A Cape December 2014

WHITE FRIDAY-1st snow of the season-November 28th

While 'Black Friday' raged in department stores, Eastham experienced a delightful white-Friday and our first snow of the year.  The gentle, all-day snow left us frosted, gorgeous and with none of the discomforts of the big storm that traveled up I-95 wreaking havoc with Thanksgiving holiday travelers. 

No extra holiday decorations needed here.

Turtles, turtles, everywhere!?

[from a report by Rich Eldred for The Cape Codder]

Volunteers have been plucking semi-frozen turtles off the Cape’s bayside beaches for decades.  Until now, the record high was 413 in 2012  and the year before that was in the 200’s. This year, over 1200 have been rescued and the number is growing daily.  Most are ridleys, the smallest marine turtles in the world, measuring up to 2 ft in length at most, but there have also been a dozen green turtles and a giant 300 pound loggerhead that sadly didn't survive.    The ridleys disappear after hatching in Mexico and then resurface at age 3-4 feeding off the New England coast.  Unfamiliar with the territory, they feed in the warmer waters of Cape Cod Bay and when winter comes they are shocked by the cold and unable to swim around the tip of Cape Cod.  There they bob like corks until pushed ashore by the winds.  Volunteers in each town who have been doing this for years collect the wash-a-shores and deliver them to the Audubon Society’s location in Wellfleet.  A volunteer veterinarian says it’s a difficult process to sort the dead from the live as the heartbeat can be as slow as one beat per minute.  They are then warmed up no more than 5 degrees per day in childrens’ swimming pools.  The twenty minute swims help them to get regulated and get their heat back up, and the ones that graduate will go to the New England Aquarium in Quincy, either by the coast guard or a volunteer’s car.  42,000 were counted In 1947 in Mexican nesting sites and that number dropped to the 200’s by the 1980’s, but now protected under the Endangered Species Act the number of nesting sites has risen to the 10’s of thousands.  Volunteers continue to roam Wellfleet beaches when the winds blow inland, but casual strollers who encounter distressed turtles are asked to please cover the turtles in seaweed, mark the spot and call the turtle hot line.  

This little bird took shelter from the freezing rain at one of our many window bird feeders. 

Speaking of critters, it's time for the end of the year critter relocation report.  I'd like to think the numbers tell the story.  Last year, 72 squirrels and 19 chipmunks were cordially invited to take a ride to the next town to set up residence.  This year, only 44 squirrels and 7 chipmunks took the relocation challenge.  If you consider the exponential impact of the family planning component, it seems to be making a difference.  There's also a lot less snarling and banging on windows, which make the birds and cats happier.

Who, me?

And, when you live in a small town, small stories frequently become big news.  I recently reported on the new rotary being installed in Orleans to ease traffic congestion where the main road splits.  All Fall, we've watched with fascination as lanes shifted this way and that, giant holes were dug and recovered, streets were ripped up and repaved, but still no rotary and things got quiet again.  But, we watched the suspense continue to play out in letters to the editor of The Cape Codder.  One cantankerous senior wanted to know what the deal was - there were still orange barrels up, ripped up sidewalks, and it was just as confusing and dangerous as ever.  Seemed like a lot of wasted money for nothing to him.  The following week, his concern was addressed by a resident with perhaps a farther-seeing vision of the project, stating that they obviously weren't done, and chided his impatience.  Sure enough, the following week, the paper put a reporter on it. One would think the following article would solve the mystery of the rotary-interruptus.  

Except, as if for spite, workers returned the following week to begin what looks like a paved circle.  We're no doubt going to hear about this again.  
      

One of the things our guests enjoy about our B&B that sets us apart from others is that their suite is totally private with their own entrance, bath and kitchen. We like that, too.  We know other B&B owners who literally hide from their guests in their den at night to get a little private time for themselves.  We’re not anti-social and we’re fine with being available anytime for questions, but when the sun goes down, we bring on the comfy-clothes, put our feet up on the coffee table, grab a cat and turn on a movie.  So, it occurred to me that with few exceptions, most guests know very little about what the inside of our home looks like.  This month, you’re invited to take some peeks into our natural habitat.  But, it constantly changes by whim and by whatever new treasures may come home from the swap shops and remains a work in progress.  

