A charming view of Hyannisport (1907) • Postcard courtesy of the Centerville Historical Museum

New exhibit and book showcase 100 years of local postcards

“Greetings from Cape Cod”—one vintage postcard reads—“a neck of land where necking is allowed.” The cartoon illustration depicts a “bevy of Cape Cod cuties” swimming just offshore with lobster pots bobbing in the background, while a grizzled old sea captain puffs on his pipe and digs for steamers. “Life’s a beach,” as they say, but since the turn of the 20th century, postcards have served a far nobler purpose than the circulation of puns or the flaunting of vacations for friends still at work. Postcards may be fun, but they are also important snapshots of history, packaged in a medium that is easily accessible, and almost instantly digestible. For beyond the generic beach images, the lobster illustrations and the bawdy caricatures of old Cape Codders with their mermaid pals, postcards serve as important primary source documentation of the Cape’s towns and ever-shifting geography.

Unlike the deluge of images in today’s ubiquitous social media, postcards are tangible; they are slices of the past, or even of the present, that people can hold on to, and indeed, the tradition of collecting postcards is long and rich. As of early June, Ebay offered 3,209 “Cape Cod Collectible Massachusetts Postcards” for sale, most at prices well under $10. Enthusiasts have established collectors’ clubs to share and celebrate postcards, and, like any good hobby, this one has its own scientific name: deltiology, a term coined by Prof. Randall Rhoades of Ashland, Ohio in 1945.

Until its final event in September of 2013, the Cape Cod Postcard Collectors Annual Show convened for 28 years. Smaller shows continue to take place, and local historical societies and museums often feature postcards in their displays and/or permanent collections. For instance, The Centerville Historical Museum is running an exhibit through December titled “Messages From Cape Cod,” and The Brewster Store maintains a treasury of postcards, many of which were produced by former owners of the business, back when it was known as W.W. Knowles & Son.

This mill was located on the grounds of La Salette Seminary in Brewster which was formerly the Nickerson Mansion and is home to Ocean Edge Resort today • Postcard courtesy of the Brewster General Store

The Brewster Store’s current proprietor, George H. Boyd III, who owns the store with his wife, Mary Anne, used many of his store’s cards to tell the town’s history in his book, Brewster: The Way We Were, published in 2016. In the preface to his book, Boyd provides an overview of The Brewster Store Postcard Collection and a summary of postcards in American history. The goal of the book, Boyd writes, is “to provide a visual record of Brewster’s past—its homes, businesses and churches—as well as to provide a view of its beaches and countryside.” The Nickerson Estate, the beaches, the old mill and the Sea Pines School for Girls were the most common subjects depicted on the old Brewster postcards, but many of the town’s other iconic homes are included as well.

According to Boyd, the advent of postcards took place in Germany in 1865, but the first actual postal card was issued by the Austrian government on October 1, 1869. For many years, Germany would be a leader in the production of postcards, though, including many featuring Brewster subjects. Boyd reports that in the United States, the U.S. Postal Service held a monopoly on the cards from the issuance of the first one, on May 13, 1873, until Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act on May 19, 1898. While businesses were now allowed to produce cards, the government controlled the name “postcard,” so companies had to call them “Private Mailing Cards” until 1901, when the prohibition on the name’s use was lifted.

In 1907, the Postal Service introduced the divided back postcard, which allows one to write a note on the left and the recipient’s address on the right. Prior to this, one could only write on the front of the card. The innovation led to the “golden age” of postcards, which Boyd states, “peaked in 1910.” During this time period, he writes, postcards were especially popular among women from rural, small towns in the Northern states. “In 1908,” Boyd writes, “more than 677 million postcards were mailed.”

Randall Hoel, executive director of the Centerville Historical Museum, also emphasizes the popular phenomenon of the postcard. “Postcards were the email, texting and Facebook of their day” Hoel says. “A postcard craze swept the world, as billions of them were mailed or pasted into albums.” In 1997 alone, he adds, 3 billion postcards were sent in the United States. According to Hoel, the popularity of the cards was instantaneous, even years before they featured any type of illustration or photo. Hoel points out that when the cards first went on sale in New York City, on May 12, 1873, the postal service sold 200,000 of them in two and a half hours. “It was as revolutionary as the phone,” he says.

