Saturday, May 22, 2010

A BIT OF GEOGRAPHY



No, no. . I do not hold a part-time job with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. I just enjoy living here, being a Cape Coder, with a closer affinity to Provincetown at the out-end of the Cape, out in the Atlantic.

In the map here you can see part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. and in lower center Cape Cod tenuously holding onto the mainland, yet separated by the man-made Cape Cod Canal but hanging to and connected by the 75 year old Sagamore Bridge, and a bit to the West the Byrne Bridge. There is one main highway Route 6, which runs from the tip of the Cape at Provincetown East-West to just a hair South of San Francisco. The next photo shows you the West Coast beginning of this famous highway.




Since I am setting up my amateurish geophysical settings for Cape Cod, let's try another view. . . this time from outer space and look down "from the heavens, as it were, poetically seeing what God sees. . . "And God looked at all He had done and saw that it was good, very good. . ."



And. . .behold! the Promised Land, the Province Lands and at the very upper tip, Provincetown!

The two large islands to the South of the Cape are Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island. If you look carefully at the South-East portion of the peninsula, at the corner which forms the elbow of the arm, where there is just a bit of cloud cover from the ocean, you will see me standing on the roof of the O'Shea Home, high on the Dunes, waving at God. . . . .
I do that sometimes. . hehehee. . . .But seriously that gives you a bird's eye view of O'Shea turf in the night sky. This is where I was born almost 22 years ago on June 30th. . . .and, no matter where I go, part of my heart is always there. That's the way it is with us Cape Coders. . . we belong to the Land and the Sea.


Now getting a little closer to our feet on the ground here is a view from the Town Hall, top floor, looking South. The main drag is Commercial Street and that is down there between the row of buildings on the beach, and the rest 'across the street.'



Over here is the Town Hall, kinda the center of things. . "you can get anywhere from here". . . . a good place to hang out and watch the sights and maybe be sighted too. LOL


Along the sidewalks are benches, even up the side street where you can sit and rest and observe. And diagonally across the street, south, is that totally fantastic historic landmark. . . .
DaDUUUUHHHHHH. . . The Portuguese Bakery !!!!!



Leaving this venerable shrine heading just down the street a bit our eyes
are greeting by this shirt in the window of the shoppe which features something for everyone. . . .



We close this part of our tour with the reminder of a place "with freedom and justice for all. . ." There are these little oases here and there where we can live and love as we were created to live.

With this small token your tour guide says "Au revoir. . .a bientot. . . next time. " ;-))












6 comments:

Unknown said...

You Cape Coders are always so welcoming. Thanks for the tour.

Gary Kelly said...

A lovely town to be sure, to be sure. And I love the old kegs cum trash bins outside the Portugese Bakery. How artistic! Actually, the whole town is artistic... a work of art in a romantic old fashioned way. Very noice.

Alastair said...

Thanks, Justin. I have some time in New England later in the summer - maybe I'll head down to the Cape this time.

Jim said...

We have to get back to Cape Cod! Thanks for the tour Justin....you'd be a great 'tour guide' for the summer.

GreginAdelaide said...

Interesting Justin. I have to admit I googled Provincetown some time ago and checked it out.....and it feels like a nice comfortable place and reminds me of where I grew up. The sea always figured big in my childhood and I love to get out fishing as often as I can...I love the water.

But I am more used to sheltered waters like my home town had...and even now, here in Adelaide, we are on the shore of a largish gulf and the sea doesn't get anything like as rough as you do.

Check out my old home town on Goggle Maps: port broughton south australia

The reso aint good, not like it is over my home here in Adelaide, but you can see the sheltered bay that leads into the large gulf where we used to spend days out fishing with Grandad in his big fast boats back when we were kids.

Memories, thanks Justin.

Greg in Adelaide

JustinO'Shea said...

Naaaww. . my dear COOP. . .no quiz. .this was meant as an enticement. . .LOL. . .to "visit locally". . .

; ; and a chance to brag about how sweet my life is! LOL

DO you like verbal and pictorial "walkabouts". . . .hehehe. . . that for my Aussie Mates. . .

mwaaah
justin