2011 - October Snippets

OCTOBER SNIPPETS

It's been a banner October on the Cape for tourism with enough warm and chilly weather to please everyone at some point during the month.  The Vacancy signs went up briefly after Labor Day for the first time all summer, then disappeared again for the rest of the month.  The windows are open again, allowing the sounds of birds and wind chimes in and the fresh smell of ocean air.  It hasn't been a particularly colorful Fall, probably due to the salting we took during Hurricane Irene, but when the impossibly blue New England sky peeks through the bare branches, all is forgiven.

The birds definitely know what month it is, despite the return of some unseasonably warm days.  The hummingbirds, who faithfully frequented Ron's feeders all summer have moved to their southern estates without even a quick note in the guest books.  That leaves the blue jays, grackles and sparrows to duke it out at the feeders, when the squirrels and chipmunks leave them anything.  The Hav-A-Hart Trap Count has reached 114 squirrels and 53 Chippies.  Unfortunately, the neighborhood possums have decided to get into the act, too.  After trapping the same one 4 times (he limps from an injured rear left leg), we decided to escort him to a new neighborhood by a big pond.  Not to be outdone, the deer are making stealthy forays into the garden and knocking over all the critter traps.  Apparently, there is no one in the animal world who can resist peanut butter.  It's a real jungle out there!

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

The last scheduled Outdoor Sale of the season was held at the Orleans Community Exchange.  These were both a blessing and a curse for me, and at the very least, another learning curve about the world of treasure hunting and consignment.  When taking advantage of the every other weekend opportunity, they can easily double or triple monthly sales.  But, the treasure hunting is the fun part.  When one considers the hours it takes to tag, load, unload, display, repack and unload again at home, it deserves some consideration about how one defines treasure.  I'm still figuring out work-smarter techniques for next summer as we reclaim the garage space from treasures that are being returned, to be rediscovered by someone else.

Bob modeling a "treasure"

As no surprise to me, I came across another blogger's take on her visit to Cape Cod in our Chamber of Commerce monthly e-news.  I know what sites I enjoy seeing, but it's always fun to see the same places through other eyes.  Here's her link, if you're interested:

Stay on Route 6

October Color

It's hard to believe, but there were actually little white flakes mixed with raindrops on the last weekend forecast of the month.  I took it with a grain of salt when our fisherman friend predicted a hard winter, but maybe he's on to something.  We only had one more reservation on the books for the season for this messy weekend and it wouldn't have surprised me if they had reconsidered, but like seasoned New Hampshire ladies, they were not to be kept from their long-awaited weekend getaway by a little old Nor'easter. As it turned out, they traded 11" of snow and no power in NH for an exciting day and night of 70 mph wind-driven rain on the Cape, and felt pretty smug about it.  Since we had nobody else on the books, we urged them to stay another night (on us) and enjoy a day of sunshine before they returned.  It didn't take them long to see the wisdom in that plan and we made 2 new friends.

Salt Pond Family

With 2 summer seasons under our belts, there is one observation about B&B guests that I can say for certain.  They are all unique.  Some are rarely here as they try to see how much ground they can cover with their explorations.  Others use their room as their whole vacation, reading in the tree swing and strolling on the nearby walking trails.  Some take full advantage of the kitchenettes and gas grills, while others hit a different restaurant every day.  The chirping of a cricket and the gentle, nearby whoosh of traffic may be soothing to some, but others crave total silence.  We have Boston Metro people for weekend getaways and world travelers who include us on months-long holidays.  This month we had guests from as far away as Russia and Germany.  I thought I was really ready for a break, but it didn't take long to miss the steady stream of interesting people who show up.  So, now it's time to shift gears to winter projects that have had to wait and look forward to the surprise travelers who march to a different drum beat and find their way to us when we least expect it.  

Stuffed Lobster Treat a la Ray

2011 - September Snippets

September Snippets

The morning after Labor Day, I watched a fleet of yellow school buses zip by, but by the next weekend tourism was alive and well again.  The weather did the usual fake-out, turning chilly enough to drag out the winter comforters for the B&B beds and then turning into sultry summer again, necessitating a change back to the light spreads.  The bookings were so plentiful, we began to wonder if we were going to get a season to rest, but don't misinterpret that as a complaint.  With the economy leaving so many people in dire straights, we are happy to be the busy ants in demand with a means for saving for the hard winters to come.  Since moving here, I've learned how difficult government restrictions have made it for our local fishermen to earn their livings, which is one of our major sources of income.  We don't take any good fortune for granted.  

Our little town of Eastham is known for three things:  nationally recognized beaches, speeding tickets and the oldest windmill on the Cape.  This year we decided to answer the call for volunteers for the annual Windmill Weekend Festival and spent a gorgeous day on the town green ladling chowder and selling raffle tickets.  Our own tickets didn't win anything, but we had a birds-eye view of all the activities and somehow ended up on next year's Publicity Committee.  If you're not careful in a small town, you're likely to end up in charge of something.

A visit from our son, Doug, was the cherry on our September Sundae.  He flew up to see the play Ron was in and liked the wordplay so much we went twice.  While he was here, he did the usual solving of technical issues and questions that we couldn't figure out, and even seemed to like it.  For a surprise, we had a toilet and sink installed in the basement "Man Cave Quarters" where he stays if the B&B's are full.  For those of you who have also stayed "down-under", you'll be happy to know there will be no more long trips up the stairs in the middle of the night.

My surprise compost-pumpkin garden yielded 10 little cuties, which are displayed proudly.  After worrying that there wasn't enough sun in the garden, I also got a late bumper crop of tomatoes, which will be making appearances later in our favorite marinara recipe.   No thanks to the critters, who find us irresistible, no matter how many we trap and relocate.  The squirrel count is now over 100, and the chipmunks now number 50.  The "Rescue Garden" has been expanding nicely, although I've spent as much time rearranging it as I have planting new adoptees, as I keep changing the dynamics by what I find on the discount tables. 

As our Red Sox were adding player after player to the injury list and tanking for the season, Patriot football filled in with a fresh new start.  Ron was coerced into joining a friend's Fantasy Football League this year, which makes knowing whom to cheer for a real challenge sometimes.  But, if there is any confusion about loyalties, it is quickly distracted by an increasingly decadent array of snack food that sends everyone home sated and happy, no matter who wins. 

Although we operate our B&B with accepted standards of professionalism, we couldn't do it without heart, too.  We trust that good karma always serves both parties well.  As an example, I took a rare cancellation last night from a woman who was coming from St. Louis to visit her mother in a nursing home near Boston.  She was so looking forward to spending a relaxing weekend at the Cape, but due to her mother's declining health, she was forced to change her plans.  Hearing her disappointment, I told her we would give her a full refund and hope she might be able to rebook another time.  No sooner than I clicked the Refund button on Paypal did I get an email request for a 4 night booking, including the nights that had been cancelled.  And, with that tidbit, September comes to an end.