When the temperature reaches single digits, as it did here at the High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod last night, I start looking for signs of spring. Chalk it up to a “Peter Pan” syndrome, but scanning my world for signs that spring is on the horizon cheers me up, gives me hope, and most importantly, helps me focus on the positive. “Accent the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative…” a Johnny Mercer tune, pretty much outlines my approach to life.

So it was welcome news that the Red Sox equipment truck left Fenway Park yesterday and headed south to Fort Myers, Florida, home to Boston’s spring training. For many New Englanders that is the first and most significant sign that spring will indeed come to Red Sox nation. Catchers and pitchers report to camp on February 15, with the rest of the club reporting on the 19th. And once again, the quest begins.

But that is not the only sign of spring I look for in the days and weeks that lead up to the season opener. Each week, it seems, another harbinger of spring arrives. Here, in no particular order, are the ones that speak to me:

1. The goldfinches shed their winter green feathers for summer sunshine yellow.
2. Crocuses peek their heads up through the snow.
3. Spring peepers start to chirp.
4. Skunk cabbage returns to swampy areas.
5. Boston Gift Show.
6. Boston Flower Show.
7. Kreme ‘N Cone reopens.
8. Seafood Sam’s reopens.
9. Cooke’s Seafood reopens.
10. Captain Frosty’s reopens.
11. Sesuit Harbor Café reopens.
12. Forsythia buds.
13. Heritage Museum and Gardens reopens.
14. Steamship Authority high-speed ferry to Nantucket resumes
15. Nantucket Daffodil Festival.

Of course, you may spot a theme in numbers 7-11, but as a confirmed clam shack aficionado I have my priorities. But, if you’re in need of something to look forward to, we have a great “Spring Fling” package available from March 1 through May 14 that is sure to bring spring into your heart.

Dinner for Two with an Ocean View

As innkeepers on Cape Cod, Rich and I are often asked for restaurant recommendations by our guests. Part of our job, as we see it, is to be knowledgeable about all things Cape Cod so that we can guide our guests to the best places for an authentic and memorable experience. This includes scouting out the best places to catch a sunset, off-the-beaten path spots for a hike or a picnic, and knowing where all the lighthouses are located and when they might be offering tours. It’s a challenge, but well worth the effort and much-appreciated by our guests.

The High Pointe Inn sits up on a hill overlooking the Great Salt Marsh and the dunes of Sandy Neck Beach, with Cape Cod Bay in the distance. In season, we have the distinct pleasure of serving breakfast on the 75-foot deck that spans the back of the Inn. Guests enjoy having a leisurely breakfast al fresco, listening to and watching the birds, with the scent of summer hydrangea wafting up from the cobblestone courtyard and fountain below.

Dining on or near the water adds a certain something to the experience that is hard to define. Perhaps it’s the vastness of the ocean that puts things into perspective, or the gentle ebb and flow of the sea as it washes ashore that seems to sooth the soul. Whatever it is, dinner for two with an ocean view is one of the most-requested recommendations we are asked for by our guests.

So this year it was our personal goal to seek out, and of course sample, as many restaurants with a water- or ocean-view as time and waistlines allowed. Many restaurants offer an outside dining option along with enclosed dining, but the unifying feature, whether inside or out, is a water view. Here, in no particular order, are several restaurants that meet the criteria and are well worth considering on your next trip to Cape Cod. Bon Appetit!

• Aqua Grille, Sandwich
• Boat House Restaurant, Falmouth
• Chart Room, Cataumet
• Fishmonger Café, Woods Hole
• Flying Bridge Restaurant, Falmouth
• Hemisphere, Sandwich
• Baxter’s, Hyannis
• The Black Cat, Hyannis
• Clancy’s of Dennisport
• Mattakeese Wharf, Barnstable
• Ocean House, Dennisport
• Sesuit Harbor Café, Dennis
• Spanky’s Clam Shack, Hyannis
• Swan River Restaurant, Dennisport
• Tugboats, Hyannis
• Brax Landing, Harwichport
• Captain Cass, Rock Harbor
• Orleans Inn, Orleans
• Bookstore & Restaurant, Wellfleet
• Mac’s Seafood, Wellfleet
• Mac’s Shack, Wellfleet
• Pearl, Wellfleet