Over the years, The Centerville Historical Museum has inherited many albums and scrapbooks, and its collection of postcards numbers 270—87 of which are currently on exhibit. “People used postcards not only as a quick communication,” Hoel says. “They became collectables.”

In the collections at the Centerville Historical Museum and at The Brewster Store, one can learn about history from both the images as well as the messages scribbled on the postcards. Many are the typical, “Having fun, wish you were here,” type notes, but others read more like something one sends in a 21st-century text message, such as this one, from Brewster, in 1913: “I wonder where you were all the afternoon Tuesday. I couldn’t find you anywhere?” It can be interesting to glimpse into people’s private lives—albeit in a form they knew would be visible to the public—especially in notes from more than 100 years ago.

However, Boyd points out that, “the writing part doesn’t document a lot, though the date stamp can give a historical view.” Another lesson Boyd has learned involves penmanship. “It was bad then, but it’s gotten a lot worse,” he says. “What’s most important,” he adds, “is that postcards clearly document the way the towns looked a long time ago. You have a whole raft of pictures that show buildings, roads and the towns themselves.”

Postcard courtesy of the Centerville Historical Museum

Many of these postcards were not touristy, at least not in the modern sense of the word. Some were promotional, featuring local inns, stores or businesses. “Some were of strange things,” Boyd says, “like a road in the woods.” Another example in his book features a black whale washed up on an East Brewster Beach in 1934, with two men walking away from it in the background. The composition is interesting, and it illustrates an event that sometimes happens on the Cape, but it’s unlikely that anyone would write, “Wish you were here” on the back of this card. Another card that captures the uniqueness of the Cape depicts fish weirs on the flats off Brewster. Carts drawn by ox and mule are in a line along the netting of the weir. The card reads, “Dear Friend: How would you like to go to sea in a cart? This weir is about one mile and a half from the high water mark. Sat. P.M. Jan. 26th, 1906.”

Though postcards thrived in the 20th century and remain to tell the stories of many classic locations on Cape Cod and around the world, both George Boyd and Randall Hoel wonder what the future holds for this mode of communication—and what the ramifications may be for historical documentation of our brave new world in the webs and clouds. “Today,” Boyd says, “an email comes and is gone; it’s not kept.” Platforms such as the popular Snapchat are even worse in this regard, and applications such as Facebook and Instagram have become saturated with so many images that it becomes difficult for people to manage them.

“The digital age is changing the way we inherit history,” says Hoel. “This really shows in a physical collection.” He further notes that in 2015 only 840,000 postcards were mailed, a decrease of more than 300 percent since 1997. Nevertheless, postcards remain popular and continue to feature subjects—such as aerial photos of the Cape Cod shoreline or of Cotuit’s Elizabeth Lowell Park—that capture items of historical interest. “I just don’t know if there is any other place,” Boyd says, “that will show a town the way a postcard collection will.”

The Centerville Historical Museum is located at:

513 S. Main Street, Centerville • centervillehistoricalmuseum.org

The Brewster Store is located at:

1935 Main Street, Brewster • brewsterstore.com

That Fabled Shore, a home decor retailer based in Scituate, turns historic Cape and Islands postcards into night lights, pillows and tempered glass cutting boards. Shop That Fabled Shore’s postcard cutting boards in the Cape Cod Life General Store.

The post The colorful history of Cape Cod postcards appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

A northeastern view of the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge on Nantucket, with Great Point at the tip. The first lighthouse was built at Great Point in 1784. Photo by Josh Shortsleeve. Inset, this map of the island was painted by artist Winthrop P. Moore. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association

In the 18th century, the passageway between the southeastern tip of Cape Cod and Nantucket’s Great Point (1) was one of the busiest on the East Coast due to the island’s booming whaling industry. The route was dangerous, though, with strong currents and notorious shoals, and in 1784 a lighthouse was built at Great Point to help mariners navigate the passage.

Naturally, the wind and waves that imperiled ships passing by have also done a number on the light, and several repairs and replacements have been made over the years. And Great Point itself—the northernmost tip of a long, narrow and curving peninsula that juts out like an arrow into Nantucket Sound—has also been impacted, with erosion and breach occurrences influencing its current shape and geography. In this article, we review some of the history of the lighthouse and examine how time and tide have shaped the area over the years.

