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Both rescued birds whose injuries, although expertly treated, have left permanent damage preventing them from being released back into the wild. They are now living in a spacious aviary at Bear Creek Park, Houston. They are very well cared for, and these two are the best of friends.
Albinism is a genetic mutation that prevents the body from producing the pigment melanin
In this photo, the young Albino Tree Swallow is being fed by the parent. Notice the young bird's red eye, pinkish bill and legs. Both parents have normal coloration.
I'm thrilled that I'd managed to capture some record shots of the feeding action. It might take quite a while before another such opportunity would come my way.
500mm f4G @ f4
(Taken on July 2, JE Poole Wetland, St. Alberta, Alberta, Canada)
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Prevent coronavirus infection by washing hands and gargle!!!
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Gassho-zukuri is a unique architecture style special for the Hida district of Japan (inland in the mountains).
Gassho-Zukuri houses are recognized for their slanted, thatched gable roofs. The steep slope, angling at about 60 degrees, allows snow to fall off so as to prevent the house from being crushed under the weight. (To further increase its strength, lumber is placed between the crossbeams.) This roof shape resembles a pair of praying hands, which is how the architectural style got its name: Gassho means to join one’s hands in prayer, while Zukuri denotes a type of architecture.
Built from the 1700s through to the early-20th century, the Gassho farmhouse is larger than most others in Japan, and typically has three (and sometimes four) levels. An irori, or traditional open hearth, generally found in the common dining room, is used for heating and cooking.
I think the word "Alone" has been touched on over and over in this series of photos, however it needs it's own space because it may be the hardest of all the pills to swallow. It's one thing to go through a situation where you've lost everything, but to go through it by yourself is by far the worst feeling in the world. Often times what separates those who make it back on their feet, to those who never recover, is one simple thing. Support.
We're all different people, and everyone who falls has their own reasons for falling. One thing we all have in common though is that any single one of our individual falls can be broken up by another person choosing to get involved. What hurts more than anything in the world is falling, and seeing everyone you ever considered a friend just watching. No one offering to help, no one trying to prevent or even slow your decent, just watching, pitying, and coldly turning the other cheek. There's no feeling lonelier in the world than knowing in your time of need, when it's finally YOU who needs help, that everyone, even the ones you helped at points when you stood tall and they needed a hand, will just let you fall.
If you know someone who is struggling, no matter what that struggle is, let them know you see them. If you care about them, let them know. You might be the reason they recover, you might be all they needed, but you'll never know unless you try.
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Jaçanas use their long toes to spread their weight and prevent them from sinking as they walk across the lily pads. The word jaçana is a bird name the Portuguese acquired from the Amazonian Tupi Indians. The alternative name is lily-trotter. Jaçanas are rare among bird species in that it is the male which incubates the eggs and cares for the young. Breeds in wetlands from India to Taiwan.
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I believe that this street artist in Brooklyn, New York has just about said it all about driving with good advice!
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! xo💜💜
The Weather was grey, it was not a day to make nice pictures outside. This did not prevent us to take a walk in the charming old town of Tournus, a well preserved town with a lot of typical old houses.
Other places to visit are the Hotel Dieu, and a museum dedicated to the painter Greuze, a famous painter of the 18th century native of Tournus. Both were closed, it will be for me the occasion of another visit when the weather will be better.
Returning to the Abbey Saint-Philibert we had visited on our arrival, we began to see it illuminated in the distance as the afternoon ended. Therefore, I pulled out the camera. . .
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L'abbaye s'illumine
Il faisait gris, ce n'était pas un temps à faire de belles photos dehors. Cela ne nous a pas empêchés de faire un petit tour dans la charmante vieille ville de Tournus, une ville bien préservée avec pas mal de vieilles maisons typiques.
On peut aussi y visiter l'hôtel Dieu, et un musée dédié au peintre Greuze, célèbre peintre du 18ème siècle natif de Tournus. Les 2 endroits étaient fermés, ce sera pour moi l'occasion d'une autre visite lorsque le temps sera meilleur.
En retournant vers l'abbaye Saint-Philibert qu'on avait visitée en arrivant, on a commencé à l'apercevoir illuminée au loin alors que l'après-midi se terminait. J'ai alors ressorti l'appareil photo . . .
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Abbaye Saint-Philibert - Tournus - Bourgogne du Sud / South Burgundy - France
Backyard
Florida
USA
Like this caterpillar changing to a butterfly, so is the old year becoming the new year! Again Happy New Year 2026!
Monarch caterpillar in its fifth stage of development.
The caterpillar goes through five major, distinct stages of growth and after each one, it molts. Each caterpillar, or instar, that molts is larger than the previous as it eats and store energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry it through the nonfeeding pupal stage. 5th instar with the white spots visible on the prolegs.
The first instar caterpillar that emerges out of the egg is pale green and translucent. It lacks banding coloration or tentacles. The larvae or caterpillar eats its egg case and begins to feed on milkweed. It is during this stage of growth that the caterpillar begins to sequester cardenolides. The circular motion a caterpillar uses while eating milkweed prevents the flow of latex that could entrap it.
The second instar larva develops a characteristic pattern of white, yellow and black transverse bands. It is no longer translucent but is covered in short setae. Pairs of black tentacles (stinkhorns) begin to grow. One pair grows on the thorax and another pair on the abdomen.
The third instar larva has more distinct bands and the two pairs of tentacles become longer. Legs on the thorax differentiate into a smaller pair near the head and larger pairs further back. These third stage caterpillars began to eat along the leaf edges.
The fourth instar has a different banding pattern. It develops white spots on the prolegs near the back of the caterpillar.
The fifth instar larva has a more complex banding pattern and white dots on the prolegs, with front legs that are small and very close to the head. – Wikipedia
The rusty patina in "Rat Rod" style has been waxed to prevent further corrosion
Up rated engine, suspension, brakes & wheels complete the Hot Rod for performance
Morinda latibractea is a tall shrub or small tree 3-5 m tall. Leaves are broadly elliptic to oval shaped 8-15 x 3-5, with pointed tips.
Morinda latibracteata is endemic to the rock islands of Belau (Palau). There are between 50 to 80 species of Morinda, mostly in the old-world tropics. All Morinda flowers are heterostylous, meaning flowers have variable style length to prevent self-fertilization.
Common Names:
In Palau: kesengelengel
Morinda latibractea, Rubiaceae
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Grey squirrels compete more successfully than red squirrels for food and habitat. They Need help to protected there habitat to prevent decease wiping out Red Squirrels in the UK.
View from Matokit hill towards Vrgorac and Ljubuški. The sun from the east prevented a clearer picture.
Some people can subconsciously prevent you from becoming your best self.
Everything you do in this life- where you go, what you say, what you do and who you do it with is the result of your thoughts.
A big reason people fight is because people identify with their thoughts. When we were growing up, most of us believed that thoughts come from the inside. We thought that they were innately a part of us and that we *are* our thoughts. We started building our whole identities around our own little internal monologues.
