2019 JULY - Memories, Old & New and THE PREQUELS #10 - July 2010

July on Route 6 in Eastham

Since my vacations from Virginia were mostly to stay with a friend on Martha's Vineyard, I never had the Cape Cod attachments when I moved here that pull people back year after year to revisit their favorite places and memories.  My twelve-hour-long-enough trip would take me to Woods Hole at the southern tip of Cape Cod to catch the ferry across to Vineyard Haven on a completely different island.  So, it always interests me to hear what makes it worth travelers' while to vie with each other in traffic and in lines for 'the best fried clam strips', or a spot on the beach that their parents first brought them to, or their favorite town on the Cape, etc.  Every out-of-town car on the road represents cherished memories, or the hopes of making some new ones.  We try to keep that in mind all summer as we welcome new and returning guests.  Some of them become our cherished memories in return. 

Thank goodness for the well-used Bike Trail 
that keeps bikers from being road hazards.

July is Black Fly month here.  No, that's not another local celebration, like the Hydrangea, Turnip and Oyster Festivals.  It's just the annoying month that eggs hatch for one lunar cycle to hungrily include humans in their diet, and then - POOF! -  they're gone until the following July.  The salt marshes are wonderful breeding grounds for this vexing species.  It only took being chased out of Fort Hill once, swatting at the flies with my visor, to remember the annual date, so I got one last walk at the end of June to hold me until it was safe again.    

Somehow it doesn't seem right to complain about July's severe heat wave when the surrounding water keeps us a good 10 degrees cooler than Boston.  But, that sure didn't stop us from griping about it. As a welcome cool front finally pushed it out to sea, it griped back at us in the form of a tornado that touched down in the towns of Yarmouth and Harwich, just south of Eastham.  It's only the third one ever reported on Cape Cod, and thus became the leading story on the national news.  Some of us heard the incredibly ear-piercing Weather Alerts on cell phones for the very first time alerting us to take shelter in basements.  In some towns that proved to be a very good idea as trees and electrical wires succumbed to the winds, blocked roads and filled yards with future firewood.  Most news sources had film coverage of the roof lifting right off of a motel in Yarmouth.  The saving grace was that it was "turnover time" and most guests had already checked out, and it wasn't time for check-in's, yet.  Lucky for us, with the exception of some power outages, Eastham was spared from the worst.  Friends and neighbors spent the rest of the day checking on each other and comparing notes from town to town.  A friend in Harwich had four big tents set up with items getting ready for a big yard sale.  The good news/bad news for him was that now he doesn't have to have the sale anymore and someone may be surprised to find a lovely antique something on their lawn.  Another friend in Harwich put out a hopeful invitation on Facebook to bring saws of any kind and he would provide pizza, beer and water.  If you have a chain saw and energy, the weather event is yet another opportunity for the industrious to supplement income.   

I wish I could claim credit for this shot, but it was taken by a friend-of-a-friend over the town of Plymouth on its way to visit Cape Cod.

 Pink Bee Balm, Yellow Gaillardia and White Shasta Daisies surround the potted tomatoes cucumbers and orange nasturtium.

This is when all the hard work in the gardens really pays off as perennial after perennial takes its turn in the spotlight.  I still can't resist visits to the markdown tables at Agway, but I'm more selective now as I find out what works best. 

And you never know what surprises the garden will yield, oh my...  

Like the flowers, guests continue to come and go from all over.  So far from Memorial Day through July, we've hosted people from as close as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.  Quebec, Canada takes the prize for farthest so far, along with California, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and Minnesota.  Some are taking their first trip to Cape Cod, others are regular summer visitors, and we know that at least one proposal took place.  One person came to participate in a triathlon, two came for family reunions and three attended Cape Cod Summer Institute classes.  There was one birthday celebration and two anniversary celebrations.  If these rooms could only talk!

We've made it halfway through summer, and now looking back to our first one: 
Cape Chronicles #10 – July, 2010- Trade-offs

The July activity level on Cape Cod explodes with the same fervor as the Fourth of July fireworks.  Bookings increase, activities are in full swing, every shop that has plans to be open is all dusted off and fully stocked, and navigation becomes a big challenge as the roads swell with out of town traffic.  Our nod to the holiday was to watch the fireworks over Rock Harbor in Orleans.  The normally 10 minute trip took about half an hour as we passed hundreds of people parking and walking for miles.   We were not willing to brave the bugs and heat on a long walk back in the dark, and decided to keep inching along, hoping for a parking miracle.  If you believe in karma, a favor-returned presented itself in the form of one last untaken parking spot right at the entrance of the harbor parking lot.  We grabbed it, set up chairs atop the pickup bed and settled in for a spectacular display of incendiaries and humanity.  The travel time was well worth the show. 

The following morning, as I made my way to Chatham for my weekly foray to the free shops with a friend, I came to an immediate stall on the Mid-Cape.  I don’t usually use my cell phone while driving, but I felt pretty safe at 3 mph to call to let her know I’d be longer than usual.  “Oh,” she replied, “you’re in the ‘exodus’.  I should have warned you to take the back roads.”    I haven’t heard that term since Sunday School, describing the Jews leaving Egypt, but if you substituted camels for cars, it might have looked similar.  The word “trade-off” has become my summer mantra, as I’m sure it is with a large percentage of year-rounder’s who make a living based on tourism.   It’s all part of the annual cycle, just as working at a public school was for me, which is also a big part of the appeal.  There’s always an end to the season, shifting gears to a restful period & then gearing up for a fresh new beginning. 