   

I love the reflected light that mirrors add to a room, and that 
depending upon the angle it's viewed, the scene is always changing.

I'm not a big collector of any one thing, 

but whimsical items do seem to accumulate from time to time. 

Even the bathroom is not spared the whimsical touch.

Window views are also important expressions of art, 

which usually include at least one kind of bird feeder and a simple garden treatment.

This is where the latte magic happens every morning, but not limited to the a.m.  Friends who know the barista have been known to drop by at any given time.

And of course, photos everywhere.

The lights were hung in the courtyard with care...

This December marks our sixth winter here and the reminiscing of the story becomes more remarkable to us as each year passes.  It has every component of an epic Hollywood movie - three houses to renovate and sell on a deadline in the worst real estate market since the Great Depression.  The ceremonial burying of St. Joseph upside-down in three front yards.  The impossible task of stuffing the contents of a house into a caravan of three in the middle of a Nor'easter, which delayed departure by a whole day and postponed our closing.  Crawling up I-95 through the storm's aftermath, sleep-deprived, running on Starbuck's Double Shots, buried under two shaking cats, arriving in Hyannis in the pre-dawn hours for a couple hours sleep before crawling into the Barnstable courthouse for a bleary-eyed early morning closing.  Eternal thank you's to Alan, our real estate agent, who called Ron all night on the hour to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep at the wheel.  Then the race to unpack and return the truck before the predicted blizzard hit.  We did, and it did.  Cut to the first of many furniture arrangements, a sea of flattened boxes and ten [counting cats] exhilarated and triumphant faces.  And, fade to credits...  

The incomparable moving team!

Looks like December 

Usually, the first displays and the relentless music of Christmas that bombard stores and the radio shortly after Halloween give me a bad case of the Bah Humbugs.  But this year, I've finally decided that celebrating THE SEASON as a pagan is not only a lot less stressful, it can be FUN!  The first thing on my list of traditions is lights, LOTS of lights.  They usually stay up on a timer all year on the old wood beams in the kitchen, but gradually one string or another gives up and it gets darker and darker.  Up from the basement came the box of extra strings and my work began.  With old traditions now come old hips and knees, and where I used to climb nimbly from one piece of furniture to another, now it takes two stools, one with two small steps placed next to the tall bar stool.  At least twice, after inching halfway around the room, half of the lights went out and had to be taken down and a new string tested and started.  Next came the box of glass icicles and crocheted snowflakes to turn the kitchen into my own winter wonderland while I wait for the real thing outside.  It only took me three days and I didn't break any bones!  

The back porch came next with lots of white lights to cheer up the dark winter.  Now add family and friends, something yummy to eat, a nice fire in the fireplace, some fun gifts scavenged from the swap shops all year, and we've got a Winter Solstice Celebration going on!    

The Pagan Scallop Shell Solstice Tree

The warnings of a wicked-brutal winter have so far not come to pass. Our bird bath heaters are plugged in, the firewood is stacked, Ron's winter beard has come in nicely, the leaf catcher has been disconnected and the snow plow attached to the John Deere, but our winter seems to have been detained in places like Buffalo and Chicago.  In fact, our local Christmas Eve forecast actually began with the word, "Yuck."  We're ready.  Meanwhile, best wishes to all for the holiday of your choice this month, whether it's colored red and green, blue and gold, or just plain frosty-white.  Here's an irresistible arrangement of seasonal music to play me out:    

Click if you'd like to view The Drifters Animated White Christmas 

Oh, go ahead, you'll be glad you did.  

Or, if you'd like a taste of this year's annual Christmas Cavalcade to benefit the Homeless Shelter, here are local Cape musicians from at least five different bands coming together to sing us into the holidays:

Click to watch Steve Shook and the Elftones

A Cape November 2014

There's no place like home!

