Cape Cod Rock Hopper

      So how do I tie this with the Cape, lets just look at some of this weeks observances then a couple of the month long observances. One of the weeklies that is going on this week that would directly be Cape related is National Tourism Week from May 12-19. Some would say that is about a month too soon, but tourist season means money and the Cape businesses would love to observe that every week. Next for this week is American Craft Beer Week 14 - 20, that Cape connection would come with Cape Cod Beer and we our beer (although within reason.) Next week 19 - 25 is National Boat Safety Week, and with all the boating that goes on in the Bay and on the Sound this is one that needs to be given some attention as we get ready to put the boats back in the water or ready them for the summer fun. Lets keep it fun for all, safety is not just for kids, it's for any and all who enjoy boating. and May 27 - June 2 is Hurricane Preparedness Week. The Cape has been so fortunate and has dodged so many bullets over the last several years. Yes there have been a couple of grazes and a few that the Cape has felt the off shoots, but we have missed the direct hit. Don't be lulled or fooled that the Cape is invincible, anyone who lives along a coast line needs to be prepared. As far as monthly observances, with the Jewish communities influence on the Cape it is Jewish-American Heritage Month. It is also National Bike Month, and with all the rail trail and coastal bike trails on the Cape, what a connection. Also National Preservation Month, stop and think about it, the Cape is so into preserving it's past and it's history. The last two that I feel can be very much Cape related is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, I understand there are more states that have a longer span of sun. However the Cape is a summer beach community and outdoor activities are prevalent and where ever this is, folks need to be aware of the affects of the sun on the skin. And the last is National Family Month that runs from May 13 through June 17. The Cape could not be any more family oriented then just about any other place I have been. The Cape is where some of my best memories of family time, from on the beach to miniature golf. From train rides to gallery hopping, from checking out lighthouses to harbor hopping, and yes even doing some shopping. Family time has always been important when it has come to the Cape. 

      I would challenge you to check out the weird and wacky holiday and observances at he beginning of each month. Do it as a family as see what is being observed that relates to the Cape. Things like American Indian Heritage Month, National Beach Safety Week, Fish are Friends not Food Week (yes this is for real), National Seafood Month, National Lobster Day. Yes there are so many things that you can do year round, creating memories for you and your family and the Cape to years and decades to come. 

      Well that's it for now, someone please check on level of the oil in the lighthouse lamp and be sure that wick is trimmed and burning it brightest. So as I start my finally journey for my home on the Cape I have a beacon that reaches out to guide me all the way. Until then have a great and wonderful time, every time you are able to be on Cape Cod.    

      I never grew tired of going out with Guy, he was always full of stories, and always knew where the fish where biting. And even if we tried one area and came up dry, it only took him a few minutes and a change of spots before he would find us good spot that the fish where hitting. He always knew just how long Dad could go before he needed to get out of the boat and get sand under his feet. Guy has been gone for awhile and whenever on the Cape and am able to go out fishing I will always remember him and his gentle Cape Cod spirit. Although he can keep any of those Sea Robins, even if he only uses them for bait. Uck. 

      Well as always if someone would, check on the oil in the light house lamp and be sure it is full, so that the light will not go out and be burning bright to guide me home soon. And once I've arrived I will do the same for the next on the come behind me. Until that day I cross the bridge and call the Cape home, have a great and wonderful in my place and enjoy every day that is spent on old Cape Cod.     

      Right from the beginning, my family was very fortunate that we did not have to go shop around for someplace to stay. In fact the cottage came to us, vs us going and looking for a place to stay. My Dad had just taken the Senior/Lead Pastoral position at the First Baptist Church of Parkersburg, W.Va. Dad was a pioneer for pastors writing contracts between churches and the pastoral staff. He was able to get the month of August off for both family time as well as personal development time. The man that was head of the home missions for the state of West Virginia, which Dad had know from his time in Philadelphia, his mother came to Dad and made this offer of the use of their cottage somewhere in Massachusetts called Cape Cod, and better yet a town called DennisPort. Once we got past the second year (read my first couple of blogs for that story), Jenny would always give Mom and Dad a call somewhere after the first of the year just to be sure they were still interested. So from 1965 to about 2000, my folks were able to use a beautiful cottage and share it by having family and later friends come visit them on the Cape over the years. Did I mention that right from the beginning, never was a penny asked for or noted needed to be paid, although Mom and Dad did a little research and every year gave you something and increased what they gave her to help compensate. 

