Atheneum.

The older I get, the more I just want to 'make it myself'. Does anyone know what I mean? I search and search on the Internet, travel all over town (and to Philadelphia several times) only to not be able to find what is right for us. So, then I end up creating my vision anyways.

Atheneum.  Otherwise known as a place of institutional learning, a library.  This is the new word of the week.

The library is a special place for us.  We are a family of book collectors and readers.  Thus, the need for a library (aside from the fact I have ALWAYS wanted one!!!).  I think that the library might have been the part of our basement designing project that I was most excited about.  Who am I kidding, of course it was!  I teach English! :D

Anyhow, back to my thoughts on "make it yourself."  We did not make it ourselves for the bookcases.  Instead we designed them ourselves based off the space we allotted and off we went to Ikea to design the library.

The Specs:
Floor to ceiling bookcases (no wasted space please)
Narrow
White
Fills the space
Room to expand

Sounds simple, right?  RIGHT! (bet you thought I was going to say wrong...gotcha!)  Ikea has been making the Billy bookcase system for libraries for over 30 years.  I think they might have it right, don't you think??  Anyhow, it fits just right in the space we have, and they designed them to curve in corners (have I mentioned how much I love Ikea?).   Our first plan was to make the library ourselves using Ikea's Billy Bookcases as our design model, but upon further measurements and inspections, we realized the Billy system fit perfectly into the corner, and we could take it with us whenever (sheeze, not for a while after all of this awesome construction!) we move.

Here is the "hard part":  Since the bookcases are floor to ceiling, that poses a problem for securing the bookcases to the wall.  In fact, such a problem that Matt and I spent the better part of the day trying to secure them by using Ikea's directions....Okay, I know, y'all are out there yelling at me: "Sarah, you have bought pieces from Ikea before, you KNOW their directions are junk!"  Yes, I know, the Swedes' directions might as well have been written in Sanskrit for all I could understand.

Does anyone remember Ziggy?  The American Greetings character?  He was on all kinds of different things when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s (stickers, paper, greeting cards)...If you don't remember him, Google him quick, so that my next story is all the more entertaining! :)

Now that everyone knows what Ziggy looks like, let us continue.  Picture a booklet of directions, with little Ziggies all over the page with big block arrows (think 5th grade love letters, check "Yes or "No" arrows--very child-like) pointing to various nondescript portions of the picture.  Now you know the kind of directions I am talking about here.  One word: Sanskrit.

Okay, so the problem was not assembling the bookcases, as I stated before it was securing it to the wall.  Ikea gives you think nice little corner bracket pack that is supposed to "solve" your securing the corner bookcase problem, only in our opinion it added at least 4 hours to the assembly time.

We finally chucked the brackets, cabinetry bolted the two corner pieces to the adjoining bookcases, "L" bracketed the rest to the wall and finished within the hour.  So, if you are deciding to do the Ikea library, which I 1,000xs recommend by the way, just skip the corner brackets and DIY. :)

I have our library organized (yes, can we say obsessively organized?) by fiction (alphabetical by author's last name), then non-fiction categories (alphabetical category, then alphabetical title, just like in a real library!), and wrapping up with a few over-sized books and scrapbooks.

I will post more about the decorations I made for the library at another time, so stay tuned- they are really cool.

Here is the final product.  i. love. it.

Sometimes I just walk over and bask in the library's glory.  No need to point out that I am a dork.  I am cool with that.  This is exactly what I wanted and it makes me so happy. :)  Squeee.

Be Blessed.

Murphy. Bed that is.

So, when we were designing our basement, we decided that we wanted to include an additional area for our guests to sleep.  One problem I had though, was that I did not want it to detract from the room or take up any more space (okay, I guess that is two problems then, right?).  Here is our solution:  a Murphy Bed.

