A Cape June 2014

June seems like the right time to return to a subject I've touched on before.  This is one of those times when a picture is worth a thousand words.  

This is what Cape Cod looks like on a map:  

Doesn't look like much there, does it?

O.k., now try this view:

Don't let the size fool you, there's a lot happening on this tiny strip of sand.

This is of particular importance to know if you are planning your first trip here.  All too often, we host guests who have decided to squeeze in a visit to an already packed itinerary, thinking that they can hit the high spots in a day and move on.  In fact, it's not uncommon for hopeful travelers to think they can see the Cape in an afternoon, visit Martha's Vineyard the next day and finish off a long weekend at Nantucket.  We then do our best to assess their interests so we can steer them to see as much as possible in the limited time they have planned.  For instance, do you want to go to the beach?  The Cape Cod National Seashore begins right here at Fort Hill in Eastham (where our B&B is located) and our town has one of the top 10 beaches in the country - Coast Guard Beach.  We also have First Encounter Beach on the bay side for a calmer beach experience and wonderful sunsets.  But, there are many beaches up and down the Cape that are similarly magnificent.  Eastham also has the oldest windmill on the Cape in the middle of the town green and in the summer there are frequently concerts and exhibits there.  Perhaps you have a fondness for lighthouses, that being the case, there are some close by you can climb for spectacular views, including Highland Light in Truro, which is located on a gorgeous, seaside Links golf course.   When was the last time you went to a drive-in movie?  Wellfleet has one, which is also transformed into a giant flea market during the day.  Are you a wine connoisseur?  Truro has free wine tastings at their vineyard during the summers and is previewing their new rum this year.  Are you a fine arts, antiques, thrift store or crafts junkie?  It would take many pages to list all the galleries, shows and shops that will dazzle you with unique, local art and collections in various towns.  When was the last time you treated yourself to some great, equity theatre productions?  Yes, we even have that and not nearly as expensive as Broadway.  Sailing?  Fishing?  Water Sports?  Whale Watching?  The Audubon Retreat and other nature trails?  Museums?  Cranberry bogs?  Biking on the Rail Trail?  Mouth-watering restaurants?  [We can also tell you where the great local spots to eat are with live music.]  Now, if you ran off to the Vineyard or Nantucket, you'd miss all of that and more.  The islands are really separate trips, also packed with days of exploring.  So, we understand trying to squeeze in as much as possible, but we want to help you make your drive here worth your while.  

One of the bike trail entrances in Orleans

The accolades for Eastham continue to roll in.  This month's Cape Cod Life magazine recognized our Fort Hill and Nauset Light Beach in their annual "Best Of" awards.  Fort Hill won a Gold for Picnic Spot and a Silver for Nature Area and the Fort Hill Trail took Silver for Walking Trails.  Nauset Light Beach won a Gold in the Beach category.

Fort Hill in the Spring

Somehow, five years have slipped by since moving to Eastham.  Memories of living elsewhere are fading and Cape Cod has become the more familiar place.  It's easy to fall into local vernacular about the latest town hall squabble or "must be summer 'cus have you seen that traffic?"  But every once in a while, a little under-the-breath remark about "wash-ashore's" is overheard and I'm reminded that there is a unique hierarchy here.  It doesn't have anything to do with wealth or social standing.  It's purely whether one was born here, (which makes one a "sandkicker"), or not.  That, in itself, doesn't really entitle one to anything more than the final word in a conversation, but it's saved for when one has nothing more to add to a discussion and needs a little punctuation.  ("Aw, he's just a wash-ashore.")    

Hemenway Landing

Speaking of the traffic, there is no hierarchy and only one rule of thumb to know about getting around in a resort town in the summer.  Chances are good that the cars surrounding you are not from around here, and are too overwhelmed looking at the scenery, or finding someplace they've never been before to observe safe driving rules.  That's just the way it is.  We've all been tourists in a strange place before and thoroughly annoyed the locals with our vacation antics.  So, relax and expect the unexpected.