And the bigger the idea, the more of your identity it represents. This is why politics and religion are such hotly debated topics, because they're such big ideas. If I say your political idea is a bad idea, and you base your identity on that idea, then effectively what you're hearing is that I'm calling you a bad person. You think that I'm attacking you, not the idea.
Something that might be even more common is that people just straight up attack the individual as a proxy for attacking that person's idea.
Somewhere along the way, a few people started realizing they had it all wrong.
In practice, a much better way to think about it is that the universe has an infinite number of streams of thoughts, so to speak, that our brains can kind of tap into like different radio stations. With this analogy, we no longer have to view ourselves as a series of thoughts but rather as an empty vessel by which thoughts pass through. Now we're like the DJ of a radio station, not the individual song. The self is merely an observer. It was this distinction that sparked one of the most famous philosophical debates of all time, which is, I think therefore I am versus I *do* therefore I am.
Spolier alert, you should pick the latter.
In this analogy, the self is determined by our ability to pick and choose different ideas from different streams of thoughts and combine them to form new ideas. Sort of like picking ingredients to make a sandwich.
This is different from the first paradigm, in which we would just take everything from the same stream and hope that the sandwich turns out good anyways.
Therapists know that this works, that's why when people come in complaining about depression, they're told to use the term "negative intrusive thoughts".
The idea is actually pretty simple. If you don't take ownership of the idea and instead you assign a label to it, then you can categorize it as something that life just happened to send your way but something that you're also allowed to throw away. You don't have to hold on to it because it's not actually a part of you. It's just a shitty song on the radio station.
So how does this all relate to other people holding you back?
To be continued..
Credited to Austin Ambrozi on TikTok
Paulownia Tomentosa the Anna Paulownia tree.
I have found this tree in an Arboretum in Eeklo Belgium!
It's worth it ! ;-) yes it does 😍
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A true and interesting story:
Carving paulownia wood is an art form in Japan and China.
The leaves can be eaten cooked; the flowers are edible, for example in a salad. But people only eat the plant in dire need, when there is nothing else to eat.
In early spring, before the leaves emerge, the fragrant, light lilac-purple flowers appear. Their scent is reminiscent of vanilla.
A decoction of the leaves is used to cleanse nasty sores and is said to promote hair growth and prevent graying. The leaves can also be used as a compress for bruises. The juice of the leaves is used against warts. The flowers are used in the treatment of skin conditions. A tincture of the bark is used in the treatment of fever and delirium. It has an astringent effect and is also used to expel parasitic worms.
The wood is not attacked by insects and is used to make boxes, clogs, furniture, musical instruments, etc. It is suitable for poles and beams in construction and a source of charcoal. The nitrogen-rich leaves are a good fodder crop and the roots prevent soil erosion. Various Asian string instruments are made from Paulownia tomentosa, including the Japanese koto and the Korean gayageum zither.
The plant contains a number of potentially toxic substances.
In China, this tree was traditionally planted at the birth of a girl. The fast-growing tree developed as the girl grew up. When she got married, the tree was cut down and the wood was carved into items for her dowry.
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I did not know this, but now I do ;-)
Image is from my archives, but straight from the camera!
Recently harvested hops field at sunset in Marion County, Oregon near the town of Mt. Angel.
The smell of freshly cut hops was wonderfully aromatic and heady as a farm crew harvested the field right behind me while I sat on the side of the road and shot this photo. The heavy smoke from forest fires prevented me from shooting many landscapes on this trip to the Willamette Valley near Silverton, Oregon, but the hazy sunsets were spectacular.
"Paddington, see what I have found here!" Molly happily pulls something out of water
"No, no! Dont pull the rope Molly, there may be a ship tied up on the other end! You might pull it on the rocks!" Paddington shouts
We believe that Paddington managed to prevent maritime disaster
Happy Teddy Bear Tuesday!
🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻
The Llyn Clywedog is a man made reservoir formed by the construction of the Clywedog Dam. The dam was built between 1965-67 to regulate the flow of water in the Severn, both as a protection against flooding of the upper sections of the river during the winter months and also to ensure the maintenance of a minimum flow in the river during the summer.
The construction of the dam and lake throw up a number of interesting statistics. The structure is the tallest mass concrete dam in Britain, standing fully 236 ft (72m) high. It is 750 ft long, and holds back some 11,000 million gallons of water. This apparently equates to some 550 million baths, or 264 billion glasses of water. The weight of concrete used in the construction of the dam is equal to 7 times the tonnage of the QE2 cruise liner, in all some 200,000 cubic metres; enough to build 28 miles of six lane motorway.
The lake has a surface area of 615 acres (230 football pitches), is 216 ft deep at its maximum depth and stretches in all a distance of some six miles. At its maximum, it is just 500 yards wide. Some 15 miles of new or improved roads were built around the reservoir at time of construction, along with two new bridges. There is a second, much less visible dam at Bwlch-y-gle. This is an earthen structure faced with stone, about 40ft high and 600ft long which prevents the lake spilling over into the neighbouring valleys on either side of Bryn y Fan hill, the highest of the hills surrounding the lake and a commanding feature to be seen from miles around.
To prevent winter depression, it is wonderful to go outside, breathe in the fresh air and soak up some light, even if the sun is not shining as much as you would like. In the hilly countryside of South Limburg, all of this is available, including peace and space.
The photo was taken on the “Dikkebuiksweg” (Fat Belly Road) from Wijlre to Eyserbos. A narrow road closed for cars, with two nasty
Rio Baker flows along the edge of the snow-covered mountains of the Northern Patagonia Icefields near Green Baker Lodge on the Carretera Austral, Patagonia, Chile. Rio Baker is the largest river in Chile and one of the largest free flowing undammed rivers in the world. In 2014, environmentalists won a long, acrimonious fight to prevent the building of 5 dams on it and its tributaries. It has a characteristic turquoise-green colour due to its glacial origins and is popular with kayakers and fly fishermen.
03/03/2021 www.allenfotowild.com
Our yard in Holland, Mass
Much easier to hear than to see, these are my first images of this species of frog. Spring Peepers are very small frogs, measuring from just under an inch to an inch and a half. That's from less than 25mm to 38mm. Nonetheless, their chorus is readily heard every spring--right in our yard (We have a vernal pool--temporary "pond" that dries up every season, thereby preventing fish from living there and eating the small tadpoles).
@Dutch harbor
When I was a child, I dreamed to travel in a boat as this one. If in real life, this dream is a little complicated, nothing prevents from immortalizing him in the metaverse. ;)
► █░▓ Yesterday I witnessed and filmed one of the most beautiful weddings of my life... At a moment I thought... well I can’t attend my son’s wedding, but am instead blessed with this one... —big HUGS TO 👑AIDAN AND ANASTASIA👑, our illuminated heroes now united in Christ’s Glory, with my best wishes for their harmonious marriage and a solid place booked in eternity. I may be overemotional, but only the camera's viewfinder prevented a few tears from coming out of my eyes at the sight of this couple in the ceremony. Being intrinsically Christian, it had all the virtues of our Lord — His humility, the modesty, the standing elevation. The greatest pomp & circumstance of which were — but who ever needs more! — the firm, solemn, stately nobility of the 21 year old bridegroom, and the radiating, uplifted beauty of the 19 year old bride. To them I congratulate and devote this upload, with Vera’s short story (originally in Russian) that can serve as a reminder for the moments of temptation which are not to our will’s short-lived laps. Those moments are bound to come...
