2012 - October Musings

This way to Fort Hill in living color

After an intense season of withering heat, frenetic traffic and new guests every few days, October is the gift of the season.  Cape Cod businesses have reported that in the last few years, business continues to increase and October now represents approximately 30% of annual sales.  We don't have to do the math to know that while the middle of some weeks have quieted, guests are still taking advantage of the mild weather and weekend fall activities, like Wellfleet's annual Oysterfest, and have continued to flock here from the UK, Belgium, Germany, British Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Texas, Vermont and Connecticut.

Chatham colors

Autumn hues seemed to be slower making their debut this year and almost reluctantly bowed to the calendar to sprinkle Fall colors around before all the leaves fall.  There's persistent talk of a cold winter coming our way, not to mention Hurricane Sandy, but so far both remain to be seen.

Brewster spirit

Our sad news is that the Red Sox finished dead last this season.  Of course, that means there's nowhere to go next year but up.  The good news is that October 18th has become our "Green Independence Day".  Crosswinds B&B is now solar-powered and connected to the national grid.  There's even a website provided to monitor how much power we're producing at any given time and the related statistics.  We are disproving Kermit the Frog's lament that "it's not easy to be green", but hope that Mitt Romney doesn't get the chance to add him to the unemployment list by doing away with PBS.  Please vote Obama and save Kermit & Big Bird's jobs!  (I bet you thought that our good news was going to be that the Patriot's are currently in first place standing in our division.)

Knowledge AND sun is power!

Since sharks are becoming more a part of our reputation, the general consensus is that you might as well have a sense of humor and make a buck off of the unwelcome intruders.  The latest evidence of this was a bumper sticker I saw this month, which used to read:  "Chatham: a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem."  The newer version reads:  "Chatham:  a quaint shark village with a seal problem."  I also heard one of our local WCAI announcers call in to the local fishing show to relate his valiant struggle to reel in the big one, only to end up with just a fish head after a sand shark hijacked his catch.  Meanwhile, sharks continue to be tagged and studied and are becoming just another Cape Cod icon.

Eastham domestic couch sharks

With our son trading life in Kabul with taking up temporary residence with us, we're benefitting from the entertainment value of the strange, nocturnal habits of the single, 20-something male.  For instance, we were invited to our first fire spinning demonstration by him and some friends.  The beach is the perfect place for this activity and was another opportunity to photograph something one doesn't see very often.  It was also interesting meeting his friends for the first time on a pitch black night having only voices to distinguish one from another.  And, have I mentioned that a pinball machine now resides in the basement?  Whoever said that getting old is not fun is perhaps not doing it right.

Boys playing with fire

Remember to VOTE, no matter who your preference is!

The merchants of Chatham provide the big finish with their month-long competition for the best pumpkin display.

  

Click to see slideshow:  http://youtu.be/sTmWGeGtRP8

2012 - September Musings

Together, again!

I must have once said that I like surprises because our boys, Doug and Sean take great pleasure in producing them for me whenever they can.  As if Sean's surprise appearance after three years in Afghanistan wasn't exciting enough, he somehow talked Doug into coming back from Virginia for another visit and offered him up like a prize after dinner one night.  Once again I stood staring, mouth open, speechless and totally delighted with their delicious deception and their pride in pulling it off.  Labor Day weekend suddenly became much more than just the last hurrah of summer and the house resonated with happy noises.

Just act naturally, boys...

Our Red Sox have had a pretty tough year and considering their pitiful showing this summer, it's not as difficult to switch gears to football and dig out our Patriots apparel.  I even hear there are seats available at Fenway for a change.  But now that the seasoned officials are out of the act and everyone is groaning about the unprofessional calls of the substitutes, I must say football is off to an odd start.  I heard last night's game described on the radio today as "the perfect storm of utter incompetence."   I'm still trying to learn the rules and this isn't helping.   

Who said there's no kids in Eastham?

For 35 years, Eastham has held its annual 3-day Windmill Weekend festivities and we chose to volunteer again at the raffle booth while enjoying some of the activities.  Despite some rough surf from Hurricane Leslie, Saturday morning was sunny and gorgeous for the sand castle competition and we stayed as long as we could before hurrying back to greet a B&B guest.  We were rooting for the all-kids group who paid tribute to the now infamous Cape Cod Bear who visited earlier this year.  After fashioning a very fat bear lying on its tummy with time to spare, they decided to add a mermaid lying underneath the bear.  Their cooperative enthusiasm and creativity got my vote, but the woman with the terrapin race and big starfish took 1st.  Oh well, kids, just like the Red Sox there's always next year. 

