Greetings and welcome!
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| Ron & Andrea |
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| Newfie |
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| Bob |
The creation of the Cape Cod Chronicles & Snippets came about as a means of keeping in touch with a lifetime of friends and family when I moved 500 miles away. It seemed like a sudden decision to some, but was actually a very real dream that I had nurtured for 38 years since falling in love with New England and having to return to Virginia for practical reasons. It was a convenient way to let people know how it was going, a means to indulge a passion for writing and a chance to encourage people to keep their dreams alive. Surprisingly to me, many readers found them interesting enough to get hooked on the story, so as long as I have one that feels worthy of telling, I see a blog as a means to afford the choice of continuing to tune in or to move on to a newer and shinier tale.
I welcome comments and questions.
And now, the continuation of the Quarterly Cape Cod Snippets:
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| Nauset Light Beach |
CAPE SUMMER SNIPPETS - June through August, 2011
JUNE:
Dear Readers: I’ve received a few comments over the last year that my writing always seems so "UPBEAT!". One of my friends even asked me if people on Cape Cod ever fart because I always make it sound so idyllic. First of all, this is not a forum for aches and pains and is very light on politics or religion. But, I thought I’d begin the summer’s Snippets with some real Cape Cod dirt, "The Pet Peeves":
June’s Pet Peeves:
With Memorial Day weekend, every crazy out-of-state driver shows up to fill all the grocery store parking places, drive 15 mph under the speed limit on the Mid-Cape highway, bring roadside litter to a new level, and turn the rotaries into a terrifying car ballet. The local tick count explodes and the temperatures soar, which means installation of noisy and inefficient window air conditioners for people like us who moved up here to get away from heat and humidity. And, although Massachusetts has received kudos for its State supported health insurance, finding specialists on the Cape who will take patients who are insured by it is a challenge, thus our 2nd trip into Boston this month and more to come. If you think out-of-towners on the rotary are bad, don’t try Boston traffic. How am I doing on the dark side?
The truth is, even the worst day in Eastham is still better for us than anywhere else. And yes, people definitely fart on Cape Cod. Now that I have that unpleasantness aside, I’d like to take a survey of something that has been on my mind since we opened the B&B. When you put fresh sheets on the bed, do you put the top sheet pattern-side down, or up? Please help settle a domestic dispute. Don’t be lazy, if someone else makes the bed or you never noticed, ask them, or go look for yourself. I’ll wait…
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| Whalebone jaw entrance |
Sometimes a little vacation is literally just around the corner. After meaning to take the Captain Penniman House Tour since we moved here, and walking by it dozens of times, Ron finally called for a reservation and Park Ranger George took us on a fascinating trip through life in our neighborhood in the 1800’s. Mrs. Penniman was the talk of the town, daring to wear pants instead of long dresses and going on many whaling trips with her husband. I do like her style.
The Great Raccoon Rescue: well true, we wouldn’t have had to rescue him if he hadn’t gotten caught in our Hav-A-Heart squirrel trap, but the poor little guy had his arm twisted through one of the holes and it got swollen. Such sad eyes pleading for help. When manipulating it didn’t help, and an ice cube induced painful growls, I got an eyedropper and some canola oil and greased the way for him to free himself. I dare say he didn’t think much of our hospitality. And, with the arrival of summer a fresh crop of chipmunks and squirrels have wiped away any smugness I may have once felt about my trapping prowess.
Last Spring, I noticed many handmade signs posted along the roads congratulating individual high school graduates. This Spring, I see that it’s a Cape Cod town tradition and the variety of these artistic expressions run the gamut from tiny hand-painted sentiments on scrap wood nailed to a tree, to professionally printed hanging banners. Personal expression is alive and well in small towns, including the ragtag group of war protestors who still gather peacefully in front of the town green every weekend with their signs. If you have an opinion, it’s a speak-your-mind, town meeting kind of place.
The most exciting June news here is that after a 20-year hiatus, Ron is returning to acting at the W.H.A.T. (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), where he starred in a number of productions when he lived on the Cape, B.A. (before Andrea). W.H.A.T. now has 2 theatres, but the edgier, “mature humor” is reserved for the original Harbor Stage. The director, knowing that Ron had returned contacted him with a part “just right for him” in a play called ‘The Betrothed’ about arranged marriage. His role is a smarty-pants old man with a potty-mouth. I can’t imagine why they thought of Ron…The production will run the month of August.
JULY:
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| First Encounter Beach in Eastham |
July‘s Pet Peeve:
People who look at the brochures we provide of the Cape area and throw them in the trash instead of replacing them on the shelf for the next guest.
We missed the 4th of July fireworks this year waiting for a late B&B guest, but were treated to an email video of the Flash Mob Spirit Band that took over our Orleans Stop & Shop playing a rousing Sousa March for the stunned shoppers. I so wish I’d been there. Their next stop is South Africa.
If you ever feel the need to be pampered, consider how many wonderful appliances you have that make life so much easier, and then do without one for a couple of months. Our dishwasher suddenly stopped working and weeks later, after much pondering, tinkering and a few pairs of rubber gloves and bottles of dish detergent, it took a professional to determine that the switch under the sink that doesn’t do anything, actually does. It must have gotten turned off on one of my forays down-under to find something. Suddenly, I’m feeling very pampered.
If there were a “Cape Flower” it would surely be the Hydrangea, the bushes that make blue snowball-like blooms. Only now there are hybrids in every color and shape, and they line fences, rock walls and weathered cedar-shingled homes along winding roads in every town. I’m pretty sure they’re not mandatory, but one planting does tend to lead to another, and another.