A friend of ours, recently visiting family in Italy, recently posted this picture that he took in Rome on Facebook.  We immediately saw the reason why.  Good catch, Dan!     

Probably the biggest difference here about November is sometimes finding no oncoming traffic from either direction when approaching the highway.  It's a treat that never fails to bring a smile.  There will be something new on the road when summer traffic returns.  Ron has decided to go pro-active about summer litterbugs and has installed a respectful reminder on the front bank.  I think it merely gives people who are going to litter anyway a target for their trash.  Perhaps we'll both be right, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

   
Another differentiation from October is the golden tinge that seems to emanate from the trees right into the air, as if the leaves and sun create another source of light.  But, that doesn't last for long when the winds return.  A November 1st Nor'easter brought early snow to the west of us, rain on the Cape and a high wind challenge for trees and people.  I learned that to watch a Nor'easter from home may inspire great awe, but to try it from the beach moves one to intense respect.  As 40-60 mph gusts pushed me around like a bag of feathers, drops of rain pierced my cheeks and my soaked hands quickly became quick-frozen and useless.  As I staggered back to the car, I immediately realized upon sitting down that I was soaked all the way through and for the first time in many months, turning on the car heater suddenly became a great idea, if I could only get my fingers to work.  The short ride home was spent congratulating myself on my excellent survivor skills, but thoughts of sailors toughing out these storms on the water put that quickly in perspective.  Once inside, I extricated myself from clothing heavy with storm and enjoyed an exquisite hot epsom salt bath as I continued to listen to the howling wind and rain pelting the skylight instead of my cheeks.  A little adventure goes a long way.

Nauset Light Beach under attack

And, speaking of Nor'easters...the town of Chatham was abuzz early this month with approximately 300 people who didn't let a Nor'easter keep them from a casting call to be one of the 100 extras in a Disney movie to be filmed here in December.  "The Finest Hours" is based on a book written by a Cape Cod graduate whose works are mostly based in New England.  It tells the true story of the Pendleton, a tanker split in two more than ten miles offshore by a savage winter storm in 1952.  A Chatham LIfe Boat Station crew (now the Coast Guard) was dispatched in a 36-foot wooden boat in severe wind and snow saving 32 of the 33 men stranded on the stern of the Pendleton, however seven other crewmen and a captain lost their lives in the storm.  The book was published in 2009, but because of the weak economy, the writer had difficulty getting Hollywood interested in such a high budget project instead of the popular super-hero films that were a guaranteed draw.  The writer argued that these were real superheroes who wore foul weather gear handed down from the Navy after WWII instead of super hero capes, and battled the most unpredictable killer of all, Mother Nature.  It took a year of disappointing meetings with many studios before Disney finally made an offer to produce the $85 million project, Massachusetts' biggest movie production to date.  Co-writer, Casey Sherman, says this is his valentine to his former home, Cape Cod.  The original wooden lifeboat, the CG36500, has been restored by the Orleans Historical Society. 

 The Pendleton 

For a more detailed story of the event, you can read about the Boston Globe's recent visit to a ceremony marking the 60th year since the heroic rescue.  The last living crew member, Andy Fitzgerald, humbly commented, "Sixty years later, they're having this memorial anniversary for three hours of work.  We did our job, that's what we were supposed to do, and we did it."   

Boston Globe - Remembering the Pendleton Rescue

A friend in Virginia once told me that I had a New England style of decorating.  Since she'd grown up in Connecticut, I figured she know what she was talking about, but I needed an explanation.  She said that meant that I liked to mix styles and focus on comfort rather than having a more formal matched and balanced feel.  Call it what you wish, but comfort and whimsy definitely take priority in my surroundings.  There are too many great choices to get stuck in a rut.  In the Cottage, there are plenty of matching dishes for those who find that important, but those who enjoy a little variety can pick their favorite mug from the variety of seashore themed ones who have lost their mate and have been adopted from the Swap Shops.  It's always fun to see which one will be picked and imagine what that says about their personality.  

