Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

September 17, 2014

Monomoy Island Excursions, Part 3

Even more seals!!!  

So much sand on the bottom that the water is very clear.  It looks tropical but make no mistake, it's very cold.


Started the trip back at high speed, barreling towards the Atlantic.  I was still in the bow and I admit to a little nervousness at hitting those waves head on.

This was the only shot I could get once we were on the ocean side because the waves were choppy and the boat was going really super fast and just flying up and down off the waves.  I was whoo hooing...couldn't help but let out a whoop on a ride like that.  

I had hoped for a shark sighting but alas, not this day.  Although we did see the shark spotter plane flying overhead.  It's marked not to swim anywhere in Chatham but people do it anyway.

On the way back, we detoured into Stage Harbor real quick.



The tour guide said that this hasn't functioned as a lighthouse in many, many years, and was purchased for pennies on the dollar by someone who uses it for their summer home.  There is no electricity and only an outhouse for facilities.  Up to that point I was thinking how cool it would be to live in that place, but sorry, not without plumbing.  Princess needs I need a real indoor bathroom and electricity. And internet access.  



On the way back into Saquatucket Harbor, we passed this guy using a bullrake to dig for quahogs.  Russell has one of these rakes and the thing weighs a ton empty and it's also super long and unwieldy.  It's damn hard work what this fisherman is doing.  Part of the charm of Cape Cod is that fishing, shellfishing and lobstering are still done.  These are all working ports, wharves and marinas with a way of life that dates back centuries in families that have been here just as long.


90 minutes later, headed back into port.

I was utterly thrilled to get some close up shots of osprey!  Early settlers misidentified them in my part of the Cape and that's why my town and the body of water outside the Canal are called Buzzards Bay instead of Osprey Bay.

This is also known as a seahawk, from which the team took it's name.

Gorgeous birds.



Highly recommend this tour.  Next time I book, I want to do the South Monomoy Lighthouse trip!!

14 comments:

  1. You got some amazing photos. Like you, I don't think I would want to live in a house without a bathroom no matter how picturesque it appeared. Got to have my modern conveniences. I don't squat well. LOL

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    1. Yeah I refuse to use an outhouse. One of Russell's friends has a camp in Maine with a cabin, but only an outhouse. I know he wants to go back up there but there is no frigging way I'm using an outhouse, esp. in the middle of the night.

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  2. Looks like it was a gorgeous day and a wonderful excursion. I'm totally with you about the quaint houses lack of modern amenities. I can't live without them. :D

    JoJo you've captured some amazing photos of that osprey, they are such regal looking birds, much like an eagle and about as big. I once watched a British produced TV show on "Buzzards" and what they kept referring to as buzzards, I would have called hawks. Buzzards to me are vultures but perhaps in England a buzzard is any large, predator bird ?

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    1. Thank you! We had turkey vultures out in California and there was no mistaking them for a hawk either. So maybe you're right - to the English, hawks are 'buzzards'. I'm not a person who seeks out birds for photography purposes but I was absolutely delighted with these shots.

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  3. That is indeed a gorgeous hawk, JoJo. I always enjoy seacoast photographs. I've been on a Zodiak which only carried 10 people in the Pacific off the cost of Tofino. It was a choppy day, too. Fun in a weird way, until I remembered I don't swim that well. . .

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    1. Zodiacs are hardcore. I love being out on the water, but I'm not sure I would be able to do one of those. For one. I'd be afraid of soaking or losing my camera. Then there's that whole pesky drowning thing.

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  4. Love the pictures of the Osprey, very unusual to see it that close. That whole trip sounds great fun and worth doing. All your pictures are excellent as usual. As for the lack of facilities, we used to use a portapotty in our trailer and found it very convenient. I wouldn`t mind staying there at all.

    Matt used to go clamming all the time in NC but he was in the water raking, not doing it from the boat. Much harder that way and I believe bigger rakes. Matt has tried it I know.

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    1. Thanks! Well I could use an indoor bathroom in an RV/trailer but not an outhouse that's outside and just a pit under the seat. So gross.

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  5. I'm amazed you're able to get such close photos of those birds as to see the orange-browns of their eyes. Very impressive, serene scenes. Thanks, JoJo.

    Take care.

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    1. They sat nice-nice for the tourists. Who knows, maybe they were stuffed? lol Thanks!

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  6. Oooh - love the osprey! Hawks/ospreys/eagles fascinate me (though I know they aren't the same thing.) So majestic.
    Thanks for the awesome photo tour!

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    1. Thank you! I don't remember seeing hawks and osprey the first time I lived here but I sure see them now. I just found out that there are bald eagles as well. I thought those birds only were on the west coast!

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  7. Anonymous2:27 PM

    Beautiful, as always, especially the seahawk. And here I was getting all excited about a close encounter with a robin the other day ;0)

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    1. Thanks!!! Robins are all I see...I never think to take pics of them b/c they are so common.

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