2012 - June Musings

Nothing says Springtime like a baby chic

The coves are suddenly packed with boats, people are walking around with neon red skin and the graduation congratulation banners are hanging from trees and fences.  That means it's June on the Cape.  And, it's been a bear of a month.  No, I mean literally.  The first bear in recorded history swam across the Cape Cod Canal early this month and within a week worked his way from the town of Sandwich near the canal to Provincetown at the northern tip of the Cape looking for a mate, or possibly fried clams.  He was monitored closely by Park Rangers, dart guns at the ready, and locals who were as concerned for his safety as any mischief he might get into.  For the most part he was very well behaved, with the exception of helping himself to bird feeders and beehives along the way, but after two weeks with no reasonable prospects for finding a mate, even in Provincetown, he was finally escorted back to an undisclosed location in Central MA where it's hoped he will finally get lucky in love.

Wind surfers on Cape Cod Bay

There have been some changes in our driveway this Spring.  The catboat and big truck are gone and an old Porsche Boxster has moved in.  For the first time ever, it's a novelty to be  "inside the Box".  It's nice to know that I haven't lost the ability to drive a stick shift, but I've gotten pretty lazy not having to.  Regardless, it's now the season to downshift lazy driving habits to hyper-vigilance and extra patience as out-of-town tourists outnumber locals on the roads.  It takes a little self-talk at first to remember that we're lucky to be crawling with tourists in a still-lagging economy and that the off-season has just spoiled us, and will do so again right on cue.

The Box - if you look closely 

Sometimes, no matter how many times you've made the same recipe, unknown factors influence the outcome.  There must be a metaphor for what happened on the same day with these two loaves.

To bread, or not to bread?

So far this Spring, we've hosted guests from Oklahoma, California, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, Washington (D.C. & State), Massachusetts, France, Holland, Germany, Israel, Italy and Canada.  On the subject of opening one's life to strangers from all over the world, I'd like to pull out the soapbox for just a moment.  It's very likely that you've received one or another email forward from a friend that's been going around about unlikely animals living in harmony together, i.e. dog and chimp; elephant and dog, dog and cat, cat and mouse, cat and owl, deer and dog, man and tiger, even lion, tiger and bear, etc.  Please allow me to state the obvious that if we're able to overcome the urge to stereotype, it's entirely reasonable to think that a peaceful world, while not probable, is at least possible.  Please consider and hold that thought for just a moment.  

Sunset at First Encounter Beach

Thank you and happy Summer.