Look what's new!

New stores in town are always an exciting development and Orleans has really hit the jackpot with a new one called Wicked Thrift.  Not only can one find wonderful used men's and woman's clothing and accessories, but you can actually trade in your own things for store credit or cash back.  The emphasis is on high-quality, bold and unique fashion.  We New Englanders do love our thrift stores and this one is certainly welcome.      

Luckily, I've never minded doing domestic chores like laundry, of which there is an abundance running a B&B, but too much of anything can become a challenge.  One of the things that make it all worthwhile is when we see our guests enjoying themselves on the property.  All of a sudden not just Cape Cod, but our own yard that we caretake so diligently becomes part of their vacation, or celebration, or adventure.  Happy couples sitting in the tree swing, grilling in the back yard, tossing frisbees, exploring the gardens or kicking the soccer ball around makes another trip downstairs to the washer and folding yet another load of sheets and towels something I'm happy to do instead of just a chore.   

Ron gets the tougher chores

It would be very easy to slip into a summer work routine of greeting guest after guest and then spending the evening hibernating from the traffic on a comfortable couch after preparing for the next guests.  But, we try not to forget about including ourselves in our recommendations for enjoying the summer scene.  We leave the beaches for the serious beach types until sunset when the air is gentler, the crowds quieter and the sunset worth the wait.  We've got all the T-shirts we need and the frozen yogurt and cones are more affordable from the grocery store.  So what do the innkeepers do for a date?  Our last big outing was to Provincetown for John Water's book signing event and then dinner at Bubbala's overlooking the bay.  For those not familiar with his work, John Waters is an American film director, screenwriter and actor most familiarly known for his cult films like Hairspray, Pink Flamingos and Polyester.  He also has many books to his credit, including his newest that we got signed called Carsick, which chronicles his recent trip hitchhiking across the country.  He's a frequent visitor to Provincetown.

With John Waters - his signature is even messier than Ron's!

With the evenings still deliciously cool after lots of warm sun during the day, we decided to take advantage of another opportunity at the new Wellfleet restaurant, The Fleetian, formerly known as The Juice.  Our friend, Chandler Travis was just beginning his weekly outdoor music gigs there and we couldn't miss out on being serenaded at our table while munching on white clam pizza and endive salad with beets and goat cheese.  It's always nice to see what Chan's written over the winter and who will have joined him for the evening to play along.  

Another dazzling First Encounter Beach sunset

Another date took advantage of "Pay What You Want Night" for the opening night of another equity production at W.H.A.T. (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre).  We try not to miss those if the arrival of our guests don't coincide.  This month's offering was I Am a Camera, a 1951 play by John Van Druten, adapted from Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin, part of The Berlin Stories.  The title is a quote taken from the novel's first page:  "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking."  I won't say it was the best show I've seen there, but it provided a showcase for a refreshing new talent, Ruby Wolf, whom we hope to see again in future works.    

Piping for the seagulls

With June skidding to a halt and only a half hour to spare before our next guests were to arrive, I decided to take what could prove to be my last walk to Fort Hill for a month before the arrival of the biting black flies, our dirty little July secret.  I'd read about a sculpture exhibit of small carved wood figures that will have residence in the park for a year.  The wood was removed by the National Seashore crews during a recent park restoration and given to Cape students to use for a project honoring Fort Hill's natural habitat.  My half hour ran out before I reached the exhibit and I had to turn back, as will happen whenever I take my camera with me, but I was treated to a lone bagpiper playing at the top of the hill and an artist painting the Penniman House.  It was worth the trip.    