Great Point is located at the northern tip of Nantucket, just north of the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, which is owned by the Trustees of Reservations. The 21-acre parcel on which the lighthouse sits is part of the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge, but to get there by land, visitors must travel through Coskata-Coatue. In addition to stunning scenery, Great Point is home to seals, endangered birds such as Piping Plovers and great opportunities for fishing. The remoteness is part of the appeal. Fred Pollnac, the Trustees’ Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge superintendent, explains. “You really get a sense of the power of the ocean there,” he says. “It is very exposed to the elements, and even on a calm, clear day, you still get that sense of being ‘away at sea.’”

A recent aerial view of Great Point, looking southeast. Photo by Terry Pommett                 Nantucket map courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations

Built in 1784, the original lighthouse—officially named Nantucket Light—was made of wood. It was destroyed by fire in 1816. A second light was built on the same spot in 1818, this one of stone. As years passed, erosion nipped away at the surrounding coastline, and the stone lighthouse kept “moving” closer to shore. By the early 1980s, the light was just 40 feet from shore, and many were clamoring for it to be moved inland. According to a 1981 article from The Inquirer & Mirror, The U.S. Coast Guard, which maintains the light with the Trustees, estimated that such a project could cost as much as $1.5 million, and that Mother Nature should be allowed to take its course. This conversation was made moot on March 29, 1984, when a hurricane-force storm toppled the 70-foot lighthouse. According to Pollnac, the storm surge undercut the light’s shallow foundation, causing it to collapse. On the same day, about one mile south, storm waters also tore through a narrow area of Nantucket’s barrier beach known as The Galls (3), making Great Point, at least temporarily, an island.

With the help of the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, $2 million was raised to build a replica of the lighthouse, and on September 7, 1986, the new tower—made with reinforced concrete and a rubblestone exterior—was dedicated at a spot several hundred feet further inland. The new light was built with a deeper foundation to better protect it during storms.

Another breach took place at The Galls during the “No Name Storm” of October 30, 1991, again making Great Point, briefly, an island. Pollnac explains why neither of the breaches became lasting features. “Though that region is overwashed during big storms there is a lot of sediment transport in the area,” Pollnac says, “making it likely that any breach won’t become permanent.” Since 1991, though, Pollnac says no more breaches have taken place. In February of 2016, winter storm Olympia caused storm tides to overwash the area, though vehicles could traverse it at low tide. Today, The Galls measures 200 feet across, and Pollnac says it’s a top concern for the Trustees, partly because the light is still active and requires regular Coast Guard visits.

Like other coastal areas, the peninsula follows a natural ebb and flow, Pollnac says. “Great Point goes through a cycle of erosion,” he says. “The shape of the tip shrinks and expands. The beach gets reduced in winter and by late spring it’s built back up. It’s cyclical.”

A westward looking view of Great Point. Photo by Chris Seufert. Historical maps of the island from 1787 and 1835. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association

Since taking on the position in 2015, Pollnac has learned about changes that have taken place in the area over the years, and others he has observed first-hand. For example, since 1995, he says about 100 feet of beach east of the lighthouse has eroded, leaving the light an estimated 300 feet from shore today. In the fall of 2012, Hurricane Sandy carved a large dent in the dunes in the same area. And though the lighthouse does not appear to be in any imminent danger, Pollnac has observed erosion’s powerful effects elsewhere on Great Point. “One thing I saw in December 2016 was flooding of the access road near the lighthouse (2),” Pollnac says. “There is an intersection where you can head toward the ocean or sound side. A few storms came from the west, one after another and, combined with high tides, flooded the road more than 400 feet from the shore.”

That intersection—and the rest of Great Point, including the land on which the lighthouse stands—is owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The agency’s role is to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats on the land it owns. According to Libby Herland, project leader of the Eastern Mass. National Wildlife Refuge Complex, an organization of eight wildlife refuges, this responsibility includes building and maintaining symbolic “fencing” (posts and string) in an area north of the light to keep seals from being bothered by humans, and fencing the nesting habitats of piping plover and other endangered birds. “Putting up fences protects the wildlife,” Herland says, “but it also protects the dunes by keeping people and vehicles off of them.”