      The first several years after I got married, my folks would open the doors to the cottage to us and allow us to come and stay with them. However the first year after our daughter was born we felt, ok I felt the need to get our own cottage. Fortunately with Dad's connections with the church up on the Cape and through other church connections we were able to find a cottage without much trouble. Although we had been spoiled with having the use of a cottage just off Old Wharf Road, our first rented cottage was back a ways into Chases Ocean Grove next to Campers Haven. We thought the walk to the beach was going to be the death of us. Looking back it really wasn't that bad, but when you are used to a stones through to the beach, anything more might as well be light years away. That only lasted a year, and the next stay was back at Mom and Dad's cottage. We stayed at the cottage the next couple of trips as we had to drop back to every other year as we just did not have any money. At first Mom and Dad would stay and allow the wife and I to have a night out without having to pay for child care and just have a night out. After our son was born, Dad and his second wife would stay for the first day or so than take off and allow us to have the better part of a week by ourselves with the family. Than come back for the last day we were there to allow us that time by ourselves. We did that for several years then finally felt that we needed to get our own cottage again. This time we got lucky and another acquaintance owed a place on the south side of Old Wharf Road in Chases, this time just 1 cottage between us and the beach. This place although was interesting for a family of 4 with a wife/mother that was more accustom nice hotels rooms than an open plan eating and sleeping and an open top shower. But she endured it for several years, and put up with a lot as we stayed there for several years. Finally when Dad moved to a lake side house in Michigan and decided that his month long stays at the Cape had come to an end, that is when we found the Old Landing Motel. The transition was made smooth by an owner who took an interest in us, why I'm still not sure,, but I am so grateful that he did. Year after year for the last 10 or 11 years David has taken care of us, and treated us like family. I think he took pity on my as both our father's are, as some would say, "men of the cloth", even though they are of different, how should I say politically correct, different denominations. We have much in common and have a wonderful time sharing together. Still to this day I would recommend the Old Landing Motel to any of my friends and family as a great place to stay while on the Cape. 

      So as you sure up your rental, your rooms, your camping spot or plot, remember to be wise on what you can spend. Lean from others who where not so smart, making decisions that should have waited. Guys, be cool and take your wife's needs into consideration, it will help make the marriage and your stay at the Cape a lot happier. And wife's be flexible, sometimes that man of yours just needs to get away to the Cape, he can't explain it, he can't give you a real reason why the Cape, but childhood memories just beckon him back. In the end, be smart, be economical, don't over do, and you will find that your visit to the Cape will be one of the most enjoyable, even if it did not start out to be what you originally thought it was to be like. 

      As always, if someone would, check the level of the oil in the light house beacon lamp, clean the lenses, and be sure the wick is trimmed and burning bright so that as soon as I am able to travel I can find my way home, to old Cape Cod.            

      As I looked up into the skies tonight I saw the sliver of the moon brightly lit and the shadowed outlined of the rest standing out in the dark blue western heavens. Stars shinning as brightly as they can through reflections of city lights, and the dim hue of a sun that is well below the horizon but leaves it glow dancing on the skyline. This moon, these stars, are the same that for so many years I have gone out and wondered at while standing on the beach at the Cape. I'm sure there is some grand theological and or philosophical contemplation behind this if I wanted to go there, but I'm not. This blog is not that deep,, ok most of the time. Seriously, have you never been someplace and looked up into the night skies and it bring back fast memories of the Cape. A special night with someone you cared for very much. A night spent laying on chase lounges looking up and watching meteor showers, while holding hands and wondering what the future held for the two you? A night spent alone, sitting on the beach watching the moon travel across the sky and wondering what the future help in store for you? Have you ever looked into the evening skies seeing all the stars dancing about and been reminded of the summer beach and how the sun dances off the sand. Can you connect the dots of stars and planets that look like star fish or silver dollars that take you back to your trip to the beaches off Chatham? Or what about the outline of Cape Cod itself. 

