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EDITOR’S NOTE
FALL 2020 KELLY CHASE kchase@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Editor-in-Chief ERIC BRUST-AKDEMIR ericbrust@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Creative Director / Publisher PATRICK O’DONNELL patrick@capecodandtheislandsmag.com A s s o c i a t e P u b l i s h e r & M a n a g e r, Business Development REBECCA BANAS rebecca@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Advertising Account Executive KATHY RUSINOSKI kathy@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Advertising Account Executive FATIH AKDEMIR fatihakdemir@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Managing Publisher C o n t r i b u t i n g MARIA ALLEN Wr i t e r s LISA CAVANAUGH COURTNEY GOODRICH BILL HIGGINS COURTNEY LINCOLN LANNAN M. O’BRIEN MIKE O’CONNOR ANDRE VAN DER WENDE SARAH WALDMAN LAUREN WOLK Contributing Photographers
ELIZABETH CECIL JULIA CUMES DAN CUTRONA MARCY FORD TONY LUONG
DAWN ORVIS Proofreader / Fact-Checker CAPECODANDTHEISLANDSMAG.COM @CAPEANDISLANDSMAG
Cape Cod & The Islands Magazine is published quarterly by Scorton Creek Media © 2020
For subscription inquires or a change of address to P.O. BOX 723 East Sandwich, MA 02537 Subscription rate is $20.00 for 4 issues; $35.00 for 8 issues; $50.00 for 12 issues. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for a new subscription to begin. Printed in the U.S.A. September 2020 Volume 1/Issue 3 For advertising: sales@capecodandtheislandsmag.com To contact us for questions or comments: customerservice@capecodandtheislandsmag.com Letters to the editor: feedback@capecodandtheislandsmag.com
Do you know how Cape Cod
and the Islands is made? Once stories are filed, our creative director gets to work on design and layout. After stories are artfully assembled, they are fact checked, proofread, and polished before we give the green light to the printer. Next, the magazine is printed and shipped to your door or local grocery store. The result is a signed, sealed, and delivered bundle of stories. However, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: while the product is neat and tidy, magazine making can be a messy process, especially that part before stories are submitted. The jobs of the people who put these articles together—writers and photographers and story subjects— often call for early mornings and late nights, and almost always require ingenuity, moxie, and, more often than you’d think, getting their boots muddy. Take photographer Julia Cumes who trudged through the flats of Wellfleet to capture the workplaces of three wild oyster harvesters. “The job is physically demanding, and you work in all kinds of conditions,” says Wellfleet Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta. “You live by the tides, you live by the weather, and you need to know where you are going and what you are doing.” Cumes knew she’d have to step out into the elements, but of course, she didn’t hesitate (“Wild Wellfleet,” 40). Luckily, another assignment in this issue took her to a vineyard and a gelato store, so as far as I know, she’s decided to stick around (“Living the Dream,” 74). Writer Bill Higgins is a retired sports columnist for the Cape Cod Times. In his career, he’s told hundreds of stories. For this issue, Higgins hopped on a bike and interviewed two cyclists, Stephanie Madsen of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Paul Sellers of Eversource, about the peace of mind they experience while cruising the Shining Sea Bikeway (“Open-Road Remedy,” 50). On the cover is the work of photographer Dan Cutrona who visited Sandra Cavallo’s stunning coastal home in Falmouth. Cavallo offers readers three DIY projects to do around the house while we’re all around the house this fall and winter. Cutrona always goes the extra mile—standing on tables and sending drones into the air—in an effort to get the perfect shot (“Around the House,” 58). Take those three examples and add 25 more because in this issue 28 contributors helped to tell stories about 35 individuals. Then there are our generous and supportive advertisers and our hardworking sales team—without their help, this publication wouldn’t be possible. That’s how Cape Cod and the Islands is made, with the help, dedication, and passion of many. Writers and photographers are drawn to this profession for many different reasons, but I think we can all agree that one of the great perks is that the story assignments we accept, or conceive of, often take us on adventures we never expected.
T hanks for joining us on the ride. Kelly Chase Editor-in-Chief
FALL 2020 » 1
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CONTRIBUTORS
Skip Finley, a retired radio broadcasting executive, is the
second of a five-generation Martha’s Vineyard family and lives in Oak Bluffs. A writer with an historical bent, Atria (137 Main St., Edgartown), Cardboard Box (6 Circuit Ave., Oak Bluff), and Giordano’s (18 Lake Ave., Oak Bluffs) are his favorite restaurants. In 2020, Skip was one of three who received the Martha’s Vineyard Museum (151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven) medal honoring his commitment to preserving the history, arts, and culture of the Vineyard. “WHALING CAPTAINS OF COLOR,” 18.
Tony Luong received his master’s from the Massachusetts
College of Art and Design. His photography has been exhibited in Boston and New York and has appeared in various magazines, such as The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time, and Wired, among others. This fall, he plans on getting as much golf in as he can and has high hopes of learning how to play the piano. “ART IS WELCOME HERE,” 22.
Marcy Ford
As a gardener and nature photographer, enjoys all of the seasons for different reasons but autumn is her favorite. She loves photographing migrating birds at Fort Hill, Wellfleet Bay Audubon Sanctuary, and the different conservation lands and beaches. Marcy’s favorite ending to any outing is sipping a delicious mocha at Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters (2624 Main St., Brewster). “A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BIRDING,” 30.
Courtney Goodrich
As a writer, editor, and stylist, enjoys covering different topics, including art, design, fashion, food, and travel. This fall, she’s looking forward to getting back into her kitchen and cooking up her family’s favorite cold-weather recipes. Then after taking an in-depth inventory of her cooking tools and equipment, she plans to make a trip to the Cook Shop (1091 Main St., Brewster) to fill in any holes. “AROUND THE HOUSE,” 58 & “FOREVER HOME, PIECE BY PIECE,” 64.
Julia Cumes is a South African-born photographer based
on Cape Cod. She’s passionate about storytelling, has photographed projects around the globe, and is a frequent contributor to Cape Cod and the Islands. This fall, she plans on doing some long mountain-biking adventures in Nickerson State Park (3488 Main St., Brewster) and the Punkhorns (Brewster) with her partner and dogs after getting a tune-up at Orleans Cycle (26 Main St., Orleans). “ANCESTRY & LEGACY,” 10, “WILD WELLFLEET,” 40 & “LIVING THE DREAM,” 76. 4 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Lisa Cavanaugh
Lifestyle writer has worked in Off-Broadway production in New York City and as a story editor, producer, and writer in Los Angeles. Now she’s a full-time Cape Codder, and she and her husband, a commercial fisherman, reside in the Yarmouth house that belonged to her grandparents. This time of year, when she is not walking in the woods enjoying the changing leaves, Lisa visits Cape Cod Organic Farm (3675 Main St., Barnstable) for pumpkins and fall veggies or indulges in a chai latte at Three Fins Coffee Roasters (581 Main St., Dennis). “WILD WELLFLEET,” 40.
Maria Allen is a freelance writer and the editor of South
Shore Home, Life & Style. She is a lifelong Cape Codder who grew up in Wellfleet and now lives in Sagamore Beach. For this issue, she penned an article about three local families that are raising families and running businesses in Wellfleet and Truro. Her favorite fall activities include apple picking at Crow Farm (192 Route 6A, Sandwich) and cooking with fresh cranberries from local cranberry bogs. “LIVING THE DREAM,” 74.
Bill Higgins is a retired sports editor of the Cape
Cod Times, which gives him more time to golf (still trying to break 80); fish (still trying to catch a keeper striper); and enjoy four young grandkids. This fall, he’s looking forward to walking/jogging/cycling the Cape Cod Canal after getting breakfast treats at Café Chew (4 Merchants Rd., Sandwich). “OPEN ROAD REMEDY,” 50.
JARITA DAVIS is a poet and fiction writer with a
B.A. in classics from Brown University and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. She was the writer in residence at the Nantucket Historical Association and has received fellowships from the Mellon Mays program, Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, and the Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon. Her work has appeared in the Southwestern Review, Historic Nantucket, Cave Canem Anthologies, Crab Orchard Review, Plainsongs, Verdad Magazine, and Cape Cod Poetry Review. Her collection Return Flights is available from Tagus Press. She lives and writes in West Falmouth. “HARVESTING A RETURN,” 92.
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INSIDE THE ISSUE
P64. FOREVER HOME - PIECE BY PIECE
P22. ART IS WELCOME HERE
P58. AROUND THE HOUSE
P88. COZY AUTUMN OFFERINGS
P40. WILD WELLFLEET
P50. OPEN-ROAD REMEDY
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PHOTOGRAPH BY MARCY FORD
capecodandtheislandsmag.com
P30. A Beginner’s Guide to Birding Mike O’Connor, owner of the Bird Watcher’s General Store in Orleans, shares his tips for observing the region’s diverse wildlife.
EVENTS
10 / Ancestry and Legacy at Highfield Hall 12 / A Collection of the Season’s Live and Virtual Events
COMMUNITY
14 / A Guide to Exploring the Outdoors as a Family
HISTORY
16 / Two of the Region’s Whaling Captains of Color
WELLNESS
20 / Home Remedies from a Cape Cod Herbalist
ARTS
22 / A Provincetown Philanthropist Hopes to Reinvigorate a Legacy of Art Making 28 / Artist Paul Schulenburg’s Scenes from the Region
LIFE + STYLE
30 / A Beginner’s Guide to Birding on the Cape and Islands 40 / Wild Wellfleet: A Tale of Three Female Oyster Harvesters 50 / Open-Road Remedy: Falmouth’s Shining Sea Bikeway is Something to See and Explore
HOME
58 / Three DIY Projects that Make a Huge Difference 64 / One Couple’s Harwich Port Renovation is Achieved in Phases
REAL ESTATE
72 / Five Takeaways from the Cape Cod Market During COVID-19
CAPE COD CORNER
76 / Living the Dream: Portraits of Three Families that are Living and Working in Wellfleet and Truro
FOOD & DRINK
84 / The West End’s Ambrosia Negroni 86 / Where to Go to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth
RECIPE
88 / Catchall Dishes that Make the Most of the Season
WRITER’S SHACK
92 / The Work of Local Poet Jarita Davis
ON THE COVER P.58 Inside Old Silver Shed in Falmouth, where homeowner Sandra Cavallo offers three DIY projects. Photograph by Dan Cutrona.
BOOKS
94 / Six Good Books to Read for Fall
FINAL THOUGHT
96 / A Few of Our Favorite Furry Pals
FALL 2020 » 9
EVENTS
ANCESTRY + LEGACY AT HIGHFIELD HALL
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA CUMES
Highfield Hall’s new exhibit, Ancestry + Legacy, is a meditation on how past, present, and future are inextricably intertwined. Artists in the show contemplate how their own unique ancestries influence both their present lives and future legacies. “The subject of ancestry is a natural inspiration for artists working in a wide variety of media from painting, drawing, and sculpture to ceramics and photography,” says curator and artist, John Moore, who conceived of the exhibit and who posed a series of challenging questions to artists to respond to. “The purpose of this exhibition is to facilitate a dialog with the artists and audience engaging in a process with these ideas through the power of questioning,” Moore explains. The exhibit is on view at Highfield Hall, September 2 through October 31, 2020. For hours and information, please visit highfieldhallandgardens.org.
John Cira’s sculptural piece, Thinker, is made partially from a former department store manikin while the figure’s head is made out of pasta. “My intent was for the piece—and the head in particular—to symbolize the distress and confusion that we are currently going through,” he says. Artist Jackie Reeves straightens her work, Onward and Upward. “This painting is based off of a photograph that my mother took when she was in her camping days as a young person in the 1950s, and I’ve used the photograph as a reference but altered certain elements with paint to give it timeless relevance,” Reeves explains.
Artist Richard Neal’s piece, Fables of the Reconstruction, explores the way in which history has been passed on. “I painted all the books white to represent the white-washing of history,” Neal explains while carefully arranging his installation’s many pieces. 10 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
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Artists participating in Highfield Hall’s new Ancestry + Legacy exhibit are photographed outside Highfield Hall in Falmouth. From left: Mark Chester, Jon Goldman, Kimberly Sheerin, Hollis Engley, Nate Olin, Jan Lhormer, Jon Moore, Jackie Reeves, John Cira, and Richard Neal.
Hollis Engley’s series, Family Stories, combines old family photographs and accompanying stories. “These images, which were passed on to me when my parents died, tell the story of several generations of my family. My hope is that this project will inspire others to illustrate their own lives and pass on their family history to their children or grandchildren,” Engley explains.
John Moore is photographed with his photographic collage, We know nothing, We know something, in the show he conceived of, participated in, and curated. The inspiration for Ancestry + Legacy sprang from Moore’s long-held interest in exploring links between the present and past in his work. For this current exhibit, Moore posed some challenging questions to artists, such as “what could be the legacy of the current ideological, emotional, cultural and political climate in the US?” and “do artists have responsibilities or obligations to the communities and culture in which they work?”
Painter Jan Lhormer’s two paintings, Estuary (right) and Exotic Travel Imagined (left) explore themes of ancestry and our evolutionary beginnings in the depths of the ocean. “I’m particularly interested in our connection to nature and the importance of conserving our environment for future generations,” she explains. Ceramic artist Kimberly Sheerin holds her piece Proud to be an American? Embedded in the ceramic vase are references to our current social and political climate and the vase’s lid is made to look like the capitol building. “I also wanted this piece to celebrate Americans of all kinds, which is what I believe this country is all about,” Sheerin says.
