 40 minutes we were at the whale grounds.

Or I should say ... the whale playground.

Just like little children on a play date in the park, the baby whales stuck close to their mothers at first, then set out on their own to play.

A few even swam over to our boat to check us out. "People watching"!

By the time we turned back to home port, we'd seen 14 whales, a school of dolphin and 5 different species of sea birds.

Thanks to our talented captain and crew, this trip wasn't just a whale watch cruise ... It was a full-fledged nature experience for all of us!



Lobster Dinners, All Around!

Dinner tonite was my choice, as the "Birthday Girl"!

A lobster feast for the whole family ...

That saved us the heartache of dropping the little critters into a pot of boiling water. (We all hate that part!) And it saved us a good bit of money, too.

For just a few dollars more than we would've paid for two lobster dinners in a restaurant, we had four at home.

Whale watching. Lobster dinners. A family bike ride around the neighborhood. Then a sunset walk on the beach.

I can't imagine a better way to celebrate my birthday - and make the most of our last day of vacation in Cape Cod!