One of the wonderful things about living on the Cape is of course our proximity to the ocean and the many opportunities we have to observe ocean wildlife up close. I have to admit, I love whales and always have and so any time I get a chance to see them, I take the chance. I don’t know how many whale watches I’ve been on but it’s a lot.

There’s something about seeing these magnificent animals that makes my heart beat a little faster and my smile get a little wider. These are humpback whales and yesterday my daughter and her family took me out on a spectacular watch. For the last few years we have done this for my birthday but this was the most amazing one yet.

I don’t have a fancy camera and many of my pictures are sort of funny…

like this one which is the tail end, or actually flipper end, of a breach….

I did get a few decent pictures of breaching whales but I especially like this one that looks like the whale is balancing the Provincetown tower on its chin….

This whale was on its back, raising and slapping its flippers and then rolling around…

This is the double flipper splash….

And here, for the good bye, is a little fluke action….

What a fabulous day! We saw so many whales and seabirds, too–the seabirds are too quick for my camera though….