Which one would you pick?

  I have had firewood laid in the fireplace since early Spring, but when it became too warm to appreciate an evening fire, it sat there all summer.  Until now!  With a good chill from the North overtaking the area, and coincidentally on the eve of our Canadian guests' arrival in the Cottage, we turned a quiet Saturday night into a blazing, cozy light show.  With the stack of wood now illuminated, it seemed to be spelling out the word 'fire' in Chinese.  Our Maine Coon cat, Tom, was fascinated with the sparks as they danced their way around the draft up the chimney.  We bought the half cord of wood last winter as part of a Lower Cape Outreach Council fundraiser and just as it pleases us to help Cape neighbors in need, it will be providing us with cozy evenings for a long time to come. 

Chinese symbol for fire

With 365 ponds and lakes on the Cape, a person could make quite a hobby visiting them all.  I took advantage of a gorgeous Fall day to explore an area in the next town of Orleans which boasts two of them in the neighborhood.

It's easy to see how this one got its name.

Now, add some Fall color -

Scrumptious!

 The cranberry bogs are pinking up nicely again, but more newsworthy than that is the annual Eastham Turnip festival.  The Eastham variety tends to be bigger and sweeter than those grown elsewhere.  For some reason, this year's festival didn't have a theme, but folks were encouraged to enter their best turnip recipes and join the celebration of our unique veggie.  The Cape Cod Times posted this video of the Turnip Shucking Contest:

Click to see Eastham Shuck-off Video

The "I-can’t-believe-it’s-so-sweet, irresistibly tasty tuber" – the Eastham Turnip"

With tourism now at a crawl, this is a rest time for photo exhibits and the demand for photos at the gift shop.  But, just when I was ready to tuck it all in for the winter, I got a surprise request from one of the big real estate companies on the Cape.  They will be putting together a new publication about each Cape town and requested permission to use two of my photos for the Eastham section, for which I'll be credited.  I, of course, said yes, and immediately sent a thank you to our Executive Director of our Chamber of Commerce, who had recommended me to them.  One never knows what may come of small decisions that we make each day.  

There's a new celebrity in Provincetown!   

The Cape Cod Bear now has competition from The White Fox, caught on camera by local resident, Kieran Murphy.  He was described as larger than a red fox and nearly mistaken for a coyote.  What a beauty!  

 With Thanksgiving almost here, the noticeably unrestrained December holiday planning is going full-force.  Thousands of turkeys and dinners have been donated for distribution through our many Cape agencies and food banks, but the really serious planning is on for next month.  Each town has committees buzzing with their own signature celebrations.  The Pilgrim Monument annual lighting in Provincetown is scheduled for November 28th.  Can't eat another bite of left-over turkey?  Come watch the 3100 landing lights come to life.  They will cast their glow over Provincetown and Cape Cod Bay until January 6th.   Have you sworn you would never watch another Nutcracker Ballet again?  The Turning Pointe Dance Studio in Falmouth will present their Cape Cod twist on the old classic, A Sea Captain's Nutcracker.  With the help of local author Anne LeClaire, professional dancers from Providence and New York and set designs by a London stage designer, they will celebrate the story which takes place in the 1800's in a Chatham Sea Captain's home.  It includes a heroic battle scene on a ship attacked by mooncussers off the coast of Eastham and a fierce storm off the point of Monomoy.  But never fear, the Captain returns home bearing exotic gifts for his Clara.  Chatham is preparing for it's Christmas By the Sea celebrations.  Santa kicks off the season, arriving at the fish pier and getting a ride to the community center on a firetruck.  In Orleans, he arrives by boat at the Yacht Club just in time for Mrs. Claus' pancake breakfast.  In Eastham, Santa makes an appearance at the Chamber of Commerce's annual children's festival to hand out gifts and join in the fun.  Personally, I always look forward to the Nauset Model Railroad Club's Open House, where one can get lost in 2000 square feet of mini-scenery and trains running everywhere.  And, this year, we're told, we were the first to purchase tickets online for the annual Christmas Cavalcade, which our friend Chandler Travis has been hosting for over a decade.  Whether it's Pie Sales, Illuminated Gardens, Holiday Strolls, even the Vienna Boys Choir, there is something for everyone coming up.

