What better way to spend a sunny Sunday than a drive through the countryside in Cape Cod?

We meandered along Highway 6A towards Sandwich, stopping to take photos of whatever caught our eye. The roadside farmers’ stands are rife with pumpkins and colourful fall flowers, and many houses sport festive Halloween displays.

Sandwich, settled in 1637, is the oldest town on the Cape. It’s a quaint little village with a marvellous Glass Museum. Sandwich housed a thriving glass business in the mid-nineteenth century, manufacturing both blown and pressed glass. Fortunes changed when competition from coal-fired furnaces in the mid-west began to produce better quality wares, at cheaper costs. A prolonged strike at the factory forced the Sandwich manufacturers into bankruptcy, and all that is left of the former glass-glories of Sandwich is in the museum, located close to the mill pond in the centre of town. 

The houses are mainly traditional Victorian style and reflect the prosperity of the town when the glass business was in its heyday. We caught sight of a small flock of turkeys meandering happily between the houses. Wild turkeys are quite common on the Cape.  These four reminded us of the flock of 11 jakes and jennies whose progress we have followed since the flock first appeared last spring. The young ones are now the same size as the parents, and they make their stately way over fences, through the brush and across the lawns on what seems to be their daily walk through town.

Our last stop was Dunbar’s Tea Room for scones and a cuppa before heading home. Dunbar’s has enjoyed a thriving custom for many years, and its new, updated menu now features tapas (?!)  as well as more traditional tea-fare. During the summer, the chipmunks and small birds frolic around the outdoor tables, begging for crumbs. It’s a wonderful spot for families to enjoy a respite from busy life.

A lovely, relaxing fall day in the country.