What’s that old saying?  The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go astray.  Before I get into what happened, quick, where does the line come from?  It comes from my namesake, the great poet Robert Burns in his poem entitled To a Mouse.  Now you know!

So what happened?  Well, we had planned to rise early and make the 1 hour trip to Salem today to see the sights.  However, neither of us was able to rise early enough to make the trip.  It’s not that it was overly cold.  It’s just that the bed was so inviting!  Tomorrow, as Annie would say, tomorrow is only a day away and tomorrow we promised ourselves that we would go.  Really, honestly, we’re going tomorrow.

So what did we do today?  A little of this and that.  I now have all of our campsites set for the rest of the year.  Some parks were already booked for October through December so I had to do some fancy foot work.  All is in place now unless something unforeseen arises.  We’ll end, of course, back in Florida, more to the point at Dade Battlefield State Park where we will be work campers through the month of March.

Barbara on the other hand spent her afternoon at the every famous wishy washy.

getting caught up on our laundry.  So now we both have clean clothes for tomorrow.

That was our exciting day.  We just chilled out, had a glass of wine, did some catching up on this and that, and made plans for the remainder of the year.  Time now for some supper and then early to bed because it will be an early morning tomorrow.

We had a great day spent together.  So many days behind us, so many days yet before us.  Each day we consider a precious gift from God to be graciously received and each minute not to be wasted.  We hope you can approach each new day the same way, with thanksgiving for the day itself and the possibilities that it holds.  As I bring this to a close a thought for each of us to consider:

So that’s it for now.  As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

On The Road Again. . . That’s Us For Sure.  Today was moving day but there was no big rush since the trip would only take at best 2 hours.  So we just took it easy, putting things in their place, securing odds and ends, picking up this and that, and just making Graybeard ship-shape for the journey.

Before we get to the trip, let’s go back for a bit to Cape Cod.  Another place that we were able to visit yesterday was to The Salt Pond Visitor Center.  Salt Pond Visitor Center is Cape Cod National Seashore’s main visitor facility, with frequent orientation movies, a comprehensive museum, and restroom facilities. The indoor theater offers 5 short films daily on a rotating schedule.

The museum in the Salt Pond Visitor Center emphasizes the cultural themes represented on Cape Cod. A new section interprets Wampanoag culture and history through artifacts, photographs and art, a partial wetu (home), and oral histories; this exhibit focuses on native peoples uses of natural materials for food and shelter.

The name, Wampanoag, means People of the First Light. In the 1600s, they had as many as 40,000 people in 67 villages that made up the Wampanoag Nation. These villages covered the territory along the east coast as far as Wessagusset (today called Weymouth), all of what is now Cape Cod and the islands of Natocket and Noepe (now called Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard), and southeast as far as Pokanocket (now Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island).

Today, about 4,000-5,000 Wampanoag live in New England. There are three primary groups – Mashpee, Aquinnah, and Manomet – with several other groups forming again as well.  The Wampanog still continue our way of life through our oral traditions (the telling of our family and Nation’s history), ceremonies, the Wampanoag language, song and dance, social gatherings, hunting and fishing.

Because of many changes in North America, the Wampanoag cannot live as their ancestors did. But they adapt and still continue to live in the way of the People of the First Light.

Other themes covered in the museum include an exhibit highlighting the lifesaving services that were once on Cape Cod.

When a wreck occurred off the coast there were two primary ways of rescuing those aboard the stranded ship.  The first, and preferred method was to launch a dory which could bring back as many as five individuals at a time.

However, if the conditions were such that a boat could not be launched then they would

use a Lyle gun.  Lyle guns were designed to throw projectiles weighing approximately 18 pounds, carrying heavier rope to ranges as great as 700 yards.  Once the line was fired to the ship, shore crews sent first sent out instructions on Tally Boards to the stranded sailors on how to fix the line to the distressed ship.

The line that was sent out to the stranded ship was kept in what was called a flaking box.

Once at the beach the box was turned upside down and the line then fell on to the ground in such a manner that it could run out freely.

Finally, once the breeches buoy lines were assembled, the breeches buoy could be sent out to the ship so that the sailors could be removed from the vessel.

There were other exhibits also, such as this scrimshaw display.

Then there was this beautiful mural and the description regarding it follows.

 

There were, of course, many more displays and several films regarding the Cape itself and its formation.  We were delighted to learn even more regarding this great country of ours.  If you ever get a chance to visit the Cape you will not regret it.  Just do yourself a favor, allow more than the four days we did.  A couple of weeks would be much better.

Come to today, yes, it was moving day.  We were moving a bit further north, to Boston Minute Man Campground in Littleton, MA.

The trip was an uneventful; one of just a couple of hours.  The roads were smooth, no wind and just a few small hills.  In no time at all we were at the end of the journey.

So as always believing that Home Is Where We Park It, here we are at our new home for the next week.  It’s a nice site, spot on level, all utilities right where they should be.

We’re settled in and ready to go discovering and seeing sights we’ve never seen before and may never see again.  So come on along with us during the next several days.

