An off-season love letter to Cape Cod

My beloved Cape Cod:

I adore you always, but never so much as during the off-season.  After the crowds have gone home; after the leaves have finally begun to turn yellow and orange and red; after the traffic is gone and the cranberries have been harvested and the sounds of motor boats on the lake have quieted and all that remains is the sound of a lone seagull circling high above the waves ... and you're mine again.

Here is a loving pictorial tribute to our neighborhood and one of my favorite places on earth, taken during a sunny, brisk early Cape morning.  As we pack our bags and prepare to leave you for the winter months, please know you have my heart and I'll yearn to return to you in the spring.

The Captain Freeman House on Route 6A in Brewster

The Brewster Ladies Library, where I've spent many pleasant hours.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill atop the Brewster Herring Run.  There is actually a sign here asking visitors not to touch, pick up or play with the herring.  :)

The legendary Brewster Store, reproduced in hundreds of paintings and prints.  A favorite spot for the local townsmen to grab a cup of coffee and chat early in the morning.  In fact, if you squint, you can see a few of them sitting on a bench next to the entrance!

Chillingsworth, quite possibly the finest restaurant on the Cape

All has gone quiet on our lake.  This photo was taken from the western shore facing east; we live high atop the lake on the northeastern side.

A well-known landmark in our lakes region, the Pleasant Lake General Store.  During the summer months the parking lot is swamped with cars and bikes.  Just about everyone stops here for ice cream, water or a sandwich as they tour the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 15-mile-long bike path that runs from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Fall foliage arrives at last in our own front yard.