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EVENTS
VIRTUAL AND OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES
FOR THE SEASON AHEAD A WEEK OF ART AT THE CULTURAL CENTER OF CAPE COD
October 17-24 All are invited to experience new and continuing exhibits in all five Cultural Center galleries and five artist studios, Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Stop by to enjoy the “Year-long Plastic Project” by photographer Sarah Thornington in the Constantinidis Great Hall; “My New England,” which includes paintings by Marieluise Hutchinson in the Vault; and “My Watercolors” that features paintings by Marilyn Russo in the Blue Room. 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth, cultural-center.org
PUMPKIN PEOPLE IN THE PARK October 16-31, 2020 The Chatham Merchants’ Association’s Oktoberfest & Pumpkin People in the Park are events that include the community. In Kate Gould Park, CMA members, local businesses, and others assemble creative displays with pumpkins, and every year has its surprises. Kate Gould Park, Main St., Chatham chathammerchants.com
SANDWICH HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL VIRTUAL TRIVIA NIGHT
October 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. Heritage Museums & Gardens and the STEM Academy/Sandwich High School Parent Teacher Student Association have teamed CROCKER NECK ECOLOGY WALK up to bring local trivia legends, the Trivia October 17 & November 14, Brothers, to you for an interactive virtual 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. trivia night for the whole family. From the Join the Barnstable Land Trust and professor comfort of your own home, join the fun and Gil Newton on a walk through the diverse test your knowledge, skill, luck, and ingenuity ecosystems of Dowses Beach. Gil is a in a variety of fun ways. The Trivia Brothers local ecologist and author, who will guide will challenge players with questions from participants through the ecosystems of the beach, salt marsh, and estuary. Exact location a variety of categories, along with activitybased challenges, scavenger hunts, some provided to registrants, and the event will be dance party fun, and the chance to show cancelled or postponed in the case of rain or off your costume. The Trivia Brothers severe weather. Registration is required, and squeeze zany, light-hearted trivia and fun there is a limit of 10 participants. Masks and into a package small enough to fit on your social distancing are required. This October computer screen. Two different Challenge! walk is curated for kindergarten through fifth Trivia episodes are available: the first is gear graders, and the November walk is for sixth towards team with children under 13 and the through eighth graders. This event is free. second is meant for adults and children over Visit blt.org for more information. 13. This fun event also serves as an important YARMOUTH DRIVE-IN fundraiser that supports both Heritage and the STEM/SHS PTSA. The cost is $25 per team—only one person from each team needs to register. Advanced registration is required for this event and space is limited. Event registration opens on September 30. Visit heritagemuseums.org for details and to register.
CONCERTS AT THE YARMOUTH DRIVE-IN
October 23 & 24 Throughout the summer and into fall, the Yarmouth Drive-in has been hosting socially distant events. In late October, the band moe. Will be performing for audiences. The band was hailed by American Songwriter for the musicians’ “mind-bending musicality.” Learn more about this show and others online. 669 Route 28, West Yarmouth, yarmouthdrivein.com 12 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
they will study the ecological relationships between the plants and animals of the sea. There are many amazing varieties of plants and their uses and importance will be explored. This Zoom class is curated for sixth through eighth graders, but younger siblings are welcome. This event is free. Visit blt.org for more information.
VIRTUAL CLASS: WHICH BUGS CAN I EAT?!
November 10, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Join the Barnstable Land Trust and Larry Dapsis, an entomologist for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, on a talk about edible bugs. Learn about the many other cultures that consume insects, the dietary benefits, and even taste some if you feel the urge. This zoom is curated for sixth through eighth graders, but younger siblings are welcome. This event is free. Visit blt.org for more information. PILGRIM MONUMENT
VIRTUAL CLASS: PLANTS OF THE SEA
November 5, 2-2:30 p.m. Did you know that most ice cream contains some seaweed? Or that marine plants produce most of the world’s oxygen? Or that there is an invasive seaweed that can harm shellfish? Learn about these remarkable facts along with many others in this program that focuses on marine algae and shoreline plants of the Cape Cod coastline. Students will learn how to prepare pressed specimens that can be used in science and art classes. And
ANNUAL LIGHTING OF THE PILGRIM MONUMENT
November 11 The Annual Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument celebrates the pilgrims’ landing in the New World on November 11, 1620 in Provincetown. The event is a beloved Cape Cod tradition and one that is supported by PMPM’s members and friends. One High Pole Hill, Provincetown
GARDENS AGLOW
Select nights, November 27December 27, 4:30-8:30 p.m. This year Heritage Museums & Gardens will continue the celebration of lights that has become a treasured holiday tradition with a fully outdoor experience. This event features beautiful light displays throughout the gardens, as well as many activities throughout the grounds. Roast marshmallows at the fire pits. Participate in a reindeer scavenger hunt. A new addition to the event is the McGraw Family Garden of the Senses, which features a stunning model train display. Enjoy festive treats and hot drinks at the Magnolia CafĂŠ. Visit with Santa Claus at the Outdoor Stage. Find fun photo opportunities throughout the grounds. Enjoy Cape Cod Donuts, a warming area, games, and music at the Parade Field. Shop for fabulous holiday gifts in The Shop. Stroll the gardens with family and friends, and enjoy Heritage in a whole new light. Tickets are limited to provide a safe experience. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and are date specific and include timed entry. Tickets go on sale October 7. 67 Grove St., Sandwich, heritagemuseums.org
HERITAGE MUSEUMS & GARDENS
NANTUCKET NOEL
November 27-December 13 In place of the 47th annual Christmas Stroll, which has been postponed, the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce has organized virtual tree lightings, Santa visits, and shopping opportunities. Visit nantucketchamber.org for more information.
SANTA VIP EXPERIENCE
Select nights, November 27-December 23, 3:304:15 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be available for this exclusive fully outdoors Santa VIP experience, available by advance sale only. Families will be treated to early bird parking, story time, cookies and hot chocolate, a meet and greet with Santa, and holiday mural making. Participating families may then experience the rest of the Gardens Aglow holiday delights around the grounds for the remainder of the evening. Tickets are limited and this event will sell out. Tickets go on sale October 7. 67 Grove St., Sandwich, heritagemuseums.org
FIRESIDE CHEER
December 26 & 27, 7:30-9:30 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be available for this exclusive experience that includes a drink and a snack while you relax with family and friends around the fire pits enjoying music, and after-hours access to the Gardens Aglow event. Tickets go on sale October 7. 67 Grove St., Sandwich, heritagemuseums.org FALL 2020 Âť 13
A COLLABORATION WITH THE BARNSTABLE LAND TRUST
BY KELLY CHASE
A GUIDE TO EXPLORING THE OUTDOORS AS A FAMILY In a time when Zoom workshops have become the norm, longtime teacher Gilbert Newton has a refreshing idea: nature as a classroom. Newton has been teaching science for close to 50 years. He began his career in Falmouth Public Schools, and he currently teaches coastal ecology at Cape Cod Community College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy. No matter where he is teaching, his curriculum always involves outdoor exploration. “As important as technology is, it is equally as important to have firsthand experience in nature,” says Newton.
Develop a Shell Collection.
From channeled whelks to quahogs and mussels, there’s a diversity of shells on the Cape and islands. Bring a bucket and be mindful when picking up a range of shapes and sizes. Start by collecting five abandoned shells of varying lengths and widths. At home, study your collection. Arrange the shells from smallest to largest and measure each one with a ruler to determine whether the shells are littlenecks (less than 1.5 inches), cherrystones (between 1.5 and 2.5 inches), or chowder (three inches or more).
Did you know quahogs can live up to two decades? “The approximate age can be determined by examining the distinct growth rings on the outside of the shell,” writes Newton.
“Keep a field notebook of any changes that you observe,” writes Newton. “Try to visit the site periodically for about one year.”
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The health benefits of stepping outside every day are well known—from boosting vitamin D levels to increasing our capacity to focus—however, daily hikes and fall beach trips can also be educational experiences. Plus, Newton adds, when children explore and learn about the world around them, they are more likely to develop an appreciation for their greener surroundings. “If we’re going to be stewards of this environment, and we’re going to be able to solve the environmental problems we face, we need a greater appreciation of the natural world and the best way of doing
Horseshoe crab shells can be found on area beaches. These creatures are often considered “living fossils” because they were known to exist 400 million years ago (before the dinosaurs!). “The animal grows by molting from the head first,” writes Newton. This shell is what you can locate on beaches and in marshes.
Start a Nature Journal.
Frequent one area—a trail, beach, or your backyard—and keep a record of what you find. Look for plant varieties, such as salt spray rose and seaside goldenrod. In colder months, observe which plants remain. Conduct a close examination of your area before a storm and then visit after the storm has passed. “It’s fun to keep a record and it helps students to hone their observation skills,” he says. “They have to spend time, and they have to look carefully.” Newton has kept a detailed record of many beaches in Sandwich. “I’ve noticed two major changes: the shape of the beach and the temperature of the water,” he says. Newton also suggests “adopting a beach.” If there’s a particular area that is special to you, consider yourself a guardian of that area. Learn about the plants that grow and the wildlife that call it home. “You can help educate others with your knowledge and commitment,” writes Newton. “And you can provide a continuous ecological patrol of the area.”
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
— JOHN MUIR
that is to explore it directly,” says Newton. Fortunately, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket have some of the most diverse ecosystems to explore from the ever-changing coast to kettle hole ponds and open fields. The key, according to Newton, is to start small. Carve out a location that is easily accessible—a nearby beach, trail, or maybe your backyard. “I tell students to develop an ecological eye, which means don’t just see things but start to observe,” he says. “Go out at different times of day, in
Examine Seaweeds.
While oftentimes a beachgoer’s nuisance, seaweeds are very important to the coastal environment. “They feed and protect many different animal species,” says Newton. With a small bucket or tray, magnifying glass, and tweezers, head to the coast and look for a variety of seaweeds. Newton suggests finding different colors: red, green, and brown. Once you’ve collected an assortment, examine the differences. Use the magnifying glass to look for any attached animals such as bryozoans or hydroids, which are microscopic aquatic invertebrates. Several brown algae species such as rockweeds and kelp contain air or gas bladders to help them float. Before heading home, return any living seaweed back to its environment.
different weather, and at different tides, you’ll see that the environment changes on a daily basis.” Newton is one of the founders of the Barnstable Land Trust, and he’s written several books about the local marine environment, including his most recent, Activities for the Cape Cod Beachcomber, which was published in June. With the help of Newton and the Barnstable Land Trust, we’ve pulled together three activities to spark outdoor adventures for the coming season.
WHEN YOU’RE READY TO VENTURE OUT, HERE ARE SOME NEARBY CONSERVATION AREAS RECOMMENDED BY THE STAFF AT THE BARNSTABLE LAND TRUST: Eagle Pond, Putnam Avenue, Cotuit Crocker Neck Conservation Area, Santuit Road/ Cotuit Cove Road, Cotuit Bell Farm, Little River Road/Old Post Road, Cotuit Long Pond Conservation Area, Newtown Road, Marstons Mills Bansfield Meadow, East Bay Road, Osterville Barnstable Conservation Center Trail, 1540 Main Street, West Barnstable Cape Cod Pathways Trails: Old Jail Lane Conservation Area, Old Jail Lane, Barnstable Parking Lots #3 and #4, Cape Cod Community College, West Barnstable Coombs Bog, Ames Way, Centerville Lowell Holly Reservation, 7 Warwick Way, Mashpee Beebe Woods, 56 Highfield Dr, Falmouth
The Barnstable Land Trust is a communitysupported nonprofit that stewards over 1,100 acres in the town of Barnstable. For more information, visit blt.org.
Information from this article was provided by Activities for the Cape Cod Beachcomber written by Gilbert Newton and photographed by Chris Dumas. The book is available at local bookstores and the Barnstable Land Trust offices at 1540 Main Street in West Barnstable. By purchasing a book at BLT, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the nonprofit.
FALL 2020 » 15
History W H A L I N G C A P TA I N S
TWO OF THE REGION’S
BY SKIP FINLEY
hen Pilgrims first landed on Provincetown’s shores in 1620, they were immediately stunned by the whales that swam by. In Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, there’s a story of one anxious passenger, who in a hurried attempt to catch one, overfilled his musket with gunpowder. The ensuing explosion sent the mammal away unharmed as it glided back into the bay. The Pilgrims’ landing on Cape Cod and eventual settling at Plymouth is a story well-told, but it was whaling that drew many to the southeastern coasts of Massachusetts. Herman Melville’s Moby Dick glossed over so much of the gruesomeness and difficulty of whaling. The earth’s largest creatures are believed to have language and familial relationships, but on the Cape, the hunting of these massive beings was a 250-year business enterprise that made Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and New Bedford some of the most important ports. For many of those years, the harvest of whale oil ranked among the nation’s largest industries. Records accumulated by historians Alexander Starbuck (1878), Reginald B. Hegarty (1959), and Judith Lund (2010) show that 2,500 captains and 2,700 ships took 15,000 trips and included just over 50 men of color who became whale captains themselves. Many of these captains were appointed during the years of slavery in America, and several were connected to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
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A photograph of the Eunice H. Adams Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
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History W H A L I N G C A P TA I N S
William A. Martin William A. Martin was born in Edgartown in 1827. He was the great grandson of a slave. Martin participated in at least 14 whaling expeditions—four of which he captained, including his last in October 1887 when the Eunice H. Adams was damaged in a storm after leaving the Vineyard. The concise and legible ship’s log describes “strong winds,” “heavy and continuous gales,” accidents, such as men falling on deck and sometimes overboard, and illnesses, including diarrhea and mumps. One could consider this journey a bad luck voyage: The storm’s damage caused severe leakage, few whales were raised, and crewmen attempted desertion. In February 1890, Martin took sick and was replaced as captain. Nonetheless, history continues to unfold. A. Bowdoin Van Riper, the librarian of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, recently discovered a number of letters written by Martin to shipowner Samuel Osborne, so we will soon know more about Martin’s final voyage. Martin had married Sarah G. Brown in 1857, and the two celebrated fifty years of marriage two months before his death in September 1907. Their house still stands on Chappaquiddick across the harbor from the gleaming captains’ homes in Edgartown. Captain Martin and Sarah are buried nearby.
A photograph of the Carrie D. Knowles. Collins A. Stevenson is believed to be the man at the far right. Courtesy of the Provincetown History Project Archives
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Vineyard Time is a gallery that specializes in scrimshawed watches. Each is meticulously engraved by the hand of an artist on Martha’s Vineyard. One artist inside the gallery is Darrel Morris, who after five years of formal study and a lifetime of drawing, has decided that scrimshaw is his favorite medium. Morris’s extensive body of work has been strongly influenced by the sea, and he has crafted several pieces featuring whaling captains of color. His newest work includes a creative depiction of Captain William A. Martin of Edgartown. He also engraved Captain Joseph Belain of Gay Head into an antique sperm whale tooth from a tintype image at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Vineyard Time 76 Main St., Vineyard Haven darrelmorris.com/galleries
Captain Collins A. Stevenson It would have been deliciously ironic if Martin had known Captain Collins A. Stevenson who led sixteen whale trips out of Provincetown. But, we may never know if their paths crossed. Born in St. Vincent in the West Indies in 1847, Stevenson immigrated to the United States in 1865. His first trip as captain of the Rising Sun began in 1889 during Martin’s last voyage. Stevenson’s last trip as captain of the Carrie D. Knowles began January 27, 1904. One month later, newspapers reported that the Carrie D. Knowles was lost with all 12 hands. Then, in May of 1909, an American seaman, who had escaped a Venezuelan prison, claimed that Collins Stevenson and his crew were being held prisoner there. Of course, the news created quite a bit of excitement.