The heat wave, which has gripped the east coast, has not spared the Cape.  While it’s true that we tend to be 10 degrees cooler than the mainland, 90 is still HOT even if it’s 100 in Boston, especially without central air conditioning.  While I am not unappreciative of being cooler than the mainland, it has been uncomfortable enough to call for an estimate.  With the current rebates and tax credits available, I can easily justify the expense when compared to the inefficient window units we’re using, and I’m taking the proactive approach before our electric bill sends us into shock.  

The early morning light and bird calls woke me before the alarm today and instead of thinking about how much central air was going to cost, I decided to slip out for a walk before the heat became oppressive.   As I entered the Fort Hill trail, I discovered July’s dirty little secret.  Nestled amongst the purple and blue sea of wildflowers and filmy, white Queen Anne’s lace were hoards of biting black flies and greenheads, locked and loaded on the first flesh to come along.   I hastily retreated, flapping my Red Sox visor furiously at them until I could get back to the road, and aborted my plan to enjoy the trails.  I’m told this is a phenomenon, which ends with the next full moon.   It didn’t seem to bother the conventions of bunnies, but I’m not willing to don a fur suit for a month.    

July guests were so plentiful and each have a story that could make an entire chronicle all by themselves:  Cathy & Martin, a couple from Boston who spend many weekends on the Cape and had seen and wondered about the big sailboat in our yard, made sure to take our card for more future visits. 

Next came Louise & Peter, avid cyclists from Ottawa, Ontario.  Louise was attending a conference, but they made plenty of time to bike and see the sights.   It’s not uncommon for them to bike 50-100 miles in a day, and I found out that it is surprisingly just as hot and humid in Ottowa. 

Then, Antonio, his Italian wife, whose name I never could ascertain & their 14-month old son, “Gulie” (whose real name is the Italian version of William), left sweltering Brooklyn, NY to hit the Cape beaches.   They’re in the States temporarily for a job, but returning soon to their home in Cuomo, Italy.  

The Houston branch of the Samson family, who came to visit their parents across the street from us were the next guests. They made good use of our croquet and boche ball sets on Don & Helen’s front lawn and their young son made it a point to share with me that “they were having a good time, and we had a pretty good motel”. 

Our second couple from Montreal, Celine & Ivan, made the trip by motorcycle.  Our conversations were limited to the few words they knew in English and the few I remembered of French, but they managed to convey how much they liked my banana bread & wrote a glowing review in our Guest Book.  We know this because the next visitors, Genevieve & Eric, were also from Montreal and they translated it for us.   They drove in just for a long weekend at the beach.

Following the Canadian invasion was a couple from Arlington, VA.  Lindsey was attending a conference, and Darryl was supposed to be “studying for a licensing exam”, but they took time to go whale watching and were rewarded with seeing 6 of them on their trip.   Lindsey was the first to try out the new hammock.

Brandon popped in for a quick weekend from Western MA to show his girlfriend, Megan, Cape Cod for her first time.  And, then came Jane from the Boston area who was actually our very first booking.  She attends the conference every year and has stayed in our Cottage before, so was thrilled that it was available again.  

Sergio also attended the conference all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We left the lights on in his room, the door unlocked, and a big welcome sign in the window so he’d know he found the right place when he finally arrived at 4 a.m.  

Meanwhile, Cathy & Martin [remember them?] decided they wanted the Studio for the last weekend in July, but there was only 1 night available, so I put them in the Cottage at the same price and knew they would be pleased.   Last night, as we made our way to the car to catch the sunset at First Encounter Beach, we smelled the delicious aroma of their steak on the grill. It was so gratifying to feel that we could play a part in their perfect weekend getaway as they escaped the hot & humid weather that still clung to the mainland and reveled in the cool, dry air that had finally returned to their new favorite spot on the Cape.  They told us that if we find anything they left behind to just keep it for them because they would definitely be back.

The Garden Report:  The tomatoes are thriving, thanks to Ray’s bunny poo.  We were advised that instead of the free mulch available at the transfer station, which can have termites and other pests, to mulch with sea grass collected from the beach at low tide.  Just as the Indians planted a fish with each stalk of corn, the nutrients from the ocean nourish the plants.  Meanwhile, the blue lace leaf hydrangeas are blooming in front, and in the back, purple plumes about 7 feet tall have been July’s big surprise.   There are green tomatoes on the vine and the butternut squash plants are taking hold.   I’m starting to pick peaches, apples, pears and plums, despite our neglect of the trees, but have been too busy to make anything out of them.

The Wildlife Report:  We noted a lone quail, who sauntered through the yard in no particular hurry.  The humming bird feeders are visited frequently by many different varieties.  Yellow finches dart between the lilac tree and the feeders.  A new family of sparrows are cheeping and sticking their open mouths out of one of the gable birdhouses, waiting impatiently for mother to come back with food.   

Our second visitors from Richmond, Judd & Brian, came despite the fact that there was “no room at the inn”, and were the first to test the basement futon.  I'm happy to report that they have declared it “very comfy & just fine”, so if any of you were waiting for someone else to rate the “free bed”, there you have it.  You won’t find this testimonial on the website, though.   Being on vacation did not stop them from working on their production of the’ Rainbow Moments’, that they syndicate to NPR stations around the country, and it was my privilege to be a volunteer reader for 2 of the segments, which will run at some undetermined time in the future.  At approximately 60 seconds each, I figure I have a good 8 more minutes of fame coming to me from somewhere.   

National Geographic is featuring the beaches in our town of Eastham in their July issue.  The season is turning into a busy one, much to the relief of the businesses after a reported cool and rainy summer last year.   

Halfway through our first summer season…