It always amazes me that no matter what aberrations the climate throws at us, the animal and plant kingdoms are still punching their individual time clocks by the calendar. Summer temperatures have been stubborn about moving on, but the leaves are falling and the days are gradually cooling down. The orioles and hummingbirds have moved on, leaving the grape jelly and oranges to the bees, but the feeders remain out just in case there are more stopping by on their way south. We have a reputation to keep.
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| They know what to do, and turn a brilliant red every Fall. |
Tourism continues to thrive here in September, despite the recent tragic occurrence of a fatal shark bite in waters off of a Wellfleet beach. There's a new undercurrent of fear growing that this will have a negative effect on tourism, but there seem to be more visitors than ever this Fall, and we have seen a growing interest in people who are here specifically to see the sharks and seals. If the weather or the wildlife isn't particularly conducive to getting in the water, the beaches are still full, and local shops are also reaping the benefits. There is a growing number of amateur opinions about what to do, or not do about the shark/seal problem. While it's not a pleasant sight to witness a shark making a bloody meal of a seal in shallow waters, there is an abundance of information to justify the importance of sharks to the ecosystem. One short-sighted letter to the editor reasoned that if seals eat fish, and sharks eat seals, that when all the fish are gone, the seals will move on, and so then will the sharks. This person obviously doesn't make his living fishing. There will be gatherings through the winter of local interest groups with experts in the field to come up with new safety measures, and better understanding of the consequences of the numerous latest proposals. For myself, after nine years as a resident of a town only five miles wide and surrounded by water, I've been quite happy at the beach never having gone in any deeper than my knees. Different strokes...
Meanwhile, It's time for seasonal Autumn fun and many towns have their own different festivals focusing on something unique about their town. Harwich has a cranberry festival. Orleans boasts a Celebrating our Waters festival. Eastham, boasting the oldest windmill on Cape Cod, pulls out all the stops with an annual, 3-day Windmill Weekend beginning with a fish fry on Friday night, an antique auto show, a road race, a sand castle contest on the bay, live music and craft shows on the town green under our windmill, and finishing on Sunday with a parade and big raffle drawings.
Despite the first Patriots game being scheduled for the same time as our usual shift at the raffle table, Ron set it to tape, and we sold lots of raffles and enjoyed the outdoor festivities, picked up delicious made-to-order sandwiches at the Superette deli across the street from the green, and still got to see the Pats win their first game of the season. I was tempted to wear a sign that said, "If you know the score, please don't tell me!", but thankfully, nobody blabbed. Originally, the proceeds of the festival went towards the cost of the next year's festival, but as the event has grown, we now make enough money to offer scholarships to local graduates, too.
The Goats are Back!
No, not us, these guys:
POCCA [Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer] has waged an ongoing battle in the courts with our utility company for years to keep them from spraying poison to control vegetation under the power line right of ways. Some years ago, I reported an informal agreement that had been worked out with a local farmer to lend his goats for a cleanup under the Eastham power lines. For some reason, no blame to the goats, the arrangement didn't work out. Since then, in 2014 a local entrepreneur started a company by the name of Goat Green with four rescue goats from Western Massachusetts. The herd has now grown to a dozen 4-legged, weed eating machines for hire, and were just recently used under the power lines in Harwich. They even love poison ivy. Click on the the Goat Green website to read about their latest accomplishments:
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No goats needed for the Fort Hill trails.
These fields of wild flowers are mowed to the ground by the Park Service in late Fall. |
Our Cottage seems to be the preferred B&B Suite in the Fall, and this September we welcomed back a couple for their 6th post-Labor Day week with us. They are avid gardeners in Western Mass, and I always look forward to some of Julie's home-grown garlic, which she generously shares. Following their week, was someone we call our 'Saxophone Lady', who was here for her 3rd year in a row on her birthday. Sadly, I wasn't able to hear any of the practicing she swears that she did all week. The 3rd week was claimed by a couple returning from Indiana for their 2nd year. The 2 nights they stayed last year were just enough to know that they needed to come back for at least a week. Next was a last minute reservation from a couple from Denmark, here in the States for 6 weeks visiting various cousins in many locations, followed by another return visit from a New York couple who took a couple of years to get back, but didn't forget about us.
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| Cottage entrance at dusk |
Our Studio Suite tends to suit couples who want a quick getaway and don't plan to waste time cooking for themselves. But, the variety of interesting scenarios is no less than the Cottage. A reservation was made this month by a bride-to-be for her September wedding, but it was actually for the minister who was coming to perform the marriage ceremony and celebrating her own anniversary with her husband. They were one of three people celebrating anniversaries in the Studio this month. Following them, we had a surprise request from the parents of a couple who had stayed the week before and loved it so much they recommended it to them.
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| Studio outdoor relaxation spot |
There are so many good reasons to visit Cape Cod.
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| Best reason of all: to visit your mom! |
Happy Autumnal Equinox!