Tom O’Shea, the Trustees’ director of stewardship and natural resources, has been targeting areas of critical concern using scientific models used by the Woods Hole Group, an environmental, scientific and engineering consulting firm. He says the models, which predict sea level rise and storm surge increases for Great Point in the years 2030 to 2070, paint a relatively dire picture for the area—but adds there is only so much anyone can really do. “We are not sure how proactive we can be,” O’Shea says. “We need to wait for more sediment-transport analysis. We want to be smart about any adaptations we make.”

Analyzing the sediment, he says, can give researchers information about where accreted material has come from and where eroded material has gone. Once the study is completed, O’Shea says the Trustees will have a better understanding of how the beach will likely change, and may decide to implement new technologies currently under development to help shorelines adapt to or withstand erosion. These include a new type of fencing that helps disperse wave energy, or the installation of oyster reefs to help the beds—which protect shorelines from erosion—grow faster.

Ultimately, O’Shea says man can—and should—only do so much. “All barrier beaches are dynamic,” he says. “It’s important to let the natural processes occur. We need to not take action unless it is really necessary.”

The post The Changing Shape of the Cape & Islands: Great Point, Nantucket appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Nighttime photography including moonlit images, light painting and shots of the Milky Way Galaxy by Timothy Little, owner of Cape Night Photography

“The Galactic Sister” – Little had to run a lot to illuminate one of the Three Sisters Lighthouses, by hand, in this sub-30 seconds exposure. Any longer, he says, and the stars would have looked more like streaks due to the Earth’s rotation.

To learn about the history of the Three Sisters—which have been moved inland and are out of commission—visit our online exclusive article here

Timothy Little estimates that he’s the only photographer on Cape Cod that works exclusively at night. Traveling—sometimes as far as West Virginia, but usually just to various beaches on the Cape—in his trusty Toyota FJ Cruiser, Little utilizes long exposures to capture the subtlety of light—even when there may not be much of it visible to the naked eye.

For some images, he shoots exposures as brief as 30 seconds—the most common to capture the Milky Way, since the stars remain in sharp focus over that amount of time. For others, he keeps the shutter open for as long as 20 minutes, and when shooting with traditional film cameras he has made exposures as long as three hours. He shoots with a Canon 6D digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera with a variety of lenses of different focal lengths, and uses flashlights and strobe lights to “color” his long exposure images.

A resident of Falmouth, Little is the owner of Cape Night Photography, where he brings groups of photography enthusiasts out after the sun goes down to shoot the stars and other celestial bodies. The groups often visit Sandy Neck Beach, the Cape Cod Canal and other spots on the Cape, but Little also has workshops scheduled this summer to visit Mount Greylock in Western Mass. The Milky Way is the most popular subject on the tours. Beyond that, lighthouses, harbors and beaches are at the top of the list. The trips average about five hours, and the group typically visits three locations per outing.

A banker by day, Little has been shooting photographs at night for 16 years and decided in 2013 to begin taking clients out at night. “Cape Cod is a mecca for travelers,” he says. “I’ve had people [sign up] from Maine, even Germany.” Attendees are generally “amazed” at what they can see during the shoots, Little says, not to mention the images they can produce on their cameras. “I love seeing how excited they get,” he adds.

Participants must bring their own equipment, but Little brings backup gear in the event of mishaps. He also distributes technical notes at the end of a session so those on the tour can focus on the work at hand during the shoot. “I want them to have a good experience,” he says, “and not have their nose in a notebook the whole time.” Little also leads private tours for individuals, or groups of two, since some attendees respond better with more attention, or prefer not to be slowed down by a larger group.

Workshop attendees also receive an autographed copy of Little’s book Cape Cod Nights: A Photographic Exploration of Cape Cod and the Islands After Dark, as well as an 8” x 10” enlargement of one of the locations the group photographed on their trip.

Timothy Little explores the region from a different perspective—after dark.
His book Cape Cod Nights is available in the Cape Cod Life General Store at shop.stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud

The post Photo Portfolio: Night photography by Timothy Little appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

These ladies are really on a roll!