A Murphy Bed is a bed that folds down out of the wall (think 1940s hotel rooms- you know I am a sucker for vintage!).  They are coming back in style, especially for space conservation, and well, you know we like to do things differently.  Matt did an awesome job coming up with the plans and executing them once we decided on the design of the bed.  I won't lie, it certainly wasn't an easy project, but the end result and the uniqueness of it all makes it worth all the effort!

The bed we designed holds a complete mattress set (box springs and mattress) and sits flush against the floor (think similar to a platform bed) when extended.

I designed the curtains to resemble a window, which helps to diminish the fact that there is a large bed waiting to come out of the wall!  In addition, the curtains also help add style to the bed once it is down, so that it looks less like a Murphy Bed and more like a bed in a guest room- WIN WIN all around!  There are hooks that hold the curtains back while the bed is extended, they just aren't visible in the picture.

Here is a shot of the finished product.

Up.

and Down.

Be Blessed.

Cape Cod Lighthouses

June 24, 2011.

I. L.O.V.E. Lighthouses.  They are beautiful, architectural marvels, and withstand the test of time. I have seen more lighthouses than I think I can count.  Okay, who am I kidding, you guys know I am a dorky archiving type of person, so I actually probably COULD count them all.  Anyhow, it suffices to say that we have visited a lot during our vacations.

Here are the lighthouses we saw while we were on our trip.  They are in no particular order (unless noted) and we really didn't go out of our way to visit any, since we have been to all of these before.  These lights just came into our journey randomly as we were visiting different areas.

Borden Flats

1.  Borden Flats Fall River, MA.  Not a lot to this light.  This was seen from I-195, and it is quite visible from the river bank in Fall River.  The only reason worth noting this light really, is that it is situated in the hometown of famed chef Emeril Lagasse. Yay.

Brant Point

Brant Point

2.  Brant Point Nantucket, MA.  I love this light.  One of these shots is now the background on our computer.  To me this 26 foot light symbolizes so much more than just a safe-harbor for ships.  It is a really quick (10 minutes max) walk from Nantucket town center, so again it is easily visible from various points in the harbor (including the the transportation vessel bringing you to the island).  Check out my previous post on Nantucket HERE. This light has its 110 year anniversary this year (1901).

Highland (Truro)

3.  Highland Truro, MA.  This 35 foot light was recently moved further back, away from the ever receding cliffs in Truro (the main reason the lighthouse is there in the first place- the cliffs are some 150 feet high!).  They have built this cool new observation deck since the last time we visited, and I am sure it is a lovely place to sit and 'take it all in.'  This light is located in the Cape Cod National Seashore (check out my previous post HERE). This light was built in 1797 and it was more than 500 feet from the cliff ledge, but by the late 1990s it was a mere 100 feet from the ledge.  This is just one example of how quickly the cliffs are eroding. 

Lewis Bay

4. Lewis Bay Hyannis Port, MA.  This light is not to be confused with Brant Point Light.  They look exactly the same, on purpose. It is also not to be confused with South Hyannis Light either. The family that privately commissioned Lewis Bay purposefully had it built as an exact replica of Brant Point light.  It sits in the harbor of Hyannis Port and can easily be seen from various passenger vessels departing for Nantucket, as well as returning from the island.  I took this shot on a whim as we were leaving the harbor.

Race Point

5.  Race Point Provincetown, MA.  This light is also located in the Cape Cod National Seashore.  It is a bit of a beach walk to get to it, but assuming you have a decent zoom lens, you can see it from Herring Cove Beach (and you don't have to hike all the way to the light, unless you just want to).  This light is really cool- you can get reservations to stay overnight in the keeper's house (it is a functioning lighthouse) or the Whistle House, which we totally intend to add to our "to do" list for the future!

Wood End

6.  Wood End Provincetown, MA.  This light is out a ridiculously long jetty (read more HERE), but the walk to the light is doable, just make sure to check the high and low tide time tables.  It is located on the northwest end of the town.