Sand Competition at First Encounter Beach

In the afternoon we claimed a spot on the town green to listen to our friends in the Chandler Travis Three-O on the bandstand while watching Leslie's cloud show above and enjoying the pungent smells of grilled meat, onions and pickle relish.  

Ever wonder what the inside of a windmill looks like?

By Sunday, drizzle had overtaken the area, but it wasn't enough to discourage either the volunteers or the participants and the parade and games went on.  Unlike many fundraising events that are held on the Cape, these festivities have no agenda other than to bring the community together for a small town good time and many people put a lot of effort and planning into this joyful event.

Chandler Travis & musicians du jour

Part of being a landmark location in a small town is occasionally becoming the topic of discussion, especially when people are giving directions.  So far, we are known as "the B&B at Fort Hill", the place with the blue sailboat in the yard, and now the house with the new solar roof panels.  By next summer, I also hope to be known as the place with the front bank full of roses, which we've been working on diligently this summer.  But until then, the shiny new panels, which can be seen for quite a distance will no doubt raise many questions and comments all winter.  

New roses & new solar panels

For the most part, Cape Cod looks like a snail trail on the northeast side of the United States.  Not much to compare to say, California or Florida, but yet we're totally self-contained with everything we could possible need.  It's not unusual to hear someone base a decision on whether something is across the Cape Cod Canal, or not.  It's not usually crossed without really good incentive, i.e. "are you kidding, that's over the bridge!"  There's something very comforting about that small separation between land masses, like a moat around a castle. 

Patience rewarded-last year's half price find (hibiscus).

One of our favorite parts of refreshing the B&B rooms for the next guests is to read the comments written in the Guest Books.  There are messages in French, German, Korean and mostly English.  Some are humorous and others are beautiful prose.  Here are some of our favorite abridged ones:

A guest from Australia wrote:  "We stayed at Crosswinds for several days in late October and it was a joyous experience.  We traveled by car some of the time, by bike (on loan from our hosts), and on foot (we brought our own).  The Studio is a delightful place to stay.  It comprises a spacious bed/living/dining/kitchen area and a bathroom which you can get really clean in. When we arrived and often when returning home, we'd find that the muffin fairy had visited.  But, despite how good the accommodation was, it was eclipsed by the hosts.  Ron & Andrea were (and probably still are) utterly delightful.  It's a sad thing about traveling like this that you meet people whom you'd want to be your best friends..."

"Beautiful area out here.  Very relaxing (especially coming out of Boston traffic-those drivers are INSANE!"

"The weather, eh, but loved the cottage and gardens.  Felt like home or better than our small, messy NYC apartments."

"Better than any crappy hotel/motel!  We will be back next year. Thanx for everything!"  

"Ron & Andrea are the perfect hosts.  They let us know they were around if we need anything, stocked the fridge with goodies and left us to do our thing.  They have the place set up with everything you need.  Literally, everything you need.  I really dig this place and would go back in a hot second.  Five stars!!

September brought guests from the UK, India, Germany, Boston & western MA, Brooklyn, NY, VT and very special family guests from Charlottesville, VA.   

Thanks for the visit! - Dale & Gene in P'town

  

2012 - August Musings

last summer's half-priced sunflower and guest 

When I start booking rooms in January, Labor Day seems like half a lifetime away, but here we almost are.  August tourists seem to be a little more frantic than July's, almost as if they've waited longer for their vacation so they're in a hurry to cram in as much of it as possible.  Driving anywhere has become a real-life computer game challenge of ever-increasing hazard levels, and trips to the dump in the August heat have become an endurance test from ripe combinations of cat poop and yesterday's lobster shells.  New faces are constantly checking in and out and the pace is unrelenting like the last leg of a marathon that will soon be over, but not just yet.  There are scads of fun things to do and no time to do most of them.    Guests checked in this month from the UK, Ontario, Ottawa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Texas, California, New York and Illinois.  People have even ignored the No Vacancy signs to knock on the door, just in case.  Labor Day looms on the calendar like an oasis and the first chrysanthemums have arrived at the market, which means that Autumn and relief is on the way. 

view from Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA

The most noteworthy event by far this month was the surprise return of our son, Sean, from three years working as a contractor in Afghanistan.  Watching BBC nightly news has become much less stressful as a result.  The basement is morphing once again into a hangout for him and invited friends while he explores employment options in a safer part of the world. 