A warehouse in Dennis Port has taken on a new identity recently for a group of about 40 Cape Cod women. Located on Shad Holl Road, the Cape Cod Media Center serves as home base for the Salty Dolls of the Cape Cod Roller Derby League—and participants in the all-female league refer to the center, affectionately, as the “Doll House.”

For each practice or bout, the players lace up their old-fashioned four-wheel roller skates, and don knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, mouth guards and a helmet. Face paint is optional—but encouraged!

“A lot of people remember the theatrical aspect of roller derby from back in the day,” says Lynne Duquette Perera, 38, the league’s founder and president. “Now, it’s a little less theatrical, and a little more of a sport.” The Salty Dolls follow the rules and regulations of the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association, an international organization that governs the sport of women’s flat track roller derby.

The Cape league is flat-track roller derby, which means the sport is played on a flat surface that is suitable for skating, such as roller-skating rinks, basketball courts and parking lots. Each bout lasts 60 minutes, with two 30-minute periods made up of a series of matchups known as “jams.” Typically, a jam, which is something like a mini period, lasts from 15 seconds to two minutes, depending on what the lead “jammer” is able to accomplish. Designated by each team, the jammer is usually a speedster and tasked with maneuvering and fighting her way past a cluster of the opposing team’s blockers, while her teammates, in the same way, try to block the opposition’s jammer. The jammer’s goal is to zip around the track and pass players on the opposing team; each trip around, and every opponent passed, racks up points.

Roller derby bouts feature intense action. This recent bout took place at the Cape Cod Media Center, which the home team affectionately refers to as “The Doll House.”

During a recent bout, the Salty Dolls hosted the Southshire Battle Cats of Bennington, Vermont. From the very first whistle, chaos ensued as the squads’ jammers and blockers made their way in fits and starts around the oval-shaped track. Clusters of skaters began to form on the track and, between hip checks, shoulder checks and the occasional skater sent flying across the floor—the Dolls began to pile up points. Teams earn one point every time their jammer passes a blocker from the opposing squad. After a close first half, the home team took control, sending the Battle Cats back to The Green Mountain State with their tails between their legs. Final score: Salty Dolls 247, Battle Cats 130.

Throughout the fast-paced bout, the action on the track was monitored by “oohs,” “ahhhs” and other enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. One of the loudest moments came in support of Rachel Hutchinson of Brewster, one of the Dolls’ newest team members. A former hockey player, Hutchinson joined the team with no previous roller derby experience—but you wouldn’t have known it from this game. She enjoyed a breakout performance, flying through the pack to complete three consecutive laps, racking up 10 points for her team while dodging hits left and right. Hutchinson was named the game’s MVB—Most Valuable Blocker—and the crowd bellowed its approval.

How did the Cape Cod Roller Derby League get rolling? One day in February 2013, Duquette Perera of Yarmouth Port was reminiscing about the fun she had roller skating growing up, and she wrote a Facebook post about wanting to start a roller derby league on the Cape. A friend, Talia Arone of Harwich, responded with enthusiasm, and with a “what’s stopping us?” mentality, the women began to brainstorm. The first “jam” they came to concerned location. But Arone quickly came up with a solution, booking time at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. The women posted on Facebook a time and date when they’d host their first practice, and then waited anxiously to see what kind of turnout they’d get. “When we started, we had no idea if anyone would show up,” Duquette Perera recalls. “We were like ‘worst comes to worst, we’ll just split the rent.’ We ended up having 15 women show up right off the bat. They were ready—they were like, ‘all right, let’s pay our dues, what do we do? Where do we buy our shirts?’ We were shocked.”

In roller derby, teams score points when their “jammer” is able to skate past “blockers” on the opposing squad.

Soon, word began to spread and the league began to grow. With every week that passed, new skaters, ranging in age from early 20’s to mid 60’s, began showing up for practice, eager to learn a new sport and/or sharpen their skills. “We couldn’t believe it,” Duquette Perera recalls. “It was actually working. It was really taking off. It was pretty neat watching it grow like that. It could have gone one way or the other.”