Last year's Cavalcade-that's Chandler in the green jammy bottoms next to Siobhan Magnus.

This Thanksgiving, please remember that there's always a reason to be thankful.   

Sun-Catching, Bob & Tom's preferred winter sport

A Cape October 2014

A peaceful Fall retreat near Town Cove

The temperatures may vary and tease this time of year, but with the Autumnal Equinox comes sure signs that Fall is touching the Cape.  On a drive into Boston at the beginning of the month, bursts of colorful foliage by the side of the road were vibrant surprises that we'd yet to see much of near the ocean.  The wild vines and weeds are the first to preview the show as they weave red and gold fingers through fences and around trees, leaving the big displays of color to the trees to battle it out with the ocean wind currents for a grand finale.  But, never underestimate the beauty and might of the mere weed.  As for the coming winter, a friend of mine says she heard katydids in mid-August, which in her book predicts the first frost for six weeks later. [We now know that wasn't accurate as it has remained a mild Fall.]  Last year, we were concerned for how late in the season the hummingbirds stayed at our feeders and it turned out to be a fierce winter.  This year, they were gone by the end of September and we wonder if they've been reading the Farmer's Almanac, which predicts another bitter one.

See you next year!

Though tourist activity in the winter slows to a crawl, the road crews will be plenty busy redefining some of the summer traffic trouble spots.  In the town of Orleans to our south, there will be a new rotary next summer to make a busy intersection flow a little easier.  It's been truly fascinating to watch how this is being done a little piece at a time, shifting traffic back and forth to accommodate the work in progress.  An area of interest closer to home is the prospect of getting a traffic light at our intersection that welcomes scores of people to Fort Hill and the beginning of the National Seashore.  This has been an ongoing concern for decades, but with the funding finally approved for 2015, there is reason for hope. 

Fort Hill's Autumn "haircut".  By next summer it will be shoulder deep in wildflowers again.

In June, I started a walk around Fort Hill to see the outdoor exhibit I'd read about, but I ran out of time with other distractions and had to turn back before finding it.  The National Parks Service cleared a lot of trees last Spring in an effort to open up the area for hikers.  A local teacher and former resident of the house at the foot of the hill decided it would make a perfect project for her students to use some of the wood from the trees to make an art exhibit honoring the park.  Since I avoid the frustration of sharing my walks with the black flies in July, I'd almost forgotten about the exhibit until I saw another article about it in the Cape Codder Weekly.  No excuses now, so I grabbed my camera and set off in search again. 

I liked the heron,

but the turtles were my favorite.

October 18th is an anniversary of sorts for us.  It marks our second year of solar energy production.  To date, aside from much lower electric bills, our unit tells us we've produced over 20,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and saved over 34,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.  Even on days when things don't always go well, it's an ongoing positive consequence of a good decision made.  

Highlights for the 2014 Wellfleet OysterFest:

• Over 86 artisans, 21 food vendors, 12 raw bars and 15 community organizations
• Live Music performed by local favorites
• Family friendly activities and performances
• Educational lectures and walking tours
• Culinary programs including Taste the Terrior and Merrior
• Recreational activities such as a road race and dance party
• Free ocean beach parking and shuttle bus transportation into town
• And of course, the Annual Oyster Shuck-Off competition

Not as easy as the pro's make it look! 

Typically, about 25,000 people attend this festival over the weekend.  The price was $1.50 for one oyster, $9 for half-dozen and $18 for a dozen.  Alex Emmons of Wellfleet estimates that he usually shucks about a thousand oysters each day of the festival.  

This year, William "Chopper" Young, Jr. became the first four-time winner of the shucking contest.  He opened 24 oysters in 1 minute, 50 seconds, winning $1000 and his name on the newly crafted steel oyster sculpture trophy.