Provincetown life imitates art

Great Whites are in the news again after a Colorado man was bitten while swimming in Truro, the first actual shark attack off Cape Cod since 1936.  It didn't take more than a couple of days to start seeing new shark T-shirts and I overheard in a local shop, "that ol' Great White wouldn't have been able to catch Michael Phelps last night."  Now, there's a new idea for Olympic trainers...

Life continues to serve up surprises and one presented itself this month in the form of an invitation by our friend, Dan, the Artistic Director of W.H.A.T. to be part of a comedy show called "Trials of Love".  The comedian, Mike Dorval, with the help of the audience sets out to resolve a disagreement presented by the invited couple.  Being the center of attention onstate has never been my idea of a relaxing evening, but I decided to be a good sport and try something new and I was glad I took the stretch.  It turned into a very fun evening and we even scored some gift certificates for participating.  The disagreement we came up with to be solved was that Ron wants the cats to be able to sleep with us, but being wedged between two cats ranging from 16 to 18 pounds is not conducive to a good night's sleep for me, especially when they decide to crawl on top of my chest.  When time was up and our cases were made, Ron received one tentative clap from a self-proclaimed cat lover, but the rest of the audience sided with me.

(That's 34 pounds of cat--I rest my case.)

I had another surprise this month, but more in the life-is-strange category than the pleasant kind.  When I returned to my car in a crowded parking lot, I found myself rear bumper to rear bumper with another car, making it impossible for me to leave.  After failing to locate the owner in a nearby shop, it dawned on me that the intruder must have rolled backwards into mine from the empty parking space directly opposite.  I finally located the chagrinned owner in another store, exchanged insurance information to get my cracked bumper fixed and decided that if I was going to be in an accident, this was an easy one to deal with.   

vintage Orleans police car

Although I don't get as much time as I'd like to take my camera exploring in the summer, I received a request to take cast pictures for a performance at Provincetown Theatre and I took the opportunity for a stroll to capture some images of what may be the most unique town on Cape Cod.  The people-watching is as rich as the seaside scenery itself and just in time for my next photo exhibit in the Orleans Cape Cod Five Bank.  Just as living anywhere else, we sometimes need reminders to stop and smell some hollyhocks.  

more Commercial Street views, Provincetown, MA

2012 - JULY MUSINGS

 Happy July - Happy Daisies

Just in time for 'Jaws Week'
Orleans' Nauset Beach in the next town south of us made national news this month and Walter Szulc claimed his 10 minutes of fame when a shark's dorsal fin was spotted behind his kayak.  Town officials briefly closed the beach to 3000 swimmers, but reopened with an advisory for people to just stay away from the seals.  Depending on the reporter, the shark was estimated between 12 and 16 feet and may or may not have been a great white.  In June, two great whites which were tagged last year by the Division of Marine Fisheries were detected off Cape Cod by acoustic receivers.  Shark expert and author of The Shark Handbook, Greg Skomal refers to Chatham as a "shark cafe" because of its close proximity to Monomoy Island, a favorite hangout for seals.  What the reporters should have mentioned is that in 1972 the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibited the killing of harbor seals which is the reason that we're overrun with these gourmet shark dinners.  The sharks either didn't get the news, or just choose to ignore it.  One great white was quoted as saying, "we've been eatin' seals a'fore you washed ashore here and no wicked piece'a pay-pah's gonna make us stop."

Nauset Beach, Orleans, MA, courtesy of the Cape Cod Times

I promise myself every summer that I won't whine about the heat, but our solar roof panels can't come fast enough for me so we can at least make use of all the hot sun.  Summer's a very "hummy" time.  The air conditioners, fans and bread makers hum, the generator hums every Tuesday at noon when it tests itself.  The cars hum as they pass each other on the nearby highway.  The hummingbirds constantly at our feeders are about the only things that don't hum.  Merchants, innkeepers and beach goers are of course thrilled with all this hot humming.  Meanwhile, I'm tending my gardens dreaming of cool,peaceful snow, and thankful we're only in the double digits here.  It's blueberry picking time and our two mature bushes have rewarded us with a big bowl of luscious fruit.  The two babies that got planted last summer are still alive and well, but not producing, yet.  Newly adopted from the Agway half-price tables are a pussy willow bush, a cardinalis, some gay feathers, coneflowers, brown-eyed Susans, bee balm, and of course, can't have too many hydrangeas.   