Collins’s wife, Hannah, had been making plans to remarry and canceled her wedding when the story broke. Unfortunately, the story was discredited. Hannah Collins never remarried. Over their careers as whaling captains, Martin and Stevenson returned to port with holds of oil. The value of their cargo has been estimated to be close to four million dollars today. Both of these captains had an opportunity unavailable to most black men in those years. The danger and difficulty of the business, where as many as 90 percent of workers went on only one trip, produced the opportunity for men of color to become captains because on a whaleship the ability to kill whales and get the crew home safely outweighed race.
SKIP FINLEY, the Oak Bluffs town columnist for the Vineyard Gazette from 2012 to 2017 and a Vineyarder since 1955, is a retired radio broadcasting executive whose book, Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy, was published by the Naval Institute Press on June 15, 2020.
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Wellness H E R B A L R E M E D I E S
Local herbalist launches new business and shares a few recipes for fall. When Amy Neill was a young girl, her grandmother grew nettle. “We were told to stay away from her garden because there was stinging nettle in there,” she says. Later in life, when Neill became interested in herbalism, she learned that nettle, which is covered in stiff hairs, can be made into teas, tinctures, and powders. The plant is marketed to have health benefits that can help with arthritis, among other things.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIA CUMES
Neill has studied herbal remedies for over 20 years. She has an online certificate from the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, and she has also taken courses at the Herbal
Academy in Bedford, Massachusetts. “I’ve always been under the umbrella of wellness,” says Neill, who is also a certified reiki master educator and yoga teacher. After a misdiagnosis sent her through a series of treatments, Neill decided to look for herbal alternatives. She started to mix ingredients in her kitchen, beginning with adaptogens, which are non-toxic plants that are believed to help the body manage stressors. “I’ve had anxiety since I was a kid, and I felt a shift after taking adaptogens,” she says. “I felt more stable, balanced, and secure inside.”
Elderberry Tincture
INGREDIENTS • Dried elderberries (Sambucus nigra) • Solvent (either 100-proof vodka or vegetable glycerin) • Mason jar with lid • Amber glass bottle with a poly seal cap • Glass dropper bottle with dropper • Two labels, one for jar and one for amber storage bottle • Mesh strainer or a potato ricer • Cheesecloth
DIRECTIONS 1 In a mason jar, cover the elderberries (Sambucus nigra) with solvent of choice, leaving about one inch of liquid over the herbs. Place the lid on the jar and label tincture with the common name, scientific name, date, and solvent. (Elderberries, Sambucas nigra, November 2020, vegetable glycerin) 2 Keep your tincture in a cool, dark cabinet for six weeks, shaking the jar daily. 3 After six weeks, strain the tincture using the cheesecloth and strainer (or potato ricer). 4 Once your tincture is strained, store it in an amber glass bottle in a cabinet along with a label (with the same information as above). 5 Pour some of the tincture into a glass dropper bottle with a dropper, and use it as an everyday method of extraction. One dropper dosage equals one squeeze.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIA CUMES
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Neill continued to research and experiment with different combinations. Like a chef, she would play with ingredients, test each one, tweak, and repeat before landing on a recipe. Years later, she had a variety of teas and powders that she created for herself as well as family and friends. “For the artist in me, it was fun to formulate potions and teas,” she says. “I dreamed of creating a company where I could share the formulations that I was having so much fun creating.” Last winter that dream came true when Neill launched TWILAH Botanicals, her online company that sells herbal teas and powders. While she receives most of her ingredients from purveyors, Neill creates and blends each product. Some of her amalgams include KARMA, a combination of milk thistle seed, white willow bark, and ginger to help with detoxification, and THRIVE, which is a mix of burdock, dandelion, and licorice to aid digestion. In addition to selling her products online, Neill teaches an introductory herbalism class at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod where she works as the director of education. She enjoys connecting with students who are also drawn to herbal teas and powders. “I’ve learned that everyone has some kind of connection to herbalism, like my memory of nettle,” she says. “Every person I taught had a story about a grandparent or someone growing something.” Neill’s courses are hands-on, and she almost always covers elderberry (Sambucus nigra). The herb is marketed as being able to supply the body with antioxidants and therefore boost its natural immune response. “Rich in flavonoids, the berries are packed with antioxidants and are capable of preventing cell damage,” says Neill. “These flavonoids also have immune boosting, balancing, and antiviral effects.” With fall and winter ahead, Neill shared a few recipes for making an elderberry tincture and honey at home.
For more information on TWILAH, visit www.twilah.love.com
Elderberry Honey INGREDIENTS • One mason jar with lid • Local honey • Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) • Cheesecloth DIRECTIONS 1 Use equal parts elderberries and honey. For example, if you have four ounces of elderberries use four ounces of honey. Add more honey if necessary; the herb should be completely covered. 2 Infuse the honey between four and six weeks in a dark cabinet, shaking the jar occasionally.
IMPORTANT: While American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) grows throughout the region—sprouting white flowers in spring and bearing dark berries into the late summer and early fall, Neill uses Sambucus nigra, which is native to Europe and Asia. Still, Neill says that according to ancient lore, it is also considered good luck to have any sort of elderberry shrub on the edge of your garden. However, American elderberry can’t be used in these recipes.
3 After the infusion period is over, heat the honey in a double boiler and bring the honey to a temperature of 110 to 115 degrees. 4 Using a cheesecloth, strain the honey while it is still warm. 5 Store in honey in a glass jar. When stored in a cool, dry place in a tightly sealed jar, this herbal-infused honey can last up to ten years. FALL 2020 » 21
HistoryM PA R O Art Y VHI ENAT C EOTN OW VO NR S E H O U S E
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A LOCAL PHILANTHROPIST RENOVATES THE HISTORIC MARY HEATON VORSE HOUSE WITH HOPES TO REINVIGORATE A LEGACY OF ART MAKING. BY ANDRE VAN DER WENDE PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY LUONG
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Art M A R Y H E AT O N V O R S E H O U S E
he small sign on the front of the Vorse house in Provincetown reads: “Mary Heaton Vorse,1874-1966, Author, War Correspondent, Labor Journalist Lived Here.” What the sign doesn’t tell you about its namesake is that during the searing summer of 1916, Mary Heaton Vorse opened her home to a number of creatives who left Greenwich Village in search of a change of pace and scenery. “She came here with that whole group of New York bohemians,” says Ken Fulk, the owner of the Vorse house. “Everyone from Edna St.Vincent Millay, Louise Bryant, and John Reed to Eugene O’Neill and Susan Glaspell. All of these characters came to Provincetown and hung out. She was the doyen of that group, and this house was the center of their social life.” It was a conflation of great minds, and one can only imagine the conversations, but luckily, its history is now a little easier to experience since the house was rescued and restored back, as much as possible, to the home Mary Heaton Vorse once knew. Eschewing the tear down, or fix and flip, Fulk purchased the house for $1.17 million and spent close to $1.25 million on renovations. Now that the project is complete, Fulk has opened the house’s doors to local arts organizations, such as Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown Theater, Provincetown International Film Festival, and Twenty Summers. Fulk hopes that the Vorse house will be used as a venue to support the local arts scene. “I don’t think of this as our house, I think of it as everyone’s,” he says. “Come with an idea, and we will do our best to support it and see where it all leads.” 24 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
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To me, the interiors are as important as the exteriors. The interiors really tell the history of the house and the people who lived in them. It’s so much more interesting and important to me to protect that. — Ken Fulk
From the outside, a recent coat of fresh shingles and exterior upgrades belie the age of the house, which Fulk estimates to be in the late-eighteenth century. “It’s one of the older houses in town that was part of a series owned by the Cook family who were the big whalers in the east end of Provincetown,” he says. When the whaling industry collapsed, and the last member of the Cook family passed away, Mary Heaton Vorse took on the house where it remained in the family until Fulk’s purchase in 2018. Inside is a labyrinth of rooms, and each one is furnished with an antique eclecticism reminiscent of its past. It is a house to get lost in, and through each doorway there’s discovery and surprise. The upgrades don’t take over and the rooms feel functional, organic, and warm. The doors
and floors reveal as much of the original patina as possible. “Having a house with all this patina is a really lovely way to live,” says Fulk. “If it looks distressed, it is because it came that way.” Fulk worked with builder and artist Nathaniel McKean on renovations. There were a lot of necessary updates, such as digging 28 feet through sand to lay in support. The brick fireplaces had to be rebuilt, and their mantles were framed from house salvage. Much of the wood was repurposed for the floors and cabinetry, and also to disguise refrigeration and a dishwasher. Each room was restored to its original footprint, and many historic elements remain, such as Vorse’s bedroom on the second floor with a view of the harbor as well as the steep narrow stairs that lead to the FALL 2020 » 25
Art M A R Y H E AT O N V O R S E H O U S E
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second floor’s low ceilings. “To me, the interiors are as important as the exteriors,” says Fulk. “The interiors really tell the history of the house and the people who lived in them. It’s so much more interesting and important to me to protect that.” Fulk divides his time between San Francisco and the house he owns across the street from the Vorse house. His full-time job is running a successful interior design business, but he is also notable for his philanthropy and ability to draw large donations from fundraising events supporting the arts in Provincetown. He hopes the Vorse house will serve as a venue for the area’s nonprofits to host exhibitions, events, fundraisers, and residencies. “It’s art in all forms, and it’s about building community,” says Fulk. “It’s not meant to be another arts organization. It’s meant to be a community for the arts organizations that are already here.” So far, PAAM has facilitated a residency program for artists and hosted an exhibition Intimate Companions by Joe Sheftel, which is an engaging show featuring over 30 figurative artists. Future residences are in place, and the education arm of PAAM sends children over to paint in the gardens at a socially appropriate distance. There’s a large screen in the backyard for the Provincetown Film Society to host features, and a string of events and fundraisers stretch into the fall, including a supper series that uses food grown from the gardens on the premises. “Programming at the Vorse house is as full as the circumstances will allow,” says Fulk. Fulk’s hope is that the house will continue to be a haven for young creatives. “To me that’s exactly what this place is—it’s a place that people who otherwise couldn’t afford to be here can come and stay,” he says. “We need young people here, we need people who are coming to create, who want to be in Provincetown. It’s nice to have these historic places be activated and still be part of the legacy and the ongoing work.” One hundred years later, the Vorse house is open to artists again. Think of the conversations that will take place, and the art that will be created. It seems Mary Heaton Vorse would be pleased.
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Arts L O C A L S P O T L I G H T
ARTIST PAUL SCHULENBURG’S SCENES FROM THE REGION BY KELLY CHASE
Paul Schulenburg was an artist from the start. He grew up in Upstate New York in a house filled with his grandfather’s landscape paintings. “I spent a lot of time reading comic books and trying to draw cartoons when I was a kid,” says Schulenburg. “At about age twelve I started to look at my grandfather’s paintings and I tried to draw what I saw in his paintings or what I saw around me.” Today, Schulenburg continues to paint what’s around him: the dunes of the National Seashore, boats afloat in the harbor, and fishermen and women working along the waterfront. On his canvas, he captures quiet moments that are true to the region, such as a streak of light across a cottage lawn and a leaning boat caught at low tide. “Cape Cod is a wonderful place to live and an inspiring place to be an artist,” he says. ”We remain here because of the relaxed atmosphere throughout most of the year ultimately bringing the excitement of the summertime, and of course, because of the natural beauty and vibrant arts community.”
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I saw all the activity, the colors, and the people working; and I was inspired to try painting the commercial fishermen. I thought it would be a fun challenge. — PAUL SCHULENBURG
About 20 years ago, when Schulenburg was searching for inspiration on a gray day, he made his way to the Chatham fish pier and was moved by his observations. “I saw all the activity, the colors, and the people working; and I was inspired to try painting the commercial fishermen. I thought it would be a fun challenge,” he says. Schulenburg’s working waterfront paintings have become some of his most popular pieces. Working at his easel, he catches scenes of the arduous work in broad strokes of color and texture. “I enjoy watching what they do,” he says. “I am fascinated by the fact that what they are doing is so completely different from what I do to make my living.” Yet, as he spent more time at the dock, he realized painters and fishermen weren’t so different after all. “Fishing is a tradition that goes back thousands of
years, and oil painting is a very old tradition as well,” he says. “We both find ourselves in a somewhat precarious situation wondering, will there always be enough fish to catch? Will there always be people interested in buying oil paintings?” For now, the sold tags on Schulenburg’s pieces seem to answer his question. But in fishing and in art, there’s always the unknown. Perhaps it’s what keeps lines cast and brushes damp. Painters and fishermen seem to be drawn to the chase. “The fishermen and women work hard, and get their hands dirty going out into the ocean in an attempt to bring back their catch,” he says. “I go out in search of subject matter, something I can capture and bring back in the form of an oil painting, getting my hands dirty in the process, and hopefully finding an interested art collector who will enjoy what I create.”
For more information on Paul Schulenburg, visit his website, schulenburgstudio.com; and Addison Art Gallery, 43 South Orleans Road, Orleans, addisonart.com. FALL 2020 » 29
Life+ Style B I R D I N G
BY MIKE O’CONNOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARCY FORD
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White Breasted Nuthatch
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Life + Style B I R D I N G
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Whimbrels
Here’s a question: Which is the fourth largest state in the U.S.? Don’t be afraid to guess. There’s no prize. Slightly smaller than California, but larger than New Mexico, our fourth largest state is Montana—also known as Big Sky Country. Folks who need a lot of room would likely love Montana, but folks who enjoy watching birds are better off on Cape Cod. Why is that, you ask? It’s because tiny Barnstable County has a longer life list than the entire state of Montana. What’s a life list? We’ll get into that later, but it basically means more species of birds have been seen on Cape Cod than in Big Sky Country.
Great Blue Heron
It’s a funny thing about birding, very few people wake up one morning and think: Today, I’ll mow the lawn, make a dump run and then become a birdwatcher. It’s just one of those things that slowly happens like middle age. That’s how it was for me. I didn’t really start watching birds until right after college when I couldn’t find a job. Instead of earning a living, I spent my days walking the fire roads of the National Seashore. I was surprised by all the cool things I saw, so I kept doing it. It wasn’t until a few years later when I ran into a group of veteran birders that I realized there were others like me. I wasn’t the only bird freak in the world.