Route 6 Fall Scenery

  The weather was exceptionally cooperative for the festival and the traffic didn't slow all day.  However, Oysterfest traffic and the first dry weekend in three weeks was just the opportunity I needed to reclaim some living space.  So, a friend and I set up a yard sale diversion on the corner for oyster-lovers and avid yard-salers, who all, by the way, feel compelled to state, " I really should be having one of these, not going to another".  I attempt one about every twenty years, so I figure based on age, this one ought to do it for me.  It proved to be well-attended, profitable and predictably exhausting.  Perhaps I looked a little too comfortable in the easy chair I was trying to sell and no one wanted to disturb me, but it was quickly taken away when posted for free on craigslist the next day.

Time to put the hammock away when leaves are the only occupant.

Summer reservations tend to come in all at once, starting in January, which leaves most of the summer just tending to them.  After Labor Day, post-season travel enthusiasts start looking ahead to beautiful Fall weekends, the Oysterfest in Wellfleet and even the November and December holidays and then reservations begin anew.  This year, we even have people booking ahead for next year, which is our favorite form of review.  But, none of our Fall guests have been as hearty and ready for adventure as the four New England ladies, well into senior citizen status, who were not to be deterred by a little weather.  When the forecast looked grim, I called to ask if they wanted to delay their booking for more promising weather and they agreed they would put it off for a couple of days.  Unfortunately, those turned out to be even more menacing than the original two.  In fact, a freakish lightening storm knocked out the power during the night before their expected arrival.  The morning's news was all about the heavy wind and rain all along the coast, which was expected to continue throughout the day, and there were even warnings not to travel. I left numerous messages about our lack of power, which I guessed they weren't getting for the same reason and we really didn't expect to see them.  That's where I was wrong and learned once again never to underestimate New England women.  These ladies were ready for a road trip and were not to be deterred by trees down in their yards, roads flooding, or silly warnings by the highway department.  Thankfully, the power returned just before their arrival, but their cheerful personalities proved to be the only sunshine Eastham experienced for two days.  We tried to talk them into staying longer for free to enjoy the predicted sunny weekend, but they had people to see, places to go and things to do.  Even a sunny weekend on the Cape can't compare with carving pumpkins with the grandkids.                  

The mighty Bittersweet weed dressing for Fall

 In the month of October, we hosted guests from Palo Alto, California, Suffield, Connecticut, Worcester and Scituate, Massachusetts, New York City, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Shaftsbury, Vermont, Maldon, Victoria in Australia, Flanders in Belgium and Hamburg in Germany.       

Last lobster of the season for us - time for Ray to pull in the traps

Happy Halloween from Tom

A Cape September 2014

Eastham windmill

The beginning of September is a peculiar time of year, not really Summer anymore, but not much like Fall, either.  Baseball season isn't over yet, but football has begun.  Our Patriots flag has replaced the seashell flag.  I suppose there isn't much chance of needing the Red Sox mini-flag up any longer this year. The Cape is still a big tourist destination in the Fall, but once the yellow school buses start their parade down the highway, the roads and store aisles are much more manageable.  The post-Labor Day vacationers tend to take things a little slower, perhaps because the kids are grown and not clamoring for ice cream in the back seat.  The sunset is much earlier, but we still have awhile before Eastern Standard Time plunges us into inky blackness with just the occasional bobbing headlights coming up the road.  I tend to enjoy Cape Cod in reverse, staying focused on being a busy innkeeper during the summer and avoiding the crowds, bugs and heat.  But, let the temperatures and the traffic drop off and I'm immediately on vacation in my own neighborhood.  All summer long I've heard guests tell me about the deer they saw while taking early morning walks in Fort Hill, and I smile and nod, agreeing how lucky we are to be so close.  "One of these days", I joke, "I'm going to get out of the house early enough to see them for myself."  

I DID IT!  This could be habit-forming.

