One of my favorite childhood memories is my mother taking us to "Four Ponds." Four Ponds is a conservation area in Pocasset Massachusetts. If you aren't familiar with Pocasset, it is located just over the Bourne Bridge on Cape Cod. It has a parking lot accessible on Barlow's Landing Road.
Four ponds is a gorgeous hike, with different trails based on time and difficulty. We would go there often to have a little free getaway as a child. You can choose your trail, and the trails have color-coded markers nailed to trees. There are four ponds located within the conservation area...hence the name:) Not only are there four ponds, but you can also find multiple brooks and even a mini waterfall. I mean, who doesn't love a mini waterfall? I just loved to run my fingers through the water running over the rocks. There is some wildlife in the conservation area also. Often you will see swans drifting through the pond. Also, you might find a few frogs or toads or even some little shiners swimming in the ponds.
It's nice to hike there, but be sure to dress accordingly and wear your insect repellent. It does get cooler in the forest-and don't be afraid to roll up your pantlegs and wade in the brooks!
Showing posts with label cape cod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cape cod. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Shell Point Beach, Onset
Ok, so this is one of my regular haunts-the Shell Point Beach on Onset Bay. It's nice because if you get there early, you can park for free all day long. If you get there late, you are probably going to find yourself crawling up and down the sidestreets to find a parking spot.
There are many reasons why I love this spot. For one, the beach is kept very clean and well-maintained. The only problem I had with it until this year was its lack of lifeguards at the shellpoint end. However, problem has been remedied as of now. They have a lifeguard by that end of the bay!
There is plenty of room, this end of the beach rarely gets crowded, as it seems it is mostly frequented by locals who know about this hidden gem. As for the tourists, they tend to park down by the pier...where I believe you have to pay.
There are no bathrooms at this end, so go before you show up! If you are adventurous there are some woods...but the nearest bathroom is a hike.
Also, depending on the tide, there is a bit of a dropoff. There are warning signs posted. My kids know the "up to your waist" rule, but if you are with small children who tend to venture off fearlessly...or can't read...watch them closely because it gets deep all of a sudden. Now don't get me wrong, it's shallow for a ways out, but once it gets deep you will soon find yourself in over your head.
My directions go something like this: From Cranberry Highway head towards Onset Beach, go past the pier, keep going until you see a little statue of a chef and take a left...follow that to the end and take a left. Parking lot is on your right.
Ok, so my directions are lacking in clarity but it's one of those things you know how to get to...but can't explain. Look up Atlantic Ave, in Onset, MA. That will get you there.
Ashton's favorite thing to do there: Hunt for hermit crabs. He is the ultimate shell-point crabber. Once he found a hermit crab I proclaimed to be a grain of sand, until it proved me wrong by sticking its legs out and scurrying across his hand!!
My favorite thing...Mellina's Sandwiches. Look for the girl carrying the sign. It is bright yellow, you can't miss it. She will give you a menu to order a delicious sandwich or panini from...and voila it is delivered to your beach spot in no time. She walks up and down the beach, so keep an eye out for her if your picnic is lacking something. Then stop at Nana's ice cream and candy for a cone on the way home. It makes for the perfect day.
So, if you want a nice day in the sun for free, check this spot out. Bring the sunscreen, as it is very sunny and bright. Bring a couple of quarters because there are about 10 ice cream trucks that frequent there. I mean, I would say that they were the same one coming back again and again, but one is blue and some are white-so I know there are many.
There are many reasons why I love this spot. For one, the beach is kept very clean and well-maintained. The only problem I had with it until this year was its lack of lifeguards at the shellpoint end. However, problem has been remedied as of now. They have a lifeguard by that end of the bay!
There is plenty of room, this end of the beach rarely gets crowded, as it seems it is mostly frequented by locals who know about this hidden gem. As for the tourists, they tend to park down by the pier...where I believe you have to pay.
There are no bathrooms at this end, so go before you show up! If you are adventurous there are some woods...but the nearest bathroom is a hike.
Also, depending on the tide, there is a bit of a dropoff. There are warning signs posted. My kids know the "up to your waist" rule, but if you are with small children who tend to venture off fearlessly...or can't read...watch them closely because it gets deep all of a sudden. Now don't get me wrong, it's shallow for a ways out, but once it gets deep you will soon find yourself in over your head.
My directions go something like this: From Cranberry Highway head towards Onset Beach, go past the pier, keep going until you see a little statue of a chef and take a left...follow that to the end and take a left. Parking lot is on your right.
