Cape Girl

Winter on Cape Cod

Okay, the holidays are over, and the long, cold winter is looming ahead with no end in sight. Now what? Plenty, that's what! There's plenty to do on the Cape in the winter, if you know where to look.

For those of us with children and young families, a visit to your local library is all you need to find fun and entertainment this time of year. While most places close down during the winter months, the library is always open and ready to fill your mind and spirit. Most local libraries offer puppet shows, story hours, craft workshops, yoga sessions for all ages, and even movie nights! Here are some libraries that offer many family-friendly activities throughout the winter:

• Sandwich Public Library: 142 Main St., Sandwich, MA http://www.sandwichpubliclibrary.com/
•  Jonathan Bourne Public Library: 19 Sandwich Rd., Bourne, MA http://www.bournelibrary.com/
•  Falmouth Public Library: 300 Main St., Falmouth, MA http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.com/
• Eldredge Public Library: 564 Main St., Chatham, MA http://www.eldredgelibrary.com/

Another fun thing to do this time of year is to plan your own "Staycation".  Book a room for your family at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa, 1225 Iyannough Rd., Hyannis, MA (508) 771-3000 http://www.capecodderresort.com/. This hotel offers an Indoor Wave Pool. It's housed in a 8.200 square foot indoor pool, complete with 2-foot waves, and 80-foot water slide, as well as a 50-foot water slide, waterfalls, whirlpool, dancing water fountains and two saunas. During this year's February school vacation week, they are offering their popular "Fun Zone" package, featuring Wii games, Ping Pong, Board Games, Moon Walk, Magnetic Darts, as well as younger children's activities such as Crafts & Face Painting and much, much more, all free of charge to registered hotel guests. Check their website to see the full schedule of vacation week activities.

For a more cost-effective family activity, check out the Gallo Arena Ice Skating Rink, 231 Sandwich Rd., Bourne, MA (508) 759-8904 http://www.galloarena.com/ . They offer public skating weekdays from 12:oopm - 2:00pm and Sundays from 4:00pm - 5:30pm. Public skating is $3 for adults and $2 for children ages 18 years or younger. You can bring your own skates, or rent them for $3 per pair. This is a fun and energetic way to spend a mid-winter afternoon!

If you're ready for a date-night, or looking to get out with a group of friends one evening, here are a few restaurants I particularly enjoy during these cold winter months. The first is Tokyo Restaurant, 143 Fairhaven Rd., Mattapoisett, MA. Yes, over the bridge!! You know it has to be good if I'm willing to cross the bridge for it. It's a short 15 minute drive over the Bourne Bridge, but well worth the trip. This Japanese, sushi & hibachi restaurant is a true experience. The excitement and showmanship of having a chef prepare an exotic Japanese meal right at your table, while giving a dazzling performance, is sure to excite you and tempt your taste buds. My personal favorites are the Chef Egg trick, the Volcano Onion trick and of course watching the master Chefs chop and cut your food at dizzying speeds! The tables are set for up to 15 people, so bring as many friends as you can - the more the merrier! This is especially fun if you go for a girls-night-out, or with a few other couples.

Another mid-winter treat is the Brazilian Grill, 680 Main St., Hyannis, MA (508) 771-0109 http://www.braziliangrill-capecod.com/ . If you've never been here before, you are missing a truly gluttonous experience. It is all about meat, meat and more meat. "Dr. Atkins" approved, this restaurant offers a traditional Brazilian style barbecue (called Rodizio) with a wide variety of different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and seafood. It is all you can eat, ad nauseum (but in a good way!) When you are seated, you will find a 2-sided card on your table. One side is green, the other, red. Simply signal the "Gauchos" that you are ready to begin the Rodizio by turning the card on your table to the green side. After you have enough, simply turn the card to the red side. The Rodizio also includes unlimited visits to the buffet which offers salads, vegetables, cheeses, pasta, as well as other Brazilian hot dishes. (Vegetarians can opt for the buffet only.) You definitely need to pace yourself at this place. There are many meat varieties offered, and you may request as many servings of any kind you'd like. So sample them all, but choose your favorites carefully - then have at it!!

The old adage "The best things in life are free" is never more appropriate than at this time of year. Simply bundle up and take a hike through the Cape's many nature conservatories and parks, or along our beautiful shoreline. Sometimes it's just what you need to get back to nature and stretch those sorely negleted muscles. Otherwise, there are times when nothing beats curling up with a good book, a hot cup of tea (or glass of wine!) and relaxing in front of a cozy fire.

