Walking Cape Cod Again

 

It was a beautiful morning. The sun reflected across the blue ocean and crashing waves like sparkling diamonds.

 

Nauset Light Beach in Eastham is under construction but still well worth a visit.  

After being restricted in my walking before my hip replacement, and even where I could wander, it was glorious to be adventuring again.

My freedom brought Tim and I to West Brewster and the boundaries of Dennis to visit the Ancient Sears Cemetery adjacent to Bound Brook.

 

Park behind the sign. You'll see a path on your left, then turn right. 

 

 

 

Just off the Old King's Highway (Route 6A), you'll find 124 headstones and foot-stones lined up in rows and all facing West. Most all are descended from the Sears family and date approximately from the early 1700s to 1949. 

 

On your right will be an old iron gate.

An ornate finial awaits your touch.

My advice is to start on your right where you can see the water, that's where you'll find some of the older graves.

As I walked up and down the rows, I couldn't help thinking of how hard a life so many of these early settlers encountered.

 

 

In Memory of Mrs. Desire, wife of Noah Sears

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As we turned back to return to our car, Tim pointed to the tree that was the inspiration for a watercolor, Bound Brook. It's available as a limited edition giclee print on our website and in the galleries, both Brewster and Chatham.

Struna Galleries

 

PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND REMEMBER THIS ANCIENT CEMETERY BORDERS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.

 

 

If you take a left on the Old King's Highway and go further into Dennis, make sure you visit Scargo Tower. 

 

Scargo Tower

 

There have been three Scargo towers at this spot. The first tower was built in 1874 by the Tobey family. Constructed out of wood, it was destroyed by a gale in 1876. The second tower, known as "Tobey Tower" and also made of wood, burned down in 1900. The present tower, was built of cobblestone in 1901 as a memorial to the Tobey family. The tower stands thirty feet high. It is located on the highest hill in the area. From the tower, one can see almost all of Cape Cod on the bay side, including Provincetown and the Sagamore Bridge. 

 

For fun, I recorded my footsteps climbing up the spiral staircase.

 Once you reach the top, it's a breathtaking view and worth the effort.

The Dennis adventure only took about 1 1/2 hours. You should try it.

The Cape has so many places to explore...get moving.

 

Available to BUY

During the much appreciated success of my latest historical novel, The Old Cape Blood Ruby, I have started my fifth historical novel featuring Brewster, Cape Cod and Central Mass, Millbury. 

Stay Tuned...

 

 

 

Come to the Fair!

Meet me at the fair! 

9th Annual Kill Tide Arts & Craft Fair 

Drummer Boy Park - Brewster 8/28-8/29

 

I'll be signing all of my Old Cape Series books. 

For those of you who are wondering what a Kill Tide is?

In late August the Full Sturgeon Moon causes a flood tide which drowns the larval pupae of dreaded Greehead flies...a cyclical phenomenon known locally as the Kill Tide. 

 

The Old Cape Blood Ruby was featured in the Cape Cod Times today! 

 

 Next stop?

Coming in September - Cranberry Festival in 

Harwich, Ma. 9/14-9/15

If you can't meet me in person, you can always find them in your local bookstore or online.

New Hip! New Book!

It's been a crazy time for the few months before and the three weeks after my surgery for a new hip.  Preparing for my latest release of The Old Cape Blood Ruby and... becoming a bionic woman with two titanium hips made my schedule interesting.

I've missed walking, hiking,  and visiting the grand kids, and yet, a general longing for adventure stays with me every day. I look forward to...

Exploring Brewster

Discovering that Orleans has a secret path

Geocaching

Eventually Traveling to Alaska and California

Alaska & Casey

Alaska & Madison

Alaska & Zack

Exploring the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

And then, as always, on to California

Crosby and Grandma in Southern California finding the final piece of the puzzle in our treasure hunt!

 

I missed it all!

But soon I'll be

Walking the beach

Touching my toes to the water

Exploring with my granddaughter in Alaska

Packing up to sell my books at festivals and book events

Sharing booth space with my best friend, Anita Caruso. We both love meeting our readers and selling our individual book series. Anita writes a children's series, Brayden's Magical Journey and of course, I create the  Old Cape Series.

 

One final entry

 You can order my latest, The Old Cape Blood Ruby, at any bookstore  and is now available as a paperback everywhere and ebook online.

 Thank you for your support! 

Just a reminder: An author can always use some reviews, so, if you like my books, please leave a review.

 Barbara

Pre-Order New Novel - ebook!

