2018 October - Not Quite Summer / Not Quite Fall

GO SOX - all the way to the World Series!

Sometimes all the usual seasonal things seem just too mundane to mention anymore, so let's just get that out of the way quickly:

Pumpkins - CHECK  

Chrysanthemums - CHECK

 Falling leaves- CHECK   
Wellfleet Oysterfest - CHECK 

First frost - CHECK 

Ripe cranberries - CHECK

 Halloween costumes - CHECK  

  

All accounted for in New England.  We're a very traditional place, after all. But, I've always got my eye out for the UN-usual, and I think I found a couple of Cape Cod things that might qualify. Here's one, now:

Did someone order a deer?

For those who are tired of doing the same old thing every evening, the Parks Service sponsored a Full Moon Lighthouse Tour of Nauset Light in October.  BYOF [bring your own flashlight].  Now, doesn't that sound like a fun thing to do [assuming it's a clear night]?  Our light was moved from a pair of beacons in Chatham to the Eastham location in 1923 in pieces on an ox cart.  It moved again in 1996, but this time just across the road to stay ahead of erosion.  

Eastham's Nauset Light

If you thought that was a grand idea, have you ever been to a Puddin' Party?  Well, I can totally recommend the experience.  Created on a whim by our musical-genius friend, Chandler Travis, it consisted of live music, an introduction to his friend, Paulette Humanbeing who was visiting from California, and a fridge full of what else, your choice of chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch pudding.  [Special kudos also go out to Belinda's awesome homemade lasagna.]  Paulette, an artist and musician, was a delight, contributing her own unique musical genre somewhere between comical, political, and wonderful whimsy.  One reason why Chandler is one of my favorite musicians is that I never have to decide what kind of music I'm in the mood to listen to.  He's likely to play a little bit of anything and everything accompanied by a devoted group of other incredibly talented and creative musicians.  His latest CD, Backward Crooked From the Sunset can be previewed at this link:  Backward Crooked From The Sunset

Wonderful treat, Chan!  What's next?              

Kami Lyle, Burke MeKelvey, Chandler Travis, Dinty Child, & John Clark

Still uninspired?  How about this:  The Lower Cape Curling Club is hosting a series of clinics to familiarize participants with the basics of the sport.  The 11-week season begins at the end of October with the league scheduling games for Wednesday mornings and Sunday nights.

Nope, not these curls...

That's the one.

When you think of Fall in New England, you probably picture something from a calendar page showing spectacular reds, oranges and gold leaves of Vermont mountains.  The coastal colors of Autumn are a bit more muted, with surprise dabs of bright contrast when you least expect to find them, in the middle of a salt marsh, down a winding path, a bright vine curling around a centuries-old tree, or tucked in fancily on a front lawn.  It's a more modest display tempered by the ocean, but no less appreciated for its subtle and surprising beauty. 

A red carpet on an Eastham salt marsh

Luscious orange towering over a neighborhood pond.

A hint of yellow catching the sun at the National Seashore Headquarters

We've entered the quiet season now, with only the occasional B&B guest venturing across the bridge, each with their own specific agenda.  There is an almost infantile joy at approaching the main road and not having to wait for any traffic going by.  I encountered a friend in the grocery store recently who remarked, "There were hundreds of people in these aisles in the summer and I didn't know one of them, but now when I come in it takes twice as long because I know every other person."  This is the real Cape Cod that pre-existed tourism.  This is the best reason to live here, but never forgetting that tourism makes it possible for many.  

Enjoy your Autumn, wherever it finds you.

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