The historic Penniman House belonged to a whaling captain and boasted the first indoor bathroom in Eastham.
Tours are given by volunteers of the National Seashore Salt Pond Center

Anticipating guest arrival times is about as accurate as predicting the weather.  We're more amazed when they get here when they thought they would than when they're hours late.  Frequently enough that it's become a little joke, we'll have one couple expected early and another expected late on the same day and have them both arrive at the same time in the middle.  With so many potential bottlenecks that can be encountered on the way, we're just glad when they get here safely.  Our June guests visited from the countries of Germany and Africa, the states of Texas, New York, California, New Hampshire and Connecticut, and our Massachusetts neighbors in the towns of Boston, Bridgewater and Belmont.  

Another June guest

A Cape May [not to be confused with New Jersey] 2014

With the exception of some teaser days that resulted in making the sweaters and coats disappear and unearthing the shorts and T-shirts, it's been a chilly Spring here.  The roads began May brilliantly lined with blooming yellow forsythia and jewel-like tulips, which bravely swayed in the raw chill until giving way to lacy blooming trees just in time for the Brewster in Bloom weekend festival.  Blossoms are not the only sign that the season has actually changed despite cool temperatures.  We spotted the first baby bunny and a box turtle roaming the backyard.  And, the chorus of returning birds fill the air.  One never knows who will show up at the feeders next.  There are serious Birders (with a capital 'B') who spend a good deal of time hiking around the right places, at the right times, with the right equipment.  We, on the other hand, are what I call Seriously Lazy birders (note the capital S & L, and small 'b'), but that doesn't mean we don't get just as excited when we see a new bird at our feeders, which are viewable from every window.   We go through about 50 pounds of sunflower seeds a month and continue to add flowers that attract birds and butterflies to the gardens.  It seems to be working.  

We owe a lot to whomever planted this lilac "bush" as all the birds take shelter in it while they plan their next turns at the feeders.  I'm pretty sure the hummingbirds build their nests in it, too.

Each year, we have been lucky enough to spot a new breed at the feeders.  Last year, it was the bluebirds and this year it's a Rose-breasted Grosbeak).  After describing the newcomer to our local expert, Mike O'Connor at the Orleans Bird Watchers Store, he confirmed the species and declared it a Spring treat to have spotted one because they don't stay around for long.  He even paid a visit to our back porch to try his luck, but Rosie was apparently busy somewhere else.  I found that they're not shy about having their picture taken like some of their colorful friends, so I sent him a picture for his Birdwatchers Store Facebook site.  Also back for the season are the hummingbirds and orioles.  We even heard of a website that tracks the Spring migration of the Hummies.  Seriously Lazy birding for us is a gentle celebration of the creatures who decorate our windows and is a rewarding and simple variety of entertainment we look forward to as a long term activity sitting in the porch glider.    

Rosie the Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Speaking of aging, I made an observation recently that is by no means a new one.  Living on Cape Cod is a bit like living in a retirement community.  Because of limited year-round employment opportunities and constantly rising property values, the young adults who are able to continue family businesses and want to remain are mostly the ones who stay.  The rest piece together seasonal jobs to sustain their families.  Consequently, the average age of the population is growing as boomers abound.  The upside to this is that being surrounded by so many senior citizens sometimes creates the false perspective that I've gotten younger again.  Consider that just another good reason to visit.  Rumors of questionable senior driving skills in the local paper resulted in an immediate rebuttal by an outraged boomer who declared them highly overstated and provided statistical data about youngsters to back it up.  Anyway, we all know senior driving pales by comparison to summer tourist maneuvers.  When it gets too frustrating, I try to picture my old, white-haired Mom behind the wheel and that usually buys me a little patience.      

Nauset Beach "jewels" in Orleans

It may seem strange to live so close to water and not have sand between my toes every day, but like anywhere else I've lived, the tendency is to think you can go anytime and the day slips by tending to other things.  Thanks to my new "assignment" to capture the town of Orleans in photos for the Chocolate Sparrow Gift Shop, I'm taking advantage of the new quest to familiarize myself with territory that I hadn't yet taken the opportunity to explore.  In effect, I've put my tourist hat back on and taken new looks at what makes a town unique.  Whether it's the old cemetery stones nestled amongst commercial shops, or Nauset Beach with its jewel-like rocks, the infamous Hot Chocolate Sparrow where one can get anything from decadent homemade candies to fancy coffees and sandwiches, to the windmill on the cove where many weddings are held, there are happy surprises to find around every corner.  