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Everything that happens, it all leads to... something.
The commuter train is delayed for about 20 minutes, and everyone on the platform is tired and grumpy, after work, wanting to go home, so we're waiting. No one announces when the train will arrive, like "information coming up." Finally, the train arrives, everyone sullenly boards, sits frowning, waiting for departure. And then a breathless, ruddy-cheeked guy with a cake tied with a ribbon rushes into the car and shouts into the phone: "Can you imagine, today is the most incredible day of my life! I was just running out of inertia, in despair, I was terribly late! And they are standing there, waiting for me! I'm coming! I'll make it to you on time! Hurray, right?!"
And we all smiled and relaxed, as if we'd all been waiting on the platform specifically so he could get there with his cake. Here we are, rolling, smiling, carrying a cake...
Vera Khiteeva
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Alles wat er gebeurt, leidt tot... iets.
De forensentrein heeft ongeveer 20 minuten vertraging en iedereen op het perron is moe en chagrijnig. Na het werk wil iedereen naar huis, dus we wachten. Niemand kondigt aan wanneer de trein aankomt, zoiets als "wacht op informatie". Eindelijk arriveert de trein, iedereen stapt nors in, zit fronsend te wachten op vertrek. En dan rent een buiten adem zijnde, roodwangige man met een taart met een lint eromheen de trein in en roept in de telefoon: "Kun je je voorstellen, vandaag is de meest ongelooflijke dag van mijn leven! Ik was helemaal uitgeput, wanhopig, ik was verschrikkelijk laat! En zij staan daar, op me te wachten! Ik kom eraan! Ik kom op tijd! Hoera, toch?!"
En we glimlachten allemaal en ontspanden ons, alsof we allemaal speciaal op het perron hadden gewacht zodat hij er met zijn taart kon zijn. Hier zijn we dan, rijdend, glimlachend, met een taart in de hand...
Vera Khiteeva ...
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Всё, что ни делается, — всё к... чему-нибудь
Задерживается электричка минут на 20, на перроне все уставшие и злые, после работы, домой хочется, ждём. Никто не объявляет, когда поезд придёт: типа «ждите информации». Наконец-то электричка приезжает, все угрюмо грузятся, сидят насупившиеся, ждут отправления. И тут влетает в вагон запыхавшийся румяный парень с тортом, перевязанным ленточкой, и кричит в телефон: «Ты представляешь, сегодня самый фантастический день в жизни! Я бежал уже просто по инерции, в отчаянии, я опаздывал страшно! А она стоит, ждёт меня! Я еду! Я к тебе успеваю! Ура же?!»
И мы все такие заулыбались, расслабились, как будто мы все специально ждали на перроне, чтобы он успел к ней со своим тортом. Едем вот, улыбаемся, торт везём...
Вера Хитеева ...
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Credits: Julia//Все грани прекрасного (All Facets of Beauty)//
The Bahia Palace, set in extensive gardens, was built in the late 19th century by the Grand Vizier of Marrakesh, Si Ahmed ben Musa (Bou-Ahmed). Bou Ahmed resided here with his four wives, 24 concubines and many children. With a name meaning "brilliance", it was intended to be the greatest palace of its time, designed to capture the essence of Islamic and Moroccan architectural styles. Bou-Ahmed paid special attention to the privacy of the palace in its construction and employed architectural features such as multiple doors which prevented passers-by from seeing into the interior. The palace took seven years to build, with hundreds of craftsmen from Fes working on its wood, carved stucco and zellij.The palace is set in a two-acre (8,000 m²) garden with rooms opening onto courtyards. The palace acquired a reputation as one of the finest in Morocco and was the envy of other wealthy citizens. Upon the death of Bou-Ahmed in 1900, the palace was raided by Sultan Abd al-Aziz.
They say love keeps you warm, but clearly not warm enough to prevent the water from freezing.
The day before yesterday, several toads and newts arrived in the pond.
Unfortunately, yesterday the weather changed and temperatures plummeted and yesterday evening it began freezing - we're having the coldest March 17-18th on record since 1909.
I have been up and about all night to keep several holes in the ice open so that the toads and newts can get air.
It looks like it will be noon before temperature climbs to zero degrees. I will try to stay up until then, and then get a short sleep because I will have to be up again a few hours later when around 4 PM it will start freezing again until tomorrow morning.
Changde Rd. and W. Nanjing Rd., Shanghai
In the day or two following the demonstrations, Shanghai experienced a sharp drop in temperature and rain. On the 29th, between two heavy showers, the sky was dark and dreary, the streets were empty and sparsely populated by pedestrians, with police cars parked on many street corners and some streets filled with temporary recruits on duty to prevent new demonstrations, while Gucci's LED screens played their usual lavish and unrealistic advertisements.
The anger of the demonstrations and protests did not infect everyone. Just a short distance away from the blockade, youths steeped in consumerism were still relaxing and having fun. This is partly due to the blockade of information by the authorities, and partly due to the fact that thirty years of condoning and exploiting consumerism and suppressing social autonomy have created a large group of people who are indifferent to the fate of others.
On the night of 26 November 2022, a demonstration took place in Middle Wulumuqi (Urumqi) Road, Shanghai in memory of the victims of the fire in Wulumuqi (Urumqi), Xinjiang, the casualties of which were caused by the building being locked up as a result of absurd anti-epidemic measures which made it impossible for residents to escape. The police ended up arresting many of the demonstrators and loading three police buses:
www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/11/27/chine-de-...
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On the evening of the 27th, a large area of the neighbourhood where the demonstration took place last night was suddenly blocked off, allowing only people to leave and not enter, perhaps to prevent further demonstrations from gathering there.. A large number of people gathered at the intersections of the blocked-off neighbourhoods, which gradually festered into a new demonstration.
The demonstration on the night of the 27th:
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This little brook, which feeds into the West Dart River less than a mile to the south, is where salmon come to breed. The nearby Lower Cherrybrook Bridge, which carries the B3357, has fixed gates across both arches to prevent canoes from passing under and disturbing the breeding beds in the gravel, and the alevins, as newly hatched salmon are called.
Adult salmon lay their eggs in special nests in the gravel called redds in the late autumn. The eggs then hatch in the spring time (depending on water temperature) into alevins. They have yolk sacs which they use for food whilst buried in the redds. After the yolk sacs have been used up, the alevins have to start to feed. At this point they are known as fry. They feed on tiny water organisms and grow quickly during their first year. The salmon are known as parr once they are over a year old. They stay in freshwater for between one and four years, feeding on small insects and growing larger. Eventually they grow into smolts and head for the sea.