Black Capped Chickadee
What’s nice about birding is that you can do it at your own level. You can be the best or the worst and no one else cares. That doesn’t work with too many other hobbies. If you totally stink at, say, tennis, no one else will want to play with you. And if you aren’t at least proficient at something like skydiving, it’s not going to end well. The other good thing about birding is that the equipment is minimal. You don’t need a plane, a parachute or a tennis court. A bird book and maybe a pair of binoculars are about all that’s really required (although having your own plane would be pretty cool).
Blue jay
Red-tailed Hawk
Semi-palmated Plover FALL 2020 » 33
Life + Style B I R D I N G
Begin Where You Are
Where are the best places to go birding? That’s easy. The best place for newbies is their own backyard. Really. You don’t have to go crazy with a million bird feeders either. One simple feeder filled with sunflower seeds is fine. The feeder will attract fairly common birds, and if you pay attention to them, you will soon learn the differences between red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches or purple and house finches. A birdbath is another good idea. Remember, not all birds eat birdseed, but they all need to drink. A source of water, especially in the winter, will give you a chance to see flocks of bluebirds, waxwings, robins (yes, we have robins in the winter), and the occasional warbler. If you’re not a hardcore vegetarian, a suet feeder is another good option for attracting birds such as woodpeckers. They love suet.
Field Sparrow
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In the summer, go for a hummingbird feeder. Hummingbird feeders are fairly cheap to buy and really cheap to fill. A simple sugar solution is all you need and you can make it yourself. While we are talking about doing something simple, let’s talk about the previously mentioned life list. A life list is merely a list of the birds you’ve seen in your life. (I told you it was simple.) As with anything else, some birders overdo it and get all wrapped up in annual lists, state lists, country lists, leap-year lists—and the list of lists goes on. That’s fine if that’s what they want to do, but who needs the paperwork? It might be more relaxing to keep a notebook or pad by the window and write down any new bird that you see in your yard. That’s all. Feel free to add things like the date and maybe the weather. It’s like having a diary, only you won’t have to keep it locked, or worry about what you write being embarrassing years from now.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Life + Style B I R D I N G
Snowy Owl
Beyond Your Backyard
When you are ready to venture out of your backyard, Cape Cod will not disappoint. Every town has its own conservation lands and many have well-marked trails. In addition, there are state parks, several wildlife refuges, Mass Audubon properties, and, of course, the National Seashore to be explored. If you want to learn birds on your own, like I did early on, grab your binoculars and hit the trails all by yourself. Still, there’s something to be said for the social and educational benefits of birding with a group. The Cape Cod Bird Club has a monthly meeting and weekly bird walks, both of which are totally free and very informal. Mass Audubon also has year-round programs, as does the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. (As I’m writing this, organized programs are still a little uncertain due to Covid-19, so check the appropriate websites for updates.)
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Little Blue Heron (juvenile)
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Expert Recommendations My all-time favorite birding location, without a doubt, is the Fort Hill area in Eastham (70 Fort Hill Road, Eastham). This location is beautiful anytime of year, and with only a limited number of acres and merely a mile or so of hiking trails, this special place still produces a greater variety of birds than the entire state of Hawaii (once again, really!). For nearly a century, the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (291 US-6, South Wellfleet) has been one of the most important ornithological places in the country. First, as a private research station and now as a Mass Audubon property that is open to the public. Sometimes, the frigid days of winter can make it a little tough to go on a bird walk. This is when it’s time to head up to Provincetown Harbor. From the parking area on MacMillan Wharf, birders can sit in their cars (with the heat on) and watch a fine assortment of sea ducks taking a break from the rough Atlantic. Folks on the Upper Cape should put the Cape Cod Canal on their list of places to visit regularly. The bike trails on either side provide great views of loons and eiders, and once in a while, a ginormous ship.
Common Eider
O’Connor scans the landscape at Fort Hill in Eastham.
What’s wonderful about Cape Cod is that there is no one birding season. The fall brings migrating ducks to area ponds and bays. The winter means the arrival of sea birds and the occasional snowy owl. Ospreys, terns, hummingbirds, and orioles return in the spring, and in the summer, fighting the traffic and the crowds, shorebirds by the thousands stop to refuel on our beaches before continuing south. Whether it’s exploring a hidden trail, walking the beach or just staring at the feeders in your backyard, Cape Cod has a lot of different birds. How many?
432
There has been different species recorded right here in our very own Barnstable County. That’s a lot of birds to see, but if you’d rather see fewer than that, you’ll have to go to Montana.
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Life + Style B I R D I N G
Mike O’Connor is the owner of the Bird Watcher’s General Store in Orleans. He writes the column, “Ask the Bird Folks,” for The Cape Codder. He’s written two books about birding, Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Headaches? And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask, and Why Do Bluebirds Hate Me? More Answers to Common and Not-So-Common Questions about Birds and Birding. Bird Watcher’s General Store 36 Route 6A, Orleans, 508-255-6974 birdwatchersgeneralstore.com
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Life + Style OY S T E R H A R V E S T E R S
Melissa Yow pulls her equipment across the flats by Old Wharf Point in Wellfleet.
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DESPITE HARSH CONDITIONS AND WAVERING MARKETS, THREE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS FIND FREEDOM AND ADVENTURE IN THEIR CAREERS AS OYSTER HARVESTERS. BY LISA CAVANAUGH PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA CUMES A wild Wellfleet oyster (crassostrea virginica) begins its life as a free-floating larva. It wafts through the cold and salty waters of Wellfleet harbor and its estuaries before settling on a suitable solid surface, such as a rock, piling, or old shell. There it grows for the rest of its life, perhaps spawning new seed if the conditions are right, until it is ready to be plucked from its aqueous home by another rare breed, a wild oyster harvester.
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Life + Style OY S T E R H A R V E S T E R S History shows that Wellfleet’s sheltered harbor has been ideal for oyster harvesting for centuries. Native populations regularly harvested wild oysters for food. In 1606, French explorer Samuel de Champlain surveyed the area and named it “Port Aux Huitres” or “Oyster Port.” In the late 17th century, shellfishing drove the economies of early European settlements, and by the late 18th century, the Wellfleet oyster was already being overfished as well as severely impacted by naturally occurring disease. An initial community effort in the early 1800s to reseed the harbor’s estuaries launched the town’s ongoing aquaculture efforts. Wellfleet currently oversees close to one hundred shellfish farms, the most of any town in the Commonwealth, and in 2020 the town’s Shellfish Department issued 175 permits to wild harvesters. “It isn’t for everybody,” says Wellfleet Shellfish Constable Nancy Civetta, of the wild fishery. “The job is physically demanding, and you work in all kinds of conditions. You live by the tides, you live by the weather, and you need to know where you are going and what you are doing.” While the majority of wild harvesters are men, there are women who have been working on the flats for decades and female rookies join the industry each year. “As a woman, seeing a number of other women recently entering the fishery was a joy,” says Civetta. For three local women, both the challenges and the rewards were what drew them to this exacting occupation. “Every day is an adventure and everything is constantly shifting,” says Sonya Woodman, who began wild harvesting two years ago, after several seasons working for shellfish farmers. “I remember walking out to a grant one night under a full moon. We were making our way through the waves in the darkness, with just the moonlight shining on the water. The way it made me feel was amazing, and I decided then to try wild picking.” Embracing every aspect of her new vocation, Woodman shrugged off any suggestion that the work might be too tough for a woman. “I was told that it would be too cold, too wet, that oysters would be too heavy for me,” she says. “But I’m pretty athletic and strong and there are wise ways to solve any problem.” Woodman invested in some unique equipment to creatively address wild-harvesting obstacles. She uses a specialized beach cart with big wheels to move her harvest, and also bought a floating creek cooler that looks like a mini kayak, so she can safely ice her oysters and keep picking in the summer heat. “It’s all about strategy. You have to go out there with a plan.”
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CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Melissa Lynch began harvesting with her husband four years ago. Wellfleet oysters pulled from the sand at low tide. Sonya Woodman with a bucket of oysters at Powers Landing in Wellfleet. Wild harvesting can be unpredictable, but the good days make the profession worthwhile.
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Woodman, who grew up fishing on ponds, is also a surfer and feels particularly drawn to water. “I enjoy everything about it, the whole process.” She relishes being able to work outside and connect with nature, especially as someone who previously worked in the restaurant business. “Now my work is one hundred percent wild harvesting, and I love the freedom of it. You are out on a spot, paying attention to the tide and the wind, following your instincts and looking for tiny details that will lead you to shellfish. Sometimes the oysters are under things, and you see just a slight edge, a little bit of white poking out of the sand. It’s exciting.” A background in fishing also led another wild harvester, Melissa Yow, to the flats of Wellfleet. “I grew up near the ocean, and fishing has always been in my blood,” she says. “As a kid I loved to fish with rod and reel, dig clams by hand, and catch crabs in the rocks. I still run around with my fishing rod, and more recently fish on the back deck of commercial boats, so it felt natural to fish for shellfish by foot.” Yow worked in aquaculture for several years both at a hatchery and for other growers before she was given the opportunity to branch out on her own. “I just started my own oyster farm this year, which is exciting. I think it will be complementary for me to farm as well as wild harvest.” While having the flexibility to offer both a farmed and wild product allows Yow to adapt to a fluctuating market, she finds the wild fishery to be a very unique occupation that appeals to gritty people who love independence. “I think it’s empowering,” says Yow, who digs for quahogs as well as oysters. “I enjoy playing the tides, picking and choosing where to fish based on my own initiative and the moon, weather, and wind.” She recalls the first time she found a “honey hole” full of littleneck clams. “I was off by myself with no one in sight, hunting around in the grass, when I found it. I felt like I was on top of the world!” Yow explains that there are also times where her patience is truly tested. “But I have to remember that it’s days like that which make the more successful days so good,” she says. “This is the essence of fishing, and why I love it.” Falling in love with shellfishing was equally as easy for Melissa Lynch, who with her husband Justin, wild harvests for oysters and clams while also farming a deep-water grant. “I’m not from Cape Cod,” says Lynch, who hails from the Berkshire region of Massachusetts, “but I moved here four years ago because my husband is a native Wellfleetian.” Lynch was a career academic with a master’s in foreign language when
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I was told that it would be too cold, too wet, that oysters would be too heavy for me. But, I’m pretty athletic and strong and there are wise ways to solve any problem. — SONYA WOODMAN
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her husband, who has been fishing for over twenty years, gifted her a commercial license for Christmas one year. “Every day is different, and you have to find your own rhythm and groove. I really fell in love with the lifestyle and even though I never realized this would become my occupation, it is the best move I could have made, for myself personally and for my family.” Lynch and her husband have a five-year-old son, River, who has been joining his parents both at their grant and during wild harvesting since he was three. “It’s wonderful to have a grant and get to work it together and to also bring him wild picking with us. He loves digging for clams and is very comfortable on the flats.” Being able to include their son in her work was a driving force behind Lynch’s momentous career switch. “We get to be together on a daily basis and maximize our family time. It’s a beautiful lifestyle.”
The Lynches typically try to spend some time during the off-season traveling each year, and this past winter they visited Justin’s mother’s home on the island of Maui for a couple of months. In early March, they were returning to what they believed would be another busy spring and summer when the pandemic hit. “We flew into Boston just as this part of the world was starting to shut down,” says Lynch. “We arrived home to a closed shellfish market.” They had to get creative because many of the distribution channels that supply restaurants with fresh Wellfleet oysters and clams closed. “We are fortunate that we have great personal accounts that kept us afloat,” says Lynch, “and I’m so grateful that our distributors were able to move our shellfish.” The market shutdown also affected Woodman and Yow, who each found ways to adapt. “I went from having several buyers calling for oysters to everything shutting down,” says Woodman, who says she was lucky to find one buyer with whom she has been working since May. “The volume went down and along with that was a reduction in price, but in this environment I was really happy to be able to keep working.” “I was digging clams on double tides every day,” says Yow, who finds that the clam market is often more stable, perhaps because they are more easily prepared by home chefs. “Not everyone knows how to shuck an oyster,” she says, “and the restaurants were all closed at the start. So clams have been my saving grace through these times.”
Oysters must be three inches to be sold, so harvesters always measure on site.
With shellfishing being so critical to Wellfleet’s economic stability (25 percent of the town’s working age population makes their living in the shellfish industry), a local nonprofit stepped in to support the men and women who work the flats. “When the pandemic hit and restaurants and distributors closed, our shellfishermen lost
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their source of income overnight,” says Michele Insley, executive director of Wellfleet SPAT (Shellfish Promotion and Tasting Inc.), “We immediately realized that we had to help, so we developed a three-part Wellfleet Shellfish Harvesters Relief Program.” The projects included a community food share system, in which SPAT purchased shellfish from harvesters, and through established distribution channels donated it to food pantries. SPAT also allocated funds to help with basic living expenses and built upon a low-interest loan program that had been started in 2015. “Wellfleet has a long tradition of shellfishing, with what I believe to be the best oyster product in the world,” says Insley. “Shellfishing is critical to not only our local economy, but to the state’s as well.” Insley cites an impressive statistic, echoed by Civetta: in 2019 the town of Wellfleet was number one in Massachusetts for shellfish landing value (of all species and from both wild harvesting and aquaculture) to the tune of $7.7 million. That is just one of the reasons why the town actively bolsters sustainable shellfishing. “Over the past few years we have purposefully and thoughtfully been increasing our propagation program,” says Civetta. “We buy field plant oyster and quahog seeds from hatcheries and maintain our nursery bed to grow out predator resistant-sized juvenile shellfish to broadcast them to areas of the harbor where they can finish growing.” The shellfish department also has set up a revolving fund in which 75 percent of all revenues from permit sales and aquaculture grant licensees goes into nursery efforts, and has managed a seed donation program where local shellfish farmers can gift “hat seed,” (oyster seed collected from the wild) toward the wild fishery. The town has even invested in their own spat-collecting devices to use in the harbor for attracting wildly spawned larvae. Every one of these women who interact in some way with the wild shellfish of Wellfleet feels lucky that her town is blessed with this unique natural phenomenon.
