Yesterday’s forty five minute brisk walk was an evening tour of downtown Falmouth. Living here is like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. Hope you enjoy the stroll.
Liam’s FrankenClaus
Best mac & cheese next to the new French bread bakery
Most Beloved Yarn Store
Tiny Twinkles
Quarterdeck
Eight Cousins Bookstore
Kaleidoscope Toy’s Upside Down Window
Blue on Green
Town Green
The only reason this is blurry is because I’m walking at the speed of light…
Kettle Pond at Beebe Woods-Click on pix to enlarge
Stone Wall Originally Meant to Stop Sheep From Wandering
Almost Bigger Than Life
Beebe Woods
Today’s walk had me drawn to the trees along the way. Maybe Sandy has me looking at them differently than before the high winds, uprooted trees and thick timbers along the roadside.
Gnarly Toes
I especially like gnarly trunks that have long, weird toes digging into the earth. This one seems to say,” Go ahead, make my day, try to uproot me”.
Tall and Lean
Some seem so elegant with naked limbs reaching skyward, with leaves long gone. Its branches are in perfect form, and it stands strong.
Six Birches, One Trunk
This birch looks like it had ADD when it was a seedling. It shot up in six different directions simultaneously and created an oddly beautiful sculpture. I love how irregular it is.
These daily walks manage to cross-pollinate various segments of my life. I walk for exercise, to try to get in shape and keep healthy. The walks end up clearing my mind and encouraging all kinds of new ideas for writing, reading, art and life in general. It’s an opportunity to have a dialogue with my husband or to just enjoy the quiet. Today, it slowed my world down and let me look at the trees and make connections.
The only new, blue flower amidst fall colors
Survived transplanting, Sandy and a Nor’easter.
Makes me forget I’m exercising…
As is often the case, my daughters are responsible for me making changes in my standard operating procedures. The latest is re-thinking Thanksgiving. In the past, this day of thanks has been known for an overabundance of food, a lot of traffic on the roads coming and going, and long afternoon naps after overdoing the whole routine. There was always an oversized turkey on the table and too much of everything else. And it was fun.
This year, the kids raised some interesting questions and suggested options:
So we’re in the process of re-creating the holiday or perhaps making a new one. I’m excited about finding a way to make this new celebration work. As a kid, I never questioned how colonization affected the Native Americans. Without being disgustingly politically correct, I do think about this issue and have doubts about celebrating the takeover. I think I need to do some more reading about this and understand what really happened in 1621 and what were the intended and unintended consequences.
It seems that the first Thanksgiving was in appreciation of not starving during that difficult year of survival in a new land. Then it grew and grew and grew… more food on the table, larger venues, over the top in so many ways. Even the average size of the turkey has exploded; anything less than 25 pounds looks like a Cornish hen. An assortment of pies now await on the sidebar, not just the one cherished pumpkin or apple treat. Thanksgiving is on steroids, and it’s less satisfying, even though we’re stuffed.
I’m thinking that reshaping this holiday does fit into my quest for simplicity and pared down living. I don’t like what Thanksgiving has become, and it’s time for a change. Stripping away the excess and recalibrating the holiday is in order. For us, that will mean treating food as healthy fuel. It also will be quality time together without stressful travel. We’ll find a creative project to work on together… maybe hats and scarves for the homeless or birdfeeders for the feathered critters. Needless to say, we won’t be hustling out in the week hours on Black Friday to hit the sales. We’re gravitating back to basics, and I’m thrilled that we’re doing it as a family. That’s something to be thankful about.
After three days and nights of no lights, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, Bella rediscovers Edison’s magic.
Hey, what’s this?
Got to get closer.
This is a bright idea, but it’s hot.
I wonder how it works…
We all survived Sandy quite nicely. No trees were downed, no injuries incurred. Life slowed down while we watched Mother Nature make chaos. Books got read, we listened to the radio, burned a lot of candles, learned how to use a cast iron frying pan on the gas grill. Physics and knitting got done… and we played with Bella a lot. We’re none the worst for the experience.