I've often praised Fort Hill as one of the places not to be missed on Cape Cod and I never forget how fortunate we are to live within a short stroll.  If ever there was a portal to another world, the short walk from busy Route 6 to the top of the Fort Hill lookout over salt marshes and ocean, and the wooded paths populated with cautiously curious wildlife must qualify as one.  Leaving the busy hum of humanity for the soft rustle of ocean breezes through fields of wildflowers is very much like stepping from one world into another.  In our B&B rooms, we offer all sorts of reading material about the area and I recently took the time, while sorting through and updating to read some history about my Fort Hill neighborhood that reminded me to be doubly grateful to learn about its close call:

Perhaps the most dramatic story coming out of the birth of the national seashore was the last-minute rescue of Fort Hill from developers.  The property had been subdivided by 1961, and a developer had stakes outlining house lots and a graded perimeter road.  It had sold 10 of the 33 "Fort Hill Estate" lots.  In April 1961, Senate and House subcommittee members toured the proposed Seashore one last time by helicopter and flew low over Nauset Marsh and landed at Fort Hill.  They immediately realized that Fort Hill should be in the national seashore boundary and halted further development.  The 50-acre pastoral property possesses what every historian dreams of:  multiple layers of the past - the archeological record that is part of the Nauset Archeological District, a National Historic Landmark; open fields and stone walls reminiscent of the agricultural scene; and historic homes including the Captain Edward Penniman House.  Today, Fort Hill is the most visited national seashore site after the beaches.

Here comes the parade!

September's first weekend began with the 37th annual Windmill Weekend festival, which takes many forms over two days, as you can see by the impressive schedule.  A totally volunteer-run event, this year's theme was "Winds of Change" and there is always something for everyone to enjoy.  The weather was so uncharacteristically hot and humid on Saturday, I skipped my favorite event this year, the Sand Castle Contest at First Encounter Beach, but Ron and I dug out our Staff T-shirts and manned a raffle table shift again on Sunday afternoon.  It's our favorite time because that's when the parade comes through.   Our weekend B&B guests from Ireland arrived by bus on Saturday, which dropped them off right in front of the festivities on Windmill Green.  We couldn't have provided a more exciting welcome than that if we'd tried.  

Yankee Magazine was very generous to Cape Cod with its many ratings of all things New England this year:

Arnolds, in our town of Eastham, made the list of 12 best Lobster Shacks in New England again, saying :  Touristy though it may seem, Arnold’s is the place to go for succulently steamed lobster on the Cape. Owner Nate Nickerson III keeps the lines moving while serving more than a thousand customers on most summer days: lobster rolls, of course, but also crab cakes topped with guacamole and summer salsa.

The Friendly Fisherman, also in Eastham made the list of 10 Best Lobster Rolls in New England, saying:   On a relatively tame stretch of U.S. Route 6 about 20 miles south of Provincetown sits the Friendly Fisherman, a quaint seafood market with a tree-shaded seafood shack attached to it. This place serves up an honest, genuine cold lobster roll with five ounces of meat, a touch of mayo, a crispy leaf of lettuce, and a mightily burdened split-top, buttered, toasted hot dog bun.  Big chunks of claw meat always appear on top of the roll for presentation’s sake—and what a presentation it is. Cold rolls only are served here; butter may be mixed in, upon request. 

Cobie's, in the town of Brewster, made the list of 10 Best Clam Shacks in New England, saying:  In the tony Cape Cod town of Brewster, there are several fine clam shacks, and Cobie’s is at the top of that list. Housed in a tastefully whitewashed shack at a bend in Route 6A, this place has heavenly fried clams, juicy burgers, thick milk shakes, and a great cold lobster roll made with knuckle meat only. The ice cream stand, with more than 30 flavors of hard and soft ice cream, makes for a great dessert or mid-afternoon snack spot.

