700th post!!!! And Enders Island and Onset

700 Posts in 8 years...it sure feels like a lot.  This started as a personal "journal" for me, but I do appreciate the readers who like it too.  Thanks for all of the positive comments!

We took the afternoon while in Mystic and visited Enders Island. Originally purchased by a Mr. Enders in the 1890s, it was donated to the Catholic Brothers of Edmund and is  now a Catholic retreat facility. It is said that the car ride across the causeway to the island causes some to feel some sort of "spiritual experience" before they even get there!

We anchored our dinghy in the small bit of sand shown in the bottom right.  First thing on the island is the private church.  Very lovely. Although, I do think this picture looks like the church has 2 big eyes and is gasping at something!  Sort of like an electrical outlet...

The home and gardens are very, very lovely.  You do get a calm feeling just walking about the property.

The second wife - the one who wanted a "better" house than the existing farm house on the property - also had stones brought in to ring the house, to look like elephants on parade.

Tile work, brought in from Italy, adornes the home.  Age and weather take their toll;  the tiles are beginning to crumble and fade from their previous glory.

The island flags were flying sadly at half-mast in the graying skies, in memorial of those killed and injured in the terrible tragedy in Orlando.

We had one last  dinner for this trip with Best of Times, and we left early on Tuesday morning for the 11 hour trip to Onset.  Onset is a cute little town on the western end of the Cape Cod Canal.  It was a long day, but Latitudes was able to sail beautifully through most of the 70-ish miles! Winds were variable at 10 to 15 kts gusting 18 to 20 from the NW, and we were generally heading ENE - giving us close to a beam reach for the whole journey. We also timed the considerable currents, ebb east out of the Mystic area and flood east into Buzzards Bay, adding about a knot to our speed. Past fishing boats, birds in full pursuit.

More New England lighthouses, this one at Point Judith..

More New England "summer cottages"...this is the largest single family house that I think I've ever seen...You can't see the extra house (probably larger than mine) behind this one.  Probably for the hired help.

Ahhhh....at anchor in Onset.  We are all 3 happy. (you didn't think you'd get a blog post without Sweet Smokie, did you!??)

Sunset at anchor. Luke caught this beautiful picture of the end of a great day.

We went into town today - we really like Onset. Within just a few blocks - pizza, laundry, barber, groceries, hardware store, post office, stores, ICE CREAM, New England clear blue skies, and a beautiful, sandy beach.

 But, that is summer.  How high is the snow in winter?  Look carefully, above the house top,  at the snow stick, the top end extending above Luke's extended arm.  Noooo, thank you, I'll stick to Virginia in the winter!

That is it for today.  Tomorrow the plan is to put up the dingy and catch the mid afternoon current through the Cape Cod Canal.  We hope to reach the anchorage in Province Town, about 25 miles away.