Cape Cod Scenes, Reading Adventures, and Neighborhood Turkeys

Posted on by

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summer rushed on by in a whoosh of heat and humidity. We try to capture it in pictures, to somehow hold the light, but it still dissolves into the past with a chill. Now that we can feel that chill in the air, here are a few scenes to warm us by.

Cape Cod can get pretty overcrowded in the summer so instead of reading on the beach, this is my usual warm weather reading spot:

That way, I can look up from my books and watch the squirrels, chipmunks, hummingbirds, and neighborhood turkeys while trying not to think about all the yard work that I should be doing.

I’ve made a dent in my summer reading list while adding a few from my book club. The ones that I didn’t get to over the summer will have to become cozy autumn reads. Of the ones that I did read, I highly recommend Swimming Lessons and The Art of Chasing Normal.

A huge thank you to Millie Thom, D. Catalini, and William McCaskie for the latest reviews of Ocean Echoes. I really appreciate it whenever anyone takes the time to add a review. Millie Thom writes exciting Viking/Saxon adventures set in the mid ninth century. Check out her books here. Her blog includes modern day adventures while seeking out those special places where history can be felt and imagined.

It’s about time to announce the winner of a signed copy of Ocean Echoes. And the winner is…BJ. I’ll get that right out to you.

I’m sorry I haven’t been around for a while. Every time I tried to make it back, life had a way of getting in the way. I’ve missed everyone and will look forward to catching up with you!

What was your favorite summer/autumn read? Do you have any neighborhood turkeys?

54 thoughts on “Cape Cod Scenes, Reading Adventures, and Neighborhood Turkeys”

    • It’s in Sandwich by the boardwalk. I hope everything’s going well with you and that you were able to visit over the summer!

  2. Went to a beach in Sandwich once to meet up with my son’s fourth grade teacher. The beach was covered with rocks and the water was frigid. Made us wonder why we hadn’t invited them to our beach at the end of Sea Street in East Dennis. And yes, the past few years, my 3 siblings and I and a cousin and her family have rented big houses on the Cape. We are all foodies, and we eat better than people who go out all the time. LOL. That said, have you been to the Impudent Oyster in Chatham? My favorite spot on the planet, and they share their recipes!.

    • It’s funny that Sandy Neck is covered with rocks. I guess it used to be sandier once upon a time. I grew up around those Dennis beaches – lots of memories there. I’ll have to go to the Impudent Oyster now – haven’t been there – I usually end up at the Squire instead. 🙂

  3. Nice to see you!!
    I just finished a great thriller/suspense/mystery book, Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea.
    We have turkeys in my neighborhood, but I don’t ever see them on my street. But my friend, who used to live in our subdivision, would get them in her backyard and she said they’re HUGE!!

    • Nice to see you too and thank you for the book recommendation! I love anything that has to do with the water. It is funny to see the turkeys wandering around. Sometimes they’re in huge flocks of a dozen or more that march right through the yard for a surprise parade.

  5. How peaceful and inspiring is the corner you chosen for your writing and musing. I have a similar place – called conservatory in England – , the birds outside are different than yours but invasion of Pheasant are well known. Many song birds on the feeder and nesting in the trees.
    You go, write and dream
    miriam

    • Thanks Miriam! I hope you’re writing and dreaming too. Your corner sounds wonderful with all the song birds. It’s always surprising when the turkeys show up – pheasant invasions sound like fun too!

  6. It’s great to see you, Sheila. My sister, who lives in Nashville, has wild turkeys visiting daily. I’ve yet to see one in our neck of the woods, but we do have plenty of coyotes. Great photos!

    • It’s great to see you and congratulations on your new book! If you have lots of coyotes you might not get to see too many turkeys. We didn’t see them here until the coyotes went away. The turkeys are more fun to watch so I’ll hope for some turkey visitors for you!

    • Thanks Letizia! Sometimes I’ll think of you in your reading spot while I’m in my reading spot, especially when the squirrels are out there doing something crazy.

  9. Wow. Gorgeous pics. I don’t know if I’d get any writing done there. It’s so beautiful. Glad to hear from you again. I miss your online essence when you don’t post for a while. But hopefully, you enjoyed that busy fast summer.

    • Thanks Char! I think I enjoyed it – it went by so fast it’s hard to tell. Yes, sometimes I’d rather watch the squirrels and turkeys than do anything else. 🙂 I missed you and hope you’ve been having fun in Utah!

      • Yeah, doing good here as well, though the wild turkeys I see when I take a drive up the canyon are gangly things compared to your beautiful Tom.

  10. These are beautiful shots of Cape Cod. I imagine even in the winter it’s an inspiring place for writing. Glad to see a post from you, Sheila. Hope all is ticking along well in your life.

  11. Hello and happy fall! Your summer reading spot looks just right but I guess now you’ll have to move indoors to a warm and cozy chair. That’s where I am!

    • Happy fall! Yes, we just brought the chairs in so there won’t be outdoor reading for awhile. The cozy reading can be nice though, especially along with some hot chocolate or tea. I hope you’re finding some great books for the cozy reading!