7.  Tarrytown Sleepy Hollow, NY.  Unfortunately I didn't catch a shot of this light, but we will stop again whenever we are up north again.  We decided to take the Tappan Zee bridge rather than fighting the NYC traffic at 4 pm on a Friday.  Once we started crossing the very large bridge, I looked to my right, and what did I see?  This sweet little light, in the sweet little town on Sleepy Hollow!  How cool?!  Well, I hadn't read in my lighthouse book about this particular area of the Hudson River, so I wasn't expecting the light!  What a nice little surprise! HERE is a link to a picture of the light (I don't take pictures from other folks' sites!).

A few last reference things:
Here are a few websites that are pretty reputable for lighthouses if you are interested in reading about lighthouses in your area or an area you are planning on visiting.  Most lighthouses are pretty cool and you can climb a lot of different lights, which affords a nice view of the town you happen to be visiting (Highland light for instance allows this).  Click the links below to investigate the sites further.

Lighthouse Directory
A Virtual Guide to New England Lighthouses
U.S. Lighthouses

Also, any Google search should yield good results if you type in the state or region you plan on visiting (ex. Cape Cod Lighthouses).

I have also been asked several times what books I use when researching for trips, so here are a couple books I would recommend, specifically for lighthouses.  I use two interchangeably, as neither has 100% what I would like to see in a reference guide to lighthouses, and I figure two is better than one, right?
1.  American Lighthouses: A Definitive Guide (we have already determined that it isn't definitive, right?), 2nd Edition. By- Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones. (ISBN: 0-7627-2269-X)
2.  Lighthouse Spotter's Guide.  By- Michael J. Rhein (ISBN: 1-59223-347-3)

Be Blessed.

Squishy fun.

Here is a quick tutorial that I threw together.

This is one of the fun party favors we are having at one of Isabella's 1st Birthday Parties!  It can be used for a quick and easy summer fun project with your kids to play in the water outside during one of those dog days of summer!

What do I need?
O-Cel-O Sponges- the brighter the better! (I picked up the 4 pack for less than $1.00)
Dental Floss (I used an old pack we no longer used)
Scissors

First, cut the sponge in half (long ways) then cut each half again, so that you have 4 total strips.

Continue this for each sponge you have.

Once you have cut all of your sponges, randomly combine color strips (three different sponges minimum) for a total of 12 strips.

Twist the strips together in a bunch and knot dental floss midway around the bunch (hopefully you have an extra pair of hands to hold while you tie!  Sweet thanks to my husband for demoing for me!) Trim the excess floss off.

Once you have tied and trimmed the floss, spread the sponge strips out and voila! 

Dunk sponge into nearest cold water bucket and just add fun!

You are finished! :)

Let me know if you try out the squishy sponges!

A Cape Sunset.

June 23, 2011.

This is going to be a really quick post, only about two things, okay well maybe three.  First, you can have your own beach fire on the Cape (check here for more information).  This was Matt's thing to do on the trip.  He was super excited about doing a fire on the beach.

You need to obtain a permit to build a fire on the beach, as they only allow a certain number (both resident and visitor) on each beach each day.  We picked our permit up while we were in the CCNS at Provincetown (same time we were busy dropping our debit card down between the deck!).  The permit is only good for the designated day.

Sunset Cape Cod National Seashore Head of the Meadow Beach

We drove out to Head of the Meadow Beach the night before to make sure it was a good site to build a fire- it was perfect by the way- and I was able to catch this awesome sunset shot with a couple of beach fires going bright.

The following day we had all of our dinner items packed up, beach paraphernalia in the car, our beach tent, dogs and babe- we were off!  The Head of the Meadow beach was only about 5 minutes from where we were staying so we jumped on Rt. 6 and headed down to the site.  Note the lot on the left is for visitors and the lot straight ahead/right is for residents.   There are different permits, so make sure you go to the correct spot on the beach, lest you get in trouble (I guess).

Well, we pulled into the parking lot and it started sprinkling.  BOOOO!  We waited a few minutes, while Isabella played with the puppies in the back, to see whether or not the rain would pass.  It didn't, instead it eventually started raining harder.  Boo again.

