June 2017 - It's Summah-time, and the livin' is crazy...

This year's photo exhibit at the Orleans Cape Cod 5

When you spend as much time being seduced by the ever-changing ocean sky as I do, it's inevitable that an exhibit devoted just to that would result.  But, it's too easy here to snap a beautiful sunset over the water and I needed a challenge.  'Sky' is similar to the game we play looking for animals, or faces in the clouds, only I've enjoyed capturing moments of ephemeral modern art, here briefly until the next puff of wind, and then evolving into another display of art.  Thank you to Cape Cod 5 for providing the venue for me to indulge my art.

An Eastham sunset

COAST GUARD BEACH PLACES #6 ON
DR. BEACH'S PICK OF AMERICA'S BEACHES

So, just who is this Dr. Beach, anyway, and what gives him the authority to rate our country's beaches?  Well, Dr. B. is actually Dr. Stephen P Leatherman, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University.  And, if those credentials aren't impressive enough, he has been reviewing and evaluating beaches and coastal areas all over the world for the last 25 years based on a 50-item criteria.  Okay, so he probably knows a good beach when he sees one.  We knew Eastham's Coast Guard Beach was pretty special, anyway, but it's always nice to find a comfy spot year after year on such an esteemed authority's top 10 list.   

Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, MA 

WAR OF THE CRITTERS

 The war is on...

When we began awakening to find the poles that hold our bird feeders bent down to the ground, I knew that the War of the Critters had begun once again.  We seem to have a bumper crop of chipmunks and red and gray squirrels this year, but they're not even the worst culprits.  This year we have a motion sensor light that illuminates the mischief makers and follows their movements.  I suspected raccoons, but was surprised to see a big possum lumbering away, trying to escape the sudden light.  It wasn't long before the raccoon showed up, too, in broad daylight.  Axle grease seems to have slowed down the nocturnal pole dancing, but they're still quite the gymnasts in order to get to the sunflower seeds and grape jelly.  A visit to google for help suggested soaking rags with ammonia and tying them around the bottom of the pole.  Raccoons are fastidious creatures and don't like anything that smells like urine.  I tried that strategy, but it's gone with the first rain.  Ron has his own ideas of communing with the wildlife, and reasoned that if he left them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate every night, they'd leave the birdseed alone.  Neither strategies are working.  If you're going to feed the birds, the rest of the animal kingdom will demand equal rights.  To be continued...  

Yes, YOU!

Living so close to the water, it makes one acutely aware of how things in nature tend to ebb and flow; the tides, the seasons, tourists, wildlife, all answering to their particular rhythms.  This month, we are having to acknowledge the ebb and flow of time as our wonderful, elderly neighbor across the street is moving back to Ohio to be closer to his family.  And, he's not any happier about it than we are, but in the end, time and concerned children have the final say.  It probably seems like such a a short time ago to him that he and his now-departed wife retired and became Cape Cod residents and together roamed the Fort Hill trails down the street.  Time seems to betray us just as we think that we finally got it right.  And, I will try to pay very close attention to each day, each walk on Fort Hill, each visit to the beach, each drive along the winding roads lined with beach roses because I know that time makes up its own rules and we're never really ready to give up a good thing no matter how long it's been. 

While most people are just looking for a quiet getaway to enjoy the beauty of the National Seashore and the quaintness of "Olde Cape Cod", we have so far this year hosted four surprise birthday trips and an anniversary.   It always feels good to be part of a gift to someone else.  From as far away as France to California, Wisconsin, and points from Maryland to Vermont, the attraction of this tiny finger of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean continues to irresistibly beckon people from far and wide.  Providing a home away from home to share this delightful place makes us feel truly worthy of our time here.  With July right around the corner, we're ready to welcome the parade of guests, new and returning, and enjoy introducing them to our Cape Cod.

The Golden Chain Tree decorates the Cottage in Spring