Day is now done and night has once more wrapped its arms around us.  We’ve had a great day, a day spent together, traveling along, singing our song.  Hope your day was just as wonderful.  Before I leave you for the night a thought for each of us to ponder:

So that’s it for now.  As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

Today was a day of discovery from beginning to end.  Since this was going to be our last day in this area we were determined to get out and discover what we could.  The day would begin with breakfast itself.  I had found mention in one of my numerous books of a simple breakfast place called Jacks Outback.  It was touted as one of the best for breakfast or lunch but just a bit hard to find.  That it was on both counts.

We started out in search of Jacks only to find out, thankfully, from a native of the area that we were going in the wrong direction.  He also informed us that there are no signs for it, not to mention that it is actually hidden behind another building. But we found it.

It was tucked in behind a nursery school.  The inside was plain but had a down home feel.  Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.  Simple, nothing fancy but comfortable.

Actually, it’s now called Jack’s Outback II since the original owner has passed away.

We had a wonderful waitress who made us feel like long-lost friends.   Her name is Jill.

She kept our coffee cups full and soon enough had breakfast on the table before us.

Great?  Oh yes!  Filling?  You bet!  Barbara brought some of her’s home.  I finished mine.  But she still hasn’t let me have a nibble of her HUGE muffin.

On the way out we discovered the diners two mascots who were named Jack and Andy.

Bottom line it was well worth the time taken to find and the only regret we have is that we are now leaving the area and will not be able to return.

Now while we were there we received a phone call that we had been waiting for but did not expect for another couple of months.  Beginning next January 18th we will be Workcampers at Dade Battlefield in Bushnell, Florida.  We will be there through the end of March and if we wish we can extend to the end of April.  We are expected to work a maximum of 24 hours and in return we will be given a FHU site.  We’re both excited about this and looking forward to yet another new chapter in our lives.

Now for the rest of our day it was truly a day of discovery.   Let’s begin with the town we’re in which is called Sandwich.  The name interested me and I wanted to find out how it got its name and a little about the town itself.

About the town of Sandwich this is what I learned:

• Sandwich, the first town to be established on Cape Cod, was founded in 1637 by the persuasive and energetic Edmund Freeman
• it was settled with the permission of the Plymouth Colony and it is named for the seaport of Sandwich, Kent, England
• Soon after settlement a grist mill was built, essential for the grinding of corn meal and the well-being of the entire community

• Quaker Christopher Holder had arrived in Sandwich from England in 1657. Preaching the inner light as the source from God of personal and societal inspiration, he converted many Sandwich residents to the new faith, and the first Quaker Meetings occurred in Sandwich as early as 1658.  Below is a picture of an early Quaker Meeting house in Sandwich.

• Today, Sandwich’s Quaker Meetings are the oldest continuous monthly Quaker Meetings in America
• Over the years the population of Sandwich, which was primarily agrarian, Protestant, and of English origin, grew slowly. In 1825 that began to change. Boston entrepreneur Deming Jarves, after seven years as manager for a newly created Boston glass manufacturing firm, decided to establish a glass factory more fully under his own control and he chose Sandwich as the location of the factory

• Following the closing of Sandwich glass manufacturing, the town slumbered for almost 75 years, and the population of Sandwich remained stable until the middle of the 20th century when national prosperity and improved roads brought tourists and an increasing number of summer and year-round residents.

Moving on, how about some pictures of what a lot of people really come to the Cape for.

That is, of course, its many beaches.  We found them to be breathtaking and beautiful.

Question?  When is a seal really not a seal?  I got all excited as I looked out over the water by one beach and thought I spotted some seals in the water.  That is until the three of them stood up on surf boards and rode a wave into shore!  Time to get my glasses checked.

Moving on, we come now to a couple of lighthouses that we discovered.  Let’s begin with what was once known as the three sisters lighthouses which are no longer functional.

Below is a picture, if you look closely, of the three sisters when they were in actual use.

Why the name three sisters?  Mariners said from the sea the three looked like ladies with white dresses and black hats on.

For roughly fifty-five years, the Sister’s did their job admirably, helping mariners and ships avoid shipwreck. As years passed, though, the three Lights were getting dangerously close to the cliff’s edge. At the time, moving the three of them intact was deemed impossible and thus, it was decided they should be replaced. Three new and slightly larger wooden lighthouses, shaped to resemble the prototypes were raised thirty feet west of the original sites. They were heavily influenced by the first trio of towers, bearing identical markings and even using the lenses from the originals. The old towers were allowed to slowly fall into the Atlantic.

By 1911, the situation was getting worse and worse for the three sisters.  Maintaining the three Lights was getting increasingly costly, and the erosion of the Nauset Cliffs would continue relentlessly. The northernmost Light had moved to only eight feet away from the cliff.  It was then decided that the Lights had to be moved back again. Advances in technology allowed the moving of the center tower away from the cliff’s edge attached to the oil house. The other two towers Sisters were promptly set aside and decommissioned until a decision could be reached about their future.

Meanwhile, the central tower up took the nickname the Beacon. It stood as the only remaining operating Light, with a triple flash every ten seconds, in honor of her other two sisters that were put away.

