GIRLS GETAWAY FAVES

 

I'm back in NYS after a glorious time on Cape Cod, in the village of Falmouth and I'm sharing FIVE of my FAVE things  about my "girls getaway" with my two church friends, Maggie and Meg.  Maggie has been in my Tuesday evening small group Bible study for a year and both ladies are in my SoulSteps hiking group. 

I'm linking up with Susanne where other bloggers also join in to be intentional about giving thanks each week for the blessings that God brought into our lives. 

FIVE FAVES

Our AirBnB in Falmouth on the Cape
most homes on the cape and on the south shore Boston
are ranch style or cape cod style.  This is a ranch
with 3 bedrooms,  and the bathroom up just 6 steps;
 living room, kitchen, 
theme room (family room in basement)
large laundry/storage area in basement
backyard movie theater, firepit
and the side deck on the right 

this is the living room
where we spent our late evenings
her color scheme is a fave of mine

• LODGING: Falmouth, unbeknownst to me when I booked the trip back in May, is a year round/all season town, meaning  even in the Autumn and Winter months, it's hopping. Most of the villages on the Cape are seasonal (Summer).  Even so, the rates were somewhat less expensive than if we were booking for July/August and the restaurants had very reasonable and similar to the Capital District of NYS, prices.  Cocktails and wine were about the same also.  We loved our Air BnB.  The superhost was so responsive and the  check in lock box worked perfectly. We each had a bedroom in a different color. Mine was done up in sea shades (blue-gray).  I didn't bother with pics of the rooms other than what you see above. The kitchen was the most well stocked of any AirBnB I've stayed in, in the past. She even had 6 different kinds of brand new coffee syrups. None of us use sweeteners in our coffee but it was nice to know they were there and so prettily  arranged. The neighborhood was quiet...even at school bus time!  She had a beautiful home. Everything was pristine so we gave her a 5 * review.  I'm thankful the home exceeded our expectations. 

We ate an early dinner here on Sunday evening
and then for Monday evening, we ate here around 7:30 pm
after stopping to see the sun set over Chapoquoit Beach

Sunday evening dinner and cocktails.
I had a peachy cosomos, Maggie in the middle had a cranberry mule,
 and Meg had a glass of chardonnay
We had an early dinner, around 5:30 pm
 because we didn't stop on the way to MA for lunch.
The place was hopping! 
I had forgotten that people on the Cape eat earlier than in NY or Boston

We ate at the Shipwrecked right on the ocean
and I ordered the Cod Fish Tacos with sweet potato fries.
Excellent food, service and cocktails.

Tuesday evening, our last evening on the Cape, 
was spent from 7 pm-9:30 pm in the local Irish Pub
where Meg and I had Mai Tais; Maggie (on the left) had a skinny colada drink
I ordered a blackened Caesar salad as I had had fish the previous 2 nights
We stayed and watched the Karaoke perfomances for about a half hour after dinner. 

• FISH/FOOD/COCKTAILS:  Oh my.  I had forgotten just how excellent "fish and chips" on the Cape can be.  I had fish tacos the first night made with excellent cod.  The waiter said it was caught that morning. I'm assuming he was correct. My husband has often told me the salmon and bluefish on the Cape are caught the same day as when we order it. It was truly the BEST fish tacos I ever had. The next night I had regular fish and chips but again, the cod was big and fresh and only lightly fried, which I was thankful for. The last evening, we opted to stay downtown as had shopped there all afternoon and had discovered an Irish pub where we had to wait a half hour for a seat but it was worth it. I was going to have the quinoa bowl with salmon but opted for the blackened chicken casear salad instead as I was craving some greens. Again, the food and service was top notch and they were short staffed that night! I wish we could get good, fresh fish here in the Albany, NY area but we just can't.  And it's much pricier here as well due to needing to be shipped. I'm thankful we all loved the food and it was Meg and Maggie's first time eating Cape Cod fish. 

Marina at the Knob 

We walked up to the Knob by first going on the Marina side
at Quissett Harbor
and walking along the rock strewn beach where I spied the 
largest piece of Driftwood I've ever seen.
 Even on the Cape, God was sending me a message
 (IYKYK!)