      Ok I have to be honest, just sitting here trying to write this weeks blog my mind is so wondering all over the Cape, that it is hard to focus on one thing to talk about. What about top ratings for the Cape since I have seen more of the Cape in different periodical or reports then I can remember in a while. First starters, what about Yankee magazine's top pic for Lobster shakes out in Eastham, ok let's be frank, lobster on Cape Cod, you mean I have to pick just one place? Next is DrBeach's pick of Coast Guard Beach being in the top 10, then again what beach on Cape Cod wouldn't I like. I subscribe to BedandBreakfast.com and just recently Cape Cod came up as 4th on a National level for best places, who's gonna argue with this one. And I loved this one according to BeerInfo.com Cape Cod Beer ranks among top 50 American Breweries, gotta love the beer. And not to forget our wine lovers, Truro gets a 4 out of 5 star rating from several travel reviews. Travel Channel thought enough of the Cape to give it some prime time slot. Cape Cod is listed as one of the top places to go Whale Watching, not only for the US but on a world level. I also know that I just saw the town of Brewster on a top 5 listing within the last month. 

      Cape Cod is full of top pick destinations and things to do. This year, open your mind to searching out some of these amazing places and check them out. For the locals, don't take everything you have so for granted and go visit a few places you haven't been for along time, or better yet that you have never been to. To often those who live in historic places never go check those places out, and just leave them to the tourists. What a shame, so much to enjoy, so close and not taking advantage of the opportunities close by. 

      Anyway, make your lists, check them twice, maybe even three times, them do the internet search and adjust your list. Be sure to get everyone's input, than do the countdown, yes even if it is just yourself of a family of 8. And prepare to have a summer of a lifetime, on wonderful Cape Cod. And if someone would, be sure to keep that lighthouse beacon shining brightly, filled with oil and the lenses polished, so that I can easily find my way home soon. 

      My Mother was the one who taught me the love of shellfish, and one of the other bivalves she loved were oysters. Here again, if it had not been for my Mother I would never have learned to enjoy them, especially raw on the half shell. Funny thing is, no one else in my family either blood or married eats raw shellfish. Sounds good to me just means more for me. It's funny how now when I go into a store and see the fish department I look to see where the oysters are from and whether or not they are from Wellfleet or Brewter, and I have even seen a couple from Dennis here in the Mid-West. My Dad loved oyster stew, so Mom would make that on a regular basis, and I have enjoyed making scalloped oysters, especially during the fall and winter holiday season. But there is also fried oysters that when not over breaded are so delicious.

      Another love of our house was scallops. Mom had several different recipes using local Cape scallops, from sauteing in butter in a pan, to baking them to using them in a seafood stew. I can remember no less the 7 or 8 different ways Mom would fix scallops and to this day I love to get them when out and know that the seafood is fresh. Mom would use both sea scallops as well as bay scallops and preferred the larger sea scallops for pan searing or pan frying, while for her soups and stews she would opt for the smaller bay scallops. 

      Quahogs, what would this blog be without mentioning these beauties. Stuffed Quahogs, yum-mo, (sorry WB but its the only way I can say my love for them). I know I have mentioned this before but the best ones we ever had were from Thompson's Clam Bar. They had bacon in them and lots of clam and little filler, with lots of favor. Thompson's was good for any kind of shellfish, raw or otherwise. Anyway, Mom also used to use fresh Quahogs in clam chowder. 

      One bivalve that my Mother did not do a lot of cooking with was the mussel. Every now and then she would get a few while out at a restaurant, or when part of a raw sampler, but she just did not feel comfortable cooking with them at home. Dad although he did not dislike mussels, it was not on the top of his list for first choice of bivalves. Over the years I have learned to like them more and more, and enjoy getting a bowl of mussels done in garlic and butter or as part of a good seafood stew, served with a side order of toasted artisan bread with fresh garlic spread. How wicked good can that get. 

      Clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, you can find them all in the Cape waters. Freshly dug or harvested, and ready for your table in minutes, either by your methods or by restaurant orders. Fried, sauteed, steamed, stewed, souped, baked or raw, they come anyway you can image. So give the poor bivalve a break and give them a try and maybe you just might find that you like them. Then again if you don't, that just means more for me. Do you remember where you learned your love your shellfish? I do, and it is all about the Cape. Here's to good seafood eats all on Cape Cod. 

      Well that's it for this round, have a great and wonderful day on Cape Cod, and if someone would please be sure to check the oil lamp to be sure it is full and the lenses are clean and shinning bright. So that as soon as my time comes I can find my way home easily and quickly, and hoping that day will be soon. Until then,,, have a happy, happy. 