Pre-order for ebook only

So excited to announce that my fourth suspenseful historical novel is available on amazon for Pre-Order. To be delivered to your kindle on May 18, 2021!

"In 1898, the Portland Gale tore across Provincetown on Cape Cod's coast. Walter Ellis, a descendant of legendary Maria Hallett, loses his ship and livelihood. Forced to leave his family behind, he seeks gold in Alaska but never returns. Present day Nancy Caldwell travels to Alaska to visit family. She discovers an old letter destined for Provincetown from 1899 but never sent. Back home on Cape Cod, a 1780s house, a hidden 'pigeon's blood' ruby ring, and a past nemesis complicate Nancy's search for the missing fisherman."

 It's only been a few years since the first creative spark popped into my brain and ignited this multi-generational family saga.

During our semi-annual visit with our middle son, Tim, and his family in Alaska, we were on the island of Juneau. 

Landing in Juneau

Tim and Jenn's home

 

One morning, we woke to a storm-tossed exposed ocean floor. Outside their expansive windows overlooking the mysterious Pacific Ocean was a large white object, young Tim went to explore. 

View from deck

  

For a visual - I'm walking when tide is out. The rocks to my left are submerged at full tide.

We watched as our son walked further and further away until he stopped and took some pictures. We waited for his return. Surprisingly, it was the skeleton of what looked like a complete leg. After finally uncovering proof that the skeleton belonged to a large animal, we all breathed a sigh of relief. 

 

But my imagination took off and my plotting began for an adventure from one end of the country in Provincetown, to the other in Juneau and back again to Cape Cod.

Below is a book trailer that I made.

 

 

 

I'll keep you posted as to the date when you will be able to read this wonderful story as an ebook or paperback. Stay tuned.

If you are a registered reader on Net Galley, here's a link to get an early preview. If you liked the story, please leave a review. 

NET GALLEY
 

Until next time...

Barbara

Pirates, Skeletons, and more...

 

Update from The Whydah Pirate Museum

Always exciting to read about the latest developments from Barry Clifford and his team. Recently they discovered the remains of six skeletons that had been encased in a concretion, which is a large mass that forms around underwater objects. 

Back in 2018, they found a leg bone and had hoped it was the captain of the ill-fated Whydah pirate ship, Black Sam Bellamy. But, through the science of DNA and a trip to England for a match from Sam's distant relative, their research proved it was not the infamous pirate. Undeterred, they continue and, as of today, they are on the hunt again for Bellamy. The Whydah Pirate Museum is open and located in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod.

There are many stories written about the 1717 wreck of the Whydah, Sam Bellamy and his lover, the mythical Maria Hallett.

My first two historical novels, The Old Cape House and The Old Cape Teapot follow Sam and Maria's story line. They're based on all the facts that we know to be true and accurate, all gleaned from old records and documents. Where there were holes in the search, that's where I fictionalized. Two important premises fueled my stories.

#1 They never found Sam Bellamy's body.

#2 Maria Hallett is not documented anywhere as to her connection to Sam except in folk lore.

The Old Cape House

 Nancy Caldwell relocates to an old sea captain's house on Cape Cod with her husband and four children. When she discovers an abandoned root cellar in her backyard containing a baby's skull and gold coins, she digs up evidence that links her land to the legendary tale of Maria Hallett and her pirate lover, Sam Bellamy.
Using alternating chapters between the 18th and 21st centuries, The Old Cape House, a historical fiction, follows two women that are lifetimes apart, to uncover a mystery that has had the old salts of Cape Cod guessing for 300 years.

2014 Winner ~ First Place in Historical Fiction ~ Royal Dragonfly Awards!

International Best Seller on Amazon!

 

The Old Cape Teapot

 Nancy Caldwell uncovers a pirate mystery that had the Old Salts of Cape Cod wondering for close to 300 years in the historical fiction, The Old Cape House. Was she lucky or a good detective? Nancy returns in The Old Cape Teapot, the second in a series, to uncover the trails of two survivors from the wreck of the 1717 pirate ship Whydah. Armed with the knowledge that in pirate culture the looted riches were equally shared, she takes us to the tropical island of Antigua and back to Cape Cod searching for clues to more treasure.

International Best Seller on Amazon!

If you're interested in reading more...

Fellow Cape Cod author Elizabeth Moisan wrote her version of Sam and Maria.  Based on the facts that we know, her novel is an accurate swashbuckling pirate adventure...but Maria's story is a bit different from mine.  Master of the Sweet Trade a good read.