2013 - Ostentatious October

Afternoon light on Mary Chase Salt Marsh

"No Spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face." - John Donne
As the leaves weave a variegated carpet, summer has lost ground to October.  As if to guard against the coming chill, special blessings have been offered in the area, such as the Blessing of the Animals in Eastham's United Methodist Church parking lot, where the pastor blessed 22 dogs and 3 cats.  A suggested donation was a tin of dog or cat food for their food pantry.  Provincetown hosted the annual blessing of motorcycles.  The sight and sound of what must have been at least 1000 bikers traveling north with police escort was something that could not go unnoticed.    

Fort Hill Fall colors

The weather was perfect for this year's annual Wellfleet Oysterfest, which started several years ago on a much smaller scale when some locals decided to make a party out of the local specialty.  Attendance has grown so much that in an effort to control the crowds, one needed an admission ticket to get in this year and shuttle buses ferried people back and forth from beach parking lots.  As in the past, there were a variety of educational opportunities about how oyster reefs improve water quality and the overall health of the ecosystem.  There were also many local bands to listen to while slurping delectable oysters, road races to run off the extra calories, cooking demos for those who were looking to duplicate a shellfish dinner at home and the eagerly awaited shuck-off to see who would claim this year's title for the speediest and most skillful oyster shucker.  What started as an impromptu get-together to share the harvest is now a two-day extravaganza and has put tiny Wellfleet on the map.      

Early closure makes news

Many late season travelers have been disappointed to find one of their favorite Cape traditions unavailable.  Eastham's infamous Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar, which ranks consistently in the top 10 lobster and clam shacks in the country, was forced to close early this season due to damage from a fire.  But, owner, Nick Nickerson assures everyone they will be open for business as usual next Spring.  

Ready for Halloween near Rock Harbor

Sharks are not the only news-grabbers in our waters.  A 500 lb. leatherback sea turtle was recently freed from netting that wrapped around its front flipper in the Nantucket Sound.  Because these endangered creatures are strong enough to pull a person under water and are federally protected, mariners are urged to report distressed turtles and stand by for trained experts to arrive. 

Turtle Rescue picture courtesy of the Cape Codder

Due to extensive repairs and construction that took longer than anticipated, the St. Christopher's Gift Shop in Chatham, where I've been consigning items for the last 4 years, had a very late opening this summer, so it had been many months since I got to enjoy one of my "Thursday drives" for an appointment.  I grabbed my camera and consignment items and as I drove down the mostly empty Rt. 28. (the main road on the ocean side), listening to WOMR's Thursday Blues Cruise show, I realized that I had that "too good to be true" grin on my face again.  I passed Nauset Middle School in Orleans where the Cape Cod Baseball League plays in the summer and occasionally sends a good prospect up through the farm leagues to the Red Sox.   Then, the Orleans police station where their vintage, black police car is still parked outside.   Orleans is not what you would call a high crime town and the police on duty were kind enough to chat with and sound the siren for our guests from Denmark last month. 

Ah-ooga

I noted numerous "NSTAR - Don't Poison Cape Cod" signs stuck in front of mailboxes, then passed scenic Pleasant Bay and the cranberry bogs in Harwich, which are pinking up again.  The blue hydrants along the side of the road with high water markers are ready to measure whatever the next storm brings and Ryder's Cove still resembles a sailboat parking lot as the mild weather hangs on.  

Pleasant Bay perch

A right turn on Crowell Road towards downtown Chatham takes me past their high school, the Chatham Drama Guild and the bakery, where the shrubbery is trimmed to look like waves with a big whale tail sculpture.  

Chatham Bakery and whale tales

Down to the rotary and past the stately white Unitarian Universalist Church, (known as the You-You) and onward on Queen Anne Road by pristine waterfront homes to the next rotary across from First Congregational Church, whose entire front lawn is full of pumpkins for sale.  

Then into St. Christopher's parking lot to hopefully dazzle the ladies with my sale choices this week.  