Where to Find Wellfleet Oysters Even though the world-famous Wellfleet Oyster Festival will be online this year, there are still are many opportunities for tasting both wild-harvested and farmed Wellfleet oysters (and other shellfish):
BILLINGSGATE SHELLFISH Billingsgate Shellfish offers free home delivery of oysters and clams from Brewster to Provincetown. $30 minimum order. Cash or Venmo payment. To order, call or text, 774-722-1440. billingsgateshellfish.com
HOLBROOK OYSTER Holbrook Oyster organizes free home delivery of oysters, clams, and scallops from Provincetown to Harwich. The company also offers pickup at 4380 State Highway in Eastham on select days, and they will arrange meet-ups for deliveries in Orleans for shellfish lovers who are further away. Check their website for specific days and times and to order, call or text 508-237-6929. $20 minimum order. Cash or PayPal payment. If your kitchen isn’t outfitted for shucking, Holbrook Oyster sells custom knives as well. holbrookoyster.com
MAC’S KITCHEN A variety of super-fresh fish and shellfish, housesmoked seafood, and patés are available at Mac’s Kitchen. Curbside pick-up. Open seasonally until 6 p.m. To order, call 508-255-6900. macsseafood.com
WELLFLEET SHELLFISH COMPANY Do you know someone who is homesick for the coast? Wellfleet Shellfish Company will ship Wellfleet oysters and locally harvested clams, scallops, and lobsters to anywhere in the U.S. To order, visit wellfleetshell.com or call 508-255-5300.
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Life + Style OY S T E R H A R V E S T E R S “I can’t say exactly why we have such an amazing natural reproduction, especially of oysters,” says Civetta. “I have heard that it could be because of the way the tide currents move or prevailing southwest winds keep the larvae in our harbor. Whatever it is, we will continue our propagation efforts in order to create a sustainable future for our shellfishery.” Any effort to keep the fishery strong pleases the women of the wild harvest. “The fishery is not always reliable,” says Yow. “So you have to be willing to stick it out through tough times.” Lynch agrees that you need to have endurance, both physically and mentally. “I have the utmost respect for the people who have been doing it for so long,” she says, “And now I am committed to this life as well.”
Yow on the back of her pickup truck. She grew up on the water and she has also fished commercially, so harvesting was a natural fit for her.
If you are elsewhere on the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket and want to sample micro-local shellfish, these oyster companies offer curbside pick up, delivery, and shipping.
CHATHAM Chatham Oysters offers pick up at The Shanty at 393 Barn Hill Road Chatham and Overnight Delivery nationwide via FedEx. For more information and to order, visit chathamoysters.com.
COTUIT At Cotuit Oysters, customers can get a “Mini Raw Bar To-Go,” which contains 24 oysters and 12 littlenecks. The company also offers the Littleneck and Oyster Combo Pack with two dozen of each. To order, email retail@ cotuitoystercompany.com or visit the website cotuitoystercompany.com.
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“It can be hot, it can be cold. There is ice, mud, the rising tide,” says Woodman. “You have to have patience, but you also have to move fast, so there are days when it is stressful for sure.” She then recalls moments when she has been out on the flats, not finding anything, when all of sudden she discovers shellfish treasure. “Those days make it all worthwhile, and I’m just so happy that I’m wild picking.”
DENNIS The East Dennis Oyster Farm is open for curbside, non-contact pickup of fresh oysters from its store in South Dennis. Call 508-398-3123 or get more information at dennisoysters.com.
FALMOUTH Coonamessett Farm in Falmouth has Sippewissett Oysters available for pickup. The farmers harvest on demand year-round, so call ahead to place your order (508-563-2560). Learn more about these oysters grown by member farms of the Falmouth Shellfish Cooperative online at sippewissettoysters.com.
OAK BLUFFS Cottage City Oysters are open-ocean farmed in the crisp waters of Vineyard Sound, off Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Martino’s Seafood delivers these oysters, littlenecks, sea scallops, and seaweed twice weekly, on-island only. Find more information at cottagecityoysters.com.
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Whether for business or pleasure, Falmouth’s scenic bikeway is something to see and explore. BY BILL HIGGINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN CUTRONA
The Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth gets its name from “America the Beautiful,” the poem written in 1893 by Falmouth native Katharine Lee Bates and a song considered by many worthy of the national anthem.
“O beautiful for spacious skies ... From sea to shining sea!” Beautiful indeed. The bikeway is a 10.7-mile paved, off-road (no cars) path winding from North Falmouth to Woods Hole, with several access points and scenic stops along the way. The trail follows the route of the old New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad.
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The bikeway is extremely popular and shared by cyclists, joggers, inline skaters and walkers. For many, it’s an oasis from these confusing times of COVID-19. Stephanie Madsen rides the path often from her home in West Falmouth to Woods Hole, where she works as sustainability coordinator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Before the pandemic, Madsen commuted on her bike to WHOI five days a week. One of the priorities when she and her family moved to Falmouth was to find a home close enough to the bikeway to make the eight-mile ride to work. On occasion during inclement weather, Madsen will drive, but cycling fits her environmentally conscious lifestyle and helps support the science community’s biking initiatives to ease traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse
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gas and pollution emissions, and encourage a healthy lifestyle. “I enjoy the exercise and the ride helps me separate the day, whether it’s in the morning getting ready for work or in the afternoon transitioning back home,” Madsen says. “I don’t ever take for granted the natural beauty that is all around me.” Madsen has been working at home during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, but she continues to ride the bikeway to Woods Hole several days a week “to help maintain my sanity.” Her favorite spots are the sweeping Sippewissett marshes, which change by the light of the seasons, and the beaches. “I’ve been in cities, and I know I need this environment, the green space, the blue waters,” says Madsen. “It’s soothing and helps keep me in a positive frame of mind.”
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Safety tips Before riding, do the ABCs: check the air in tires; check your brakes; check your chain and cables. Always wear a helmet. Also, bright or fluorescent clothing will help make you more visible. Practice proper hand and verbal signals when approaching or passing; refrain from wearing earbuds or headphones. To protect yourself and slow the spread of COVID-19: Limit touching surfaces (call buttons) touched by others; if you do, as soon as possible wash or use hand sanitizer (60 percent alcohol). Follow social distancing guidelines and avoid crowded and/or narrow routes. Wear a mask in public settings and when around people. Avoid spitting or clearing of the nasal passages in public. For more resources on biking Cape Cod and the islands: capecodchamber.org/things-to-do/biking/bike-paths capecodbikeguide.com/ pedalptown.com mvy.com/bikingmv nantucketchamber.org/play FALL 2020  53
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For Paul Sellers, who enjoys cycling longer distances on open roads, the Shining Sea is still one of his favorite routes. He lives about three miles from the North Falmouth start and near a bikeway parking lot. “Just jump out the door and you’re off,” says Sellers, manager of Vegetation Management at Eversource Energy/Massachusetts. “I’ve been riding with my daughter, Paige, and one of our favorite routes is to follow the bikeway into Woods Hole, out along the Falmouth Road Race course past Nobska Light, Surf Drive Beach, into Falmouth Heights, and then back home. It’s [about] 25 miles and having her join me has been one of the good things to come out of the pandemic.”
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Let’s Roll The Shining Sea is not the only game in town. The Cape has a variety of trails and paths. Here are three more worth exploring:
1 CAPE COD CANAL There are two flat, seven-mile paved service roads on both sides of the canal and they’re great options for family rides. Along the way you’ll see fishermen, diving birds, plus boats, barges and tugs making their way between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay.
2 CAPE COD RAIL TRAIL This 25-mile paved bikeway was recently expanded from its original trailhead in South Dennis to a new area in South Yarmouth. The well-maintained path winds along cranberry bogs and Nickerson State Park in Brewster to Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. There is also a split that’ll take you to Harwich and Chatham.
3 PROVINCE LANDS TRAIL Part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, this is a ride through Provincetown’s majestic dunes at the tip of the Cape. The seven-mile paved path is a hilly loop with stops at Herring Cove and Race Point beaches. The Visitors Center (and observation deck) is also a good resource. 56 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
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The bikeway rides are a nice change for the 58-yearold Sellers. Before the coronavirus curtailed things, he was part of a Monday night group out of the Corner Cycle shop that rode through Falmouth, Bourne, and Sandwich, often integrating the Shining Sea and the Cape Cod Canal path. Sellers has done the 100-mile Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride from Little Compton, Rhode Island, to Woods Hole. He also participates in the Tour des Trees, an annual national fundraiser supporting arboriculture and urban forestry. It’s a five-day event covering 400 to 600 miles. One of his favorites was in 2013 when the 575-mile trek took him on both sides of Niagara Falls from the U.S. into Canada. Sellers, who has been cycling for more than 30 years, rides nearly every day from spring into the fall and enjoys the simplicity of the sport. “It’s easy exercise, hop on the bike and go at your own speed for as long as you want,” he says. “For me, it’s definitely therapeutic, physically and mentally. Riding at the end of the day allows me to unwind and we certainly don’t lack for things to see.”
If you go Shining Sea is a feast for the senses, so slow down (speed limit is 15 mph) and savor all the splendor. “If you’re riding the path, practice patience,” says Sellers. “There are walkers with dogs, baby strollers, and joggers, so you need to be alert and use etiquette to let them know you’re approaching or passing.” The Great and Little Sippewissett marshes offer spectacular vistas looking over wispy salt marshes, barrier dunes, and streams leading to Buzzards Bay. Kayakers share the tidal creeks with swans and other wildlife. Continuing toward Woods Hole, Oyster Pond is a peaceful preserve as you cross Surf Drive to public beaches, where you can pull off and cool off. There is also a monument here honoring Katharine Lee Bates. Soon you’ll be in the eclectic village of Woods Hole, home to the world-renowned Oceanographic Institute (whoi.edu) and the Marine Biological Laboratory (mbl.edu). Park (and lock) your bike and take a stroll. Need a snack or a drink along the way? The West Falmouth Market (westfalmouthmarket. com) is a short walk (or ride) from the bikeway parking lot on Old Dock Road and Route 28A, just a couple of miles from the start in North Falmouth. The Station Grill (thestationgrillfalmouth.com) is on the path and close to downtown. Stop for breakfast, lunch...or an ice cream! Once you arrive in Woods Hole, there are numerous options for drinks and eats, and all easily inaccessible. Bike rentals, repairs and advice are available at Bike Zone (bikezonecapecod.com) near the start and Corner Cycle (cornercycle.com) just off the trail 3.5 miles from Woods Hole. For more on the Shining Sea Bikeway, visit friendsoffalmouthbikeways.org.
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THREE DIY PROJECTS THAT MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. BY COURTNEY GOODRICH PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN CUTRONA
We’ve all spent more time at home this year. Summer offered somewhat of a break with its warm air and outdoor activity, but we’ll be hunkering back inside come fall and winter. Inevitably, all that at-home time will lead to noticing what should be fixed or updated around the house. Newfound resourcefulness means even non-DIYers are tinkering. But for Sandra Cavallo, DIY has always been part of her life, especially when it comes to the 1905 folk Victorian cottage she and her husband bought in Falmouth in 2004. “We had to tear the entire cottage down and start from scratch,” she says. “We saved everything and reused it in the new building. “Little by little — I was here everyday — we did the best we could to bring it all back in. We basically reused everything, like window trims, cabinetry, and doors.” Although it took four years to finish Old Silver Shed, as they call the house, a home SANDRA CAVALLO is never truly finished. Projects continue, and inside are many examples of Cavallo’s DIY prowess. “I love to make things that are different from what they were intended to be,” she says. “My best day out is to go into salvage yards and see what I can find.” For some DIY inspiration, here are three custom projects at Old Silver Shed.
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W R A P P E D V I N TAG E CHANDELIER WHAT YOU NEED MATERIALS vintage chandelier easy-to-bend old wire garden fencing pliable jewelry wire close in color to the fencing jewelry chain TOOLS wire cutters needle nose pliers
WHAT TO DO 1. Measure from the bottom to the top of the chandelier. 2. Measure the chandelier’s diameter. 3. Using the wire cutters, cut the fencing’s height to the measurement you took in step 1. 4. Add a couple inches to the measurement you took in step 2 and cut the fencing’s length. 5. Bend the fencing around the chandelier to create a “shade.” This needs to slide over the chandelier but also fit snugly, so cut it to fit with about a half-inch extra. 6. Using the needle nose pliers, bend the wire back onto itself at the seam. 7. Measure from the top of the shade to the chandelier’s center chain. 8. Cut five pieces of jewelry chain to the measurement you took in step 7. 9. Cut six pieces of jewelry wire into six-inch lengths.
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10. Attach a cut piece of chain to the shade’s top edge using a cut piece of wire. 11. Attach the other end of the chain to the center chain using another cut piece of wire. 12. Twist both wires tightly with the pliers, wrapping them discreetly or cutting off the excess with the wire cutters. 13. Repeat steps 10 through 12 with the remaining chain and wire, spacing them out evenly.
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CUSTOM CLOCK WHAT YOU NEED MATERIALS clock frame (look for something with a center circle and something around the outside, such as a window frame or a basket hoop) clock parts (try clockparts.com) numbers, letters, or objects TOOLS glue or wire
WHAT TO DO 1. Lay out the clock frame and attach the clock parts to the center circle. 2. Make a clock dial with your numbers, letters, or objects and secure with glue or wire either together or directly on the wall.
Cavallo used salvaged letters from vintage screen doors and chose the word UNWIND, but you can spell out anything or use different size numbers or letters. Be creative!
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FAUX SW I N G B E D WHAT TO DO 1. Using screws and bolts, attach the headboard and footboard to the sideboards. 2. Build an inside frame support grid with the 2-by-4inch boards. (Cavallo laid 6 boards width-wise and then staggered smaller pieces between.) 3. Secure the plywood to the top of the frame support. 4. Lift the frame onto the support block legs and position it where you want.
WHAT YOU NEED
5. Attach the frame to the wall.
MATERIALS
6. Make sure the support block legs under the bed are about 26 inches away from the foot and 16 inches from each side. (*Note: The bed is low to the ground with the legs set in so they are not visible, allowing the bed to appear to hang and be able to “swing.”)
(2) 2-by-4-inch boards in 84-inch lengths for the sideboards (2) 2-by-4-inch boards in 62-inch lengths for the headboard and footboard 2-by-4-inch boards in desired lengths for the frame support (1) ½-inch plywood piece cut to 60 by 80 inches (2) 4-by-9-inch support block legs in desired height (the total height of Cavallo’s bed is 26 inches)
7. Screw through the plywood and the frame support into the legs. 8. Screw four pad eyes with rings into the frame’s four corners and the other four pad eyes with rings into the ceiling directly above.
screws and bolts 8 pad eyes with rings 4 pieces of 1¼-2-inch jute rope cut to desired length (make sure the rope can fit through the ring of the pad eyes) TOOLS standard tool kit
9. Measure from the ceiling to the frame to see how long the four pieces of jute ropes should be, leaving about 18 inches extra on each end. 10. Thread the ropes through the rings and knot at both ends. 11. Trim extra rope.