Berlin boasts two zoological gardens, a consequence of decades of political and administrative division of the city. The older one, called Zoo Berlin, founded in 1844, is situated in what is now called the "City West". It is the most species-rich zoo worldwide. The other one, called Tierpark Berlin ("Animal Park"), was established on the long abandoned premises of Friedrichsfelde Manor Park in the eastern borough of Lichtenberg, in 1954. Covering 160 ha, it is the largest landcape zoo in Europe. In front of and behind the manor, the original design of the gardens was carefully restored. That is why you won't see any animals in this part of the enormous premises of the Animal Park. But you'll find plenty of them at a short distance.
Friedrichsfelde Manor house, designed in the early neo-Classical architectural style, is located in the Berlin Animal Park in the Friedrichsfelde district of Berlin. It was built in 1685 as Rosenfelde Manor by the Electorate of Brandenburg's Director General of the Navy, Benjamin Raule. This first five-axes building was probably constructed in the Dutch country house style according to plans by Johann Arnold Nering. In 1698, Benjamin Raule fell from grace and was imprisoned and expropriated. The castle fell to the Prussian Elector and later King Frederick I and was renamed Friedrichsfelde. After the king's death, the property was transferred to his half-brother Margrave Albrecht Friedrich von Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1717. In 1719, court architect Martin Heinrich Böhme enlarged the palace by three axes each to the east and west to its present width and added a three-winged Baroque staircase made of oak.
The castle survived the Second World War relatively undamaged. After the expropriation in the course of the land reform, both the building and the surrounding manor park fell into disrepair. When the decision was made in 1954 to create a separate zoo for East Berlin, the palace served for a few years as the headquarters of the organisers of the garden's conversion; parts of the building were used as stables for the zoo. It was not until the period between 1970 and 1981 that the castle was renovated on the initiative of Tierpark Berlin. The director of the Animal Park at the time, Heinrich Dathe, campaigned massively for the preservation of the manor house and prevented plans to demolish it.
Our Safari truck had a flat tire, so our guide took us out on foot in South Africa for a bit. We came upon this Rhino with the bird on his back and I got some pretty good photos with my telephoto lens. Horns were removed from most of the Rhinos and this one likely had his removed not long after this photo to prevent the poachers from killing the Rhinos.
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Chinese mob being prevented by the police from demolishing the information booth of Hong Kong protests supporters in Mariahilfer Straße in Vienna last Saturday
I know this kind of people, because I lived and worked in China almost three years. Normally they're friendly and peaceful people, and I like them very much. But being brainwashed by using only Chinese information sources even in a foreign country like Austria, most of them are completely unable to understand people who aren't brainwashed the same way. So authorities allowing public criticism of their government will go over their heads and make them extremely angry and ready to use violence.
There were about a hundred police officers present, and they prevented a mass brawl caused by the Chinese mob right from the beginning. They did a good job.
To prevent this Cathedral from collapsing onto people passing by in the frequent Christchurch earthquakes, a row of containers on top of each was propped against the building. As you can see the quakes caused this column to rub against the containers leaving these marks.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Comet
Crater Lake National Park, OR
Comet viewing was much better at Crater Lake with wide open views though there were some thin clouds. Choppy waters from the wind prevented capturing a reflection of the comet, but the nearly full moon lit up the crater walls to my advantage.
Join me on Google+
A shot from my archives, which I somehow forgot to post. Here is the Palace Hotel in the so-called 'Old Town Dubai', and as a bonus, the world's tallest tower in the background. Thanks to my flickr buddy arfromqatar who was staying in this hotel and who made that shot possible (as usual we had some issues with the security guard).
This is a digitally blended Vertorama.
This shot is dedicated to A Parisian Woman in KL for her great testimonial. Thanks again V! :-)
Dubai Set | Digital Blending Set | Night Photography Set | Burj Khalifa Set | Vertoramas Set
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod
Cape Cod
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This article is about the area of Massachusetts. For other uses, see Cape Cod (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Cod (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 41°41′20″N 70°17′49″W / 41.68889°N 70.29694°W / 41.68889; -70.29694
Map of Massachusetts, with Cape Cod (Barnstable County) indicated in red
Dunes on Sandy Neck are part of the Cape's barrier beach which helps to prevent erosion
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is an island and a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States. It is coextensive with Barnstable County. Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including Monomoy Island, Monomoscoy Island, Popponesset Island, and Seconsett Island, are also in Barnstable County, being part of municipalities with land on the Cape. The Cape's small-town character and large beachfront attract heavy tourism during the summer months.
Cape Cod was formed as the terminal moraine of a glacier, resulting in a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1914, the Cape Cod Canal was cut through the base or isthmus of the peninsula, forming an island. The Cape Cod Commission refers to the resultant landmass as an island; as does the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in regards to disaster preparedness.[1] It is still identified as a peninsula by geographers, who do not change landform designations based on man-made canal construction.[citation needed]
Unofficially, it is one of the biggest barrier islands in the world, shielding much of the Massachusetts coastline from North Atlantic storm waves. This protection helps to erode the Cape shoreline at the expense of cliffs, while protecting towns from Fairhaven to Marshfield.
Road vehicles from the mainland cross over the Cape Cod Canal via the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge. The two bridges are parallel, with the Bourne Bridge located slightly farther southwest. In addition, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge carries railway freight as well as tourist passenger services.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Geography and political divisions
o 1.1 "Upper" and "Lower"
* 2 Geology
* 3 Climate
* 4 Native population
* 5 History
* 6 Lighthouses of Cape Cod
* 7 Transportation
o 7.1 Bus
o 7.2 Rail
o 7.3 Taxi
* 8 Tourism
* 9 Sport fishing
* 10 Sports
* 11 Education
* 12 Islands off Cape Cod
* 13 See also
* 14 References
o 14.1 Notes
o 14.2 Sources
o 14.3 Further reading
* 15 External links
[edit] Geography and political divisions
Towns of Barnstable County
historical map of 1890
The highest elevation on Cape Cod is 306 feet (93 m), at the top of Pine Hill, in the Bourne portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The lowest point is sea level.
The body of water located between Cape Cod and the mainland, bordered to the north by Massachusetts Bay, is Cape Cod Bay; west of Cape Cod is Buzzards Bay. The Cape Cod Canal, completed in 1916, connects Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay; it shortened the trade route between New York and Boston by 62 miles.[2] To the south of Cape Cod lie Nantucket Sound; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, both large islands, and the mostly privately owned Elizabeth Islands.
Cape Cod incorporates all of Barnstable County, which comprises 15 towns: Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. Two of the county's fifteen towns (Bourne and Sandwich) include land on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. The towns of Plymouth and Wareham, in adjacent Plymouth County, are sometimes considered to be part of Cape Cod but are not located on the island.