      As the weather gets warmer and the tourist season gets closer, I can not help but remember those wonderful trips to the Cape and the road traffic on Saturday mornings coming onto the Cape, especially the days before the modern RT 25 and having to deal with rotary congestion. If we did not hit it right, the back ups that happened for miles on end getting onto the Cape. Then again trying to get off the Cape when all was said and done was no better picnic. Some years getting back ups that went back as far back as between exit 2 and 3, and there was no construction going on, on either bridge. As I started coming to the Cape either on my own or with my family, we were able to adjust our times that we arrived or left the Cape as not the run into the combat traffic issues. The moral to this little ditty to all you traveler, if you can find an off time to make your drive to and from the Cape, and it might just save you a little bit of sanity.

     Ok so over the river and through the dunes to Cape Cod Beer we go. Wait a minute, we need some salty snacks to go along with your Cape Cod Beer, so why not get some Cape Cod Potato Chips, yum, yum. Then it's time to find something with substance, now what else am I going to get other then local Harwich, Chatham or Wellfleet seafood. And it would be so rude and wrong not to wash it all down with some local wine from Truro. Ok I'm starting to put on weight just thinking about all this good eats, (yes I stole that one but it fits.) Now before we turn in for the night, it just wouldn't be right if we did not find a great ice creamery. There are so many local places just tip to canal I could not do justice to even start to mention them. 

      So as you are doing your planning this year google holidays and observances, and check out what is happening the day, week or month you will be on the Cape and pair some of the observances with things to do on the Cape. Next be smart in your travels so you don't pull your hair out before you even get here or end up home so stressed out that all the good relaxation you experienced while on the Cape is gone. And last, check out local places that are making a difference on the Cape food scene and go check them out. Try something new, revisit someplace old and where ever you go make new friend and reacquaint with old ones. And whatever you do, have fun and enjoy yourself. 

      Well until next time or until we meet, if someone would check the oil in the lighthouse lamp and be sure it is filled and burning bright so that I can find my way home just as soon as all the hurtles are cleared out of the way. Until then have a great and wonderful on old Cape Cod.       

     For the next 10 - 15 years I had the pleasure of using this Sunfish sail boat year after year, with no cost to us. Dad and I would go up and get it, bring it down to use. Once finished we would be sure that is was well cleaned, sail rolled and tied up, and all gear properly stored. I thought over the years how it got funny that Dad would send me up to get the boat and then after helping me get it off the beach, have me take the boat back to the owners, while he went and go the hot shower. Hum, kind of make me wonder at this point and think, Really? Then again I did benefit the most when all is said and done about it. 

     Sailing is one of those activities that is a wonderful way to just get away from it all. There is nothing else but you, the boat and the elements. There is time to relax, time to think, time to sit and bake in the sun when the wind decides to evade the entire Sound as you are sitting 1/2 mile or so from shore. It can also be an exhilaration, a rush, a thrill as winds pick up and waves start to rise and you start to skip from wave to wave. The dagger board pulled 1/4 or more up, as the boat rolls up on its side cutting drag, as the sails are filled to their max pushing the vessel to it very limit without tipping over and spilling its contents, namely me. There were days that I went out knowing right from the beginning that a turtle could swim by faster then I was going to sail, and that was ok with me. It was my time alone, my time to do something that not a lot of others had the ability to, or could do. And of my friends back in Ohio even fewer then the number of friends I had on the Cape. To be able to go back to school and to my youth group at church and talk about those times gave me something that most of my friends could only image doing. A few had access to power boats, but most of the kids had no idea of what sailing was all about. But I had that experience, that opportunity, that thrill, and will never forget it, or the folks that made it possible for me to do that. 

      If you are ever given the opportunity to go out with an experienced sailer or you have the ability to learn how to sail, I hope you take the time. I understand the need for speed with many males, but give it a chance on a good windy day and I think you will have all you can handle. Well before this memory gets blown out to sea with a big gust of wind, I will pack up this boat and put it away for another while. In the meantime while I do that if someone would be sure the lighthouse lamps are filled with oil and the wicks are trimmed and burning brightly, so that as soon as I am ready to roll, that beacon will be shining out as strong as possible to lead me on home to old Cape Cod.     

      Well soon the grass will be bright green, the leave will fill the trees and the birds that went somewhere over the winter will return, including the retirees who spend the colder months in Florida or out in Arizona. Then not far behind will be those wonder wacky and wild if not weird in some cases, tourists. Those folks that come and spend what little money they have left, after the gas gouging, on our wonderful restaurants, shops, galleries, studios, and nick-knack patty whack get your dog a bone places. But really we love them, all of them, and hope they find our Cape a wonderful place to visit.