Ok, so my directions are lacking in clarity but it's one of those things you know how to get to...but can't explain. Look up Atlantic Ave, in Onset, MA. That will get you there.
Ashton's favorite thing to do there: Hunt for hermit crabs. He is the ultimate shell-point crabber. Once he found a hermit crab I proclaimed to be a grain of sand, until it proved me wrong by sticking its legs out and scurrying across his hand!!
My favorite thing...Mellina's Sandwiches. Look for the girl carrying the sign. It is bright yellow, you can't miss it. She will give you a menu to order a delicious sandwich or panini from...and voila it is delivered to your beach spot in no time. She walks up and down the beach, so keep an eye out for her if your picnic is lacking something. Then stop at Nana's ice cream and candy for a cone on the way home. It makes for the perfect day.
So, if you want a nice day in the sun for free, check this spot out. Bring the sunscreen, as it is very sunny and bright. Bring a couple of quarters because there are about 10 ice cream trucks that frequent there. I mean, I would say that they were the same one coming back again and again, but one is blue and some are white-so I know there are many.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Spa for a day...or at least a half day!
So living in Massachusetts as a schoolteacher, I don't exactly have a million extra dollars to spend. Spas are those places that celebrities and wealthy people go to get pampered, right? I mean, the closest I had been to a spa until today was a Mary Kay birthday party my best friend Katie had for her thirteenth birthday. It was one of those deals where the middle aged saleswoman comes and shows a bunch of preteens how to put on thirty dollar lipgloss...
So for my thirtieth birthday my friends bought me a treat. It was actually in a basket full of nailpolish in crazy colors. I was in awe by the $1 bottles of chartreuse and teal polish, and had no idea what the envelope behind them contained. When I finally got around to opening presents, I opened that envelope. It was a card signed by my closest fellow faculty members. Inside was a spatech gift certificate in the amount of $85, the equivalent of a half-day of beauty.
So, knowing that I am the ultimate procrastinator I called and booked an appointment for 6/26 at 9:30. Yesterday somebody called me at 10 am to confirm, and ended her conversation with "We require a 24 hour cancellation, do you need our number." I bit my tongue and held back the urge to say "Ummm...then shouldn't I have called you like a half-hour ago?" Instead I reassured the girl that I would be there.
I arrive at the spa and go into the wrong entrance. Just so you know if you happen to venture out that way, the aesthetics institute is to the right and massage is to the left. Once I was redirected to the correct location I was prompted to answer a short questionnaire.
A smiling blonde came out dressed in all white...actually all of the people were dressed in white. It was like I was in heaven. Perfectly made-up estheticians in white uniforms massaging people draped in white...heaven is right.
First she gave me a large collapsible basket that she said was "my basket." She had a faint accent that I couldn't quite place. She showed me the disposable spa panties that were in a saran wrap-esque wrapper and the "spa robe." I went into the bathroom to change. Putting on the panties, I glanced in the mirror and realized I definitely resembled a sumo wrestler getting ready for a match. They were a three inch strip of papery material with elastic strings on each side. I honestly couldn't figure out the front from the back.
SO I WAS READY!! Donning my white spa robe I laid on the table while my tech started brushing me with a soft brush. She brushed all of my skin and explained that it helped improve circulation and it would tickle a little. Then she started the "salt glow" treatment. I now know why they call it that...it so makes you glow. So now I am glowing and surrounded by pretty people in white...heaven? YES!! She gently massaged the salt all over and then removed it with a series of hot towels. It felt amazing. I am happy at this point and I am only $35 into the treatment.
She had decided on a seaweed wrap for my skin, they allow you to choose but since I have no idea I told her to pick. She said it will help moisturize. She paints me with seaweed and in the meantime is folding the sheet under me to reveal a shower curtain on the table. So now I am sliding all over the table in gooey seaweed bliss as she gently pulls the sheet out from under me. I am lying on plastic. So, silly me...I thought that the "wrap" part was figurative. NO. It's literal. They wrap you up like a mummy or a caterpillar. In my multi layered chrysalis I lay. First there was the shower curtain. Then the giant insulated foil blanket. Then the wooly blanket, and I think it was topped off with a sheet. And then I decide I might have to pee. Or not?