This fits a queen bed and requires some carpentry knowledge.
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ONE COUPLE’S HARWICH PORT RENOVATION IS ACHIEVED IN PHASES. BY COURTNEY GOODRICH PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN CUTRONA
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ames Killian grew up moving around. In fact, he and his family lived in a dozen places before he went to college. But they spent their summers in Harwich Port close to extended family, so the town always felt like home. “You add up all those summers and it becomes the longest place I’ve ever lived,” Killian says. Later in life, when Killian was searching for a weekend escape from Boston, where he works as a CFO at a private equity firm, he found a cottage in Harwich Port. Just over a year later, Killian and his now fiancé, Mike Kearney, began looking for something bigger together in earnest in 2017. There was one house on Saquatucket Bluffs that kept intriguing Killian. It was large enough: It had more than 3,400 square feet with three bedrooms and two and a half baths in the main house and another bed and bath in the guest suite above the garage. However, the house, which was built in 1985, needed updating both inside and out. The landscape consisted of diseased and dying trees that were inhibiting the health of other plants and blocked waterfront views. “But every time I looked at it online,” says Killian, “I had more and more ideas of what I could do with it if it wasn’t too hard and if the town would let me.” Killian got in touch with O’Leary Landscaping & Irrigation of Harwich about restoring the property and with McPhee Associates Inc. of East Dennis about renovating the house in phases. It turns out, his ideas were possible. Now, with most of the work done, Killian and Kearney look forward to what their future brings.
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PHASING PROJECTS According to McPhee’s senior estimator and project coordinator, Sue Contonio, working in phases has become popular because it can help manage costs and also allows more time for thoughtful execution. “[Phasing renovations] helps to prioritize your needs and wants and gives you the time to live in the house beforehand to see how you use the space,” she says. For Killian and Kearney, it was important to tackle the exterior and landscape right away. The second phase, completed in June 2020, involved renovating the kitchen and powder room. Next, they will be redoing the master and upstairs bathrooms and sometime after that they’ll revamp the guest suite above the garage. “Our objective is to come up with a master plan before we start anything so we can work through the phases efficiently,” says Contonio. “For example, in this house, we took care of the plumbing for the upstairs bathroom when the ceiling was open in the kitchen below.”
EXTERIOR and LANDSCAPE Killian wanted a look that is classic and pulled together, so they stripped off the house’s existing blue siding and refinished the center with white clapboard and the remainder of the house with natural cedar shingles. Windows were updated and navy blue shutters that match new garage doors were added. Meanwhile, the Harwich Conservation Commission approved the removal of 45 unhealthy trees. “All those trees meant the grass couldn’t grow, plants couldn’t grow, and there was moss on the roof of the house,” says Killian. The land is protected by the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act so in place of the trees they planted more than 120 native plantings selected by the Harwich Conservation Commission in accordance with Massachusetts regulations. Dan O’Leary and his team at O’Leary Landscaping & Irrigation navigated the process to create the healthy landscape that now overlooks the water. Also, the backyard was fenced in for Killian and Kearney’s French bulldog, Perry.
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KITCHEN Killian had a strong vision for what he wanted, “but he needed help with the details as well as finding the right cabinetmaker who could execute it,” says Pamala Bruni-Holick, McPhee’s interior design and selections coordinator. Russo Woodworking in Mashpee got it just right — white-painted maple cabinetry is around the perimeter while the island and wet bar are quartered white oak left natural with a matte finish. There’s also a door disguised as cabinetry that leads to a small laundry room. Other details include cove moulding, Moroccan backsplash tiles from Cle Tile with a glaze that is “intentionally varied and allows some of the terracotta base to show through providing color variation,” says Bruni-Holick. Touches of gold add warmth from the fixtures to the hardware to mesh cabinet inserts to the Borghini marble countertops.
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Home R E M O D E L
WHAT THEY LOVE MOST They had planned a backyard ceremony for their wedding in September, but decided to postpone it until next year because of COVID-19. So Killian and Kearney are focusing on enjoying the town they have grown to love (and where they have been spending most of their time since March). “I love to see how much the town has changed but also stayed very family-centric,” says Killian. “It’s grown but it’s managed to maintain that special small-town feeling.”
BUILDER:
MCPHEE ASSOCIATES INC. 1382 Route 134, East Dennis 508.385.2704, mcpheeassociatesinc.com C A BI N ETRY:
RUSSO WOODWORKING INC. 774.238.2513 C A L AC ATTA BORGHINI M A RBLE:
LEAMAR INDUSTRIES 80 Airport Road, Hyannis 508.957.2301, leamar.com
FA BRIC ATION / INSTA LL ATION:
CAPE COD MARBLE & GRANITE 38 Rosary Lane, Hyannis 508.771.2900, capecodmarbleandgranite.com APPLIANCES:
KAM APPLIANCES 201 Yarmouth Road, Hyannis 508.771.2221, kamonline.com LANDSCAPING:
O’LEARY LANDSCAPING AND IRRIGATION 129 Queen Anne Road, Harwich 508.432.5198, olearylandscaping.com
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R E A L E S TAT E
5 Takeaways from the
Cape Cod Real Estate Market During COVID-19
521 SHOOTFLYING HILL ROAD CENTERVILLE
Spread out and take up space in this renovated home’s stunning open-floor plan that comes with a private dock. WHAT IT WAS LISTED FOR: $1,295,000 WHAT IT SOLD FOR: $1,250,000 LIST DATE: May 16, 2020 SOLD DATE: August 4, 2020 FACTS: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 4,009 square feet on 0.72 acres LISTING AGENT: Team Martin-Lapsley, Kinlin Grover Real Estate SELLING AGENT: Joan Witter, Compass
After months of quarantine, many homeowners have reevaluated where and how they live, and the Cape and islands have become more enticing than ever.
GONE VIRTUAL Sarah Lapsley works alongside her husband Gregory “Marty” Martin as an agent for Kinlin Grover Real Estate in Yarmouth Port. In the first quarter of 2020, she was on target with her annual goals. Then the pandemic arrived, and some of her spring listings decided to hold off on selling. “Sellers didn’t want to leave their homes, and they didn’t want people in their homes.” Even her listings that made it on the market had to be sold unconventionally. Lapsley and her husband adapted by producing virtual tours. Before COVID-19, Lapsley says, she would rarely do a FaceTime showing. “Now it’s common practice,” she says. “I had a couple in Colorado who wanted to be closer to family on the Cape, and we did virtual showings and a virtual home inspection.” When she did the final walk through with her clients, they were moving in, she says, but they had never seen the house. “It’s a little nerve-racking as a buyer’s agent,” she says. “So, when doing a virtual tour, I try to point out everything.” 72 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
Sarah Lapsley & Gregory “Marty” Martin Kinlin Grover Real Estate 508.331.1404 TeamMartinLapsley@ kinlingrover.com teammartinlapsley.com @teammartinlapsley @capecodproperties
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Katie Clancy William Raveis Real Estate 508.737.1248 Katie.Clancy@raveis.com www.thecapehouseteam.com @thecapehouse @thecapehouse
35 CAPTAINS VILLAGE LANE, BREWSTER
Situated on the fourth fairway of Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club , this home is a golf lover’s dream. WHAT IT WAS LISTED FOR: $1,350,000 WHAT IT SOLD FOR: $1,300,000 LIST DATE: June 23, 2020 SOLD DATE: August 12, 2020 FACTS: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3,544 square feet on 1.85 acres LISTING AGENT: The Cape House Team, William Raveis RE SELLING AGENT: Gerry Coughlan, Kinlin Grover Real Estate
THE REMOTE EFFECT 56 UNCLE STEPHENS ROAD, UNIT D, WEST DENNIS
A sandy dune is the only thing separating this home from a quiet, private beach. WHAT IT WAS LISTED FOR: $775,000 WHAT IT SOLD FOR: $762,500 LIST DATE: February 6, 2020 SOLD DATE: April 23, 2020 FACTS: 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 948 square feet LISTING AGENT: The Cape House Team, William Raveis RE SELLING AGENT: Kristine R Sawyer, Coldwell Banker
At least in 2020, the days of sitting in an office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are gone. Many businesses had to move their operations remotely, and in the process discovered that their workforce can be productive from afar. Workers have realized the perks of working from a space outside of their offices. This industry change has made properties with more space outside of the city limits more attractive to buyers. Katie Clancy, a real estate agent with William Raveis in Yarmouth Port, has seen more off-Cape buyers than ever before. “I have one client who works in New York for a Fortune-500 company, and he was hunkering down at his parents’ on the Cape,” she says. “Then after a few months had passed, he thought ‘why don’t I just buy a Cape house?’ He doesn’t have to be back in his office until July of 2021.” Even then, Clancy says, her client doesn’t think he’ll need to be in the office every day, so he terminated his lease in New York and has embraced the Cape as his new home.
SECOND-HOME SURGE Dawn Stevens, the relocation and corporate services director at Kinlin Grover Real Estate, says that her clients are more likely to commit to a vacation home. “We see some who have now decided a second home in a place like Cape Cod is a safer, better option than ever before,” she says. “They are pulling the trigger to buy now instead of vacationing in a hotel room where others have recently stayed due to the virus.” Stevens says the vacation season is much longer, too. “At the beginning of the spring market, we saw those who currently had a home on Cape Cod come here to quarantine because it provided them a place to get away that was safe,” she says. “People found they could work remotely, so extended visits to Cape Cod have increased.”
39 KAYCEES WAY, WEST YARMOUTH This move-in-ready three bedroom is in a quiet neighborhood and borders a local conservation area.
WHAT IT WAS LISTED FOR: $429,000 WHAT IT SOLD FOR: $429,000 LIST DATE: June 24, 2020 SOLD DATE: August 27, 2020 FACTS: 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1,444 square feet on 0.61 acres LISTING AGENT: Team Martin-Lapsley, Kinlin Grover Real Estate SELLING AGENT: Kate L Nadolski, Griffin Realty Group FALL 2020 » 73
R E A L E S TAT E
A SHIFT IN PRIORITIES It comes as no surprise that as homeowners spend more time at home, many have started to rethink their spaces. “Before I would have clients who would say, we want a summer cottage—something to jump into on the weekends,” she says. “Now clients are looking for second home that is actually a home. They aren’t just weekend warriors anymore—they are coming down for weeks at a time.” The result has been an increased demand for pools and outdoor spaces. Stevens says that her clients are more interested in multifunctional spaces, such as bedrooms that can be used as offices or classrooms for kids who are learning virtually. “People are now looking for ways to spread out,” says Stevens. “Open-air spaces, such as a large yard or a walk to the park or beaches—places where they can be socially distant but enjoy the time with their families is really important.”
Dawn Stevens
Global Relocation & Corporate Services Director Kinlin Grover Real Estate 781.223.1966 DStevens@kinlingrover.com reloandreferrals.com @kinlingrover @kinlingrover
I really encourage sellers if they are thinking about selling their home, there is no better time than the present, as there are plenty of buyers out there waiting to purchase now and take advantage of low mortgage rates. It all comes down to supply and demand. — DAWN STEVENS, KINLIN GROVER REAL ESTATE
10 COLLINGWOOD DRIVE, YARMOUTH PORT
LOW INVENTORY EXPOSED Still, even as the market soars, housing inventory on the Cape has reached an all-time low, especially for more affordable homes. According to Clancy, the underproduction of housing has been a local issue for years. “For some time now, it’s been cumbersome to get through town halls. Also, it’s expensive to build entry-level or mid-level homes, so those are definitely lacking,” says Clancy. “I’m referring to the home for the client who owns a restaurant and her husband is a cop—what house do they buy? They aren’t in that $800,000 range necessarily, so we need more housing, especially more variety of housing.” 74 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
This turnkey home in Yarmouth Port’s northside neighborhood has a new kitchen and two renovated bathrooms.
WHAT IT WAS LISTED FOR: $400,000 WHAT IT SOLD FOR: $420,000 LIST DATE: June 30, 2020 SOLD DATE: September 8, 2020 FACTS: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,064 square feet on 0.37 acres LISTING AGENT: The Cape House Team, William Raveis RE SELLING AGENT: Brittany Lopes, Coastal Point Properties
Looking ahead, Clancy is optimistic about the coming months, and she believes the market will stay busy and prices will remain high through next year. “As long as demand is as high as it is and supply is as low as it is, prices are going to stay high,” says Clancy. “We still have not quenched the thirst for properties here on the Cape even just in a normal market. Now we have interest rates and Covid influences, so I predict that we are going to see high prices for at least the next year.” Nonetheless, even with rising incentives, listings are slow to come on the market. Stevens says that if homeowners are wondering whether to sell, now is the time. “I really encourage sellers if they are thinking about selling their home, there is no better time than the present, as there are plenty of buyers out there waiting to purchase now and take advantage of low mortgage rates. It all comes down to supply and demand,” says Stevens.
DISTINCTIVE PROPERTY
CAPE CHARM AND OCEAN VIEWS
222 Fifth Avenue, Hyannis $1,495,000 5 Bedrooms 2 full baths and 1 half baths 2,312 square feet
Wake up to the sound of the ocean and grand views of Nantucket Sound, Halls Creek, Hyannisport Club, and Squaw Island. On the first floor are four bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace, and built-in cabinetry, and up on the second floor, the master is tucked away. In addition to the scenery, this colonial, which was built in 1940, offers the opportunity to join a classic Cape Cod community, where every Fourth of July, the neighborhood puts together a homemade parade that runs down the street. Other draws include a heated pool, which will extend summer days at home, and a short walk to the end of the road leads to a private beach that’s equipped for launching kayaks. Ronnie Mulligan Kinlin Grover, Osterville | 508-633-0613 RMulligan@KinlinGrover.com
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IN TOWNS DEFINED BY SEASONAL EXTREMES, THREE FAMILIES DECIDE TO PUT DOWN ROOTS AND BUILD BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ALONG THE WAY. BY MARIA ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA CUMES
With miles of pristine ocean coastline, idyllic village centers and fresh-off-the-boat seafood, it’s no secret why the Cape’s outermost towns attract thousands of tourists each summer. As the seasons change and the crowds depart, life goes on at a slower pace. Year-round residents are the fibers that bind these seaside communities together. Some Outer Cape families have deep roots that go back for generations. Others are washashores who made a conscious decision to move here, trading suburban convenience for a tight-knit community where everyone knows your name. They all have a unique story about how they fell in love with the landscape and the lifestyle. No matter how they got here, these individuals know how to ride the wave of a seasonal economy and usually appreciate the silence and solitude of Cape Cod winters almost as much as the hot and hazy days of summer.