Seals off Chatham

The articles, A New England 101 and 10 Best Summer Road Trips in New England praised the drive from the town of Sandwich down "The Kings Old Highway" (Route 6A) all the way north.  Special mention also went to the seals off of the town of Chatham and Monomoy Island, designated in 1970 as a federal wildlife refuge.  [Remember, where there are seals, there are sharks looking for dinner.]  Also mentioned was the Wellfleet Drive-in, in the town just north of Eastham, the Cape Cod Canal' 100th year and the promise of great shopping and antiquing in every town. 

Thanks, Yankee Magazine!

Happy 100th Birthday to the Cape Cod Canal!

Whether by car, boat or plane, in order to reach Cape Cod from all points west, the only way in crosses the Cape Cod Canal, but this was not always so.  Here are some fun facts about the Cape's newest centenarian: 

1623 -  Myles Standish first proposed separating the Cape from the mainland for safer more efficient travel.

1914 - It took 291 years until the canal finally opened

$11,990,000  was the cost and 20,000,000 cubic yards of earth were removed 

1,750 shipwrecks while sailing around the Cape in the 50 years before the canal opened;

   600 people drowned in those shipwrecks

14,000 boats now pass through every year

100x25 feet  -the canal's original width and depth was too narrow and shallow for

many ships to pass through

700 jobs - were created during the Great Depression for further construction and improvements

$21 million - spent between 1935 and 1940 to widen and deepen the canal

So, think about all of that next time you cross the bridge and give a tip of the hat to this amazing undertaking.

USA Today also gave us a nod when they included Nauset Light Beach in Eastham as one of the 10 Uncrowded Atlantic Beaches:  "Compared to much of the East Coast, any of Cape Cod's beaches seem quiet and uncrowded, but if you venture into the Cape Cod National Sea Shore, you'll find some of the best.  The broad, sandy Nauset Light Beach is accessible via a steep staircase winding down the cliffs from the parking lot.  With lifeguards on duty, showers and changing rooms, this beach blends isolation and convenience seamlessly."

We often joke with our guests that one has to have a "beach plum connection" on the Cape to be able to provide the little jars of beach plum jelly that we have in our B&B rooms.  It's only partially a joke because they are such a sought after commodity here that pickers never reveal where they've found their stash.  The tart little berries are only ready to pick in the month of August and some years the quantities are better than others.  The lady who makes our jelly does it for a philanthropic organization that provides scholarships for women all over the world.  When one of the jelly makers has a large order and not enough processed juice to fill it, the call goes out to see who still has some in their freezer.  The Cape Codder weekly featured an article this month on the delectable beach plum and I learned that people also use them to make beach plum brandy, beach plum barbeque sauce, and beach plum marinade for meat.  Hummingbirds and orioles also love them.  It's probably for the best that I haven't yet learned to identify the bushes because I'd probably be braving the brambles and poison ivy, too.  Best to leave that to the experts.  Anyway, there's a lot of other things to do here in the Fall.  

   October 3 – November 1 across Cape Cod and the Islands

Fall for the Arts is a family-friendly month-long celebration that showcases local art and culture.  Events include:  live performances by local musicians; open houses at theaters, museums and historical sites; readings and lectures; art activities for children; guided art and heritage walks; plein air painters; special art exhibits; and much more! 

All Fall for the Arts events listings will be available at artscapecod.org


My raised bed garden taught me a lot this summer.  Mostly, I learned what not to grow, i.e. broccoli, brussels sprouts, squash or swiss chard.  That left tomatoes and cucumbers as my only successes, but just barely.  The second planting of chard actually did well, but I'm pretty sure the deer made short work of it because this year's resident wild bunny couldn't reach that high.  And, speaking of the food chain, we've been getting daily visits from a falcon, which loudly sets off the small birds who nest in the honeysuckle by the porch and sends Bunny cowering in his favorite hiding place within the large hostas.  Being at the top of the food chain [so far], it's easy to forget the harsh laws of nature and want to interfere.  Perhaps my finger-shaking at the hawk bought another day for some of our yard critters, but tomorrow's a new day.  And, speaking of critters, and particularly the toothy ones who also enjoy summering on Cape Cod, I leave you for now with these statistics: