The Perfect Cape Cod Beach Day....

just happens sometimes....

The temperature is just right, the humidity is pretty much zilch, there's a lovely breeze and the beach isn't so crowded it makes you miserable....

In fact sometimes you're lucky enough to be there for a few hours with a view like this. This is taken at Race Point in Provincetown looking toward the race. There were a few people walking along, lots of boats heading out to fish and watch whales and terns calling out overhead.

You can't see them here but there are whales cavorting out there. We saw several different pairings and pods but one pair seemed to be a mother and calf. So much fun to watch and such a peaceful wonderful morning....

These cheerful umbrellas pretty much say it all. It was a happy, lovely day at the beach....

After the rain...

It has been a stormy and rainy morning here on the Cape with lots of flooding but after the worst had passed I went out into the yard to take some pictures...

Evening primrose....

Lily leaves....

The lily itself...

Holly leaves...

Norway spruce....

Maple...

Lamb's quarter....

Stay dry!

A Magical Place...

Today I'm heading off my usual nature path to bring you pictures from the lovely Cape Cod Lavender Farm in Harwich. The lavender is in bloom and bees and butterflies are everywhere...

The lighter lavender blooms are pretty subtle in color but they smell wonderful....

There's a sweet little cottage shop that will make all lavender lovers swoon with delight....

there's a fairy garden with a lovely stone castle.....

and sweet little fairy houses....

more fields of sweet smelling lavender....

It is open to the public and was a great place to paint with my outdoor painting class this week....

and I'll just leave you with this last sweet picture of lavender fields....right here on Cape Cod!

See where my classes are going next at www.capecodartandnature.com

Stay cool!

When it's really hot outside sometimes a slow walk in a cool forest is just what the doctor orders...the nature doctor, that is...

Where the ferns are shady and bright...

Where whole little worlds are growing where old ones have died off....

where a cool seat awaits by a pond beneath an old shade tree....

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of our holiday celebrating our independence....

here's a little red...

white.....

and blue....

from Mother Nature's palette here on this lovely Cape Cod day!

Summer days at the pond

So many people come to Cape Cod to go to our salt water beaches they forget or don't know that we are also a great place to go exploring around or in ponds. We have over 300 of them, most of them called kettle ponds because they are kettle holes left behind by the glacier that formed us thousands of years ago. The holes were deep enough to hit the water level and filled with water, hence their name.

On a sunny morning you might find a spot where swans rest at night, filled with white feathers....

The elegant swans may still be nearby....

You may see a big old bullfrog watching for flies....check out his bright yellow chin, a dead giveaway that this is a male.....

And if you look into the water really closely you may see something like this....a giant pickerel, still as a log, hiding under a patch of algae. Click on the picture to really see it--it is quite well camouflaged. Pickerels are amazing predators and this one had its eye on a nearby sunfish nest....

More baby pictures....

I can't get enough of these cute little plovers....

They blend in so well and they move so fast--even with my zoom lens they are hard to pick up--this one is just off center to the right.

This one is smack in the center, doing a little dance....

just beneath the string...

so cute....

Keep your eyes out for these little guys on the beaches this weekend....they are out and about!