Photos courtesy of David
10AM Monday Sandy
Even as I sit here waiting for Sandy to hit the Cape, and for the trees to do back bends, and the power to go out, there are some redeeming values to appreciate in this “State of Emergency”.
I’ve decided to stay calm and just ride out this storm. Not a bad choice considering all the options.
Click and then double click on photos to follow the path.
When is a walk in the woods more like an adventure down a rabbit hole? Or maybe even more like Narnia or Where the Wild Things Are? That’s what the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail offers me every single time I go there.
Extends to the end of the earth…
It’s a mile long escape along a simple walkway just slightly raised above a piece of conservation land along the sea in Wellfleet and adjoins the Marconi Station where the first transatlantic message was sent in 1903. This trail is magic and one of my favorite places in the universe.
Where the wild things are…
The white cedar is the star, but no by means the only site to be seen. The cedars seem to shoot out of the earth and stretch to the sky, with vegetation twisted and gnarled at their feet. It is all very alive.
The bark texture is a work of art unto itself; a close up makes one wonder what’s in view. The light produces enchanting effects and is altered at every turn.
Animal, mineral or vegetable?
The ground cover is lush and varied. There’s always something new to observe.
Quiet and unassuming
Mother Nature doesn’t disappoint her audience.
Fern beds
A few wild asters
One is overwhelmed and at peace, simultaneously, in this place. It’s strangely wonderful.
Layers and layers of good stuff from the dirt to the sky
It’s like a trip to another world—all green and earthy—and at the end you have a majestic view of the National Seashore: the Atlantic Ocean in her full glory.
End of the trail, beginning of the sea
Hope to go back this weekend with the kids. It’s something to be shared.
A work in progress
We’ve been in the middle of a huge landscaping project. All of the plants from the house in Wellesley (that we just sold) were transplanted here at the Cape. I love that all these mature green goodies aren’t going to get bulldozed by the developer who is knocking down the house. So, we’ve got plants and lots of them. They’re all in the ground, getting their twice daily long drinks of water and gentle spritzing with spray. They’re all happy… Amazing.
However, it’s not the plants alone that I’m psyched about. We’ve got rocks, yes, mucho rocks here at the Cape. While transplanting the big trees/shrubs, Tom, the landscaper discovered even more rocks. And that’s when I really started to have fun. Since he had a great little Bobcat that could lift boulders and arrange them one on top of the other without me lifting a finger… I had a blast (bad rock pun, sorry!)
Goddess DeVida
At the front door is Goddess DeVida. She’s welcoming, but has enough heft to keep creeps and nasty relatives away. I love her and promised I would not dress her up for every Hallmark holiday.
Here’s a close up of her heart- made of stone—but definitely a heart.
She has a heart: stone, of course.
In the back yard are two smaller stone people. They’re located right outside my studio window and make me smile every time I see them, especially the male!
My favorite… and then yet another heart shaped rock we dug up… go figure.
There are still a few more that are works in progress. One reminds me of a cat, but I have to hunt for the “perfect” middle stone. It will happen.
Cat-a-tonic
This last one has potential, but right now, I’m only seeing a duck, and I’d rather see a bunch of undulating waves… Tom will be back with his machine on Friday. I can hardly wait.
Quackers
Rock on!
Happy Feet
The last week of August at the beach is the ripest, juiciest of all. Maybe that’s because the end of the long hot days is near, and the nip is already in the night air. Today Woodneck Beach was absolutely perfect, more perfect than usual.
My Favorite Place on Earth
At five o’clock there were still a few families lingering and languishing in what was left of the day and the season. The sun did its sparkling twinkles on the water, and the waves tickled toes.
Stone Puzzle
The rocks always catch my eye. I love the mosaic they make when they’re flat on the beach. Every once in a while someone creates a sculpture—we all walk around it and don’t disturb the art. Of course, I filled a small cloth bag with shells, rocks and assorted treasures to scatter across the walkway to the house. Sea glass on a path to the front door is a welcomed surprise all year long.
Built It
Tomorrow we’ll head to the beach earlier, sit in our chairs, books in hand, camera in beach bag, maybe a few snacks and we’ll soak up the last of summer and look forward to fall.
Yarnsista 