2015 - April - Transition

The first day of April for many people is a day of pranks, or at least being alert for them.    Mike O'Connor, who owns the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans and writes the 'Ask the Bird Folks' column in the Cape Codder Weekly, never misses an opportunity to pull a leg, or talon as the case may be.  This year's hoax, entitled Welcome To Native Bird Island, was Mike's answer to "Judy from Centerville" about the Cape's newest nature reserve for birders.   Seriously, you don't have to be a "Birder" to love Mike's store or his column, and it's a recommended stop for all of our guests.  So anyway, Mike wrote... well 
here, you can read it for yourself if you'd like to:    

Click on:  Welcome To Native Bird Island

But for us, April 1st marks our wedding anniversary.  And, that's no joke!  We decided to celebrate this year at our friend's [click for menu] Rock Harbor Grill in Orleans.  We send many guests there and none have come home disappointed.  I highly recommend the lamb pizza and Portabella Burger, and Ron loves the duck sliders and RHG burger, but this time we really splurged and our dinner looked like this:

Grilled Coulotte Steak

Butternut Squash Puree / Crushed Fingerlings / Great Hill Bleu Butter 

Hazelnut Crusted Faroe Island Salmon

Crushed Fingerlings / Sauce Romesco / Broccolini / Basil Oil 

P E R F E C T I O N !

As I anticipated, when the snow stopped falling, the blissful quiet season also ceased abruptly.  With the official start of Spring, reservation inquiries started rolling in, and we decided to make a run for it, ourselves.  We took the P&B bus into Boston for a quick, anniversary getaway.  It's always of interest to us to be on the other side of the hospitality industry as guests, instead of hosts, and to experience different styles of hosting.  Ron chose the lovely, old Buckminster Hotel near the hallowed grounds of our Red Sox's Fenway Park.  It did happen to be baseball's opening night, but for the Sox, it was in Philly, not Fenway.  As we checked in, they casually informed us that they were upgrading our reservation to a suite, for no apparent reason.  It was a little like putting a credit card in a slot machine to play, and hitting a jackpot.  Then, along with the key cards, they gave us a $10 gift card to use at their restaurant.  I could get used to this kind of treatment.  Once settled upstairs, with thoughts turning to dinner, we looked at the many possibilities in the neighborhood, and then looked at the menu downstairs and decided to try it.  From exquisitely comfy lounge chairs, I savored every delicious bite of marinated sirloin steak tips, garlic mashed potatoes and gently sauteed carrots and broccolini, as we viewed the bustle of city life through the big windows.  Ron's steak did not disappoint him, either.  And then, we did what we love to do in cities, we strolled.  Since both of us have previously lived in Boston, it was pleasant just to remember places and recall memories from the past.  A stop at a Starbucks for a decaf mocha latte and a tiramisu latte on the way back was dessert enough.  We only stayed in Boston for two nights, but that was enough to break routine, miss home and experience the kindness of many strangers out in the big world.  And now, it's our pleasure to pay it forward.     
   

Easter Weekend-that's the most people I've seen on Fort Hill since Labor Day.

You can still see where the National Seashore workers mowed the wildflowers last Fall.
In a couple of months they'll be over my head and teaming with wildlife.

Even with dirty snow still in parking lots at the first of the month, April lived up to its reputation for showers and flowers.  The peepers were right on time, providing music from the pond three doors down, loud enough to hear on our porch at night.  The many bird operettas drown them out during the daytime.  Literally every day, there is something new popping its head out of the mulch.  The ME-first snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils, as usual led the way, with hyacinths, tulips and columbine following, their elegant designs gracefully emerging and reaching towards the rain.  The beach roses, lilacs and pussy willows are swelling with life, and that last leaf on the copper beech tree in the front yard finally gave it up to Spring gales.  Orange slices and grape jelly have attracted the first orioles and the hummingbird feeders are full and have already hosted the first ruby throat.  Cushions are back on the porch furniture, inviting one to stop and acknowledge the transformation. Snow shovels and deck salt are once again stowed in the garage.  Mesclun mix and cilantro, basil and parsley seeds are planted in pots on the front porch, and Agway excitedly announced that the first pansies have come in.  The watering can fountain is providing soothing sounds on the porch again, inviting newbies to try to figure out where the water comes from.   And, no one complains about the rainy days, noting "at least I don't have to shovel it."    

Red Wing Blackbird mid-song

Lions & Tigers & Sharks & Whales!