We were unable to do our beach fire, the one thing Matt wanted to do!  To bad we hadn't been more spontaneous and grabbed the permit for the night before when the sunset was so gorgeous!!  This is just something we will have to do when we head back again.

Be Blessed.

Cape Cod National Seashore.

Beach Flower- Herring Cove Beach- Straight out of the Camera

June 22, 2011.

We're off to "P-Town."

First landing of the Pilgrims.

Today was a little cooler, but a beautiful day on the Cape, nonetheless.  We headed to Provincetown, MA (Lower Cape) in the morning.  It is such a cool town!  The streets are exceptionally narrow and filled with pedestrians and reminds me of an old world European town.  It is built from the ocean up a hill, so it adds to the ambiance of the entire town.  Provincetown is also a very progressive town.  It is a hub of eccentric, alternative lifestyles, which means one thing: GREAT ART.

There are so many artists living, working, and selling in the Provincetown area.  Definitely check out the art scene and browse the various art galleries if you have a little extra time.  Provincetown artists create anything- from the most obscure modern pieces, to traditional "seascape" art.

We browsed the town, falling in love with some homes on the quaint little streets.  All these homes were so immaculately maintained.  Roses blooming, green lush grass, crisp white picket fences.  Oh, I could just go on and on about how gorgeous homes on the Cape are, but I won't, because that would be boring.

A more "touristy" attraction I would highly recommend is the Whydah Pirate Museum.  We stumbled upon it the last time we visited Provincetown.  It is an exhibit about the history of the Whydah, but it also includes real treasure that has been brought to the surface.  Barry Clifford is responsible for locating the shipwreck, and the exhibit follows his search through the ups, downs, and distraught moments that lead up to the Whydah discovery.  Matt and I were lucky enough to visit the museum and then realize on our way home that the National Geographic Real Pirates traveling exhibit was at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  We stopped so that we could see additional findings from the Whydah- Matt was elated with this find!

As far as food goes, The Lobster Pot is second to none.  It's Lobster Bisque is to. die. for.  Literally.  You cannot visit the Cape and not make it to Provincetown for the Lobster Bisque. One of my favorite memories from The Lobster Pot was from the first time we came- with Dottie and my Mom, plus the Pugs.  Dottie really wanted Lobster Bisque and I knew of The Lobster Pot, so off we went.  Needless to say it was a riot, the three of us ate (of course, no dogs allowed in an eating establishment), while Matt sat outside with the Pugs.  Once our quick lunch was over, Matt was overwhelmed with joy.  He apparently had been repeatedly hit on (who wouldn't?? ) by those of alternate lifestyles- mainly because he had not one, but TWO Pugs in tow.  Cute.  Wish I had it on video.  He was so modest and gentleman-like with his refusals.  Hehehe.  Anyhow, the food (aside from the Lobster Bisque) is really good- they even have Tim's Clam Chowder- award winning in the grand city of Boston (you know it's good!!).  Give it a shot!

Woods End Light Provincetown, MA

We drove through the town via Commercial St. (the closest to the water), filled with pedestrians and the heart of Provicetown life, to the Northern most tip of the town.  There is a sweet little rotary with a tiny little park in the middle there.  You are able to walk out on to the rock jetty, way out (try 3.5 miles round trip)- all the way to the Wood End Lighthouse, but watch the tides, or you could be stranded out with the lighthouse for a few hours.

Race Point Light Provincetown, MA from Herring Cove Beach

From here we continued traveling around 6A into the Cape Cod National Seashore.  The seashore turns 50 this year (1961-2011), all thanks to President Kennedy.   He declared the shore a National Park in order to preserve its beauty, and it has been a success!  The winding drive takes you through typical Cape Cod beach areas, full of low-lying trees, brush, beach flowers, and of course, sand.  The road through the park is immaculately kept, as is everything else we have encountered thus far.  We make a pit stop at the visitor's center, which has a lovely observation deck (as well as a higher observation tower) that affords stellar views of the beach, passing ships, as well as the beach vegetation and growth in its natural state.