In the 17th century the designation Cape Cod applied only to the tip of the peninsula, essentially present-day Provincetown. Over the ensuing decades, the name came to mean all the land east of the Manomet and Scussett rivers - essentially the line of the 20th century Cape Cod Canal. Now, the complete towns of Bourne and Sandwich are widely considered to incorporate the full perimeter of Cape Cod, even though small parts of these towns are located on the west side of the canal. The canal divides the largest part of the peninsula from the mainland and the resultant landmass is sometimes referred to as an island.[3][4] Additionally some "Cape Codders" – residents of "The Cape" – refer to all land on the mainland side of the canal as "off-Cape."
For most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Cape Cod was considered to consist of three sections:
* The Upper Cape is the part of Cape Cod closest to the mainland, comprising the towns of Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee. Falmouth is the home of the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and several other research organizations, and is also the most-used ferry connection to Martha's Vineyard. Falmouth is composed of several separate villages, including East Falmouth, Falmouth Village, Hatchville, North Falmouth, Teaticket, Waquoit, West Falmouth, and Woods Hole, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Davisville, Falmouth Heights, Quissett, Sippewissett, and others).[5]
* The Mid-Cape includes the towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis. The Mid-Cape area features many beautiful beaches, including warm-water beaches along Nantucket Sound, e.g., Kalmus Beach in Hyannis, which gets its name from one of the inventors of Technicolor, Herbert Kalmus. This popular windsurfing destination was bequeathed to the town of Barnstable by Dr. Kalmus on condition that it not be developed, possibly one of the first instances of open-space preservation in the US. The Mid-Cape is also the commercial and industrial center of the region. There are seven villages in Barnstable, including Barnstable Village, Centerville, Cotuit, Hyannis, Marstons Mills, Osterville, and West Barnstable, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Craigville, Cummaquid, Hyannisport, Santuit, Wianno, and others).[6] There are three villages in Yarmouth: South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Yarmouthport. There are five villages in Dennis including, Dennis Village(North Dennis), East Dennis, West Dennis, South Dennis and Dennisport.[7]
* The Lower Cape traditionally included all of the rest of the Cape,or the towns of Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. This area includes the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national park comprising much of the outer Cape, including the entire east-facing coast, and is home to some of the most popular beaches in America, such as Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach in Eastham. Stephen Leatherman, aka "Dr. Beach", named Coast Guard Beach the 5th best beach in America for 2007.[8]
[edit] "Upper" and "Lower"
The terms "Upper" and "Lower" as applied to the Cape have nothing to do with north and south. Instead, they derive from maritime convention at the time when the principal means of transportation involved watercraft, and the prevailing westerly winds meant that a boat with sails traveling northeast in Cape Cod Bay would have the wind at its back and thus be going downwind, while a craft sailing southwest would be going against the wind, or upwind.[9] Similarly, on nearby Martha's Vineyard, "Up Island" still is the western section and "Down Island" is to the east, and in Maine, "Down East" is similarly defined by the winds and currents.
Over time, the reasons for the traditional nomenclature became unfamiliar and their meaning obscure. Late in the 1900s, new arrivals began calling towns from Eastham to Provincetown the "Outer Cape", yet another geographic descriptor which is still in use, as is the "Inner Cape."
[edit] Geology
Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay from space.[10]
East of America, there stands in the open Atlantic the last fragment of an ancient and vanished land. Worn by the breakers and the rains, and disintegrated by the wind, it still stands bold.
“
”
Henry Beston, The Outermost House
Cape Cod forms a continuous archipelagic region with a thin line of islands stretching toward New York, historically known by naturalists as the Outer Lands. This continuity is due to the fact that the islands and Cape are all terminal glacial moraines laid down some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Most of Cape Cod's geological history involves the advance and retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet in the late Pleistocene geological era and the subsequent changes in sea level. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, researchers have determined that around 23,000 years ago, the ice sheet reached its maximum southward advance over North America, and then started to retreat. Many "kettle ponds" — clear, cold lakes — were formed and remain on Cape Cod as a result of the receding glacier. By about 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet had retreated past Cape Cod. By roughly 15,000 years ago, it had retreated past southern New England. When so much of Earth's water was locked up in massive ice sheets, the sea level was lower. Truro's bayside beaches used to be a petrified forest, before it became a beach.
As the ice began to melt, the sea began to rise. Initially, sea level rose quickly, about 15 meters (50 ft) per 1,000 years, but then the rate declined. On Cape Cod, sea level rose roughly 3 meters (11 ft) per millennium between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. After that, it continued to rise at about 1 meter (3 ft) per millennium. By 6,000 years ago, the sea level was high enough to start eroding the glacial deposits that the vanished continental ice sheet had left on Cape Cod. The water transported the eroded deposits north and south along the outer Cape's shoreline. Those reworked sediments that moved north went to the tip of Cape Cod.
Provincetown Spit, at the northern end of the Cape, consists largely of marine deposits, transported from farther up the shore. Sediments that moved south created the islands and shoals of Monomoy. So while other parts of the Cape have dwindled from the action of the waves, these parts of the Cape have grown.
Cape Cod National Seashore
This process continues today. Due to their position jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to massive coastal erosion. Geologists say that, due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea in thousands of years.[11] This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during Hurricane Bob in 1991, allowing waves and storm surges to hit the coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches is being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by waters running through them.
[edit] Climate
Although Cape Cod's weather[12] is typically more moderate than inland locations, there have been occasions where Cape Cod has dealt with the brunt of extreme weather situations (such as the Blizzard of 1954 and Hurricane of 1938). Because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, temperatures are typically a few degrees cooler in the summer and a few degrees warmer in the winter. A common misconception is that the climate is influenced largely by the warm Gulf Stream current, however that current turns eastward off the coast of Virginia and the waters off the Cape are more influenced by the cold Canadian Labrador Current. As a result, the ocean temperature rarely gets above 65 °F (18 °C), except along the shallow west coast of the Upper Cape.
The Cape's climate is also notorious for a delayed spring season, being surrounded by an ocean which is still cold from the winter; however, it is also known for an exceptionally mild fall season (Indian summer), thanks to the ocean remaining warm from the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded on Cape Cod was 104 °F (40 °C) in Provincetown[13], and the lowest temperature ever was −12 °F (−24.4 °C) in Barnstable.[14]
The water surrounding Cape Cod moderates winter temperatures enough to extend the USDA hardiness zone 7a to its northernmost limit in eastern North America.[15] Even though zone 7a (annual low = 0–5 degrees Fahrenheit) signifies no sub-zero temperatures annually, there have been several instances of temperatures reaching a few degrees below zero across the Cape (although it is rare, usually 1–5 times a year, typically depending on locale, sometimes not at all). Consequently, many plant species typically found in more southerly latitudes grow there, including Camellias, Ilex opaca, Magnolia grandiflora and Albizia julibrissin.