Just kidding about those first two, but two of the questions we get asked about frequently have to do with the proximity of great white sharks and whales.   There is a wonderful online site available to identify tagged great whites, thanks to the dedication of Greg Skomal and his team.  You can access it at http://www.ocearch.org/#SharkTracker, or just click on Great White Shark Tracker.   They seem to be off the coast of North Carolina, this month, but will no doubt, include Cape Cod in their vacation travels, owing to our plentiful and tasty seals.  Ocearch also reports Right Whale Sightings, and, needless to say, if you want to see some, Cape Cod is a great place to try.  This is what I pulled up for this April:

That's Cape Cod underneath the big concentration of whale tails!

More Filming on Cape Cod

Last Fall, it was the big Disney production about the shipwreck of The Pendleton in Chatham, and this month, filming begins in Wellfleet to bring Joan Anderson's popular memoir, A Year By The Sea to the screen.  The book chronicled her retreat on Cape Cod to take time to care for herself after years of caring for others. and it resonated with a large fan base.  She chose to stay in Cape Cod and continued to write five more books since the first was published.   

Another exciting announcement, at least for us, comes from the writer of the short film that Ron was in, running through the snow on Commercial Street in boxers and cowboy boots.  It's a sight the neighbors won't forget.  

Arthur Egeli

I am proud to announce that Misconception will show at the New York City International Film Festival running April 30 to May 7th. Showtimes to be announced. Hope to see you there actors Heather Hayes, Cindy Harrington, Kate Wallace Rogers, Ron Daniels.

April 14th was Ben & Jerry's annual FREE SCOOP DAY at the North Eastham location.  As usual, this was a well attended event with long lines.  6,290 kid-sized cones [usually at a cost of $3.75] were given away and the favorite flavor of the day was "The Tonight Dough", named for Jimmy Fallon, who took over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno.  It boasts a chunky mix of chocolate and caramel ice creams with chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough and a crunchy chocolate cookie swirl.  When it was brought to Judy Tarr's attention [the franchise owner] that people were taking advantage by getting back in line again, she said, "O yeah, maybe three, four times."  But, when asked if something should be said to them, her reply, "No, it's a happy day."  Why do all Ben & Jerry's have an annual free cone day?  "Well, it's our way to celebrate and say thanks for another year of support, and we've kept it up every year since, spreading the peace, love and ice cream around the globe."   The first one was in 1979, celebrating the company's first anniversary. 

Here's some B&J trivia you might not have known:  With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment, Ben and Jerry opened their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont in 1979.  There are now more than 300 shops in 30 countries.  The socially-conscious company gifts 7.5% of the company's annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented projects.  It's one of the very few chains allowed in Eastham.    

Garden Time

I've always embraced the philosophy, "work smarter, not harder", but it seems that I have a blind spot when it comes to gardens.  The raised beds Ron designed seemed like such a great idea, with a place to sit on the side while I tended them.  That's easier, right?  Who knew that they would become full of roots that needed to be wrestled out each year to make room for enriched soil and new plants?  I guess I would have if I'd thought that far ahead.  This realization is generating a wicked-brilliant change, which not only supports a less labor-intensive garden, but will hopefully provide Ron's favorite preserves, which we can't find in the stores, anymore.  I've ordered lingonberry seeds to put in the center bed with blooming, evergreen shrubs that give two crops of berries per season.  A Scandinavian favorite, I found that Massachusetts has a comparable growing zone for lingonberries to thrive, if provided an acidic soil.  With as many coffee grounds as we generate, it shouldn't be a problem.  Waste not, want not.    

Oh sure, if I really wanted to keep tabs on when tourist season starts, I could look at a calendar.  But, there are other ways to know these things.  For instance, as I walked to my mailbox, I noticed a car pulled over next to the stairs I use, and the top of a woman's head bobbing at the bottom of the hill.  I decided to be friendly and ask if she needed any help with anything, but as I got closer, the situation became clearer.  Leaning over her toddler, she held him steady, both his arms held high and pants down around his ankles as he relieved himself on the bank.  That's the official beginning of tourist season 2015.    

April brought as wide a variety of guests as the flowers popping up in the gardens.  A couple from Oklahoma combined business with pleasure before heading to the Boston Marathon as one of their vendors.  Another couple enjoyed a weekend in the Cottage, courtesy of a gift certificate from one of our former guests.  Couples from upstate New York and Boston came the following weekend, both with quiet, walking-in-nature getaways in mind.  We hosted a couple from New Hampshire the following week for a birthday surprise weekend.  And, the biggest surprise was on me from a San Francisco friend I haven't seen in a few decades.  Cheers, and happy Spring!

What happened to the snow?