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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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."
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| It's easy to see how this one got its name. |
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| Now, add some Fall color - |
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| 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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Sun-Catching, Bob & Tom's preferred winter sport |