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a labor of love David Roberts Sr. was riding his bicycle down Shore Road in Truro one morning in 2007 when he stopped to say hello to the owner of Truro Vineyards and learned of their intention to sell the business. Newly retired from a 40-year career in the fine wine and spirits industry, the former CEO of United Liquors knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Roberts had been vacationing in Truro for close to 50 years. He envisioned the winery as a practical next step in his career, and more importantly, he saw it as a chance to bring his children together as part of a family-run business. Roberts proposed the idea to his wife and children, who at that time were spread out across the country. “It may have been my idea, but I made it clear to my kids that this was going to be their deal,” says Roberts, who now lives a mile away from the vineyard. His youngest daughter, Kristen Roberts, and son, David Roberts Jr., both signed on to be part owners of Truro Vineyards and made the move to the Outer Cape to begin making their dream a reality. Kristen serves as CFO, runs the front-ofthe-house, and manages wine tastings and special events, while her brother, David Jr., oversees winemaking and production. He works closely with head vintner Milan Vujnic to craft a variety of artisan wines. Thanks to his background as a beer brewer, David Jr. also helped to expand the family business by launching South Hollow Spirits, a new onsite distillery, in 2012.
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Truro Vineyards is a bucolic setting with five acres of grape varieties—Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot— nurtured by Truro’s sandy soil and salty sea breezes. Visitors from around the world come to sip wine and spirit flights and purchase signature blends in lighthouseshaped bottles. The decision to move to the Outer Cape was a leap of faith for Kristen and David Jr., but they don’t regret their decision. Both are raising families here and appreciate being able to send their children to local elementary schools with small class sizes. They’ve also found the business community to be incredibly supportive. “When you live out here, you learn to lean on one another,” says Kristen. “On any given day, I know there are 20 people I can call if I need something, like $1 bills for the cash register or extra cocktail sauce.” The family makes an effort to support other local businesses, too. For example, South Hollow Spirits’ signature spiced rum is made using spices from Truro’s Atlantic Spice Company, which is headquartered just down the road.
It was an experiment to see if there was enough need for a winery to be open on the weekends. People weren’t busting down the doors, but we had enough of a year-round community for it to work. — KRISTEN ROBERTS
Truro Vineyards started staying open year-round two years ago, which was a risk given how quiet the region’s winters can be. “It was an experiment to see if there was enough need for a winery to be open on the weekends,” says Kristen. “People weren’t busting down the doors, but we had enough of a year-round community for it to work.” As one might expect, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the family to re-envision some aspects of their business plan. Guests now enjoy their food (courtesy of the Blackfish Restaurant Crush Pad food truck) and drinks while seated at tables that are spaced 15 feet apart, rather than walking around the grounds with a glass in-hand. “It actually makes for a more intimate experience,” says Kristen. “It’s safe for our customers and it works for us.” FALL 2020 » 79
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taste of summer Wellfleet is known for having a laid-back vibe, where kids are as likely to spend their afternoons surfing as hanging out at the skatepark. Local businesses and restaurants cater to a well-heeled summer clientele in search of experiences that capture the essence of summer. For Sandy Valli and her husband Leif, who owns a propertymanagement company, opening Gelato Joy Cafe in downtown Wellfleet was part of their long-term retirement plan. The parents of six children between the ages of nine and 24, their goal was to create a seasonal business where their teenagers could help out during the summer months, while allowing the parents free time in the off-season for traveling.
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After a quiet opening in July, Gelato Joy quickly became a local favorite, serving up a rotation of fruity sorbets and decadent, all-natural gelato flavors, such as hazelnut, pistachio, and salted caramel. The cafe is located down a narrow alleyway, behind SICKDAY Surf Shop and the gift shop Drift. Valli’s brother-in-law, Olaf Valli, owns the building and is the brainchild behind the SICKDAY brand, a name that refers to a carpe diem mentality. (If the waves are good, surfers call in a “sick day” and head to the beach.) Ironically, fall and winter are the seasons when locals do the most surfing in this neck of the woods. “They’re the only ones that go toward the water during a storm,” says Valli.
EACH SEASON HAS AN AWESOMENESS TO IT. — SANDY VALLI, WHO IS GLAD HER CHILDREN HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO GROW UP SURROUNDED BY NATURE.
There is a timeless beauty to the Wellfleet landscape throughout the year, thanks in large part to the protected lands of the Cape Cod National Seashore. “Each season has an awesomeness to it,” says Valli, who is glad her children have been able to grow up surrounded by nature. “Wellfleet is a great place to raise a family, as long as you’re willing to drive,” says Valli. Whether transporting her daughter Anika to ballet class or son Burke to crew practice further up Cape, Valli views car rides as a chance to spend more time talking with her kids. Similarly, being able to work closely with her older children at the gelato shop has been one of the biggest rewards. Her son, Tait, age 24, built custom countertops and outdoor benches for the cafe and her daughter, Kenna, age 19, handles their social media accounts and helps out as an evening manager. Inspired by the multigenerational gelaterias in Italy, Valli hopes her family’s new business will help to bring other families together to share a sweet moment in their day. “We have a large family so we can’t always afford to all go out to dinner,” says Valli. “But we love to go out for ice cream together.”
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beautiful horizon Home to America’s oldest art colony, the Outer Cape has been a destination for fine artists and collectors for generations. Intimate galleries and studios pepper the main streets and back roads of these quaint seaside towns of Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet. “The light out here is pretty extraordinary,” says Truro artist Thomas A.D. Watson, who is known for his representational landscape paintings of the area. “There is so much national seashore and wild water. It’s an incredibly beautiful place to live.” Watson and his wife, Francie Randolph, a mixed-media artist and former Harvard professor, moved to Truro in 1998 after falling in love with a 200-year-old farmhouse with a small orchard and a two-story barn. The original deteriorating barn was replaced with a new post-and-beam structure that now houses Watson’s art studio on the upper level and Randolph’s studio below. Watson was born into a family of artists—his father was a skilled illustrator, his grandfather was the founder and editor of American Artist Magazine, and his mother was a celebrated children’s book author. His childhood was split between Vermont and Truro, where he spent a great deal of time outdoors and the creative influences of his family and the surrounding community inspired his own artistic leanings. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Watson’s landscape paintings depict the Outer Cape’s dramatic sand dunes and churning seas with stirring emotion.
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Randolph’s nature-based artwork combines digital technologies with painting, photography, and printmaking techniques. She previously taught at Harvard University’s Visual and Environmental Studies department before moving to the Cape and turning her attention to the local food movement. Randolph co-founded the Truro Agricultural Fair and shortly thereafter the nonprofit Sustainable CAPE. “Our mission is to celebrate local food while teaching about the health of our bodies, community, and environment,” says Randolph, who helps oversee the organization’s farm-to-school program as well as the Truro Farmers’ Market. When they aren’t busy creating art, Watson and Randolph enjoy a down-to-earth lifestyle, spending their days gardening, swimming, and going on fishing trips with their son and daughter. One such outing into Cape Cod Bay inspired Watson to begin painting commercial fishing and lobster boats. The local fishing industry is an important part of the heritage of the Outer Cape and Watson’s images pay tribute to this local history. Earlier this year,
Our mission is to celebrate local food while teaching about the health of our bodies, community, and environment. — FRANCIE RANDOLPH
his painting of a vessel known as the Joan ~ Tom was featured and auctioned off at the annual Provincetown Portuguese Festival. Somehow, while the rest of the world becomes increasingly dependent on their high-speed digital devices, Watson and Randolph have found a way to embrace life’s simple pleasures. “The rhythm of the seasons has been really wonderful because it gives us a lot of quiet time to do our work,” says Randolph. “We have a beautiful hearth and in the winter we will gather as a family in the living room and read books at the end of the day.” Even during a global pandemic, Watson has found peace by painting his natural surroundings, and with every brushstroke, he is continuing a local legacy.
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Food + Drink S I G N AT U R E S I P
West End’s
fall cocktails, garden terrace offer welcome escape BY LANNAN M. O’BRIEN
Enter The West End’s Ambrosia Negroni. A twist on the traditional Italian drink, it blends gin, vermouth, and Don Ciccio and Figli’s Ambrosia—a bittersweet aperitivo made with natural ingredients like carrots, blood orange, and cantaloupe. A single large cube and a charred orange twist make for a lovely presentation.
JEN VILLA
The recipe is one of several spinoffs on classic cocktails by co-owners Blane Toedt and Jen Villa for each season’s bar menu, crafted to pair with new American dishes that receive “seasonal updates,” says Villa. Toedt, who was previously the food and beverage director at Mashpee’s Willowbend joined the restaurant’s team early this year.
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The two were married this summer and are now partners in life and business. When it comes to the latter, their drive has always been offering diners an escape from the present moment—in particular, a window into the past, through the restaurant’s vintage feel and the rich history of the building. Since Villa reopened the former Paddock restaurant (initially with former co-owner David Noble), the restaurant has developed a steady crowd of regulars, who have been enjoying dinner as well as the Sunday jazz brunch.
JEN VILLA
Let’s face it: the pandemic summer wasn’t much of a vacation, and as a result, many of us weren’t ready for fall. If even Dunkin’s Pumpkin Spice coffee isn’t giving you the warm-and-cozy vibes you were hoping for this season, then a creative fall cocktail might do the trick.
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The changing regulations since March have presented challenges, but Villa and Toedt met them with gusto. After closing for a few weeks, they offered takeout options that included beer, wine, and even cocktail-mix kits. When the news came that restaurants could offer outdoor dining, they obtained permits to build a stone patio beside the restaurant. Complete with palms and ornamental grasses and backed by a beautiful stone wall, the garden terrace transforms a simple dinner out into a beach vacation.
JEN VILLA
“It lets people check out,” says Villa, adding, “To be able to do what we do best at a time when the world feels upside down and to have people come in and be like, ‘I had the most beautiful time here, thank you,’ it feels like [a reminder that] this is why we do it.”
ANDREW CAVANAUGH
DAN CUTRONA
Since the restaurant has limited indoor seating, Villa and Toedt plan to keep the garden terrace open as late as possible this fall (with heaters to keep guests warm). The restaurant is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 to 9 p.m. Jazz brunch continues every Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a two- to threepiece band playing instrumental music, which allows guests to sit back and relax as they enjoy a seasonal cocktail, or two.
THE WEST END 20 Scudder Avenue, Hyannis 508.775.7677 westendhyannis.com
The West End posts updates on social media. Follow them on… facebook.com/westendhyannis @westendhyannis
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Food + Drink B E L O V E D B A K E R I E S
BY LANNAN M. O’BRIEN
We all need to indulge a little now and then. Luckily, the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket are home to amazing bakeries filled with madefrom-scratch treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. Try these sweet spots for everything delicious—from pastries and pies to cakes and cookies.
WOOLFIE’S BAKERY *Please note: Many of these businesses are operating under new protocols to keep their staff and customers safe at this time. We recommend visiting their websites to get the details before you go.
