Shelter from the Storm

From Dave Brigham:

I love that photo, and feel lucky to have made it. I'm not a spiritual guy, but I feel like the stars aligned the day back in February when I stopped in front of these three cottages in Truro, Mass., with storm clouds gathering off the tip of Provincetown, the winds whipping up and my time running short.

After dropping my son to visit a friend in Mashpee, I hightailed it the 60 miles along Route 6 to Provincetown to make photos of the historic village. I had about four hours to make the drive, walk around the popular vacation spot, snap some pix and drive back to Mashpee. But on the way into P-town, I spied some quaint beach-side cottages overlooking Cape Cod Bay, and vowed to swing by on my way out of town.

So after wrapping up my Provincetown exploration (see May 9, 2026, "Prowling Around P-town"), I tooled along through the quaint roads of the scenic burg, with the bay to my right and countless adorable houses, cottages and shops lining my route. I drove past Pilgrim Lake -- a tidal estuary originally called East Harbor -- in Truro, and shortly afterwards found the cottages I'd noticed from the highway.

Pulling over on Stotts Crossing, I could barely contain my excitement. The sky behind these throwback vacation homes was very dramatic, there was nobody around, and the cottages looked even more amazing than I'd dared to hope when I'd driven by them earlier.

Located right on the beach, these tiny houses must face a lot of weather punishment, especially in the winter, with high winds, driving rain and snow, and waves and spray off the bay water. I like how each one is boarded up with a numbered pieces of plywood - a nice orderly system.

I picture young families, retired couples, small groups of friends, solitary vacationers and others relaxing, making communal dinners and enjoying swimming, boating and games on the sand.

I'm so happy that these little places exist. Little cottages like this used to dot the landscape, not just near ocean towns but along lakes and near mountains, offering simple and inexpensive respite from the grind of daily life. They gained in popularity in the 1920s as more Americans began traveling by auto, and the road system in the country expanded.

Over the decades, these types of places fell out of favor, with motels, then hotels, then resorts and weekly rentals becoming ever more popular. The Truro assessor's department indicates these cottages were built in the 1940s. There are other such homey spots in the area. If I'd known about the Days Cottages array just a little further along Shore Road, I would've stopped by there as well.

Opened in 1930, these cottages were the realization of the dream of Joseph Days, who ran a construction company, according to the web site for these historic venues. Today, there are 23 cottages, each adorned with the name of a flower, bestowed by Joseph's wife, Amelia. The cottages are now a condominium colony.

Below is an image from the colony's Facebook page.

I'll have to make photos there next winter.

In the meantime, I have this shot to make me smile.