Funny Story Alert::  While we were catching the great views from the observation deck behind the Visitor's Center, I saw a book in the window that I thought I wanted, plus I wanted to pick up a postcard for Isabella (see Nantucket. posting).  I asked Matt for the debit card, and as he reached into his wallet, we both watched (think slow motion, like The Matrix) the debit card slide out of his wallet, and drop (think knife or dagger like) straight down between the two slats on the observation deck.  Humph.  Well.  How about that?  We both looked at each other and laughed.  "Are you kidding?" might have slipped out of our mouths.

So Matt went into the Visitor's Center and spoke with the nicest Park Ranger EVER.  She opened a super rickety fence underneath and decided to go on the scavenger hunt herself!  Thank goodness it was a blue and red card, so she didn't have a lot of trouble finding it once she found where I was standing above (note I didn't move once it fell through the slit, no way, no way).  We laughed and offered to pay the gal for her troubles, but she wouldn't hear of it (did I mention that she was a great Park Ranger, but this made her SUPER??  She totally went above and beyond).  Anyhow, I bought my fun little Cape Cod National Seashore: The First 50 Years book and a postcard with the CCNS cliffs on it (to mail to Isabella), and off we were for more driving the park.

Herring Cove Beach, Dune Grass, & Race Point Light in background

From the Visitor's Center, we back-tracked to Herring Cove Beach, where the dunes will take your breath away.  I caught a couple beach shots of Race Point Lighthouse and we were on our way.  The park has so many  bike/running/hiking trails, we definitely want to come back again and spend a lot more time riding around the park, viewing the seascape from up close. 

After leaving Herring Cove Beach, we drove at a leisurely pace (remember that refreshing and rejuvenating thing?) around the park, just taking the sites in.  We were even passed by some super in a hurry New Jersey van driving people.  It made us laugh...getting passed in a park by a van.  All very campy (who passes someone in a National Park anyways??).

Highland Light Truro, MA

From the Provincetown area of CCNS, we headed down towards Truro.  There is a beautiful lighthouse here that I just love to visit- Highland Light.  It is right in the midst of Highland Golf Course and feels very Ireland to me.  The lighthouse protects ships against these enormous cliffs (High Head Cliffs) along the shore, the grown grass and beach brush- this has to be one of the best places to play a round of golf.  One of the biggest changes from the last time we stopped at the light is they have built a circular observation deck, so you cannot get as close to the cliffs any more.  The past picture I have of us, we are standing a lot closer to the end (yeah, I guess we gotta live a little), amongst the beach grass, complete with windblown hair. I am glad they put up the observation deck though, as sad as I was at first, because now the grass and the eroding cliffs will be protected for that much longer, and the visitors to the light will be safer.

Highland Light Observation Deck

 One last place we didn't visit this go around, but is definitely worth the visit is Marconi Beach, also part of the CCNS.  It was the site of the first transatlantic wireless communication between the US and England in 1903.  Pretty cool, huh?

Marconi Beach is also known for its large (40 ft.) cliffs that adjoin to the beach.   You are able to go onto the beach where the cliffs are at Marconi, unlike High Head Cliffs in Truro.

High Head Cliffs at Highland Light Truro, MA

Be Blessed.

Nantucket.

June 21, 2011.

Which way to the ACK?

We are going to Nantucket!!  Yay!

Last time we rode over to Nantucket we took the Hy-line Traditional Ferry.  The ticket price was around $45 included an island tour.  The tour was on a smaller tour bus with a great guide.  It went all over the island, showing lighthouses, historical landmarks, and the ever-exclusive Nantucket Golf Club (the one that wouldn't let Bill Clinton (President at the time) play during his vacation to the island because he wasn't a member...).  I would definitely recommend this tour to any first-time island visitor.  The tour doesn't allow fur-babies, unless of course you have a super cute couple of pugs and let the pooches do the talkin'.  ;)  We had our dogs with us and our tour guide was great about it.  She asked if there was anyone on the tour bus that had a dog allergy or had an objection (who could object to two pugs??), so off we were on the tour.