After the first two of the Sisters, the Northern and Southern lighthouses, were decommissioned, they were sold at a public auction for the measly prize of $3.50.  In 1918, having both their lanterns removed, they were moved and incorporated into a summer cottage along Cable Road.  After the Beacon finally got replaced by the Nauset Light, it eventually got sold to Albert Hall, getting turned into a cottage until the National Park Service bought it in 1975 in order to finally reunite the Three Sisters together.

Regarding the Nauset Light that replaced the Three Sisters if that red and white lighthouse below looks familiar, that’s the one you see on the familiar Cape Cod potato chip bags sold nationwide.  The 48-foot tower was painted white until the 1940s, when the upper half was painted red to increase visibility during day time.

In the 1980s, the strength of the waves and violent storms had eaten the nearby cliff and threatened Nauset Lighthouse. Through the efforts of the Nauset Preservation Society, the lighthouse which was around eighty tons and 336 feet was safely shifted from the edge by help of the International Fireplace Flare Corporation and Expert Movers.  Today the Nauset Lighthouse continues to serve as an active light to navigators and mariner.  The lighthouse is no longer owned and operated by the government.  It is privately owned but does continue to have tours within season.

So for now let’s call it a wrap.  Tomorrow, we’ll go into the history of Cape Cod itself, its formation, its early inhabitants, and much more.  Stay tuned!

Day is long gone and night is all around us.  Once again we had a great day.  Even a little drama in it.  We traveled together, singing our song, enjoying every minute that God gave us.  Hope you had a great day as well.  In closing here are some little thoughts to ponder:

• become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know
• always leave the toilet seat in the down position
• never refuse a fudge brownie
• be forgiving of yourself and others
• say please and thank you as often as you can
• think big thoughts but relish small pleasures
• commit yourself to constant improvement
• always carry jumper cables in your trunk

So that’s it for now.  As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Yup, it’s now confirmed, I really don’t know how to read a calendar.  Yes, yesterday was really Saturday, not Friday.  And unless I’ve messed up again today is really Sunday.  There it felt good to get that off my chest.  As they say confession is good for the soul!

Not much happening today.  Barbara and her sister Carol are still trying to figure out what needs to be done when and by whom in regards to their cousin’s funeral.  It’s obvious now, though, that things are going to unfold rather slowly since there are so many details that still need to be straightened out and so many questions yet to be answered.  Just have to take it day by day.

Let’s get caught up on yesterday’s visit to the Cape Cod Canal.  Yesterday, I shared with you the story of the Canal, today it’s what we learned regarding the U.S. Army Cops of Engineers.

Some facts regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

• The Corps began in 1775 with the appointment by General George Washington of Boston native Richard Gridley as the first Chief Engineer of the Continental Army.  His first task was to build an earthen fortification near Boston at Breed’s Hill

• In 1794, Congress authorized and President Thomas Jefferson signed into law the raising of a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers (now the United States Army Corps of Engineers) to be educated and stationed at the newly created United States Military Academy. The U.S. Military Academy was the first school of engineering in America to offer formal instruction in civil engineering.

• headquartered in Washington DC, the Corps is comprised of about 37,000 civilian and military employees organized into 8 divisions in the US

• the Corps official insignia is a turreted castle, a symbol of strength, pride, prestige, and honor.  It is believed to symbolize some of the earliest important works of the Corps, namely castle like fortifications along the Atlantic Coast to protect our young nations

• the Corps official motto is the French word essayons.  When confronted with an engineering problem that someone may declare as impossible to accomplish, the Corps always responded with essayons meaning let us try.

• the Corps primary military mission is to provide our armed forces with modern facilities both home and abroad, to strengthen the nation’s defensive capability, and ensure combat readiness

• the Corps primary civilian mission is to develop and manage the country’s water resources; and, serve as manager for major construction projects undertaken by other federal agencies

• since 1928 the Corps of Engineers has been operating and maintaining the Cape Cod Canal to provide a safe passage for mariners and a source of recreation for visitors

• in 1986 the Cape Cod Canal won the Chief of Engineers Award of Excellence.  It was selected from among the nations 456 Corps of Engineers operated water resource projects for exceptional project managerial achievements and enhancement of public perception of the Corps objectives

Well, that brings us up to date on yesterdays visit.  We enjoyed our time at the Canal and once again we learned a great deal about our country.  It’s always exciting to learn something new regarding the history of our country.

As for today, the morning was overcast and the afternoon was rainy.  Each of us still managed to take care of some things that needed to be done.  Barbara went shopping for needed supplies.  On the other hand, I was busy with the normal list of things that needed to be done around Graybeard, such as:  cleaning the bugs off the windshield, washing the side windows and mirrors, cleaning the vent screens, and repairing a broken latch on one of the kitchen drawers.  All in all a productive day for both of us.

Day is now done, night has come.  The rain continues to fall as does the temperature once again.  It is a damp, chilly night but that’s what they make blankets and electric heaters for.  We’ll keep warm no matter what.  Once again, we’ve had a great day, a day spent together, a day ironing out some differences, a day remembering that we’re a partnership in which both of us has a voice.  In closing, a thought for each of us to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.  Thanks again for sharing our day with us.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before