So as I lay there I am nervous at first and my nose starts to itch and twitch until my tech starts to do my facial. AMAZING!! I have no idea what she did, because my eyes were closed. However it involved lots of massaging with some substance and something that felt like tea bags was over my eyes. Then a hot towel would massage it off for the next layer. While my mask was setting I felt warm oil drizzle over my feet and then that part that always hurts from wearing flip flops is being gently and skilfully massaged. I was in heaven. Apparently I was really relaxed, because I woke myself up with a little snore. Okay, probably a big snore. All I know is that I never wanted to emerge from my cocoon. I was completely unaware of time or place as I listened to the most stereotypical spa music ever...waves crashing and different xylophoney type music. (I will never make fun of Dani's mom for the orca tape again).
I felt numb and full of endorphins when I was finally unwrapped and once again bathed with a hot towel. Do I really have to leave??
So I give SPATECH an A for cleanliness, comfort, price, and the heaven effect. The opportunity to have a stress free day was definitely priceless!!
So for my thirtieth birthday my friends bought me a treat. It was actually in a basket full of nailpolish in crazy colors. I was in awe by the $1 bottles of chartreuse and teal polish, and had no idea what the envelope behind them contained. When I finally got around to opening presents, I opened that envelope. It was a card signed by my closest fellow faculty members. Inside was a spatech gift certificate in the amount of $85, the equivalent of a half-day of beauty.
So, knowing that I am the ultimate procrastinator I called and booked an appointment for 6/26 at 9:30. Yesterday somebody called me at 10 am to confirm, and ended her conversation with "We require a 24 hour cancellation, do you need our number." I bit my tongue and held back the urge to say "Ummm...then shouldn't I have called you like a half-hour ago?" Instead I reassured the girl that I would be there.
I arrive at the spa and go into the wrong entrance. Just so you know if you happen to venture out that way, the aesthetics institute is to the right and massage is to the left. Once I was redirected to the correct location I was prompted to answer a short questionnaire.
A smiling blonde came out dressed in all white...actually all of the people were dressed in white. It was like I was in heaven. Perfectly made-up estheticians in white uniforms massaging people draped in white...heaven is right.
First she gave me a large collapsible basket that she said was "my basket." She had a faint accent that I couldn't quite place. She showed me the disposable spa panties that were in a saran wrap-esque wrapper and the "spa robe." I went into the bathroom to change. Putting on the panties, I glanced in the mirror and realized I definitely resembled a sumo wrestler getting ready for a match. They were a three inch strip of papery material with elastic strings on each side. I honestly couldn't figure out the front from the back.
SO I WAS READY!! Donning my white spa robe I laid on the table while my tech started brushing me with a soft brush. She brushed all of my skin and explained that it helped improve circulation and it would tickle a little. Then she started the "salt glow" treatment. I now know why they call it that...it so makes you glow. So now I am glowing and surrounded by pretty people in white...heaven? YES!! She gently massaged the salt all over and then removed it with a series of hot towels. It felt amazing. I am happy at this point and I am only $35 into the treatment.
She had decided on a seaweed wrap for my skin, they allow you to choose but since I have no idea I told her to pick. She said it will help moisturize. She paints me with seaweed and in the meantime is folding the sheet under me to reveal a shower curtain on the table. So now I am sliding all over the table in gooey seaweed bliss as she gently pulls the sheet out from under me. I am lying on plastic. So, silly me...I thought that the "wrap" part was figurative. NO. It's literal. They wrap you up like a mummy or a caterpillar. In my multi layered chrysalis I lay. First there was the shower curtain. Then the giant insulated foil blanket. Then the wooly blanket, and I think it was topped off with a sheet. And then I decide I might have to pee. Or not?
So as I lay there I am nervous at first and my nose starts to itch and twitch until my tech starts to do my facial. AMAZING!! I have no idea what she did, because my eyes were closed. However it involved lots of massaging with some substance and something that felt like tea bags was over my eyes. Then a hot towel would massage it off for the next layer. While my mask was setting I felt warm oil drizzle over my feet and then that part that always hurts from wearing flip flops is being gently and skilfully massaged. I was in heaven. Apparently I was really relaxed, because I woke myself up with a little snore. Okay, probably a big snore. All I know is that I never wanted to emerge from my cocoon. I was completely unaware of time or place as I listened to the most stereotypical spa music ever...waves crashing and different xylophoney type music. (I will never make fun of Dani's mom for the orca tape again).
I felt numb and full of endorphins when I was finally unwrapped and once again bathed with a hot towel. Do I really have to leave??
So I give SPATECH an A for cleanliness, comfort, price, and the heaven effect. The opportunity to have a stress free day was definitely priceless!!
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