Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"And it was from Boston that one in every six American families began their journey into the land of the free." ~ Thomas Menino

As we put plans in place to visit the Cape this year, Bruce suggested that we tack on a couple of days in Boston.  I readily agreed.  We had been there several years ago, when my son was younger, and we did things that might appeal to a younger child - the science museum, the aquarium (though I wanted to go there again this year, but much of it is undergoing renovation).  This trip we played adult tourists.  We spent the better part of one day traipsing about the city, taking in all of the sights and sounds that it had to offer.  Our second day in Boston took us to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum, which I will write about on Saturday.

The first place that I wanted to visit was the Quicny Market.

"Quincy Market combines the glories of the past and the vitality of the present with more than 50 shops, 14 restaurants, 40 food court stops and Boston's most popular comedy club. For over 250 years, the marketplace has played an integral role in the life of Boston's residents." 

There, we saw vendors offering every kind of food from every corner of the world.  We did not actually eat there, but it was an experience unto itself!






~Paul Revere and The Old North Church~



~ The Coop - the Harvard/MIT Bookstore ~




~ Blooms along city streets ~


~ The reflection of a church  ~


~ The Boston skyline up close ~


Boston is a wonderful city to visit, and while I love New York City, the Boston rail/subway system is ten times easier to understand and negotiate, so we really felt quite comfortable about getting around.  If you happen to find yourself in the Boston area, take time to tour around a bit - wonderful sites and wonderful food.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

"Fish, to taste right, must swim three times - in water, in butter, and in wine." ~ Polish proverb

I hope, my friends, that you won't mind one final Cape Cod post.  I have definitely gotten a lot of mileage out of our trip!  This last collection of photos is a bit of a mish-mash, but ones that I still want to share.  Beginning with the really important stuff - food!  We did not eat out every meal by any means, but there are a few spots that we like to make sure that we hit while on the Cape, and a few spots that we just happened upon - I do not remember the names of the new spots this year - just the ones that we return to over and over and will go to again next year.

First on that list is The Lobster Pot in Provincetown.  As its name implies - lobster plays a starring role. Their lobster bisque is like warm, creamy, lobster heaven - just sayin'.  We each followed this up with an appetizer portion of the lobster ravioli - "Jumbo raviolis in parmesan cream with panko-parmesan crust" - oh my~~~~~~




Onward -  last year we ran across The Academy Grille in Orleans.  There, I had a meal that I have talked about ever since - really -most people have heard me say that this meal ranks as one of the best in my life.  I couldn't wait to go back, but admit to being concerned that I might be disappointed because my memory was so wonderful.  No way - it was exactly as I had remembered it.  I had "Sole Française:  Fresh sole dipped in an egg batter, sautéed and served with a lemon beurre blanc and rice pilaf".  You can see that I  substituted the rice with potatoes - attempting to recreate last year's exact meal.  It was so light and delicate and flavorful - and served piping hot, just like last year.  I love my food hot!


Bruce had the "Horseradish Crusted Cod:  Fresh cod fillet topped with seasoned horseradish panko crumbs, finished with a beet & horseradish beurre blanc, served with mashed sweet potatoes", which he said was excellent.

Next, there is usually a day when Bruce golfs and I do around Chatham.  That day on my own always finds me at The Impudent Oyster where I always have the Nantucket Scallop Sandwich.  Here is my own menu description, since I can't find one on-line:  "Sweet, plump, fried scallops, smothered with bacon, Monteray Jack cheese and tartar sauce (for which I substituted mayonnaise) on a toasted roll and accompanied by some of the crispiest, crunchiest French fries you will ever have."  I didn't say that this was a health-food vacation - it was a vacation (however, I am eating yogurt as I type up this post!)


Next up, at a lobster shack I cannot remember, but is one of the kind that pepper the Cape - I had two, yes it's true - two lobsters.  Delish!


And Bruce had the scallop dinner, which he said was good as well.


Now we come to the few remaining random shots.  First up - a cranberry bog.  Apparently the cranberries had been harvested the week before.






We came across some folks just pulling up their crab cages while on the other side of our marsh.  I swear, that little guy's face tells me that he knows he's headed for someone's dinner plate.




Some more shots from the other side of our marsh - very close to the opening to Cape Cod Bay - just beautiful.







And lastly - Edward Hopper, American painter, is my favorite artist and I am sure that it is because he captured the beauty that I see on the Cape in his paintings, especially the light - there is something special about the light on the Cape - and he manages to convey it perfectly.  The painting below, titled "Hills, South Truro", hangs above the fireplace in our living-room at home.  It never fails to transport me back to the beauty of the hills on the Cape and of where we walk when we are there - as you can see by one of the pictures that I took during our most recent week.



So, there you have it.  I promise that there will be no more Cape posts till next year - though you may look forward to a side-trip in my next post!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." ~ Eric Cantona

Seagulls and seals - always eager for a meal!  As I have the past few years, I headed to the Chatham Fishing Pier as the fishing boats were coming in.  I wanted to catch some shots of the seals as they hoped for the occasional piece of fish to be thrown their way.  I never tire of watching them.  They are alternately graceful and greedy as they wait for a mid-afternoon snack.

This is the first time that I have seen what I believe are a mother and her pup.  The pup would wander away and the mother would quickly go after it and guide it back closer to the boats.  It was lovely to watch.























Till next year, seals!