This time we didn't need the tour, our purpose was to see the town on Nantucket via foot/stroller, so we chose Steamship Authority instead.  Steamship has a great website for those of you that are pre-planners.  It also has a wonderful app for the IPhone that I downloaded.  It gives real-time schedules and ocean status (who wants to ride for a hour on 8 foot seas???).  Their traditional service (2 hours and 15 minutes) ticket was $35 round trip/per person.  The high-speed service (1 hour) was $70 round trip/per person. 

This morning we got up early (6:30) and made sure everyone had a lovely breakfast and was ready to get out the door by 8.  I looked up the drive from Provincetown to Hyannis and all I could find was 30-45 minutes, so I figured if we left by 8, then we would make it to the Steamship Authority dock in plenty of time to park, get the babe ready and make it on the ship with the dogs before the ship set sail at 9:15.  An ambitious goal, I know. 

Everything is going according to plan, we are driving along Rt. 6 towards Hyannis, and I happen to plug in the route for the GPS unit (we usually don't need it when driving the Cape) just to see what time exactly we should be arriving.  Well, once I did this, the GPS said we weren't arriving until 9:19...4 minutes AFTER the ship sets sail!

I whipped out the IPhone and used the cool little Steamship Authority App that shows the schedule for both the slower ship and the speed ship.  There was a speed ship leaving at 11.  Worst case scenario, we wouldn't be without our Nantucket; we could just take the 11am speed ship over instead.

Well sure enough, we arrived at 9:17...and watched the slow ship sail out of the harbor.  No biggie. 

We zipped over to Hyannis Main St.  and browsed the gorgeous little shops while we waited on the time to pass.  If you aren't able to make it to either island, then this is the place to check out Vineyard Vines.  It is a great "islands wear" clothing shop started by two very industrious young men.  The first shop opened on the island from which the guys crafted the company name- Martha's Vineyard, followed shortly by the Hyannis and Nantucket shops.  They carry a variety of polos, chinos, children's clothes, and my personal favorites: uber cool flip-flops, tote bags and belts! :) They even have a collegiate line (TN fans, it is listed as "Tennessee University" if you are looking for the UT tote) that definitely takes me back to my college days. :)

Cobble stone streets- Main St. and Straight Wharf.

After milling around town we headed back over to the Steamship Authority dock to purchase our tickets and park.  We found out the lot right beside the dock is for Seasonal Passes (not us), so we had to drive a couple blocks down the road and park there ($15).  I did notice there was a lot directly across the street from the dock where a gentleman was selling spaces for $10 (not affiliated with the Steamship Authority).  I would recommend parking in this lot next time.  The gentleman was very nice, friendly, and accommodating and his lot was sold out by the time we drove by to chat with him, otherwise we would have parked there!

After parking and walking the short little 5 minute walk back to the dock, we boarded the speed ship.  Dogs are only allowed to sit in a certain part of the boat (front facing) and there were several other dogs that has beaten us to the table seats, so we sat in a row facing everyone else.  Yep, us, the babe, and two Pugs on display for everyone's free entertainment. I wasn't sure how I felt about sitting there for everyone to see, however, upon further thought, it was actually "the best seat in the house" for us.  There was plenty of aisle room for the stroller.  The dogs could lay down underneath us and rest.  I could zip up the steps to the observation deck to catch some shots of the lighthouses and harbors as we entered and left.  Plus, we could eat our lunch while riding and play front-facing with Isabella.  It was also right beside the entrance/exit doors, so we were some of the first folks to head off the boat.

