Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to be part of the VIP field trip to Sandwich, MA. As a VIP, or volunteer in park, with Cape Cod National Seashore I boarded a bus with other park volunteers, first stopping at Heritage Gardens. While most of the women went on the garden tour, I excitedly joined the Auto Collection tour with other enthused men of the group. The cars in the collection spanned from the first auto carriages san horses from 1893 to luxury sports cars of the 1920s. It was amazing to see the development of car design over the years and the incredible colors of these early automobiles. Although black and white photographs give the impression of drab color, these early cars shine with gold chrome and bold colors like orange and green. My favorite part of the tour was definitely when we got to sit in a Ford Model-T! I wish they still made seats that plush.
Next, I sauntered through the lovely grounds at Heritage with the specific purpose of riding the carousel. This 103 year old working carousel provides joy to both children and adults as I found myself enjoying a surprisingly brisk ride with several youngsters. The horses were beautiful and sleek, but think I liked single goat on the carousel the best.
After a delicious lunch of cranberry chicken salad sandwiches, we left Heritage Gardens for the Sandwich Glass Museum. Thanks to some new friends, I left with more food than I started with. At the Glass Museum, we saw a glass-blowing demonstration and a few interesting (and slightly creepy) multi-media videos about Sandwich and its glass culture. It was glass galore and I was almost glad to get out of there. I bought some pretty glass earrings and new knowledge about the history of glass in Sandwich. Overall, a wonderful trip!
Kirsten Captures 