Last of the blueberries

The B&B made the perfect setting for a sisters reunion.  We haven't all been together since a wedding a couple of days prior to our move here from Virginia.  We were also joined by three nieces and a spare boyfriend.  The logistics of getting seven people pointed in the same direction and moving forward are much like pushing jello up a hill.  There's a lot of discussion about who wants to do what, how many cars it will take and who will ride with whom.  There are the usual false starts with trips back for various forgotten items.  The days are filled with general statements announcing what someone has decided to do and intermittent snack, tea and latte urges which spread contagiously.  But, we managed to do a fair amount of sightseeing without overload and saved some for next time.  Our mom would have been proud of her girls. 

This is the time of year when guests are coming and going so fast, I start contemplating footsteps.  Not the kind we leave in the sand or snow, but the impressions we all make on our own environments.  We never know what we'll see when we go in to prepare the B&B rooms for the next guests.  Sometimes they're just as neat as when they checked in.  Other times it's like the day after a New Year's Eve party. Still other times, people have decided to rearrange the furniture.  It's like this:  there are people who walk through a room and it gets neater and others who walk through and it gets messier.  We all leave footsteps, some just larger than others.  This month's guests are from as far away as England, Norway and Switzerland, and on this side of the pond from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and New York.  We even had someone who grew up in Eastham stay with us.  Apparently, lobsters are so plentiful in Maine, where they now live, that it has driven the price down below a living wage and they were here looking for restaurant contacts.

Race Point footsteps, Provincetown, MA

One of the joys of living in a small-town community that attracts artists of every type is that they are frequently willing to lend their creative hands to the constant fundraising that goes on to take care of our residents.  Two such events caught my eye this month.  The first is sponsored by the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary and is called "Sitting Pretty".  The purpose is to raise money for a new Digital Mammography Suite in Hyannis.  Anyone can contribute old wooden chairs and participating local artists will turn them into works of art to be auctioned off at a showing at the Cultural Center.  The second is called "Art Outside the Box", which for the eighth year running turns ordinary lunch boxes into works of art to be auctioned at the Ocean Edge Resort to benefit the Children's Place.  In the past, they have sold for between $50 to over $1000 and last year netted $42,000.  Helping neighbors by doing what you love is such a WIN-WIN.

"Art Outside the Box"

Lots of Critter News:

Just when you think there are no more surprises...well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit!  When I went to raise the door on the chipmunk trap, I came face to face with a creature I had to look up on google to identify.  The B&B had just checked in its first weasel.  I quickly learned that these cute little rodents have a very strong line of defense in the form of odor glands.  This little guy smelled so bad I couldn't even consider putting him in the car to relocate him, so he was released back to the salt marshes from where he came.  With a little help from Wikipedia, I also learned that in the winter, the coats of weasels who live in the North turn white and they're called ermine.  There's just no telling what a spoonful of peanut butter will catch.

 "Pop", the Weasel

Also in the critter catching news is a 21 pound, 150 year old lobster at Capt'n Elmer's restaurant in Orleans.  Rather than sell it for the retail cost of $170, the family-owned restaurant decided to sell $5 raffle tickets and donate the proceeds to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  The last time a mega-lobster was brought to the fish market, someone bought him and set him free in the ocean.  This time the raffle winner donated it to the Boston Aquarium.  It's not always about dinner here, but I admit that my mouth is watering a little bit. 

This photo released by the New England Aquarium, in Boston Tuesday, July 24, 2012, shows a 21-pound lobster caught July 14 off Cape Cod, and donated to the aquarium where it will be displayed after a 30-day quarantine period. (AP Photo/New England Aquarium, Emily Bauernfeind) 


Lastly, I'm happy to report that after a one-year hiatus, the bunnies have returned to Crosswinds B&B.  As I recall, they moved on when the skunks moved in, but the discovery of two babies under the pink dogwood in the courtyard has confirmed that they've reclaimed their territory and we couldn't be prouder of our new grandkids.  (Takes the pressure off of Sean & Doug...)  

Baby Bunny Daniels

2012 - JULY 4th

For anyone who wished they could see fireworks this year on the 4th of July, 

please click on the link below and enjoy this belated show.  

