Sea Glass Collecting on Cape Cod

Who doesn’t love sea-glass? Those rounded pieces of soft hued glass weathered and rounded by water and time. We even used it as inspiration for our guestroom room 2 in the main house of our inn. There are many colors and everyone has their favorite with the general consensus that black is the most rare. Each real sea-glass piece has its own story depending on shape and color and type of bottle or vessal that it may have originated from. Searching for real sea-glass these days is serious business with sea-glass hunters keeping their secret beach locations hush hush. The best time to look is low tide.

There is even a National association the North American Sea Glass Association and their annual convention will be Hyannis this October 9th and 10th. The attendees are professional sea glass collectors and they offer a $1,000 prize for the rariest piece of glass brought to the convention. Orange, Red, Black, Turquoise and Yellow are the most valuable and rare colors.

When I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade my parents rented a beach cottage on the Cape and during that summer one of the older woman in our neighborhood of cottages asked me to collect sea glass for her special project. She was making a coffee table and the entire top was to be nice smooth pieces of white, blue, turquoise, or purple glass, preferably flat smooth pieces. Well being a kid, I was up for any contest, with my plastic bucket I would walk the beach for hours each day collecting sea-glass for her. I can recall collecting quite a few pieces, and she was thrilled. I wish I had kept a few of these gems for myself, as more than 40 years has gone by since that time. I wonder if that table still exists in some one’s Cape cottage?

Anyway, the Cape Cod Times website features a video on collecting sea-glass. video http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100625/MEDIA0302/100629802 The woman in the video mentions some of her favorite beaches to collect sea glass and she says that Skaket Beach in Orleans is one of her favorites on the Cape. Well Skaket beach is very close by and there is a wonderful spot to grab a lobster roll nearby called Captain Cass. Also, the collector on the video notes that she loves the fact that litter, broken glass becomes a gem, and I would have to agree! Come and stay with us and see how much sea glass you can find!





Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Monomoy Wildlife Preserve – One of Chatham’s Gems

Chatham is blessed with a spectacular location surrounded by amazing beaches on the “elbow” of the cape. One of Chatham’s most scenic spots has to be Monomoy Wildlife preserve. Located down Morris Island road only minutes from our Chatham Inn, Monomoy was established in 1944 and has 7604 acres all except 40 only accessible by boat.

Monomoy is a great spot to explore, fish, relax in the sun or bird watch. Insiders tip: there is free parking in the small lot so this is one spot where you can enjoy a beautiful beach without having to fork over any money to park. There is a small 3/4 mile trail that starts on the bluff above the beach. It then heads down a big set of stairs to a beach. From there there the trail proceeds along a huge boulder breakwater that protects the multi million dollar homes on the bluff above. After 1/2 mile or so it opens up to a lovely stretch of beach and marsh area. The “trail” is actually along the beach with several self guided tour markers that relate to the trail map you can pick up at the trail head or in the small visitor center. Off in the distance you can see Monomoy Island and the shallow flat water between. To the east you can see the small windswept dunes of South Beach.

There are also ferry and water taxi companies that take you to Monomoy Island such as Rip Ryder and Outermost Adventures.
Come to Chatham and explore the natural wildlife refuge!



Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Carriage House Inn & Our Fabulous Guests

Our Fabulous Guests

One of the best things about being an innkeeper at the Carriage House Inn is meeting and getting to know a varied and interesting group of people, our guests. In short, our guests are wonderful but it is when you get to know them and all of their talents and experiences from around the world that you get the true benefit. One such example is Dave and Jean Anstaett from Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Dave is well known in his area for teaching and writing poetry. He has published three books of poetry. Upon leaving today, Dave presented this prose to us. We were truly touched.

Gatekeepers to the Sea

Two statements define Tim, without limiting:
“I wish I had been at Woodstock” his deep ocean night blue eyes meeting ours.
“I love to cook” the eyes lighten and we can almost
smell the joy evident, cooking, there.

Paula’s smile is quick, is large.
Her jade –blue eyes fill with rays of sunlight
as she mischievously postulates,
“If there are no facilities on the island, it is not a problem.
It is a very big ocean”

These hand holding descendants of the same
but renamed
Poseidon and Neptune guide us on our
ocean visit from the Carriage House Inn

Tim dips magical nectar, with Olympian acclaim
from his endless supply of surprises
etched crepes, monograms fruits
passes his trident over each entrée
each morning, each day of our stay sends us off refreshed,
replenished and ready for the sea

Paula guides our stay, our day
Almost Zeusian in her questions
she finds the source of our expectations
signs her advice for fare and voyage with a personal scroll
then sends us off genuinely awaiting our return, our tales

They are Neptune, Poseidon
They are our lighthouses as we navigate
through wave after wave after wave
of perfect vacation

Thank you to all of our guests for enriching our lives and for being so much fun!








Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Cape Cod Kayaking

One of the best ways to see the Cape in all it’s splendor and natural beauty is from a kayak. There are many ways to kayak around Chatham and one of the best options is located just down the road about ¼ mile from our Cape Cod Inn. You can launch your kayak right from the boat landing off of Old Harbor Road and paddle in the harbor and up to the fish pier near the current cut of Nauset Beach and out around the Chatham Lighthouse for those with experience.