Precipitation on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is the lowest in the New England region, averaging slightly less than 40 inches (1,000 mm) a year (most parts of New England average 42–46 inches). This is due to storm systems which move across western areas, building up in mountainous regions, and dissipating before reaching the coast where the land has leveled out. The region does not experience a greater number of sunny days however, as the number of cloudy days is the same as inland locales, in addition to increased fog. Snowfall is annual, but a lot less common than the rest of Massachusetts. On average, 30 inches of snow, which is a foot less than Boston, falls in an average winter. Snow is usually light, and comes in squalls on cold days. Storms that bring blizzard conditions and snow emergencies to the mainland, bring devastating ice storms or just heavy rains more frequently than large snow storms.
[hide]Climate data for Cape Cod
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 2.06
(35.7) 2.5
(36.5) 6.22
(43.2) 11.72
(53.1) 16.94
(62.5) 23.5
(74.3) 26.39
(79.5) 26.67
(80.0) 25.06
(77.1) 18.39
(65.1) 12.56
(54.6) 5.44
(41.8) 26.67
(80.0)
Average low °C (°F) -5.33
(22.4) -5
(23.0) -1.33
(29.6) 2.72
(36.9) 8.72
(47.7) 14.61
(58.3) 19.22
(66.6) 20.28
(68.5) 15.56
(60.0) 9.94
(49.9) 3.94
(39.1) -2.22
(28.0) -5.33
(22.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 98
(3.86) 75.4
(2.97) 95
(3.74) 92.5
(3.64) 83.6
(3.29) 76.7
(3.02) 62.2
(2.45) 65
(2.56) 74.7
(2.94) 84.8
(3.34) 90.7
(3.57) 92.7
(3.65) 990.9
(39.01)
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (United Nations) [16]
[edit] Native population
Cape Cod has been the home of the Wampanoag tribe of Native American people for many centuries. They survived off the sea and were accomplished farmers. They understood the principles of sustainable forest management, and were known to light controlled fires to keep the underbrush in check. They helped the Pilgrims, who arrived in the fall of 1620, survive at their new Plymouth Colony. At the time, the dominant group was the Kakopee, known for their abilities at fishing. They were the first Native Americans to use large casting nets. Early colonial settlers recorded that the Kakopee numbered nearly 7,000.
Shortly after the Pilgrims arrived, the chief of the Kakopee, Mogauhok, attempted to make a treaty limiting colonial settlements. The effort failed after he succumbed to smallpox in 1625. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza caused the deaths of many other Kakopee and Wampanoag. They had no natural immunity to Eurasian diseases by then endemic among the English and other Europeans. Today, the only reminder of the Kakopee is a small public recreation area in Barnstable named for them. A historic marker notes the burial site of Mogauhok near Truro, although the location is conjecture.
While contractors were digging test wells in the eastern Massachusetts Military Reservation area, they discovered an archeological find.[citation needed] Excavation revealed the remains of a Kakopee village in Forestdale, a location in Sandwich. Researchers found a totem with a painted image of Mogauhok, portrayed in his chief's cape and brooch. The totem was discovered on property on Grand Oak Road. It is the first evidence other than colonial accounts of his role as an important Kakopee leader.
The Indians lost their lands through continued purchase and expropriation by the English colonists. The documentary Natives of the Narrowland (1993), narrated by actress Julie Harris, shows the history of the Wampanoag people through Cape Cod archaeological sites.
In 1974, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was formed to articulate the concerns of those with Native American ancestry. They petitioned the federal government in 1975 and again in 1990 for official recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe. In May 2007, the Wampanoag tribe was finally federally recognized as a tribe.[17]
[edit] History
Cranberry picking in 1906
Cape Cod was a landmark for early explorers. It may have been the "Promontory of Vinland" mentioned by the Norse voyagers (985-1025). Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 approached it from the south. He named Martha's Vineyard Claudia, after the mother of the King of France.[18] The next year the explorer Esteban Gómez called it Cape St. James.
In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold named it Cape Cod, the surviving term and the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S.[19] Samuel de Champlain charted its sand-silted harbors in 1606 and Henry Hudson landed there in 1609. Captain John Smith noted it on his map of 1614 and at last the Pilgrims entered the "Cape Harbor" and – contrary to the popular myth of Plymouth Rock – made their first landing near present-day Provincetown on November 11, 1620. Nearby, in what is now Eastham, they had their first encounter with Native Americans.
Cape Cod was among the first places settled by the English in North America. Aside from Barnstable (1639), Sandwich (1637) and Yarmouth (1639), the Cape's fifteen towns developed slowly. The final town to be established on the Cape was Bourne in 1884.[20] Provincetown was a group of huts until the 18th century. A channel from Massachusetts Bay to Buzzards Bay is shown on Southack's map of 1717. The present Cape Cod Canal was slowly developed from 1870 to 1914. The Federal government purchased it in 1928.
Thanks to early colonial settlement and intensive land use, by the time Henry Thoreau saw Cape Cod during his four visits over 1849 to 1857[21], its vegetation was depauperate and trees were scarce. As the settlers heated by fires, and it took 10 to 20 cords (40 to 80 m³) of wood to heat a home, they cleared most of Cape Cod of timber early on. They planted familiar crops, but these were unsuited to Cape Cod's thin, glacially derived soils. For instance, much of Eastham was planted to wheat. The settlers practiced burning of woodlands to release nutrients into the soil. Improper and intensive farming led to erosion and the loss of topsoil. Farmers grazed their cattle on the grassy dunes of coastal Massachusetts, only to watch "in horror as the denuded sands `walked' over richer lands, burying cultivated fields and fences." Dunes on the outer Cape became more common and many harbors filled in with eroded soils.[22]
By 1800, most of Cape Cod's firewood had to be transported by boat from Maine. The paucity of vegetation was worsened by the raising of merino sheep that reached its peak in New England around 1840. The early industrial revolution, which occurred through much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, mostly bypassed Cape Cod due to a lack of significant water power in the area. As a result, and also because of its geographic position, the Cape developed as a large fishing and whaling center. After 1860 and the opening of the American West, farmers abandoned agriculture on the Cape. By 1950 forests had recovered to an extent not seen since the 18th century.
Cape Cod became a summer haven for city dwellers beginning at the end of the 19th century. Improved rail transportation made the towns of the Upper Cape, such as Bourne and Falmouth, accessible to Bostonians. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Northeastern mercantile elite built many large, shingled "cottages" along Buzzards Bay. The relaxed summer environment offered by Cape Cod was highlighted by writers including Joseph C. Lincoln, who published novels and countless short stories about Cape Cod folks in popular magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and the Delineator.
Guglielmo Marconi made the first transatlantic wireless transmission originating in the United States from Cape Cod, at Wellfleet. The beach from which he transmitted has since been called Marconi Beach. In 1914 he opened the maritime wireless station WCC in Chatham. It supported the communications of Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Admiral Byrd, and the Hindenburg. Marconi chose Chatham due to its vantage point on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by water. Walter Cronkite narrated a 17-minute documentary in 2005 about the history of the Chatham Station.