No bugs, 

no threat of wildfires, 

no traffic jams, 

just a couple of moments of fun.

  Click here:  Rock Harbor 4th

2012 - June Musings

Nothing says Springtime like a baby chic

The coves are suddenly packed with boats, people are walking around with neon red skin and the graduation congratulation banners are hanging from trees and fences.  That means it's June on the Cape.  And, it's been a bear of a month.  No, I mean literally.  The first bear in recorded history swam across the Cape Cod Canal early this month and within a week worked his way from the town of Sandwich near the canal to Provincetown at the northern tip of the Cape looking for a mate, or possibly fried clams.  He was monitored closely by Park Rangers, dart guns at the ready, and locals who were as concerned for his safety as any mischief he might get into.  For the most part he was very well behaved, with the exception of helping himself to bird feeders and beehives along the way, but after two weeks with no reasonable prospects for finding a mate, even in Provincetown, he was finally escorted back to an undisclosed location in Central MA where it's hoped he will finally get lucky in love.

Wind surfers on Cape Cod Bay

There have been some changes in our driveway this Spring.  The catboat and big truck are gone and an old Porsche Boxster has moved in.  For the first time ever, it's a novelty to be  "inside the Box".  It's nice to know that I haven't lost the ability to drive a stick shift, but I've gotten pretty lazy not having to.  Regardless, it's now the season to downshift lazy driving habits to hyper-vigilance and extra patience as out-of-town tourists outnumber locals on the roads.  It takes a little self-talk at first to remember that we're lucky to be crawling with tourists in a still-lagging economy and that the off-season has just spoiled us, and will do so again right on cue.

The Box - if you look closely 

Sometimes, no matter how many times you've made the same recipe, unknown factors influence the outcome.  There must be a metaphor for what happened on the same day with these two loaves.

To bread, or not to bread?

So far this Spring, we've hosted guests from Oklahoma, California, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, Washington (D.C. & State), Massachusetts, France, Holland, Germany, Israel, Italy and Canada.  On the subject of opening one's life to strangers from all over the world, I'd like to pull out the soapbox for just a moment.  It's very likely that you've received one or another email forward from a friend that's been going around about unlikely animals living in harmony together, i.e. dog and chimp; elephant and dog, dog and cat, cat and mouse, cat and owl, deer and dog, man and tiger, even lion, tiger and bear, etc.  Please allow me to state the obvious that if we're able to overcome the urge to stereotype, it's entirely reasonable to think that a peaceful world, while not probable, is at least possible.  Please consider and hold that thought for just a moment.  

Sunset at First Encounter Beach

Thank you and happy Summer.

2012 - MAY MUSINGS

The Little Fort Hill Mermaid

Even though we only spent the first four days of May on vacation, most of the month was devoted to recovering from Euro germs and getting back into the swing of preparing for and welcoming BandB guests.  Add to that participating in the Lower Cape Outreach Council fundraisers, planting the garden and preparing for the upcoming outdoor consignment sales and time has evaporated.  In addition, when friends came up from VA, we didn't say no when they asked us to suggest and attend a couple of plays with them.  It was almost as if we were still on vacation, only with chores.


The big news for me was that three of my photographs were chosen to grace this year's Eastham Visitors Guide, provided by the Chamber of Commerce.  Considering the professional competition, it was quite an honor.


And, while attending one of the plays at the Cape Rep Theater, Ron found out that he'd been chosen to play the role of Mr. Ziegfeld in Funny Girl later in the season.


We've also had a second solar assessment done on the house and decided to sign a contract for a 20-year lease for solar panels to be installed.  An energy audit is also recommended when making this investment and we found that MA pays for a large percentage of their recommendations.  Although Kermit the Frog once sang, "It's Not Easy Being Green", it seems to be getting a lot easier.


And, to finish the month off in grand style, we're psyched to have another visit from Doug, bearing new computer parts for my Mac Mini, which is quite full of photographs, by now.  Both he and Ron have May birthdays, thus some major cake eating going on.  

On cue, out-of-state cars have jammed the Stop and Shop parking lot and visitors can be heard calling across the aisles, "did you get the hot dogs?" and "what else should we get?"  I had three near shopping cart collisions before grasping that it was officially Memorial Day weekend and grocery lanes were just as congested as the roads.  Do I feel like a Cape Codder, NOW?   

WICKED COOL BEANS! 

Fort Hill in Spring Clothes