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