Town of Orleans - see the old gravestones behind the fence?

Sometimes we just get lucky, as in the evening we decided to finally use a restaurant gift certificate we were presented a couple of years ago for participating in a show in Wellfleet.  We'd been watching the sky change from dazzling sunbeams to the darkest slate blue that looked like Thor would emerge wielding lightening bolts.  We grabbed raincoats and made a dash for The Lost Dog Pub in Orleans.  As we drove along the Town Cove, we found instead of lightening the most vivid rainbow joining the dense clouds with the shore.  What a time to not have my camera!    

But, I did catch a shot of the sky through the window before we left.

Look what Travel & Leisure magazine wrote this month:

Beautiful Beaches to Visit in 2014

Margo Tabb

Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, Cape Cod, MA

This rugged New England beauty attracts weekenders for its expansive views of the Atlantic as well as tide pools, walking trails, and dunes worth exploring. Take your binoculars for an eyeful of wildlife: dolphins, birds (including endangered plovers and terns), and bobbing seals. Waves here get big—all the better to surf or bodyboard—but water temperatures can be bracing, even in midsummer. Coast Guard also has historical significance, as the first beach the Pilgrims spotted in 1620 from The Mayflower. In more recent news, the fresh air along this shore may soon be even cleaner; a smoking ban along Cape Cod National Seashore’s guarded beaches is under consideration.

Best time to visit: mid-June through early September

Chocolate Sparrow Exit

Returning visitors will notice a new, high-tech sign as they enter the Mid-Cape Highway on their way home that gives approximate travel times to the two bridges that cross the Cape Cod Canal.  In summer and on nice weekends, this can take a lot longer than usual, so a heads-up may help travelers make alternate plans to cope with the jams.

Eastham Solar Farm

There's something very reassuring about driving past the new Solar Farm at the Eastham Transfer Station on a hot day. The panels are lined up like headless troops across a large field, drinking in the sunshine and giving it back to the electrical grid.   It's nice to know that all that sun isn't just going to waste.

Spring Welcome

For better or worse, Memorial Day Weekend is HERE and High Season has roared in bearing kayaks, bikes and surfboards.  The parking lots are packed and there is gridlock in the grocery aisles.  Outdoor arts and crafts show tents have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Yard sale signs at every corner hope to attract the hordes of tourists going by.  After a semi-dismal forecast, the sun has made a liar out of the meteorologists providing a party atmosphere like nothing else can.  May guests who visited the B&B came from:  France, Great Britain, Seattle, New York, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Boston and Western Massachusetts.  Let Summer 2014 begin! 

Orson the Oriole dining on fresh oranges and grape jelly

A Cape April 2014

Wiley Irony

After we moved to the Cape, a friend of mine in Chatham who knows how much 
I love snow used to call me every time we had a flurry to say, "You must have been
a very good girl."  This went on for about two years before the snows started getting 
more frequent.  She hasn't bothered to mentioned it for the last few years because 
nobody could have been that good.  As I've told many people before, if I had any say 
in the weather, Richmond, Virginia would have been a much snowier place in the 1950's
and '60's.  But, when the weathermen started talking about a possible "Blizzard Bomb" 
(their words) for the last week in March on the East Coast a week in advance, I didn't pay it 
much mind.  After all, I'd already had the winter of all winters that almost made up for my
snow-deprived childhood.  It would seem too piggish to wish this on all the weary, winter wimps in late March.  But, I must have been a very, very good girl because with hurricane force winds, the Outer Cape bore the brunt of this surprising late-March storm, coincidentally, but aptly named Wiley.  Just twenty-four hours later, the sun was out, the streets were plowed, appointments were being kept
and people had stories to tell.  There goes a good car wash, but oh boy, it was fun.     

