Category Archives: water

Waterfront Park (Woods Hole, MA)

The last leg of our summer’s swan song at Cape Cod was spent at Waterfront Park in Woods Hole.  Waterfront Park has several statues and sculptures.  The most recent statue is a memorial to environmentalist Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring and the Sea Around Us.  Both books are considered influential books in the environmentalist movement.  Carson had worked with Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) which is located in Woods Hole.

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The waterfront also has a shaded sitting area for the weary traveler to rest their bones.

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There is also a sun dial statue dedicated to Robert Crane, one of the original financial supporters of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  The sun dial was constructed so that you could tell what time it is from any direction.  And, yes, it is accurate. A somewhat elaborate explanation is included on the ground in front of the sun dial.

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The “Flukes” is a bronze sculpture by Gordon Gund.  Gund, a successful businessman, was inspired to sculpt The Flukes after seeing pilot whales off the coast.  It looks like more of a slide or play thing which explains the sign in front of the sculpture.  I suspect it is not much of a deterrent.

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The Waterfront is also the main point of embarkment for the ferry to the islands of Cape Cod, mainly Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

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The waterfront also has some pretty views of the water and pretty flowers.

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The waterfront park is also known for its friendly visitors.  I met this friendly guy named Charlie as I was leaving.

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Goodbye summer!  See you again in 2016.


Nobska Lighthouse (Woods Hole, MA)

Located across from Nobska Beach, the Nobska Lighthouse is a popular stop for tourists.

DSC_0807 DSC_0812  The present tower was built in 1876.  It stands 40 feet and has a focal plane view of 87 feet.

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The keeper’s house next to the light house serves as the home for the commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.

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A busy paved roadway separates the two places.  You will often cyclists and even runners on the road.  So, it can be a tricky road to navigate.  But, across the road are some good views of the water.  The islands (Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard) can be seen in the distance.

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There are also some pretty views of the grounds of the light house and the beach

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The Nobska lighthouse was  a nice break from the crowded beach, although the lighthouse also gets its fair share of visitors.  But, before long, it was time for the next and final leg of our Farewell to Summer Cape Cod trip…


Nobska Beach (Woods Hole, MA)

After a short stay at Scraggy Neck, it was time for our next stop on our Cape Cod Farewell Summer trip.

Our next destination was the Nobska Beach in the quaint village of Woods Hole in Falmouth, Massachusetts.  The Nobska area is so pretty and there are so many attractions because of its sheer beauty, I decided cover the Nobska area in two separate blogs.

The first thing that stands out at Nobska beach are the array of flowers and the makeshift trails at the beach (that and the lack of parking).  The only parking available is on the side of the road along the beach and a scant few spots in front of the light house (I’ll be posting photos of the light house in the second part of the Nobska photo blogs).

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Nobska Beach offers views of both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island.

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Boats and the ferry make frequent trips to the islands

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If you hadn’t noticed, one of the treasures of Nobska Beach are the rocks and the rock formations.       DSC_0561 DSC_0573     DSC_0658

But, to capture the real beauty of the views from the beach, it was necessary to walk down a narrow trail down to this modest rocky ledge.

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But, the ledge was wide enough for me and my camera.  And the views were well worth the extra effort.

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Nobska Beach is also home to a variety of wildlife.

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At the base of the beach there are two memorials. A memorial for Dennis Jeff Sabo lies under some plants, almost unnoticed.  The memorial does not give any more information than his date of birth, date of death and name.  A Google search yielded no results.  The lack of details about Dennis adds to the memorials’ mystique.

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The other memorial is dedicated to Neilie Anne Heffernan Casey.  Neilie was a passenger on Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. A memorial and bench bearing her name lay in the area now dubbed “Neilie Point”.  A beautiful reminder of an awful day.

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Scraggy Neck (Cataumet, MA)

After a brief but rewarding stay at Amrita Island, it was on the next destination on my Farewell Summer Cape Cod trip.  Scraggy Neck is a private beach in Cataumet, a village in Bourne, Massachusetts.

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The beach is usually monitored by guards during the summer season.  But, since summer was basically over, there were no guards when I arrived at the beach.

The entrance to the beach is grassy.  But, there is a makeshift trail you can follow.  The occasional flower stand in the grass

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The beach is long and it was high tide when I visited.  But, there wasn’t much of a beach head when I was visited.  The water did look clean and clear.

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Seaweed and shells littered the beach.

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Scraggy Neck is divided into two sides by a road that is frequented by joggers, bikers and cars.  It was on the other side of the road that showed off Scraggy Neck’s more scenic views.

A narrow path leads to the water.

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The fish is visible through the transparent water.

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This part of Scraggy Neck is mostly grassy.  So, it would not be the ideal area to lie out for a tan.

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Scraggy Neck is also a popular spot for boaters to launch from.

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After visiting Scraggy Neck, it was on to our next adventure….


Hampton Ponds (Westfield, MA)

Pretty waterscapes are not regulated to the coastlines of New England.  Hampton Ponds State Park is proof of this.  A cute, expansive series of ponds that dot the Westfield area, Hampton Ponds is a popular area for swimmers, sun bathers and boaters.

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Upon reaching Hampton ponds, I was greeted by a gaggle of geese.

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And this one solitary goose.

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Hampton Ponds has some very impressive trees.

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But, it was the vivid greens and wild flowers of the ponds that stood out to me.

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Dragonflies also seemed to enjoy the greenery of Hampton Ponds.

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The water is so transparent at Hampton Ponds, you can see the fish that inhabit the waters.

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Birds are also plentiful at Hampton Ponds.  This swallow sort of blended into the sand on the beach head.

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Boaters and kayakers took advantage of the warm weather and clear waters at Hampton Ponds

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The motorboats created pretty ripples along the glassy water.

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Hampton Ponds doesn’t have any long walking trails.  But, it does make up for it with its pretty views.

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Hampton Ponds is also a popular spot for dogs.

Hercules stopped playing so I could take his photo.

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Sparky happily posed for his photo.

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Hampton Ponds is also the perfect place to reflect

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or to go fishing

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or to just play in the water.

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