No matter what you do to pass the time before the first peaks of Crocus appear, I hope this Blog entry helps you think of new and creative thing to do this winter. Before you know it, it will be Memorial Day!

 For more information on things to do on the Cape, visit my website at:

http://capecodgirl-sandy.blogspot.com/

Summertime... and the living is BUSY!

It's been a long, hot summer on the Cape. Between the kids being home 24/7 and taking a two week trip to Maine in August, there was scarcely time to catch up on the laundry, let alone try to find an hour or so to be creative, witty and inspiring. But now, the air is finally cooler, the kids are (nearly) back to school and I'm feeling the urge to get back to the Big, Bad World of Blogging.

There's just something about this time of year; the end of summer - beginning of fall. The crowds disperse, the kids go back to school, and everything starts to quiet down. Everyone seems to take a collective breath of relief (or exhaustion). Don't get me wrong, I love summer on the Cape as much as anyone, and this was as great a season as ever, albeit a bit rainy. But once it's over and the weather turns cooler, it feels like you get a fresh start, a clean slate, a Mulligan! No matter what you call it, I love this feeling.

It was a fun summer though. Despite all the record rain-fall, we were blessed with a gorgeous Memorial Day, a picture-perfect Fourth of July, a fun-filled and fabulous first-ever "SandwichFest" street fair, and a glorious, nearly rain-free August (although a couple weeks could have been a bit less humid!) Typical New Englander - I have to find some weather to complain about!

This summer found us visiting parks and public gardens, attending town band concerts and local town street fairs, strolling through the weekly farmer's market, and doing our best to boost our local economy by shopping at area boutiques and restaurants. We even splurged and took the whole family to the Circus! By any measure it was a busy summer.

We had a few out-of-town guests visit us over the course of the season as well. (They helped our local economy too!) One of them asked me if I noticed fewer crowds this summer due to the economic slow-down. I can honestly say I didn't. The grocery stores were busy as ever and the traffic on Rte. 6 showed no improvement, regardless of the "fly-over " completion. But mainly I think business was booming on the Cape because as vacations go, the Cape is one of the most reasonable and affordable ways to go. It can be as expensive or as frugal as you want to make it.

Most of the activities we enjoyed this summer were free. For those that did cost some money, they were relatively affordable. The majority of people I know who visited the Cape this summer stayed with family or friends who either live here or rented a place. Where there's a will, there's a way!

As we look ahead to all the beauty and promise a new season on Cape Cod has to offer, let us never forget what draws people to our Region in the first place: Summer. May Her spirit warm us all through the winter.

For more information on all things Cape Cod, visit my blog at: www.capecodgirl-sandy.blogspot.com

Strike Up The Band!

   Kids and their parents and grandparents join the Brewster Band drummer in a procession around the bandstand at Drummer Boy Park in Brewster. cctoday photo.

For a good old fashion slice of "Americana" you won't want to miss the Cape Cod Town Band Concerts.  Many towns across the Cape host these concerts during various nights of the week.  They're usually filled with local talented men and women and maybe just a few semi-famous musicians and conductors.  The music ranges from Broadway tunes, jazz, big band, classical and more. Regardless of the size of the band or the level of talent of the musicians, these concerts are just plain fun for all ages.

We recently went to the Brewster Town Band's first concert of the season.  Brewster holds their concerts on Sunday evenings at the Drummer Boy Park on Rte. 6A.  The band plays in a gorgeous wooden gazebo nestled at the base of the rolling fields.  The fields overlook Quivett Creek which leads to the sparkling, white-capped Cape Cod Bay.  In full disclosure, my father is one of the members of the band.  So of course, we had to let the Grandchildren see their "Papa" play on stage.  My father has been playing the trombone since he was in 4^th grade and he's been playing off and on throughout the years.   He also played in the Charlotte County Concert Band while he was in Florida this past winter.  A few email exchanges with the conductor from Brewster and he secured his spot with their band this summer.

These local town band concerts are free to the public and offer a perfect venue to sit back, relax and let the sound of the music wash over you in a beautiful, traditional "Small Town" setting.  It's the perfect way to transition from a long hot day at the beach to dinner out or any other evening activities you may have planned.  Many people bring their young children to frolic in the open fields and march around the bandstands waving flags and singing along to the Mickey Mouse March, Grand Old Flag or even the Bunny Hop!