For about 35 years I’ve enjoyed capturing moments through photography and for the very first time (not counting my son, Doug’s first website called Sherlock’s Photos), I will have my own exhibit next month at a popular hot spot in Orleans called The Hot Chocolate Sparrow. This came about matter-of-factly when Ron took me for a hot chocolate the snowy winter we moved in. It’s a wonderful place to meet for coffee or sandwiches, to use their Wi-Fi, buy a funny card, view the art gallery or check out the bulletin boards. The source of the name is Marjorie Sparrow, who owns the place and her incredible gourmet chocolate candy counter. As I gazed at the local artwork hanging on the wall while I sipped my chocolate, I idly wondered how one gets to exhibit, and having no filter on my ceaseless questions, I asked Marj before we left. She took my email & 1 ½ years later, I got a request to do a showing. My printer took that opportunity to break, and the replacement we bought was worse, but 3 printers later, I’m in full production printing some of my newer Cape photos.
Our blueberry bush presented us with a July gift of luscious berries and I’m learning the delicate art of picking the ripe ones without knocking the little green ones off the stems. We were too busy getting used to the B&B routine last summer to take advantage of them, blaming critters and guests for not having any. I seized the opportunity this year to fill up a big bowl, and was glad I did when I saw our current B&B guest raiding it today on her way back from her conference. I’ve since planted 2 more ½- price bushes in my new flower garden, where all I’ll have to compete with are 4-legged and winged creatures. Speaking of which, we got a phone call from our friend Ray, who urged us to look out our back window. We did just in time to see a big buck jump the back yard fence & head past Ray’s truck to the woods in Fort Hill. I wonder if deer like blueberries.
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| First Encounter Beach sunset |
As the country south and west of us swelter in record temps, we are able to turn our air conditioners off from time to time this summer and open the windows for fresh, dry air and to smell the ocean. Last summer was the hottest on record, but this is the weather we signed up for when we moved from Virginia, and it's a blessing we don't take for granted.
An observation: you can identify an out-of-towner on vacation (if you don’t see the license plate first) by noticing the behavior exhibited as they are trying to pull onto the main road. Visitors are hunched over the steering wheel, knuckles gleaming white and head snapping back and forth as if they were watching a ferociously close tennis match. The locals have their heads resting on the neck rests, radio on, elbow propped on the window with a dreamy look in their eyes, waiting for the inevitable break in traffic that they know will eventually come.
It seems that some of my greatest successes in the garden this year are from benign neglect and what grew on their own from the soil I used from my compost pile. I always wanted to grow pumpkins and now I have them with some bonus tomato plants in the middle of my flower garden. I'm hoping to start a real pumpkin patch in the front yard by burying these spent pumpkins and ignoring them. Why not?
AUGUST:
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| View from Fort Hill |
August Pet Peeve: B&B guests who pack every extra edible item from the ample choices we provide instead of just enjoying what they want while they're here.
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| Photo exhibit at The Chocolate Sparrow |
Opening night for Ron’s play, The Betrothed, went well and everyone seemed relieved to get beyond rehearsals and tuck the first performance under their belts. I’m looking forward to seeing it again later in the month and noting the differences from opening night. The play’s description reads as follows:
As Simon's flight descends over the Old Country his mind swirls between his home in Pittsburgh and the beautiful woman he imagines waiting for him among the cow patties. Betrothed from birth, he has waited thirty long years to meet his beloved. Upon arrival, his fantasies of finding the perfect wife spar against old crones, morally ambiguous clergymen, deceitful babies, and barnyard animals. Here, Simon must navigate a world where murder, ghostly possession, and rampant cuckoldry are everyday realities and 'meeting your match' takes on an entirely different meaning. The Betrothed is a comedy that exists between desire and death, dream and reality, life and the afterlife. It is a play with music.
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| Ron playing Solomon on the left |
Our apple, peach & pear trees are heavy with fruit, but much of it is out of reach, even with our ladder. Until a taller one comes along, most goes to the critters, although the refrigerator is full and I barely have time to process what I pick now. Speaking of critters, with 2 hummingbird feeders (front & back), Ron has added making fresh hummer food to his weekly chores. They are totally comfortable with us and chase each other around like Jedi warriors.
The Hav-A-Hart Trapped Critter Count is now up to 91 squirrels, 47 chipmunks, 4 possums, 2 raccoons, 3 skunks, 1 bunny & too many birds & mice to count.
My License Plate Game this summer yielded all but 7 states and for the 1st time ever, Nova Scotia & Nuevo Leon, Mexico. But it occurred to me that a lot of these plates are rental cars and not actually where the people driving them come from, so I’ll have to find another way to amuse myself on the road next summer.
I spoke too soon about the dishwasher. Another professional visit declared it the victim of a power surge, and once again, the yellow, rubber gloves are making a fashion statement comeback while we replace it.
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| Hurricane Irene approaching Fort Hill |
Guests this summer came from as far away as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada & Korea. September is about half-booked, a change from last year’s abrupt ending to our first season at Labor Day, and we are even taking a few October reservations, too. The biggest difference between our first and second summer here is feeling more connected to the community and going from the new business in town to a sought out commodity world-wide. We’re still learning, working smarter, and loving the journey.
Happy 50th Anniversary to Cape Cod Nat’l Seashore,
the 10th most visited National Park in the U.S.!
To be continued in September...
To be continued in September...