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THE BASHFUL TARTE BAKERY
THE CHOCOLATE ROSE Custom cake artistry at its finest, plus not-to-miss desserts, pastries, and breakfast offerings await at this local bakery. 628 Main St., Suite A, Mashpee (774) 238-7020 chocolaterosecakes.com
COLOMBO’S CAFE & PASTRIES Plan a dinner at this Main Street Italian restaurant, then take your pick of cannolis, biscotti, and amaretti to enjoy at home. 544 Main St., Hyannis (508) 790-5700 colomboscafe.com
WASHASHORE BAKERY Stop into this Mashpee Commons spot for specialties ranging from cakes to tea breads of every flavor. 14 Central Square, Mashpee (508) 419-6835 washashorebakery.com
HAPPY FISH BAKERY Homemade granola, fresh-baked cookies and bread, plus a case of gourmet cheeses are just a few things that keep customers returning to this delicious bakery. 173 MA-6A, Yarmouth Port (774) 994-8272 facebook.com/happyfishbakery
AMIE BAKERY There’s a reason for long lines at this cozy eatery, where each menu item is made from scratch and the croissants are oh-so soft and flaky. 1254 Main St., Osterville (508) 428-1005 amiebakery.com
WOOLFIE’S BAKERY It’s worth the wait for this spot to open each season. Even after 50 years in the business, customers can’t get enough of the tasty muffins, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. 279 Lower County Rd., Dennis Port (508) 258-9980 woolfies.com
MAISON VILLATTE You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more authentic French bakery than this local gem, where lines form out the door for quiches, croissants, cream puffs, and fresh-baked bread that often sells out midday. 267 Main St., Falmouth (774) 255-1855 facebook.com/Maison-Villatte PIES A LA MODE Whether it’s breakfast, dinner or dessert, there’s a homemade pie for every meal at Pies a La Mode. Varieties include classics like quiche lorraine and shepherd’s pie to rarer finds, like barbecue pulled pork pie and baked stuffed lobster pasties. 200 Teaticket Hwy, Teaticket (508) 540-8777 facebook.com/PiesALaModeCafe PECK O’ DIRT BAKERY AT COONAMESSETT FARM Stop by to see the farm animals then browse the rotating selection of sweets at the bakery, including
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vegan and gluten-free options. 277 Hatchville Rd., East Falmouth (508) 563-2560 coonamessettfarm.com/ peck-o-dirt-bakery PIE IN THE SKY BAKERY & CAFE A mouthwatering selection of muffins, pies, breads, and more make this Woods Hole eatery a popular spot. 10 Water St., Woods Hole (508) 540-5475 piecoffee.com
COTTAGE STREET BAKERY
THE BASHFUL TARTE BAKERY While the Bashful Tarte’s claims to fame are pies and custom event cakes, it’s also worth a trip to this bakery for delectable breakfast sandwiches and “little treats” like scones and cupcakes. 23 Whites Path South, Yarmouth (508) 619-3938 thebashfultarte.com
MARION’S PIE SHOP A mecca for homemade everything— from sweet and savory pies to classic comforts like lasagna and seafood casserole—this little spot turns even the staunchest of the anti-store-bought-pie crowd into returning customers. 2022 Main St., Chatham (508) 432-9439 marionspieshopofchatham.com CHATHAM VILLAGE CAFE AND BAKERY There’s nothing like starting your day with a homemade doughnut from this popular bakery, which offers a variety of confections, including gluten- and dairy-free options. 69 Crowell Rd., Chatham (508) 945-2525 chathamvillagecafeandbakery.com
PB BOULANGERIE BISTRO Experts in everything sweet, this beloved bistro serves an extensive list of cookies, croissants, brioche, breads, and even homemade ice cream. 15 Lecount Hollow Rd., South Wellfleet (508) 349-1600 pbboulangeriebistro.com
PB BOULANGERIE BISTRO
EAT CAKE 4 BREAKFAST BAKERY
EAT CAKE 4 BREAKFAST BAKERY Sure, you can eat cake for breakfast (why not?), or try something equally satisfying, like the smoked turkey asiago croissant. 26 Wampum Dr, Brewster (508) 896-4444 eatcake4breakfast.com
PROVINCETOWN PORTUGUESE BAKERY
FOR ALL THINGS DELICIOUS It’s all in the details at this French bakery, which specializes in custom cakes, fresh-baked bread, and, well, all things delicious! 294 State Rd., Vineyard Haven (508) 693-2223 forallthingsdelicious.com
HOPKINS HOUSE BAKERY AND GIFT SHOP Browse primitive decor at the gift shop, then take your pick of pies, muffins, and brownies. Don’t worry, whatever you choose will leave you craving more. 2727 Main St., Brewster (508) 896-3450 hopkinshousebrewster.com
ENGLEWOOD BAKING COMPANY The made-from-scratch croissants, muffins, and pull-apart biscuits at this bakery elicit only rave reviews from happy customers. 572 MA-28, West Yarmouth (508) 653-5309 englewoodbaking.com SCAPICCHIO’S BAKERY North End-trained baker Matthew Scapicchio wows customers with an array of Italian and American treats, plus fresh-baked bread and Sicilianstyle pizza. 941 MA-28, South Yarmouth (508) 694-5665 scapicchiosbakery.com
COTTAGE STREET BAKERY Enjoy breakfast or lunch, then order a custom cake or browse the scrumptious selection of fresh-baked pies and pastries. 5 Cottage St., Orleans (508) 255-2821 cottagestreetbakery.com
PROVINCETOWN PORTUGUESE BAKERY Open since the early 20th century, this “taste of Portugal” is a mustvisit on any trip to Provincetown for lemon bars, cinnamon sticks, danishes, and more. 299 Commercial St., Provincetown (508) 487-1803 provincetownportuguesebakery.com RELISH BAKERY & SANDWICH SHOP If there’s one thing locals feel strongly about, it’s Relish’s cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Plus, gluten-free and vegan baked goods offer something for everyone. 93 Commercial St., Provincetown (508) 487-8077 ptownrelish.com
BACK DOOR DONUTS When the back door of the Front Bakery Cafe swings open, the line starts to form for homemade doughnuts and sweet treats galore (and yes, it’s worth the wait!). 1-11 Kennebec Ave, Oak Bluffs (508) 693-3688 backdoordonuts.com THE DOWNYFLAKE DOUGHNUTS While you might order a delicious breakfast or lunch here, do yourself a favor and don’t leave without a taste of this place’s namesake treats. Whatever flavor you choose, you won’t be disappointed. 18 Sparks Ave., Nantucket (508) 228-4533 thedownyflake.com 45 SURFSIDE BAKERY AND CAFÉ Chef Rebecca Moesinger’s fresh pastries and cakes—from lemon citron to chocolate chiffon— represent the artistry of baking at its finest. 45 Surfside Rd., Nantucket (774) 333-3981 45surfside.com FALL 2020 » 87
Recipe V I N E YA R D K I T C H E N
CATCH-ALL RECIPES THAT MAKE THE MOST OF THE SEASON. BY SARAH WALDMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH CECIL
Here on Martha’s Vineyard, the shift from summer to fall is a welcome change. As the leaves turn and the weather cools, there’s a new rhythm in our house as we adapt to fall schedules and routines. Still, it’s important to our family that we continue to discover new ways to enjoy the outdoors. For my sons, that means putting on wetsuits before hopping into the ocean, and for me, that means bringing down a few sweaters from the attic. We keep our spirits up by squeezing in quick beach walks or an afternoon snack in the yard. Family bike rides after school revive our connection to this beautiful place. My sons are also avid fisher-boys, and I am more than happy to park myself on a dock with a good book while they go after striped bass and bluefish. At this time of the year, our meals are composed of island produce, and this recipe for Slow-Cooker Ratatouille highlights the diversity of veggies growing outside. The one-pot dish is also an easy way to use up garden bounty, and turn those mountains of zucchini, eggplant, and squash into a nutritious vegetarian meal. This ratatouille makes a hearty and satisfying meal on its own (with some special toppings), but it is also delicious as a side to turkey burgers or folded into cheddar omelettes in the morning.
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SLOW-COOKER RATATOUILLE Slow-Cooker Ratatouille is the perfect way to use up garden overabundance as the medley of vegetables is completely adaptable. I’ve used an assortment of produce, but feel free to toss in green beans, sweet potato, and summer squash. To me, this mix of late summer harvest and early fall goodies is the perfect balance of fresh and comforting. Plus, it yields quite a few servings, which means you will have enough to share with a neighbor or freeze for later in the winter. INGREDIENTS ¼ cup olive oil 2 onions, diced 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 jalapeno, diced 1 red bell pepper, cut into one-inch pieces 1 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into one-inch pieces 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces 1 zucchini, cut into one-inch pieces 1 small eggplant, cut into one-inch pieces 1 potato (I used Yukon Gold) cut into oneinch pieces 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste ½ tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup water DIRECTIONS Simply combine everything in the pot of a slow cooker and give it a big stir. Cook on high for four hours or on low for six hours, and stir occasionally. Add more salt before serving.
FALL 2020 » 89
Recipe V I N E YA R D K I T C H E N
CRISPY CHICKPEAS It’s taken me a long time to find a cooking method that produces really crispy chickpeas, but this is it! This recipe is flexible, so you can toss the chickpeas in any mix of spices, such as curry powder, cumin, or chili powder. In the recipe below, I’ve used a basic combination of garlic powder, oil, and salt. Leftover Crispy Chickpeas are delicious in salads, wraps, and as a quick snack. INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Toss the rinsed chickpeas with the oil, salt, and garlic powder.
3 Arrange the chickpeas on a
rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes.
4 Leftover Crispy Chickpeas can be stored in a lidded jar on the counter for a few days.
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE This is my go-to early fall sauce because it brings a brightness to vegetables, chicken, burgers, and sandwiches. If you have leftover cilantro or basil in your garden, you can use those herbs too. (This recipe makes about one cup of sauce.) INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
½ cup red wine vinegar
Combine everything in a food processor or blender. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Chimichurri sauce can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week.
4 garlic cloves ½ cup mint ½ cup chives ½ cup parsley 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup olive oil
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capecodandtheislandsmag.com
CARROT CAKE COOKIES Enjoy the taste of carrot cake but in the ease of a cookie! I love the autumnal, nutty flavor of these cookies and they taste especially good when pulled from a backpack during a walk or with an afternoon cup of coffee. (This recipe makes about 16 cookies.) INGREDIENTS 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup rolled oats ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter at room temperature ½ cup sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup shredded carrot 1 cup raisins ½ cup chopped walnuts DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2 In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
3 In a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.
4 Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, and then add in the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5 Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, and then stir in the carrot, raisins, and walnuts.
6 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop tablespoon-sized dollops of cookie dough onto the prepared pans. Gently flatten the balls with your fingers.
7 Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
FALL 2020 » 91
WRITER’S SHACK
Jarita Davis is something of a shapeshifter. One moment she is a young man on a Nantucket Sleighride, the next she is an old woman harvesting cranberries by hand, always she is a poet who slips into other skins and takes us along with her. Jarita relies on the universal languages of emotions and senses to engage us, but she is also very specific, focusing on one place, one moment, one truth at a time to teach, illuminate, and honor what’s important. Her poems are like keyholes: well-defined passages to bigger spaces where we can slow down, look around, spend time, and learn something. —Lauren Wolk
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capecodandtheislandsmag.com
Harvesting a Return Over and over again, owners and overseers of cranberry bogs pronounce the Cape Verder, whether he picks by hand, scoop or snap, the very best harvester of cranberries on the Cape Cod bogs. Albert Jenks, anthropologist, 1924 I can look at the cranberries, yes, but not eat them. It’s their color that’s sweet when the pink beads and candied crimson pebbles tumble into their wooden boxes. If you buy your own land, in three to five years you can harvest a full crop. In three years, I’ll be in Fogo again, telling my sobrinhos stories of the bog. Not about arthritis snapping my hips and ankles as I crouch in the dewy dawn, or the skin splitting my hand as I reach from the cold, dry air into the wet vines. I’ll bring back different stories, American clothes, and a handful of cranberries for each child. I’ll laugh when they spit the bitter flesh back into their hands. When their faces gather, scattered brown layers eclipsing each other, I’ll tell how here parents picked and scooped and told children stories of Nho Lobo, the lazy wolf. How women picked too. Mothers in wide-brimmed hats stained their dresses while kneeling on crushed leaves and cranberries in the wet bogs, teaching their children those old Criole songs: the one about the rooster who longs for his youth, wishing he could fly. And how the children helped, stumbling under the awkward empty wooden crates, gray and bigger than themselves, and brought them to their parents, bent in the bogs. I’ll tell them about autumn tumbling behind boxes of cranberries set at the edge of the fields and how the end of each day would fall from the hills with a quiet fire of trees like narrow volcanoes exploding orange and yellow leaves. The evenings folded with the smell of burning wood, as colors collapsed into the sunset. How all through September and October and November, late into every Saturday night, we sang along with the accordions and mandolins in cabins by the bogs. We danced, and the children took warm bread with cranberry jam from their mothers’ rough hands, hands torn by the berries’ vine and stained red beneath the nail. Work on the bog is work that makes you feel old. Old enough to wonder how you are still bending your back over another man’s crops, not your own. My scoop snaps across the vines’ twigs. The money comes slowly, but it comes. Boxes stand stacked, bulging with berries. If the picking is good this year, and next, I’ll bring an aching armload of stories and berries back from the fiery fields of this other Cape to those brown faces in the beige mountains of Fogo.
—by Jarita Davis
Original published in the collection: Return Flights (Portuguese in the Americas Series) · Publisher: Tagus Press; First edition edition (April 5, 2016) · Language: English · ISBN-10: 1933227672 · ISBN-13: 978-1933227672
BOOKS
6 good books to read for fall BY COURTNEY LINCOLN
MEXICAN GOTHIC
WRITERS & LOVERS
BY
BY
SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA
LILY KING
FICTION
THE SECOND HOME
In this suspenseful thriller, protagonist Noemi Taboada heads to a remote gothic mansion in the Mexican countryside after receiving a frantic letter from her newly married cousin who claims she is in grave danger and in need of rescue.
FICTION
Set in Massachusetts, Lily King’s newest novel, Writers & Lovers, follows the intimate journey of aspiring writer, Casey Peabody, who is learning what it means to face her fears of rejection, loss, and pain, and pursue who and what she loves anyway.
BY CHRISTINA CLANCY DESTINATIONS AND EVENTS FOR BIBLIOPHILES
For author Christina Clancy, Cape Cod holds many memories; her family has ties to the Outer Cape dating back to the 1890s, and Clancy grew up visiting her grandparents every summer in Wellfleet. Although she now lives in the Midwest, Clancy still has a strong connection to the Cape and visits often. She chose Wellfleet as the setting for her debut novel, The Second Home, which tells the story of a family with a complicated past and fractured relationships. When Ann and her sister, Poppy, become responsible for the fate of their family’s Drummer Cove beach house, Ann is forced to face the painful secrets that have torn their family apart and have impacted the course of each sibling’s life. The Second Home is a novel about family, second chances, and the places we love that call us home—even many years later. 94 » capecodandtheislandsmag.com
COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS Where the Sidewalk Ends Bookstore in Chatham will host a series of virtual book club discussions titled “A Year of Race-Based Conversation.” These discussions will begin in September and take place on Zoom on the last Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. September’s selection is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. booksonthecape.com/virtual-book-club-discussions
capecodandtheislandsmag.com
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW
WE RIDE UPON STICKS
MODERN COMFORT FOOD
BY
BY
BY
ALICE HOFFMAN
QUAN BARRY
INA GARTEN
FICTION
With elements of magical realism and Jewish folklore, The World That We Knew follows three young women as they fight to survive the Holocaust in this heartbreaking, yet ultimately hopeful story.
FICTION
FOR YOUR KITCHEN
We Ride Upon Sticks is a witty, nostalgic, coming-of-age story about a Massachusetts high school field hockey team who go to great lengths (witchcraft included) to make it to the 1989 state finals.
Home cooks can rejoice because Ina Garten has a new cookbook out on October 6, 2020, and it’s full of dependable, crowd-pleasing recipes like Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Cheddar and Chutney Grilled Cheese, and Boston Cream Pie that will excite the whole family.
BOOK NOOK
BOOKSELLER
Located on Chappaquiddick Island, Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation is managed by the Trustees of Reservations, and it is a beautiful spot to spend a sunny afternoon with a good book. Home to salt marshes, a pond, red cedar trees, and wildlife, it is a quiet refuge away from the bustle of downtown and home to beautiful Cape Poge Light.
The Provincetown Bookshop has an established history as an independent bookstore dating back to 1932. Readers who visit the Commercial Street storefront will find a wide selection of titles from fiction to cookbooks. As part of the bookshop’s mission, it also works with authors to publish regional stories and promote local writers. Provincetown Bookshop 246 Commercial St., Provincetown
64-60 Dike Road, Edgartown FALL 2020 » 95
FINAL THOUGHT
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE
@lili_and_nini_cats
@capecodpup
@4capedogs
@kenfulk
@farmfreshdaily
@millieonthepond
@capecod.greatpyrenees
@jacobberkowitzz
@seasidedesigns
@sir_ender_the_cat
@murraytheswissy
@scadoo
@itsbenderszn
@ziggythespotteddog
@capecodwelshie
@bearthewhitedog
We hope you enjoyed the dog days of summer as much as your pets did! Remember to tag us on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to feature your furry sidekicks. . 96 Âť capecodandtheislandsmag.com
ONE-OF-A-KIND CELEBRATED WEDDINGS
Gorgeous and inspirational featured real weddings celebrated throughout South Shore, South Coast, Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The 2021 issue of Celebrated is a publication that delivers the exquisite beauty of weddings and events throughout New England’s most beloved locations, and honors the expertise and passion of the professionals within the industry. Be a part of Celebrated! Talk to a sales expert today: sales@celebratedbespokeweddings.com Getting married? Submit your wedding to us: info@celebratedbespokeweddings.com
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