Much of the East-facing Atlantic seacoast of Cape Cod consists of wide, sandy beaches. In 1961, a significant portion of this coastline, already slated for housing subdivisions, was made a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy. It was protected from private development and preserved for public use. Large portions are open to the public, including the Marconi Site in Wellfleet. This is a park encompassing the site of the first two-way transoceanic radio transmission from the United States. (Theodore Roosevelt used Marconi's equipment for this transmission).
The Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport was President Kennedy's summer White House during his presidency. The Kennedy family continues to maintain residences on the compound. Other notable residents of Cape Cod have included actress Julie Harris, US Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, figure skater Todd Eldredge, and novelists Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. Influential natives included the patriot James Otis, historian and writer Mercy Otis Warren, jurist Lemuel Shaw, and naval officer John Percival.
[edit] Lighthouses of Cape Cod
Race Point Lighthouse in Provincetown (1876)
Lighthouses, from ancient times, have fascinated members of the human race. There is something about a lighted beacon that suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of mankind.
“
”
Edward Rowe Snow
Due to its dangerous constantly moving shoals, Cape Cod's shores have featured beacons which warn ships of the danger since very early in its history. There are numerous working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands, including Highland Light, Nauset Light, Chatham Light, Race Point Light, and Nobska Light, mostly operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The exception is Nauset Light, which was decommissioned in 1996 and is now maintained by the Nauset Light Preservation Society under the auspices of Cape Cod National Seashore. These lighthouses are frequently photographed symbols of Cape Cod.
Others include:
Upper Cape: Wings Neck
Mid Cape: Sandy Neck, South Hyannis, Lewis Bay, Bishop and Clerks, Bass River
Lower Cape: Wood End, Long Point, Monomoy, Stage Harbor, Pamet, Mayo Beach, Billingsgate, Three Sisters, Nauset, Highland
[edit] Transportation
Cape Cod is connected to the mainland by a pair of canal-spanning highway bridges from Bourne and Sagamore that were constructed in the 1930s, and a vertical-lift railroad bridge. The limited number of access points to the peninsula can result in large traffic backups during the tourist season.
The entire Cape is roughly bisected lengthwise by U.S. Route 6, locally known as the Mid-Cape Highway and officially as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.
Commercial air service to Cape Cod operates out of Barnstable Municipal Airport and Provincetown Municipal Airport. Several bus lines service the Cape. There are ferry connections from Boston to Provincetown, as well as from Hyannis and Woods Hole to the islands.
Cape Cod has a public transportation network comprising buses operated by three different companies, a rail line, taxis and paratransit services.
The Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, with the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the background
[edit] Bus
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority operates a year-round public bus system comprising three long distance routes and a local bus in Hyannis and Barnstable Village. From mid June until October, additional local routes are added in Falmouth and Provincetown. CCRTA also operates Barnstable County's ADA required paratransit (dial-a-ride) service, under the name "B-Bus."
Long distance bus service is available through Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway, with regular service to Boston and Logan Airport, as well as less frequent service to Provincetown. Peter Pan Bus Lines also runs long distance service to Providence T.F. Green Airport and New York City.
[edit] Rail
Regular passenger rail service through Cape Cod ended in 1959, quite possibly on June 30 of that year. In 1978, the tracks east of South Dennis were abandoned and replaced with the very popular bicycle path, known as the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Another bike path, the Shining Sea Bikeway, was built over tracks between Woods Hole and Falmouth in 1975; construction to extend this path to North Falmouth over 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of inactive rail bed began in April 2008[23] and ended in early 2009. Active freight service remains in the Upper Cape area in Sandwich and in Bourne, largely due to a trash transfer station located at Massachusetts Military Reservation along the Bourne-Falmouth rail line. In 1986, Amtrak ran a seasonal service in the summer from New York City to Hyannis called the Cape Codder. From 1988, Amtrak and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation increased service to a daily frequency.[24] Since its demise in 1996, there have been periodic discussions about reinstating passenger rail service from Boston to reduce car traffic to and from the Cape, with officials in Bourne seeking to re-extend MBTA Commuter Rail service from Middleboro to Buzzards Bay[25], despite a reluctant Beacon Hill legislature.
Cape Cod Central Railroad operates passenger train service on Cape Cod. The service is primarily tourist oriented and includes a dinner train. The scenic route between Downtown Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal is about 2½ hours round trip. Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is also planning to return passenger railroad services eventually to the Bourne-Falmouth rail line in the future. An August 5, 2009 article on the New England Cable News channel, entitled South Coast rail project a priority for Mass. lawmakers, mentions a $1.4-billion railroad reconstruction plan by Governor Deval Patrick, and could mean rebuilding of old rail lines on the Cape. On November 21, 2009, the town of Falmouth saw its first passenger train in 12 years, a set of dinner train cars from Cape Cod Central. And a trip from the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts on May 15, 2010 revealed a second trip along the Falmouth line.
[edit] Taxi
Taxicabs are plentiful, with several different companies operating out of different parts of the Cape. Except at the airport and some bus terminals with taxi stands, cabs must be booked ahead of time, with most operators preferring two to three hours notice. Cabs cannot be "hailed" anywhere in Barnstable County, this was outlawed in the early nineties after several robbery attempts on drivers.
Most companies utilize a New York City-style taximeter and charge based on distance plus an initial fee of $2 to $3. In Provincetown, cabs charge a flat fare per person anywhere in the town.
[edit] Tourism
Hyannis Harbor on Nantucket Sound
Although Cape Cod has a year-round population of about 230,000, it experiences a tourist season each summer, the beginning and end of which can be roughly approximated as Memorial Day and Labor Day, respectively. Many businesses are specifically targeted to summer visitors, and close during the eight to nine months of the "off season" (although the "on season" has been expanding somewhat in recent years due to Indian Summer, reduced lodging rates, and the number of people visiting the Cape after Labor Day who either have no school-age children, and the elderly, reducing the true "off season" to six or seven months). In the late 20th century, tourists and owners of second homes began visiting the Cape more and more in the spring and fall, softening the definition of the high season and expanding it somewhat (see above). Some particularly well-known Cape products and industries include cranberries, shellfish (particularly oysters and clams) and lobstering.
Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, also berths several whale watching fleets who patrol the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Most fleets guarantee a whale sighting (mostly humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, sei whale, and critically endangered, the North Atlantic Right Whale), and one is the only federally certified operation qualified to rescue whales. Provincetown has also long been known as an art colony, attracting writers and artists. The town is home to the Cape's most attended art museum, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Many hotels and resorts are friendly to or cater to gay and lesbian tourists and it is known as a gay mecca in the summer.[26]
Cape Cod is a popular destination for beachgoers from all over. With 559.6 miles (900.6 km) of coastline, beaches, both public and private, are easily accessible. The Cape has upwards of sixty public beaches, many of which offer parking for non-residents for a daily fee (in summer). The Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles (64 km) of sandy beach and many walking paths.
Cape Cod is also popular for its outdoor activities like beach walking, biking, boating, fishing, go-karts, golfing, kayaking, miniature golf, and unique shopping. There are 27 public, daily-fee golf courses and 15 private courses on Cape Cod.[27] Bed and breakfasts or vacation houses are often used for lodging.