On the evening we went, people were spread out on blankets or sitting on lawn chairs eating snacks and sipping drinks.  It can be as casual as a bag of popcorn and a can of soda, or as elaborate as a "Tanglewood-style" picnic of wine, cheese and pate.  We opted for something somewhere in the middle!  There's also a nice playground about 50 yards away, so if the children get restless, you can let them burn off their energy while still enjoying the music.

Here is the Summer Town Concert schedule at a glance. If you haven't been before, be sure to check out at least one this summer.  It's a refreshing change of pace that brings you back in time to a simpler life; One that makes you slow down and catch your breath.  It's also nice to know your children (and you) are outside, getting fresh air and living life, instead of sitting inside watching another rerun of Seinfeld or America's Funniest Home Videos.  Summer is fleeting in New England.  Maybe even more so on the Cape where we're usually the last to warm up for the season and the first to turn cool by mid-August.   We have to savor every magical moment summer has to offer!

SUNDAYS:

• Brewster, 6pm,  Drummer Boy Field, Rte. 6A

MONDAYS:

• Dennis, 7:30pm, Dennis Village Green Gazebo, Rte. 6A
• Orleans, 7:00pm, Nauset Beach, Beach Road
• Yarmouth, 7:30pm, Mattacheese Middle School, Higgins Crowell Road

TUESDAYS:

• Dennisport, 7:00pm, Dennis Village Green
• Harwich, 7:00pm, Band Shell at Brooks Park, Oak Street

WEDNESDAYS:

• Hyannis, 7:30pm, Hyannis Village Green, Main Street

THURSDAYS:

• Bourne, 7:00pm, Buzzards Bay Park, Main Street
• Falmouth, 8:00pm, Marina Park, Scranton Avenue
• Sandwich, 7:30pm, Gazebo behind the Henry T. Wing School, Rte. 130

FRIDAYS:

• Chatham, 7:00pm,  Margaret Noon Park, Main Street
• Chatham, 8:00pm, Whit Tileston Bandstand, Kate Gould Park, Main  St.

SATURDAYS:

• Hyannis, 6:00pm, Hyannis Village Green, Main Street

For more information on things to do on Cape Cod, visit my blog at:

 www.capecodgirl-sandy.blogspot.com

Looking back: Sandwich remembers Memorial Day

I love the Cape and I love living in Sandwich, MA. I am always looking for the next best thing when it comes to preserving the romance and history of Old Cape Cod.

I've been coming to the Cape my whole life, spending every summer at my parent's cottage on Ellis Landing in Brewster. My husband and I were married in 1996 at Northside Church and had our reception at Ocean Edge, both in Brewster. We moved here permanently 10 years ago, settling in Sandwich. We have 3 young children, all lucky enough to be born here, (thus making them "Native Cape Codders").

My husband is always telling me that our kids have no idea how lucky they are to live the life they have. We live in Sandwich Village, which in itself is pretty great. But we don't live on Old Main Street, or in one of those fabulous old sea captain mansions that surround the neighborhood. In fact, the houses on our street (all 10 of them) were built after 1960. So not particularly historic!

The reason we think our kids are so lucky, is because they get to grow up in a real-life Norman Rockwell painting. From our house our kids can (and do) walk to school, the ball fields, a tennis court, the library, all the downtown musueums, the boardwalk and Town Neck beach.

A little over a month ago we anxiously awaited the arrival of Memorial Day. Not just because it marks the 'official' start of Summer on the Cape, or because it means a day off from school and work, but because we get to witness American pride at it's best: The Sandwich Memorial Day Parade.

Everyone loves a parade, but I think Sandwich does it best. The Memorial Day parade in Sandwich is steeped in tradition, rich in pomp and circumstance, and offers just enough candy-throwing to generate squeals from the little ones!

With our nation still at war, marking a National holiday such as Memorial Day takes on added significance. Listening as the school band plays God Bless America; Watching the wreths being placed at each of the war memorials; Feeling the reverberation in your chest during the 21 gun salute; And tasting your first mini Tootsie Roll of the season. These are all of the sensory experiences we anticipate and enjoy each Memorial Day in Sandwich.

The parade in Sandwich certainly isn't the largest Memorial Day parade in Massachusetts, and probably isn't even the smallest, but it's got heart. The citizens of Sandwich who come out each Memorial Day to witness this annual march are not only honoring the men and women who bravely served our country, but are also preserving their memory and history for generations to come.