In addition to paddling on one’s own kayak you can rent a kayak, tour or take guided lessons from some of our wonderful local operators. One of the largest is Goose Hummock located in Orleans (just a 15 minute drive from the Inn), they offer a schedule of tours, lessons, and rental options. The tours are of Town Cove, Pleasant Bay, and Nauset Marsh. The tours are guided and last 2-3 hours and he are lessons and tours offered 7 days a week. The website for Goose Hummock is www.goose.com Guests of the Carriage House Inn receive a 10% discount off of all tours.


Another great option for kayaking is renting a kayak from Nauti Jayne’s boat rentals out of the Wequassett Inn, located about 3 miles up the road from us on Pleasant Bay. This is for those who want to paddle on their own and explore the beautiful waters of Pleasant Bay. The absolutely best thing about kayaking on the bay is before or after you can enjoy lunch or dinner at the Wequassett Inn’s Outer Bar and Grille. We love their fried clams, lobster salad, and homemade ice tea served with a simple syrup. Plus there is a view of a 4 million dollar pool area, fire pit and waterfalls.






Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Pisces Restaurant of Chatham

For a long time, Pisces in South Chatham has been our all round favorite restaurant. It just seems to hit on all cylinders for us with a wonderful light Cape style bistro atmosphere, superb fresh food and friendly but professional service. Pisces is located approximately 8 minute drive from our Chatham Inn This chef owned/operated restaurant has a menu, as the name suggests, that focuses mainly on seafood but they also have chicken and rib eye on the menu for you land lovers. Some of our favorites are the risotto of the day topped with a grilled or pan seared fish and the lobster ravioli with an ultra rich cream sauce. You can get these in half potions as well so you can save room for their amazing tres leche cake (more on that later) We also love their lobster and corn chowder and all of their very creative salads…YUM.

This is a small restaurant so reservations are a must and tables can be close together. The only complaint we get is that sometimes it can be a bit noisy but we happen to love that type of vibrant happening atmosphere, and it always feels full of summertime energy!

The servers start you out with a tasty white bean olive oil dip that comes with fresh baked foccacia when you sit down. We also love the Mediterranean seafood stew which has a nice little kick of jalapeño. Another favorite is cornmeal crusted cod with lemon caper aioli.

Definitely save room for the tres leches (three milks) cake. It is a small bundt cake soaked with heavy cream, condensed mik, and evaporated milk. It is delectably rich yet light. I tried making one a few years ago, and it was just the pits, so we sometimes head to Pisces for just tres leche cake and coffee at the bar! Thanks Sue and Anne for being such wonderful hosts and for taking such great care of all of the Inn's guests





Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Clam Shacks located near the Carriage House Inn, part II

Here are a couple more of our favorite Clam Shacks near the our Cape Cod Inn.

Sesuit Harbor Cafe- Dennis – Located on the northern part of the Cape off of 6A on Sesuit Harbor and Cape Cod Bay, the Sesuit Harbor Café is a wonderful funky spot tucked behind a few boatyards. It is a little difficult to find but the reward of fabulous food makes the trek worthwhile. You order at the counter and then go sit at one of the numerous picnic tables out side along the harbor. There usually is a fair amount of boating activity to kick back and watch while waiting for your food. The lobster rolls are outstanding. The seafood is perfectly cooked as well.They also operate a lobster bake cruise www.lobsterrollcruise.com . It is BYOB – Open May 10,
2010 Breakfast and Lunch, May 28, 2010 Dinner


Liam’s Clam Shack – Located right on Nauset beach only 18 minutes up the road in Orleans has a large and varied menu that caters to the many beachgoers in the Summer. It focuses heavily on seafood with excellent fried or broiled seafood platters and some of the best onion rings around. It can get very busy at lunch time in season but it is also open for dinner and that is a nice quiet time to head to the beach and grab a nice casual dinner and relax on the picnic tables that are a stones throw from Nauset Beach. One of my favorite things to get at Liams are their Onion Rings and their fried clams. Liams opens May 29th weekends only until mid June.





Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Water View Wallks from a Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

When you leave our Chatham Inn you can take an absolutely breath taking walk right from the Carriage House Inn’s front door. You head left down Old Harbor Road and immediately there are sweeping views of the harbor and the gorgeous houses tucked behind immaculate hedges on the hill above the waterfront. As you head down the hill there is a home right before you turn right on to Cow Yard Lane that in early spring literally is blooming with hundreds of daffodils in the lawn and gardens, it is a glorious field of yellow. Mid May brings honeysuckle bushes along the walk that scent the air with a subtle sweet scent. When you head down cow yard you are likely to see a fisherman in waders trying to find dinner or a kayaker headed out for a relaxing paddle. Once you reach the harbor you turn right and walk along the sandy path along the water viewing the lobster boats coming and going, the now famous current cut and the rear side of some stately homes. One keeps walking until you reach the Chatham Fish Pier where you can visit and rest on the pier’s observation deck, or if you are hungry you can grab a cup of chowder or a lobster roll from the Chatham Fish Pier. To head back to the Inn you walk along Shore Road where you get water views in between the million dollar homes that line the street. The entire walk takes about 35-40 minutes and it is just lovely and refreshing and best of all free! Book your reservation today at Chatham's number 1 rated in on Trip Advisor the Carriage House Inn


Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast