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mary Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 6:12am | IP Logged
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we have been reading the thronton burgess books for almost a year now and have discovered that there is a TB nature center in east sandwich MA. my kids would love to go and see the smiling pond, laughing brook and look for peter rabbit and the other animals. these books have made such an impression on them!
anyway, this would be a vacation in 2007 because the baby is due this summer. i'm wondering if anyone has been to this nature center? could i wrap a vacation around it or is it the kind of place you visit for the day? normally we are warm beach goers and so to completely switch or vacation venue, i want to be sure that the nature center is going to be worth the trip. thanks in advance!
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Dawn Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 6:45am | IP Logged
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Hi Mary,
We've never been, but I hope to visit this spring (we're also big Burgess fans ). I'm seeing a friend today who has visited the Center, and I will ask her what she thought about it. I know their jam-making workshops are supposed to be great.
East Sandwich is on Cape Cod, which is a hugely popular vacation destination here in Massachusetts, particularly in the summertime. I'm not that familiar with the Cape myself (we live north of Boston), but I'll let you know what I find out ... hopefully there are others here that have been to the Center and can fill us in ...
__________________ Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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MacBeth Forum All-Star
Probably at the beach...
Joined: Jan 27 2005 Location: New York
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 9:21am | IP Logged
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You could visit his home and nature center in less than a day, but the Cape has so much to offer that I would make a vacation out of it! If you camp, there is great seaside camping on the Cape, but if you prefer a cottage, there are many from which to choose.
When you say "warm beach goers" do you mean that the north Atlantic is too cold for you ? I find it a nice contrast to those bath-tub warm waters in the south . The tide pools are full of animals, the sky is full of birds...
__________________ God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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mary Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 11:33am | IP Logged
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thanks dawn, i'll be waiting to read your update.
macbeth, yes, we do enjoy the warm bath waters. i know that the northern waters will be more interesting, it's just that my dh really enjoys a vacation where he can relax on the beach or in the water. interesting tide pools are far more my cupotea than his. it's hard to please everyone!
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Cheryl Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 20 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 2:58pm | IP Logged
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Mary,
I've never heard about the nature center, but I did go to East Sandwich every year from when I was about 2 yrs-teenager. My uncle owned a cottage there on the beach. We mostly stayed at the cottage and on the beach and in the water. There used to be great sandbars and sand dunes there and lots of rocks. I think it would be a great vacation location. The downside about it is the bumper to bumper traffic getting there. I think we used to experience it more because we would go for Memorial Day weekend or Fourth of July. The Cape is popular though, so planning early would be a good thing.
There is a place in Hampden, MA called Laughing Brook, where I think Thorton Burgess used to live. I went on a field trip there when I was in grade school. I'm sorry I don't know much about it. I haven't done much nature study in my 1 1/2 yrs of homeschooling.
Dawn, what part of MA do you live in?
__________________ Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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kingvozzo Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2005 Location: Maine
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 3:23pm | IP Logged
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Haven't been to the nature center there, but did honeymoon is Sandwich. We were there in April, so it was quite a bit cooler than it would be in summer. That area of the country has so very much to offer, I don't think it would be difficult to find tons to do there.
__________________ Noreen
Wife to Ed
Mom to 4 great kids and 10 sweet ones in Our Lady's arms
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Dawn Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
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Well, I spoke too soon! It turns out my friend has *not* been to the Center yet! She's dying to go, however, and has heard great things about it from other homeschoolers. If we end up visiting this spring, I will post about our experience ...
As for water warmth, it would depend on which direction your beach faced. As I understand it, north-facing beaches have colder Atlantic water (high 60s in midsummer), but the south-facing beaches are warmer due to the influence of the Gulf stream (70-72).
Hope that helps!
__________________ Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Dawn Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 3:39pm | IP Logged
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Cheryl wrote:
Dawn, what part of MA do you live in? |
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Hi Cheryl ~ We live in Essex County, about 15 miles north of Boston ... How about you?
__________________ Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Dawn Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 5:22pm | IP Logged
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Dawn wrote:
As I understand it, north-facing beaches have colder Atlantic water (high 60s in midsummer), but the south-facing beaches are warmer due to the influence of the Gulf stream (70-72).
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Oh dear, once again I spoke too soon ... ! My husband -- who grew up near the Cape, on the beach every summer -- never heard of this phenomenon!! I guess I wasn't much help in this thread after all ... But whatever the water temperature, I would agree with those above that there is much to do and see during a Cape Cod vacation .
__________________ Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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Cheryl Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 20 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: Feb 24 2006 at 6:46pm | IP Logged
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Hi Cheryl ~ We live in Essex County, about 15 miles north of Boston ... How about you? [/QUOTE]
I'm in Hampden County in Western Ma. It's close to Springfield.
__________________ Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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