I should also take a moment to make note to those traveling with little tots- the speed ship is the way to go.  It is only an hour of riding.  It goes at speeds in excess of 40 mph, so you arrive quickly and children don't have time to get bored, as opposed to riding on the traditional ship at 2 hours and 15 minutes (one way trip). In comparison, I would have to say that Steamship Authority vessels are a bit nicer than the Hy-line ferries.  But, it is worth noting that Steamship Authority also sanctions an island tour (for approximately $15/ per person).  I haven't had the pleasure of taking the tour that Steamship Authority endorses, so I can't vouch for the content, but I would propose there isn't much of a difference between guides, sites, and personalities.

typical Nantucket transportation.

The ride over to the island was very calm, nice seas, which both Matt and I were VERY thankful for.  We disembarked the ship at Broad St.  We spent the next few hours browsing the streets and really taking in the Nantucket Island architecture.

While we were walking the town, I stopped in Nantucket Bookworks, a local independent bookseller, located at 25 Broad Street.  It is a quaint little bookstore, and I guarantee they know their clientele by name (I can confidently vouch for this, as I heard them greeting three different guests by name while I browsed the children's books!).  I purchased "Jenny's Pennies: a Nantucket Tradition" by Peter Saverine for Isabella's collection.  Typically she gets a book (usually specific to the location) any time we travel, so she is accumulating a nice little children's library.  I will post a little book review about the book later on, so check back.

quite possibly the coolest library.

I also discovered an author- Elin Hilderbrand- that writes (I believe them to be of the "beach read" variety) novels with a Nantucket backdrop.  I am going to pick up one and read it this summer, when I have a little free time.  I will be sure to blog about it and let you know whether or not it is a worthy read!

Post Office is located beside St. Mary's Our Lady of the Isle- est. 1896.

While we were browsing the town, I picked up a few postcards to send out to various family members, and one for Isabella.  The tradition goes as follows:  every time we are on vacation we grab a postcard of the location- write about our day, what we are doing, etc- then mail it to Isabella at home.  We try to get a postcard that has something to do particularly with the location, what we are doing or something we would like for her to remember later on in life.  This way, she can look back at all the places she has visited since she was a baby, and it is a great way to relive our vacation when we get home :)  I thought it would be fun to have a Nantucket postcard (Brant Point Light was our choice) mailed from the Nantucket island post office!

Wave Glass from a local antique shop

While we were walking out to Brant Point Light, we stumbled upon the most interesting little street, full of eclectic little shops.  This is what I love about the Island Life.  The houses, both rental and owned, were typical New England Cape/Island homes with immaculate lawns, gorgeous age-old roses, white picket fences- classic. Classic. Classic.  There were only a handful of homes for sale and many were in the summer opening phase.  They were having roofs updated, additions added on, typical natural wood shingles replaced.  I love the smell of new construction, mixed with the salty sea air.  It is so refreshing and rejuvenating.  Visually, looking at a house with the bright, crisp new shingles, it is so Cape Cod and beautiful.

Brant Point Light Nantucket Harbor, MA

Brant Point light is only 4 or 5 blocks from downtown Nantucket, so at most it is probably a 15 minute walk.  It is worth visiting, as it affords great views of the harbor and the beautiful sailboats entering and exiting the harbor, along with the beautiful beach houses that line the harbor sides.  It also has a very nice, white sand beach that many folks can be seen strolling on. 

We walked the 5 or so blocks back to the Broad St. Steamship Authority dock and caught the 3:15 speed ship back to Hyannis.  Paisley was asleep in the bottom of the stroller, Isabella was conked out in the stroller and Pugsley was huffing and puffing from his marathon length stroll around Nantucket, and we had basically visited or experienced everything we wanted to see this go around, so 3:15 was perfect timing.

Paisley in her Cadillac ride.

The nice thing about the speed ship is that 1. it arrives in an hour and 2. it has WIFI.  I already mentioned that the WIFI at our bungalow wasn't the greatest, so it was nice to browse the internet on my IPad versus having to do it on the phone.   No worries though, it was actually more rejuvenating to be "unplugged" so to speak, rather than always being in-the-know.

Be Blessed.