More Film Festival News

In the past few weeks my 2015 short Why We Went to the Moon, has been made an Official Selection at three very diverse film festivals. In late September, WWWttM makes its Canadian debut at the Hamilton (ONT) Music and Film Festival. 

Later this fall the film will screen as part of the Guam International Film Festival in Hagatna, Guam. I just received notice that the work has been selected by the Slash and Bash Film Festival of Topeka KS. This will be the twelfth edition of the festival. Prior attendeees have included Adrienne Barbeau of Swamp Thing fame.

Mission accomplished!

Old Silver Beach in Falmouth. We have just about closed the loop here. OSB is on Buzzard's Bay. Continuing up the Bay would get us back to Bourne. (Remember Day 1?) Warm, but rough waters here at the mouth of the Bay.

Sixteen beaches in two days! And now for a relaxing dinner with friends and a long, dry ride home. Thanks to Jan for her more than generous hosting.

Only one more beach to conquer!

It's South Cape Beach in Mashpee. Number 15 out of 16. South Cape is just about the only public beach in the town of Mashpee. Run by the Commonwealth. They wanted to collect a parking fee but the machine was broken. Last of the Sound side beaches.

Faces glow as the end draws near

Beach #14, Craigville in Barnstable, accomplished with flair. My only memory of going on vacation with my hardworking father was coming here for a few days when I was very young. Nice big parking lot and more warm Sound waters.

Happier and happier

Seagull Beach in West Yarmouth makes #13. I lived up the street from this beach for two summers while in college in the 1970's. Betsy wisely decides that no picnic lunch will succeed at any place with the word "Seagull" in it. We make a picnic of tuna sandwiches and cokes in a nice little public park on the south side of Route 28 instead.

Beach 12 and it's almost noon

Lookin' good at Red River in Harwich. We have turned the corner and are heading west along Nantucket Sound. An entirely different aspect with some vegetation growing in the water at the shoreline, much calmer and somewhat warmer water. More people on the beaches too.

And another one

Happy faces at beach #10, Chatham Light. When we were kids and came to Chatham there was no beach here. Just the parking lot, a steep cliff and rocks. Several breaches of the bar since have made a sandy beach with dunes. They say that the beach here is often covered with seals - aka shark food.

Day Two: Beach 10

Nauset Light in Eastham. Another NPS beach working our way south. The Aquanuts look refreshed and ready for the day's adventures. Some of us should have used more sunscreen Day 1. (Hey, who is taking all these pictures?) (Note: At each beach we found willing photographers. Most were very amused at our trip. Many were European visitors enjoying our beautiful land.)

Nine is fine

Last of the day! Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet. VERY steep walk down the cliff face to the beach. We could see a sand bar just off shore and a seal swimming outside the bar. Brian noted two shark spottings at Marconi, just south of here. We were VERY cautious in the water.

Nevertheless, this might have been my favorite of them all.  Clearest water. I always called it "Cahoon's" Hollow and always heard it called that. Sometime since the '70's it must have changed. Still early, but most of us got up in the middle of the night to start this trek, so we decide to head to the motel (Eventide in Wellfleet - two thumbs up!) for a "siesta."

Dinner at Mac's Shack to follow. (Mac's Shack gets at least two and a half thumbs up. Never had a better oyster.)

Beach 8: Halfway there

Head of the Meadow Beach - Truro. Another NPS beach on the outside. A really fine location heading south down the forearm of the Cape.

Number 7, check it off!

Race Point in Provincetown. Ran up Route 6 to the tip of the Cape so we could start to work our way back. Race Point is a National Seashore beach with a big parking lot. Great sun, sand and surf.

It's number six!

Nauset in Orleans and the Aquanuts are still going strong! Met Betsy's friend Ronna here who was just giddy in explaining to us all of the shark sightings lately. Tipped Brian to a phone app called "Sharktivity" with updated shark sightings. Stopped here for lunch to amortize the $20 parking fee collected by the Town of Orleans. This was the only fee, so the average cost to park was $1.25 per stop.  We are now on the outside - the Atlantic coast - the real ocean. Some wave action and a little colder water. (Pictured from left - Ned, Betsy, Cindy Brian)

And Beach five!

Brewster, done! We are at Ellis Landing Beach in Brewster, the last of the Bay side beaches for this trip. The public beach is right next to the ritzy Ocean Edge resort. The tide recedes a long way at this point and we are lucky to be here early.

An hour has passed

Another beach has been conquered.

Beach four: Corporation Beach in Dennis. The sunshine is warming both the air and the water as we work our way eastward along the inside of the Cape.

The early birds get the beaches

It is 8:35 and already the hardy crew has crossed off three beaches in the early morning sunlight.

Beach one. Whitehorse Beach Plymouth. Nice beach but forget about parking in season. There are about four public parking spaces in a tight residential neighborhood.

The life of an Aquanut is not without danger. Not the last shark warning we will see!

Beach two. Sagamore Beach in Bourne. This is still the Massachusetts Bay side and is the first of 15 towns in Barnstable County. Public parking and a seasonal snack bar.

Beach three. Town Neck Beach in Sandwich. Finally across the canal onto what I think of as the Cape. Chose this over Scusset as having a shorter walk to the water.

It begins!

It is 5:00am and the four intrepid Aquanuts are eager and alert (?) as their big adventure begins.

Aquanuts to attempt "Sixteen in '16"

Beginning at dawn tomorrow (September 12, 2016) a select group of Aquanuts will attempt to swim at sixteen Massachusetts ocean beaches in two days. These beaches will be in sixteen separate towns - Plymouth in Plymouth County and all 15 towns in Barnstable County.

The rough outline (subject to tides, weather, moodiness of participants, opportunities for clam rolls...) is to tackle a group of Bay side beaches as far as Race Point in Provincetown, and then come back down the Atlantic and Nantucket Sound sides of Cape Cod.

Live blogging will begin sometime after 5 a.m. (EDT) Monday