Better?

In the field of biology, culture is defined as the cultivation of bacteria and cells in an artificial medium containing nutrients.  This definition also describes a good theatre performance.  Take a heaping helping of actors, insert onstage with costumes and scenery and feed with wonderful lines and TA-DA, dramatic culture.  Our Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre is very adept in mixing up wonderful concoctions of entertainment and we got our dose of culture this month with their production of Hounds of the Baskervilles.  In their slapstick adaptation, three actors skillfully filled many roles, keeping us chuckling as we tried to keep up with them.

Sherlock Holmes' Hounds of the Baskervilles at W.H.A.T.

After our busy winter season, the B&B enjoyed a short lull, while people seemed to wait for a clearer transition of seasons.  In the interim, Ron took the opportunity he'd been waiting for to put a spiffy, new floor down in the Studio.  What a difference!  

BEFORE

AFTER

There is also all the difference between early and late April.  A shift between the beauty of fierce, winter starkness and the gentleness of delicate, budding color sneaks in under cover of gloomy, gray showers.  Which seeds it's time to plant begins to sneak into conversations, along with reports of returning ospreys and the beginning of the herring run.  Another day surprises us with the smell of ocean in the yard and the incredibly powerful sound of peepers in the nearby marshes during their brief mating season.   Birdseed and suet feeders start emptying at a frantic pace as the returning redwings, orioles and grackles greedily butt in to replenish after their trips North.  Wheelbarrows stacked full of brush, curls of smoke from burning leaves and people fixing fences that have blown down over the winter are common sights.  Another encouraging sign is the sudden increase in production of the solar panels, cutting our bills down to levels from decades ago.  I'm now on a first name basis with Andrew, the guy at Agway who loads bags of mulch into the car and a sure sign of Spring is when Ben & Jerry's reopens for the season with their annual Free Cone Day.  The temperatures have stealthily reached the occasional 60's and the search for where the shorts and sandals were stored was on.  Never mind that it snowed again mid-month, the day after stowing sweaters and coats and stacking up shorts and T-shirts.  It was just April's last weather prank.  And then, there are the tales of the garden...

When I worked at an elementary school, there was a poster in the clinic of a little kitten looking into a mirror, seeing the image of a big lion staring back.  I'm sure the intention was to boost little self-esteems, but I suffer from "Lion-itis".  I not only see the lion, I sometimes delude myself into thinking I am the lion, which gets me into no end of trouble when I'm gardening.  This wasn't as much of a problem when I was tied to a desk eight hours a day at school, but with the freedom of self-employment, I'm creating magnificent gardens and have become my own worst enemy.  Like my mother, a former Occupational Therapist, the motto of which profession is "adapt, adapt, adapt", I always gamble that I can out-think gravity and the impossible task.  That strategy has not worked out so well, so rest and rehab have become a fairly intermittent part of my garden plan.   So far, the new mini-leaf blower is proving to be a big back-saver and the big garden clean-up, though zombie-like, is underway.  "Slowly, I go, inch by inch, step by step."  

Spring in Brewster

Another small sign that we are not newbies anymore, is literally the signs along the roads of people campaigning for town offices.  We actually recognize who the people are now and even have opinions about some.  

The big weekend, Cape Cod way

Easter Weekend is the real beginning of the tourist influx.  Out of state license plates are as common as local ones now, which sadly make fender benders a recurring common sight as well.  The garden is waking up and surprising us with the bounty of prior years' labors and the snow plow is transforming back into the garden tractor.  April has brought us guests from France, Montreal, NJ, the Boston area and honeymooners from Richmond, VA.   