In 2014—about a year after their first practice—the skaters were eager to put their skills into action. Following open skates, hours of drilling and visits by guest coaches, the team’s first official bout was scheduled. The league’s two teams, the Dolls and the Dockyard Danes—who have now joined forces as one—were set to face off in Hyannis. Once again, Duquette Perera found herself wondering if anyone would show up. But as the ladies geared up, they found themselves looking out at a sea of some 500 fans. “We sold out,” Duquette Perera says. “We couldn’t let anyone else in. Next thing we knew, we were looking at the stands and it was a packed house. We had people in the bleachers, people sitting on the floor, people standing. We couldn’t believe it.”

After that first bout, though, staff at the center reinstalled an ice rink, and the derby ladies found themselves once again without a home. During their second season, while the team searched for a new home track, they played all away bouts against the Battle Cats, and Connecticut teams including the Yankee Brutals of Trumbull, and the Bedrockers from South Windsor. Eventually, the team found the Cape Cod Media Center, and after a few visits, they began to call it the Doll House.

Today, about 40 women participate in The Cape Cod Roller Derby League. There’s a “first-string” of 12 skaters—the number needed to skate in a bout, and about 30 additional players who fall in the category of “Level 2,” otherwise known as “Fresh Meat.” Those in the latter category are new to the sport and still learning to skate and stop. As they improve, they may move up to become a “first-string” veteran or “roster skater.” One of the perks of reaching “roster skater” status is that the player can come up with her own personally tailored derby name. From “Darth Rightus” (Grace Decotte of Brewster) or “Gladys Nightmare” (Moe Leary of Wellfleet) to “Sass Kicker” (Sarah Ancahas of Yarmouth) and “LuLu Nori Morse” (Duquette Perera), the names are crafted with skill—and intended to send a humorous, quasi-intimidating message.

The quirky nicknames carry over off the track, as do the special bonds team members have formed. Samantha Moran, whose derby name is “Lamba Goddess,” joined the league in 2016 when she moved to Yarmouth from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where she played in a roller derby league for four years. A natural roller skater since she first started taking steps, Moran says the fact Cape Cod had roller derby influenced her decision to move here. “I’ve gotten friendship out of roller derby,” Moran says. “A lot of the girls on the team have become family to me, because most of my family isn’t on the Cape. They’re very supportive and they really reach out if you’re having a hard time.”

When they’re not skating, the ladies often spend time together, participating in parades and other community events as a group. For some, the familial bonds are so strong they have decided against moving off Cape Cod—though they had planned to. “It’s exciting to hear young people are sticking around, even if it’s for something as simple as roller derby, because it becomes such a huge part of their lives,” Duquette Perera says. “I had one foot out the door, too. But then, when we started roller derby, I realized there’s no way I’m leaving now. I have met some of the best people I’ve ever met here.”

For Sarah Ancahas, all it took was watching one practice and she was sold. Today, two years later, she’s happy she joined the league. “Going from working to becoming a stay-at-home-mom was harder than I thought in different ways,” Ancahas says. “It was so great to get out of the house and be with a group of supportive women and get exercise at the same time.”

And from the interviews we conducted, it seems participating in roller derby has a way of stiffening the backbone. “A lot of the women come in, and they’re shy, uncomfortable or awkward,” Duquette Perera says. “I hope that people can come in and come out of their shell a little bit, gain confidence in the fact that they’re doing something really cool and badass. We see a lot of women’s confidence grow, their bodies change, their self-esteems change.”

For Moran, pushing herself to improve in the sport has given her the toughness to help get through situations in her life as well. “Roller derby, in general, gives you a lot of confidence,” Moran says, “because it’s a lot of pushing limits to see how far you can go. Maybe you don’t think you can get through a tough situation, and then, next thing you know, you’ve gotten through it. It’s empowering. I think once you start roller derbying, and once you get into it, it gets in your blood.”

The Cape Cod Roller Derby League practices year-round and typically plays about 10 bouts per year. In the coming weeks, the team has a home bout scheduled Saturday, August 5, against the CT Roller Girls; an away bout Saturday, August 19, versus Northampton Pioneer Valley Roller Derby; and a home matchup Saturday, September 23, against the Bay State Brawlers.

The Cape Cod Roller Derby League is mourning the loss of team member Caitlin O’Hara, who passed away in July.