St. Chris' parking lot with the ever-popular tour bus customers

After my appointment, I head towards Agway for my weekly trip to their bargain tables to see if there is another rescue plant for my flower garden that I can't resist and then over to Ocean State Job Lot to take advantage of their weekly coupon sales.  Now, heading west across Cape towards Brewster, I pass the Stick & Rudder Club at the tiny Chatham airport and the old North & South Cemetery where ancient gravestones nestle in the rocky hills where grave digging must have been a challenge.  

Old North & South Cemetery

Over the Mid-Cape highway and past the Time Flies clock shop to whom I entrust my steeple clock when it needs attention.  Then a left on Tubman Road, a popular scenic shortcut that winds past old rock walls and the Brewster Sportsman Club tucked into the woods.  This brings me to Rt. 6A (the main road on the bay side).  

The Tubman Ghost Dancers

Reaching my destination, the Brewster Transfer Station, I blissfully hunt for treasures at their swap shop and unload a few former treasures for someone else to discover.  I could easily take a left turn to visit the Old Grist Mill and Herring Run, but by now, I'm ready to head towards home with my new loot.  Past Brewster Country Store with the old nickelodeon that takes old dimes that they supply, the incredibly swank Ocean Edge resort and the  Cape Cod Sea Camp, where inner-city children come for summer fun, and numerous antique shops, mostly closed now for the season. 

Yes, there's always someone sitting on the benches.

Our friend, Stephan's Great Cape Herb shop, where he cultivates and mixes medicinal herbs for just about every need is next and, as always, I admire the colorful, ceramic fishes hanging on big barn doors at the Clayworks.  The Cape Rep Theatre reminds me that we haven't seen a play in a long time.  And, when I see the Animal Rescue League, where I take old blankets for the animals waiting to be adopted, I know I'm almost back to Orleans and within a quick hop to Eastham to complete my circle.  There's a slight temptation to go by the Orleans Agway discount table, too, but by then I'm usually ready to go home and relate all my adventures and show off my finds.  It's always a fun day, especially when the seasons are changing and show off with splashes of reds, golds and bronzes.  

Indeed they are.

Last year, I shared some of our favorite B&B reviews.  We've been fortunate to receive many more since that time, but a couple of "stinkers" popped up this year and I thought I'd even out the picture, just to be fair.  I think the most insulting question we've ever been asked was, "Could you have possibly forgotten to change the sheets because they have a funny smell and I have a sensitive nose."  Forgotten?!    But, I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, so I proceeded to replace not only the sheets, but the mattress pad, pillow protector covers, blanket and bedspread.  Just for good measure, I fluffed the pillows in the dryer for awhile.  I also buried my face in the suspicious sheets, as well as getting Ron and two other friends to test-sniff them, and no one smelled a thing.  That done, I couldn't help noticing that our guests had brought scented candles and a whole bottle of lavender drawer liner spray for a 2-day getaway.  That's some serious aromatherapy and I came to the conclusion that the funny smell they may have detected was the lack of a smell since I use dye and perfume-free detergent.

The fresh smell of still waters at Hemenway Landing

The second only-slightly negative review was a little more puzzling, since the complaint was that the sheets and blanket came up too high.  I'm betting that her man was not tall, nor had big feet like my husband's.  If I don't give myself a couple of extra inches of covers, my shoulders stick out and get cold.  We do ask for information about dietary restrictions, but I've never thought to ask for height and shoe size.  I guess you really can't please everyone, but our average remains pretty good.

Bob enjoying the warmth from some solar energy

October 13th was the one year anniversary of connecting our solar panels to the grid and as of this month, we've produced over 10,000 kilowatt hours, saved a lot of money and even impressed a few B&B guests with how green we've become.  We couldn't be bigger advocates of sun power.  And, as investments go, it's been a lot more rewarding than the stock market.  With the end of Daylight Savings Time looming on the calendar, a little help from the sun during the day makes it a lot easier to justify brightening up those long winter nights.  Our first frost is expected this week.  

All packed up for the season at the Orleans Yacht Club

Our October guests came from as far as Hamburg, Germany, the United Kingdom, Jacksonville, FL, Ithaca, NY, Bellingham, WA, Newton, MA, Storrs, CT, Boulder, CO, Seattle, WA and Belcamp, MD.  We even took our first reservation for next August this month, which is a record for early bookers.