Daffodils have replaced snow

First tulip

      Words of advice for Spring:  do not lift more than you weigh!

A Cape March 2014

The "white sands" at Nauset Light Beach

Although it's been one of the coldest and snowiest winters in a long while, it's also been the busiest one of our five here so far.  Even when the winds are howling and the ground has morphed into mysterious white shapes, Cape Cod is still an inviting place to get away from the regular grind to enjoy the peaceful purity of off-season.  We hosted winter adventurers in January, February & March from as far away as Washington State, New Mexico, New Jersey, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, Indiana and several different towns around Massachusetts.   Many take the drive up to Provincetown to go as far as one can go on the Cape and others make it only as far as the top of Fort Hill, the Eastham Superette and the fireplace.  But, all seem to enjoy the respite.  Truthfully, there has been snow on the ground for so much of the winter, it looks strange when we get a brief warmup and see grass for a few days.  After the long stretch of frigid temperatures, a mid-30's warmup feels like Spring.  Even the daffodils and tulips have sent up exploratory buds.  But, regardless of the official Spring Equinox, March hasn't skimped on the last days of winter beauty and even as the snow mountains in parking lots are shrinking, it continues to decorate our trees like a winter paint by numbers scene.

Coast Guard Beach under cover

Almost immediately after the Patriots lost the last chance to play in the Superbowl this year, I was hungering for news of the Red Sox.  Finally, even as winter storms with scary names continuously swept across the country, the faint sound of baseball summer training camp was in the air.  Who won't be back, whose contract is on the line, who's on the injury list, but most importantly, who still has a beard from last year.  So far, only one of last year's bearded champions, Mike Napoli, has kept it going and it's mightier than ever.  But, he may give it a second thought after all the attention the clean-shaven Mike Gomes is receiving for looking decades younger without one, and also earning $10,000 for charity for shaving it in public.  

GO SOX 2014

March started off for me with another month-long photography exhibit at my bank.  Cape Cod 5 graciously shares their entrance hall wall to local artists by the month.  The staff and customers, enjoy the ever-changing displays and it's an opportunity for artists to showcase their work.  It's my third time displaying there and Saturday seems to definitely be a good day to hang an exhibit because with the busy foot traffic, I sold two pictures before they could even go up on the wall.  It's also been fun to walk through the lobby on a banking errand and anonymously overhear people commenting favorably on the photos.  With their few kind words, a self-indulgent hobby becomes transformed into appreciated art, and the Cape never disappoints, always providing tempting subjects to shoot.  This exhibit turned into an even bigger opportunity when I received an invitation to sell matted local shots in an Orleans gift shop.  One never knows when serendipity will sprout like a Spring bulb long ago tended and forgotten.

"Recycled Frames - Fresh Visions - Affordable Art"

Abundant opportunities for entertainment are also typical of winter in the arts-rich Cape environment.  We tend to cozy up to the fireplace and Netflix a lot, but with so many music and theatre temptations available, we eventually pull on the parkas and venture out.  We recently treated ourselves to a Thursday night at the Harvest Wine Gallery where our Eastham friend, Chandler Travis and his "Three-O" band, surrounded us [literally] in the most eclectic and brilliant set of music you'll find anywhere.  This is not your average band for so many reasons and to be enclosed in a cocoon of their skillful and lovely arrangements is the ultimate musical decadence and worth a trip in "thunder snow".  

Click to see the Chandler Travis Three-O Bio

Our next winter escapade was another play reading at the Provincetown Theatre Foundation's 2014 Winter Readings Series that Ron was invited to participate in.  

"It's A Grand Night For Murder", by Joe Starzyk

At least Ron got to stay alive in this skillfully written, wicked-dark comedy.  This is a great venue for unknown writers to test their creations out on an audience with actors.  We definitely give this one a thumbs-up and hope to see it staged in the future.