  12. Hi Sheila, these are gorgeous photos, and I love that bridge, too. It’s hard to believe that summer is behind us now and winter is around the corner (or has arrived for some). 🙂 I don’t know if you remember me telling you I was reading the Harry Potter series. Well, I finally finished, and I actually really enjoyed it. I’m also fascinated with how J.K. Rowling started out. I was also happy to move onto the next book, which was “The Mountain Between Us” by Charles Martin. It’s a movie now, but I haven’t seen it yet. The book, though, was really, really good. I couldn’t put it down. It’s a survival and love story, but has some twists and turns. Anyway, take care and good to see you, too.

    • The Mountain Between Us sounds like a great one – I’ll have to check it out – thank you! Maybe someday I’ll get around to those Harry Potter books. I probably haven’t gotten to them because I’ve already seen the movies and it seems like more fun to read the books first. I hope you had a wonderful summer out there on the west coast and hope you’re finding some cozy reads now!

  13. Nice to see you here again, Sheila! My year has been a bit crazy too and my blogging has suffered. Your summer photos are lovely – just what is needed on a frosty morning! Thanks for the book recommendations and the link to Millie’s blog.

    • Nice to see you too! I hope things are getting a little less crazy for you – I love traveling to England through your posts. I think you’ll love Millie’s blog. You might even be close enough to visit some of the places she mentions. Both of you keep making me want to jump on a plane to visit!

    • Thanks Andrea! All the visitors make it fun, especially the turkeys and hummingbirds. I hope you’re enjoying the changing seasons while finding some cozy reading spots!

  15. My big summer-themed read this year was Dan Simmons’ excellent coming-of-age horror novel Summer of Night. (Though my all-time favorite summer story is Stephen King’s The Body.) I also re-read Jaws.

    This autumn, I’ve been reading a lot of horror, including classics (It and Dracula), comics (American Vampire and High Moon), whodunits (Murder on the Orient Express and The Woman in Cabin 10), and Koontz (Odd Thomas). But, having grown up in the Hudson Valley, nothing evokes the autumn for me like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow!

    • Jaws is always a great summer read! I hope you still wanted to jump in the ocean after that. I loved The Body too. I read It a long time ago, but the movie brought it all back. The clown in that one oozed the perfect amount of creepiness. I’ll have to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow again while it’s still fall around here – it’s been windy with dried up leaves blowing around everywhere – the perfect backdrop. Too perfect maybe – it might be too scary. Thanks for the book recommendations!

  16. Sheila, lovely to see your post and your beautiful pictures! I love your reading porch…it’s so dreamy and I reckon I’d read a line or two and then lift my eyes and gaze out and across at the surrounding nature. It looks fun out on the water and on the jetty…perfect summer spot!😀😀❤️

    • Thanks Annika! It is fun watching the squirrels, hummingbirds, and turkeys. They’re always up to something. I’m looking forward to the cozy reading now that it’s getting colder out – maybe it won’t be as distracting. 🙂

  17. Welcome back, Sheila! You’ve been missed ❤ Those photos are lovely – summer fun! And congratulations on the latest book reviews 🙂

    • Thanks Christy! I’ve missed you too. I hope you had lots of summer fun and hope you’re finding some great cozy autumn reads!

    • Just don’t look too close! 🙂 I might have edited the yardwork out. I can barely move after this past weekend of raking and bagging leaves, so I guess it’s good to avoid that yardwork as much as possible. I hope you’ve been enjoying the fall weather and finding lots of great books to read!

  19. Sorry I’ve taken so long to get back to you, Sheila, but like you, I’ve hardly been on my blog for ages. Thank you so much for linking to my page and for the shout out about my books. As for my review of Ocean Echoes, you are very welcome! I loved your book with its wonderful descriptions and intriguing story and hope a second one is on the way! 🙂
    Your photos are stunning and I love your reading spot! I also envy your life by the coast. I was born and raised by the sea but have lived all my 47 years of married life inland. I still miss the sounds and smells of the sea, though.

    • Thanks so much Millie! I’m glad you had fun reading it. I hope you’re able to get to the sea as often as possible to soak in those sounds and smells. I’m guessing that when you do, you probably enjoy it more than the ones who live near it. I’m envious of your castles and open fields and will have to seek them out someday! I hope you’ve been writing and dreaming and finding adventures everywhere.

    • Thank you – it is! Especially if you love the ocean in all its moods. Sorry your comment ended up in spam and I just saw it. I hope you’re enjoying your travels!

  21. I love the first two lines of this post, fantastic and so true, capturing that moment in time and forever, to always remind of a time and feeling is wonderful. You have been missed, my friend!

    • Thank you! I hope it inspires you to come back to MA sometime – though you might want to wait a while since there’s snow here for now! 🙂

  23. Pingback: Begin Again: Fresh Website, New Series, and a Finished Novel – Britt Skrabanek

  24. Pingback: Ocean Echoes by Sheila Hurst | My Book-a-logue

Comments are closed.