The Atlantic/Buzzards Bay from The Knob Walkway in Woods Hole, MA
We stopped here and spent about 15 minutes soaking in the sun, sand, and surf
The water was cold but it felt great..we just waded. 

We walked to the top of the Knob on Buzzards Bay
and took a group selfie even with our wind-blown hair!
l-r: Maggie, me, Meg

• FUN IN THE SUN!  We couldn't have asked God for better weather. We were so blessed to have perfect early Autumn weather on the Cape. In fact, it felt like summer  in the sun, minus the humidity and hot temps you get in June and July. We spent the first full morning at The Knob in Woods Hole. That night, we spent our time on a different side of Falmouth, at Chapaquoit (Chappy to the locals) Beach to see the sunset.  It was stunning. Our 2nd full day there, we spent at Nobska Lighthouse and did the tour, and then in the afternoon, we went shopping in downtown Falmouth where we all bought some  gifts and personal treasures. I bought my girls and Dave a little something, picked up a Christmas gift for my friend Joan, and bought myself a light cotton hoodie along with a pair of earrings. I'm very thankful my friends had fun on their first time on the Cape and that we had safe travels all over Falmouth as well. I'm also thankful for Google Maps and a good car since I did all the driving in an area I wasn't super familiar with. God is good! 

At Chappy Beach about 5:30pm 
Ke:ep in mind: the sun sets about an hour  earlier on the Cape
than in NYS and also rises earlier in the morning. 
High Tide was coming in....we sat on the beach steps

Starting to go down....this is about 6 pm

getting lower...the windsurfer we saw to the left of us
finally came in from the water around this time

There it goes.....this is about 6:13 PM 
note the reflection on the sand! 

• HISTORIC TOUR:  On Tuesday in the mid-morning, we headed over to Nobska Lighthouse, which I had seen from Dave's car in the past but I had never taken the tour. We were shocked at how inexpensive it was (we did get a senior discount).  The lighthouse was beautiful. There were 9 of us in our tour group and the history of the point and house were interesting to hear.  I even saw where our T---family beach house where we used to gather from 2001-2013, was on their large map at the top of the lighthouse. In fact, from the lighthouse, you have a good view of Buzzards Bay, the Canal going from the mainland to the Cape, Martha's Vineyard (directly across) and the Elizabeth Islands.  We could even see a bit of Rhode Island. The sky was so clear and the sun was brilliant. I'm thankful we popped over to the lighthouse and had a fun morning.  We also walked down to the beach there for some pics and to see the 9-11 memorial in honor of a local woman who died in the World Trade Center tragedy.  Here are some fave pics from that morning:

me and Meg at Nobska Lighthouse

a view of Buzzards Bay from the middle of the Lighthouse

Maggie and me at the Lighthouse 

Nobska Lighthouse in Falmouth MA

• QUIET TIMES:  I am also most thankful for the quiet times we all experienced while on our girls getaway. I had time in the morning, at the little kitchen table, with my coffee and Bible,  because I tend to get up between 6:30-7 and Maggie tends to sleep til 8-9 and Meg got up anywhere between 7-8 but chose to do her quiet time in her bedroom.  I also had time (as did Maggie) to work on our Gideon study and just pray and think.  I never want to take our Bible for granted or the friendships I have made through church. I'm so thankful for these 2 ladies whom I just met in the last 2 years because of my hiking group and small group yet with whom I connected with right away.  There's nothing like doing life with your good friends and sisters-in-Christ. 

image courtesy of thomas nelson bibles  site

That wraps up my week!

Tomorrow I have a hike to lead up a high peak in the Catskills Mountains with 4 members of SoulSteps.  Sunday, I have housework and small group prep to get caught up on while Dave is away visiting his mom, and Monday is the Annual Daughters Day away with my sister Joy and my 2 daughters.   After Monday, life will slow down a bit and I'll be back to a more normal routine. 

Whatever you have planned, embrace every moment and pause to give thanks!