The next adventure was also in Provincetown, where Ron was asked to reprise another of his recent "dead men" roles to help film a promo to turn it into an independent film for festivals.  This was a new experience for me and I was invited to take some still shots for its promotion and enjoyed seeing the process.  It's not every day you get to take pictures of your husband running down a snowy street in boxers and cowboy boots.  If you're wondering just how a dead guy does that, you'll have to wait for the movie.  

  Takin' it for the team

In the spirit of another Spring, there are a few new things around the B&B, along with the abundance of green sprouts.  The Cottage has a gleaming, new, energy-efficient refrigerator and the Studio is getting a new, wood floor.  Also, there are solar panels going up in nine different towns, including ours, at the transfer stations to take advantage of the sunny wide-open spaces.  And, everyone is rejoicing at the return of Daylight Savings Time.

A Spring walk in Provincetown

Lastly for this month, I'm reminded of all the PTA newsletters I used to have to proof before distributing them to students to take home.  Without exception, every one would start out, "I can't believe it's already...(fill in the blank)."   Although I understood what they meant, I always wanted to point out that if an entire season, or even year had slipped by without making any impression on them, they probably weren't paying attention.  This year marks our fifth winter here on the Cape and I can believe it.  One doesn't shed an entire life and take on a new one immediately.  It happens "little by slow", a new expression I've picked up here, when suddenly everything and everyone isn't all new anymore.  Each new, little step towards feeling at home happens joyously and I look forward to them all.  That said, I may be the only one left looking forward to "Wiley", the next Nor'easter barreling up the East Coast with what most are hoping is the finale of winter storms.     

It won't be long...

A Cape February 2014

Did I say January was cold and snowy on the Cape?  

Surf boards replaced by snow plows

Welcome to February:

Flaky Fort Hill

This is the time of year when people can get a little testy about the weather.  It has snowed or iced more days than not and the snow plow drivers are ecstatic.  [See, it's not just formerly snow-deprived kids from south of the Mason-Dixon line who light up when they see the first flake.]  So far this year, Eastham has gotten at least 43 inches of snow in 14 snowstorms and like many other communities, we are way over our salt and plowing budget.  But, a lot of fisherman and carpenters supplement their income in the winter by plowing.  And, it's good for the water table.  The ice fishermen are pulling up tasty fish dinners for their families and when the ground is white, one can see the tracks of all the nocturnal critters comings and goings and it's a real party out there around the bird feeders.  So, c'mon, put on your snow boots and get in the spirit.  You'll be complaining about the heat and beach traffic soon enough.   

A gaggle on icy Salt Pond

From the Huffington Post:  IT'S SO COLD THAT...

• An escaped prisoner from the Blackburn Correctional Center in Kentucky turned himself back in after 24 hours of freedom because he was too cold.

• Anana, a 12-year old polar bear at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo had to be brought into a climate controlled environment because her diet did not include the seal and whale carcasses that she would need to build up the 5" layer of fat that wild polar bears need to battle the -40 below temperatures.

• The bald eagles and African penguins were also taken indoors off-exhibit at the Pittsburgh zoo until the temperatures rose.

• Residents in Ontario have been hearing loud explosions and feeling mild earthquake conditions due to "frost quakes".  Cryoseisms occur when water seeps underground and then expands when it freezes.

• In the week leading up to this year's polar vortex, there was a 115-degree difference between Florida and Minnesota.

And, in case you were interested who might be paying you a visit this winter:

I've lost count...guess who's coming to dinner?

Eastham's windmill 

Still can't wait 'til Spring?  O.k., it's a slow news month, but here's a significant announcement that should help you take heart.  We spotted the first red wing blackbird of the year at our feeders and the snowdrop bulbs are getting ready to bloom.   Our taxes are finally ready to take to our accountant and the Cape Codder is full of stories about deer tick studies and the new water system proposals.  Yes, proof that Spring is really on the way!

A valentine for you

Happy February (don't take it out on the groundhog)