Life’s a (Nantucket) Beach

nantucket-cover-photo
Nantucket- Land of Idyllic Beaches

I have been going to the beach ever since I was about ten years old. My family’s favorite spot for years was Ocean City, Maryland. Life is truly wonderful at the beach, isn’t it? Many a fond memory began for me in Ocean City.

Happy to explore North Carolina beaches, Siesta Key Florida, Panama City Beach, Myrtle Beach and many others over the years, I never thought of going to a beach town in the off season. Recently Jim and I spent a whole week in Nantucket, an island about 20 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Of course I’d heard of it! Who hasn’t? I’ve listened to stories about Nantucket and hoped that someday I would visit. A few months ago Jim said he had the third week in October off. Our close friends were willing to join us and had connections there. It seemed like the perfect opportunity.

We flew into Boston, drove to Hyannis and had lunch at the Black Cat Tavern. We walked up the plank onto the Hyline and enjoyed a one hour cruise to Nantucket. The only way to get there is a boat. 🙂 It’s an island, after all.

hyannis-signage

I could go on and on about what we did, things we saw, but I will reserve that for a few links at the end of this post. What I really want to tell you about is what it was like to be at the beach in an off season and truly relax.

First, it’s much quieter (of course). The weather is cooler which when you get to be my age is ok. The cost of a three bedroom house was about 1/3 of the price it would have been in peak season. There are no lines at the restaurants. The weather was in the 60’s and 70’s and absolutely beautiful. The tourist destinations are much less crowded.

port-view-nantucket
Picture perfect Nantucket

Now the relaxing part. I love that we made no plans. Literally the week unfolded one day at a time. We’d get up in the morning, drink a big pot of coffee, watch CNN for the latest news, talk about what we were doing, get dressed and head out for the day. Breakfast was big or small, depending on how we felt and if we were going to have lunch or dinner somewhere. And many times, we decided at any given moment where we were going.

Since I’m an event planner, it was a big deal to not plan anything. I always say I do details for a living so I don’t want to do them on vacation. I tried to keep from piping up about what we were doing and when, and I think I did a good job of keeping quiet. Relishing the spontaneity became a simple pleasure.

We ate lunch out some days and dinner only a couple of times. We cooked at the house on the grill and made amazing meals. We drove on the beach in a red Jeep and obeyed the signs that warn- “You will get stuck! You must take your tires down to 15 lbs!” (haha!) I saw sea lions for the first time ever. I think my mouth dropped open when I first realized the nose in the water was a seal and not a dog.

Here’s some of my favorite shots of the week. My friend Lynda’s photos are designated by “LZ”. There’s also a beautiful seal video at the end- thank you Lynda!

Art work in Hyannis
Art work in Hyannis
View from the boat
View from the boat
#6 Weymouth
#6 Weymouth

 

pretty-good
Couldn’t resist this shot
See that blip?
See that blip? Yep, a sea lion!
LZ - My favorite Lighthouse
LZ – My favorite Lighthouse
LZ- Or maybe this one?
LZ- Or maybe this one?
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Thankful for good friends.
gnome-sign
Got a chuckle out of this.
yellow-windowbox
Window boxes like out of a magazine!
LZ- Pumpkin paradise
LZ- Pumpkin paradise
the-wauwinet-woodie
The Wauwinet’s Woodie
The Wauwinet
LZ- The Wauwinet Hotel. Gorgeous. We ate lunch on the patio.
LZ- Ed and Lynda
LZ- Ed and Lynda
jim-and-i-at-light-house
Jim and I
LZ- Picturesque Jetty
LZ- Picturesque Jetty
LZ- Jeep Ride
LZ- Jeep Ride

beach-fence

LZ- Yours Truly, barefoot on the last day
LZ- Yours Truly, barefoot and talking to the sea lions

It isn’t until I get away for a solid week that I realize how much I needed a vacation. Nantucket was the perfect thing. And when you go away with friends you’ve known for thirty plus years, it makes it even better.

Nantucket, hope to see you again soon.

Where we ate:

The Black Cat Tavern

Fifty Six Union

BYB- Back Yard Barbeque

Toppers at the Wauwinet

The Fog Island Cafe

Places to Visit:

The Lighthouses of Nantucket

The Whaling Museum

Petticoat Row Bakery

Bartlett’s Farm

What’s your favorite beach? Leave a quick comment and tell me about it.

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