We were blessed with the most incredible weather on Cape Cod! Sunshine and temps in the 80's prevailed as we toured the Cape from Hyannis to Provincetown and then, the next day, Sandwich on the north shore. With our marvelous guides we delighted in quaint harbors, windmills, lighthouses, sand dunes and beautiful beaches, particularly the one at Race Point at the very tip of the Cape. Conditions were perfect for our picnic at the beach and for exploring Provincetown. In Sandwich we really enjoyed the Glass Museum with its glass-blowing demo and history of candles and lanterns.
Next we ferried to Nantucket where we stayed at a quintessential inn. We toured the high points of the island with a 7th generation resident and fellow tour guide and learned about Nantucket blue, green, red and yellow and the ordinance that prohibits painting houses other colors. We stopped at a cranberry bog and saw a number of historic houses. No matter how long they live there, people not born on the island are forever known as "WashAshores". Unlike the rest of the country, these islanders rarely leave; if they do go off-island to college, most come back. We browsed the many shops and had an excellent overview of the Whaling Museum; some of us stayed on to see the multi-media whale hunt presentation with its explanation of harpooning and the whaling industry.
We had an exciting flight in 9-seater planes between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard! There we were greeted by some rain but it didn't interfere with our circle-island tour and the clouds parted in time for us to see the cliffs and lighthouse on the west side of the island. Here the "ordinance" appears to be that houses must be white. We were most fortunate that our visit coincided with the Food and Wine Festival. We thoroughly enjoyed a wine and food pairing with celebrity chef Ric Orlando and a Napa Valley vintner.
We sampled lots of local seafood from lobster to steamers, quahogs, and scrod to the best and sweetest scallops. Before we knew it, it was time to ferry back to the mainland. It was another lovely trip with a great group of women.