Each summer the Naukabout Music Festival is held at the Barnstable County Fair Grounds located in East Falmouth,(typically) during the first weekend of August. This Music festival features local, regional and national talent along with food, arts and family friendly activities.
[edit] Sport fishing
Cape Cod is known around the world as a spring-to-fall destination for sport anglers. Among the species most widely pursued are striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna, false albacore (little tunny), bonito, tautog, flounder and fluke. The Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape, from Sandwich to Provincetown, has several harbors, saltwater creeks, and shoals that hold bait fish and attract the larger game fish, such as striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna.
The outer edge of the Cape, from Provincetown to Falmouth, faces the open Atlantic from Provincetown to Chatham, and then the more protected water of Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, from Chatham to Falmouth. The bays, harbors and shoals along this coastline also provide a robust habitat for game species, and during the late summer months warm-water species such as mahi-mahi and marlin will also appear on the southern edge of Cape Cod's waters. Nearly every harbor on Cape Cod hosts sport fishing charter boats, which run from May through October.[28]
[edit] Sports
The Cape has nine amateur baseball franchises playing within Barnstable County in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Wareham Gatemen also play in the Cape Cod Baseball League in nearby Wareham, Massachusetts in Plymouth County. The league originated 1923, although intertown competition traces to 1866. Teams in the league are the Bourne Braves, Brewster Whitecaps, Chatham Anglers (formerly the Chatham Athletics), Cotuit Kettleers, Falmouth Commodores, Harwich Mariners, Hyannis Harbor Hawks (formerly the Hyannis Mets), Orleans Firebirds (formerly the Orleans Cardinals), Wareham Gatemen and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Pro ball scouts frequent the games in the summer, looking for stars of the future.
Cape Cod is also a national hot bed for baseball and hockey. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League and the new Junior Hockey League team, the Cape Cod Cubs, many high school players are being seriously recruited as well. Barnstable and Harwich have each sent multiple players to Division 1 colleges for baseball, Harwich has also won three State titles in the past 12 years (1996, 2006, 2007). Bourne and Sandwich, known rivals in hockey have won state championships recently. Bourne in 2004, and Sandwich in 2007. Nauset, Barnstable, and Martha's Vineyard are also state hockey powerhouses. Barnstable and Falmouth also hold the title of having one of the longest Thanksgiving football rivalries in the country. The teams have played each other every year on the Thanksgiving since 1895. The Bourne and Barnstable girl's volleyball teams are two of the best teams in the state and Barnstable in the country. With Bourne winning the State title in 2003 and 2007. In the past 15 years, Barnstable has won 12 Division 1 State titles and has won the state title the past two years.
The Cape also is home to the Cape Cod Frenzy, a team in the American Basketball Association.
Soccer on Cape Cod is represented by the Cape Cod Crusaders, playing in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) soccer based in Hyannis. In addition, a summer Cape Cod Adult Soccer League (CCASL) is active in several towns on the Cape.
Cape Cod is also the home of the Cape Cod Cubs, a new junior league hockey team that is based out of Hyannis at the new communtiy center being built of Bearses Way.
The end of each summer is marked with the running of the world famous Falmouth Road Race which is held on the 3rd Saturday in August. It draws about 10,000 runners to the Cape and showcases the finest runners in the world (mainly for the large purse that the race is able to offer). The race is 7.2 miles (11.6 km) long, which is a non-standard distance. The reason for the unusual distance is that the man who thought the race up (Tommy Leonard) was a bartender who wanted a race along the coast from one bar (The Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole) to another (The Brothers Four in Falmouth Heights). While the bar in Falmouth Heights is no longer there, the race still starts at the front door of the Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole and now finishes at the beach in Falmouth Heights. Prior to the Falmouth race is an annual 5-mile (8.0 km) race through Brewster called the Brew Run, held early in August.
[edit] Education
Each town usually consists of a few elementary schools, one or two middle schools and one large public high school that services the entire town. Exceptions to this include Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School located in Yarmouth which services both the town of Yarmouth as well as Dennis and Nauset Regional High School located in Eastham which services the town of Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown (optional). Bourne High School is the public school for students residing in the town of Bourne, which is gathered from villages in Bourne, including Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, and Buzzards Bay. Barnstable High School is the largest high school and is known for its girls' volleyball team which have been state champions a total of 12 times. Barnstable High School also boasts one of the country's best high school drama clubs which were awarded with a contract by Warner Brothers to created a documentary in webisode format based on their production of Wizard of Oz. Sturgis Charter Public School is a public school in Hyannis which was featured in Newsweek's Magazine's "Best High Schools" ranking. It ranked 28th in the country and 1st in the state of Massachusetts in the 2009 edition and ranked 43rd and 55th in the 2008 and 2007 edition, respectively. Sturgis offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in their junior and senior year and is open to students as far as Plymouth. The Cape also contains two vocational high schools. One is the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich and the other is Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School located in Bourne. Lastly, Mashpee High School is home to the Mashpee Chapter of (SMPTE,) the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. This chapter is the first and only high school chapter in the world to be a part of this organization and has received much recognition within the Los Angeles broadcasting industry as a result. The officers of this group who have made history are listed below:
* President: Ryan D. Stanley '11
* Vice-President Kenneth J. Peters '13
* Treasurer Eric N. Bergquist '11
* Secretary Andrew L. Medlar '11
In addition to public schools, Cape Cod has a wide range of private schools. The town of Barnstable has Trinity Christian Academy, Cape Cod Academy, St. Francis Xavier Preparatory School, and Pope John Paul II High School. Bourne offers the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Orleans offers the Lighthouse Charter School for elementary and middle school students, and Falmouth offers Falmouth Academy. Riverview School is located in East Sandwich and is a special co-ed boarding school which services students as old as 22 who have learning disabilities. Another specialized school is the Penikese Island School located on Penikese Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands off southwestern Cape Cod, which services struggling and troubled teenage boys.
Cape Cod also contains two institutions of higher education. One is the Cape Cod Community College located in West Barnstable, Barnstable. The other is Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Bourne. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the oldest continuously operating maritime college in the United States.
[edit] Islands off Cape Cod
Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and other tourists. The islands include Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as well as Forbes family-owned Naushon Island, which was purchased by John Murray Forbes with profits from opium dealing in the China trade during the Opium War. Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, Cuttyhunk, with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in the Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture.
Be an explorer...read, surf the internet, visit customers, enjoy arts, watch children play...do anything to prevent yourself from becoming a prisoner of your knowledge, experience, and current view of the world.~Charles Thompson
My nephews & nieces doing what they do best - having fun.
Taken one rainy day along a very muddy coastal path. A thick patch of brambles prevented me getting closer to the cliff's edge but was probably for the best as it's a sheer vertical drop here to the beach below.
I was greeted by the Devon Ramblers while I ponced about with the usual delicate camera adjustments, a jolly bunch in their mud covered boots.