 |
| Bird Formation over Salt Pond |
For years, the Animal Channel has broadcast their version of the Superbowl, featuring puppy sports with a kitty half-time. You'll understand later why that came to mind. Now, for people who have no interest in the real game, I'll just say that it was a knucklebiter, but the field logistics were nothing compared to the pre-game planning that went on here. It went something like this: Ron usually watches football at Chan's or Larry's, but Chan decided to watch with The Shooks, but the Shooks accepted an invitation to watch with someone else, so Chan re-invited Larry, Ron, Patty-O, John, Fred, Bill and Andrea, but he wasn't really sure who would actually show up. Our friend, Ray wanted to watch with us; then our friend Nancy also wanted to watch with us, but would there be enough room to invite them to Chan's? We decided to stay home to accommodate Ray & Nancy and extended the invitation to Chandler & Larry for good measure, just in case. Then, Nancy decided to watch with Al & Cindy and Ray decided to watch at home, in case he fell asleep. SO, Ron & Andrea ended up at Chan's where they watched with Chan, Larry, Roland, Dugan, Bill, Ann, Marybeth, 8 dogs (Bodie, Madge, Lucky, Freckles, Buttons, Maggie, Weezle, Dexter) and a cat named Helen Girley Brown. Oh, and the Patriots came really close to winning, but it was almost incidental to our private Puppy Bowl.
 |
| Fort Hill in the Winter |
Though we're open year-round, we expect February to be rather quiet, so when we heard a loud knock on our kitchen door one Thursday night at 10 p.m., we were surprised, but welcomed a weary traveler. Little did we know how much more surprised we'd be by the next morning when our unexpected guest once again banged on the door and dumped all of the prepackaged food in her room on our kitchen counter so "it wouldn't kill her". We quickly discovered that we'd be dealing with a very "special" person, whom we hoped would soon be on her way, but it wasn't to be until she'd made a trip to Town Hall to report the presence of a cobweb in her room to our local health department. This prompted the legal formality of a very apologetic surprise inspection, where we found out that she'd done the same thing the day before to another B&B. A few hours later, with the help of our local police, we watched spellbound as her car became a tiny speck on the highway. We'd never locked our doors until then, but we did that one night.
The next guests were more what we had in mind when we started this enterprise. They were a young Chinese couple who were in the U.S. for two years teaching Chinese to high school students in CT. I learned to say 'hello' and 'thank you' in Chinese and took advantage of the translators to finally see what the symbols on my very colorful, red and black earrings said. "Oh", they squinted, "they say 'very colorful'." So, now I know.
The following weekend brought the return of the kayakers from upstate NY, this time without the kayak, and also a couple from Western MA looking for some together time. They were followed the next weekend by two writers from NYC looking for a peaceful break, another couple here to check on their summer cottage in Wellfleet, and a single woman looking for a beach retreat.
 |
| First Encounter Beach in Winter |
So Much to Do in the Winter, So Little Time
Laughter has often been credited with being good medicine, but it also made a great Valentine gift this year. Our W.H.A.T. theatre's venue is small enough for audience/performer interaction, which made for a very interesting and amusing evening with the three stand-up comedians they'd brought in. Just a couple of weeks later, we splurged on tickets to the musical "Big River" and were once again amazed at the professional talent in this little place. It's just not possible to be bored on Cape Cod.
 |
| Chatham Light Beach |
After a recent hitch in my giddy-up had me on crutches for a couple of weeks, I've been forced to eschew my tomboy ways for now, and come up with a kinder and gentler means of exercise. I can procrastinate with the best when it comes to putting aside projects to take a walk, but if I just take my camera with me, I can usually amuse myself walking for miles while capturing moments to bring home. Thursdays usually find me in the town of Chatham for consignment appointments and the following is a winter's walk down Main Street, music provided by Dave Brubeck.
Please click on the link and enjoy: A Taste of Chatham
Happy Leap Year to all.
