6/27, Tuesday - Crane's Beach and the Castle at Crane's Beach

We are almost done with vacation.  The day starts with high overcast and light coats are the mode of dress.

Today Sandy lends us her car and we drive to Crane's Beach and Castle Hill in Ipswich, MA.  This acreage is part of the green-way.  The property was owned by industrialist Richard Crane (the bathroom company).   The refuge was established in 1974 by Mine Crane in memory of her husband Cornelius Crane.  Both are buried at the summit of Choate island.

So instead of million dollar houses and private beach it is open to the public with fees.  Because Sandy and Ozzie contribute, their car has a sticker and we get in to both the beach and the estate for free.

For more information on Castle Hill google search Castle Hill, Ipswich, Mass.

Because of weather we have the beach pretty much to ourselves.  It is a nice, long walk.  Gary has been making sure I get my steps in.  It is mid-tide so we do not get to see many shells though I do find one tiny sand dollar and a hermit crab that has not survived in a very nice snail shell.  We bury the hermit crab at sea and bring that shell home plus the quarter sized sand dollar.

We have missed the castle tour so tour around our selves and let me tell you, it is as nice as the Hearst estate on the McCloud river.  It started as an Italian style villa but was torn down and re-created as an English castle.  You could spend a whole day viewing the rooms down stairs and walking the manicured grounds.

After our tour, we head back to Essex for an afternoon of antiquing.  I realize I am beat.  The last store we go in I ask for ukulele.  The guy laughs and says his favorite instrument is the bela lika (sp) and he puts on a cd of that music.

Gary promises this is the last store but I can not pry him away from the Bela Lika guy so I go to the car to nap and wait.

While we are waiting to meet Osborn's for dinner it starts to rain in earnest and hail (big hail).  We do not tarry outside when we get to the restaurant "The Village"  I experience haddock. a light white fish of the east coast.  It's pretty tasty.

Lightening and thunder join with the rain in earnest when we get home.  Lots of different weather on the East coast.