      So with all that said, full steam ahead with spring on the Cape. Lets get out and celebrate it's coming, and welcome it will full open arms. We did get our winter this year so we might as well take a really nice long spring with wonderful blue skies made for long walks on empty beaches and nice bike rides on uncrowded rail trails. Have a great beginning to spring, and if someone would please be sure that the lighthouse lamp oil is full and the wick is trimmed to burn it's brightest. So when the wheels are ready to roll I can easily find my way home. Until next time, go and enjoy wonderful old Cape Cod.         

      There are times that you just need to get away, find a place of solitude, just a quite out of the way place that you can be left alone and just think. Over the years this was changed for me, first my constraints were age, when young I couldn't go to far away, next was I could not easily take to the car as we only had the family car and as a teenager who wants to be seen in the family station wagon on vacation. Then later in life just plan old time and family, but we all need our get away time, we all need to find a place that we think, talk out loud were no-one is around to think you have completely lost your marbles. Sometimes I think that taking that time on vacation is even more important then any other time of the year. 

      When I was young I remember being able to ride my bike all over Campers Haven. In the late 60's early 70's there was a playground towards the back of the park, and a fence between Campers Haven and the back side of Chases. Both area were not populated as they are today and just on the other side of the fence there was a grove of pine trees that the branches went all the way to the ground. This was good for many things that a young boy was looking for to hide while doing, as well as just hiding out and giving a place to be by ones self. As I got older and could venture outside of Campers Haven I used to ride my bike all over the place, especially up and down Old Wharf Road and when I could even out to Lower County Road all the way out to West Dennis beach and even as far Bass River. I never really liked getting up early in the morning but to ride down to a deserted beach and watch as the morning sunlight stretched across the Nantucket Sound and being able to reflect on things was just a time that can never be taken away from me. 

      As the years went by and I got older, I would be able to take the car every now and then. I would find myself going up near the old railroad bridge over the Bass River. There were some places you could park and go sit out on the old bridge and just be by yourself watching the tide roll in and out. The other place along Bass River that was a nice get away was Uncle Freeman's landing. It was a nice place to watch the boat turn as the tide changed, also to sit and watch the charter boats go in and out at different times of the day. Each place had it's own time, and remembrances. Some places were better in the morning and others in the evening, as one looking for a getaway does not want to be where the crowds are. And in the middle of August and the height of tourist season, that is not always easy to do. 

      In my early 20's before I was married or when I have been able to get to the Cape on my own a couple of times, my favorite place to just find seclusion has been at Gray's Boardwalk. Either in June or September is the time for the boardwalk, thinking you are going to get much time along for meditation and reflection from mid June through August you have another thing coming. Those months you go for the view and a couples moment to share either a sunrise or a sunset with a bunch of other couples doing the same thing. It's cool but not alone. For these months the places to look for are lonely beaches and climbing up the side of a dune and taking your time with nature. All along Dennis and Brewster you can find some of these lonely beaches, before the crowds starts to arrive. One other place one can get lost at it alone Stony Brook Herring run and the mill pond area. Walking the paths and just allowing the brook to resonate around you as the birds chirp loudly and flutter all around. But when getting away was not an option where can you go, what can you do. Sometimes you just need to take that walk along the beaches alone. Go sit on the park bench at the edge of the parking lot of Sea St beach. Sometimes, being alone just means getting away form your normal surroundings and taking whatever is given you and making a moment for yourself. 

      Have you ever tried going to one of the harbor's early in the morning and just sitting and watching as all the fishing boats go out. What about going to one of the airports like either Chatham or Marshton Mills. Or what about going to one of the Lighthouses that offer spectacular views. The Cape is full of wonderful places if you look to get some seclusion at some point and time of a day. Getting back to a nature and the natural wonders of our Creator has always been a time I have cherished. What about you? Not had some time alone lately, take off for a half hour, hour or if you can a couple of hours and just let the rat race pass you by for couple. The refreshing moment will do you a world of wonder for you both physically as well as mentally and spiritually. 

      Well until that time, if someone would be sure the lighthouse lamp is filled with oil and trimmed for maximum burning power, so that as soon as I am able that beacon is burning bright to guide me home.