Terms from the track

The following is a list of unique roller derby terminology

Fresh meat—new recruits

Hot lap—used in drills or practice, a lap skated as quickly as possible

Pack—the mass of blockers from both teams skating around the track together

Roller Derby wife—one’s roller derby partner in crime.

Whip—a technique where one skater uses an opposing skater’s momentum to propel herself

Zebras—referees

More information about the league can be found at capecodrollerderby.com.

The post Getting to know the women of Cape Cod Roller Derby appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

This map created by The Harwich Conservation Trust points out 10 different walking and hiking trails in Harwich as well as beaches and bike trails. In this article, we describe eight of the 10 trails—and the numbers in the text correlate with the numbers on the map.

The town of Harwich has 12 miles of nature trails

The walking and hiking trails located across the town of Harwich offer some of the best of Cape Cod’s landscapes—from forest and meadow, to wetlands and bogs, all teeming with wildlife. If you’re looking for a lengthy path to put in some rigorous exercise, a scenic spot to bring the dog for a walk, or just a quick stroll to take in the scenery, Harwich has a trail for you.

“There are two ways of looking at walking the trails,” says Peter Trull, a science teacher, wildlife specialist and author who leads walks in Harwich on behalf of Harwich Conservation Trust. “There’s walking to find and see wildlife—say, if you’re a naturalist or a birder—or there’s walking just for the sake of going for a walk.”

Harwich has several hundred acres of conservation land, which in total feature more than 12 miles of designated nature trails. The trails can be found at 10 different locations around the town and are managed and overseen by the trust and the Harwich Town Trails Committee.

One of these properties is Bell’s Neck Conservation Lands (2), a 259-acre swath of land in North Harwich, near the Dennis line. The area has about three miles of trails, which pass through woods and by marshes and the scenic West Reservoir. “Everyone likes Bell’s Neck,” says Trull, who lives in Brewster. “The area offers great views of so many diverse landscapes.” The main trail is a one-mile loop around the reservoir, and the loop was “completed” recently when the Hall family of Harwich sold just over four acres to the trust to be preserved as conservation land. “We are lucky here on the Cape that so many people want to preserve the land,” says Michael Lach, the trust’s executive director. Lach, who studied environmental policy at Cornell, says conservation efforts in Harwich have made it possible for wildlife to nest and find shelter in a wide range of habitats—and Bell’s Neck is a striking example. “The West Reservoir has great blue heron and osprey soaring overhead, and kingfisher zipping back and forth,” Lach says. “Often you hear their chattering call before you see them.”

Bell’s Neck also features four smaller trails that wind through the woods, including one that runs along Herring River, where visitors in spring can see the fish making their journey up the herring ladder to spawn. This particular area is a favorite of Stephanie Foster, a gardener and former trustee who lives nearby. “Herring River is a gem of the natural world,” Foster says. “It’s serene and rich with wildlife. I’ve watched the same swan family nest there for decades and mallards parading their young on the way to their first swim.”

The Herring River runs along Sand Pond Woodlands (1) in West Harwich. Photo by Gus Romano

The Herring River also passes by another attractive area, Sand Pond Woodlands (1). Just north of Bell’s Neck—and bounded by Great Western Road and Main Street—Sand Pond Woodlands is a 50-acre property with a half-mile loop that winds through forest and along Sand Pond, a popular swimming spot in summer. With mostly flat wooded terrain, the trail makes for leisurely walking, and there’s a bench with a nice view of the river. It’s a great spot to stop for a snack and to spy ducks, swans, red-winged blackbirds and the secretive green heron.

Harwich resident Robert Freeman, a retired letter carrier from New Jersey, has lived on the Cape since 2000. He and his walking stick are regulars at Sand Pond. “I like the mix here, the ponds—and the views of the marsh and the bogs,” Freeman says. “I completely forget about the rest of the world.” An avid hiker who used to hit the trails with the Appalachian Mountain Club, Freeman says he enjoys Harwich’s variety of trails and terrain. “Harwich isn’t known for hiking,” he says, “but there are so many places to hike here.”

A short distance east, walkers can enjoy another half-mile trail at Coy’s Brook Woodlands (4). The trail winds through upland pine and oak forest interspersed with tupelos, before looping along a marsh nearby an Atlantic White Cedar wetland. The lucky visitor might see a great blue heron taking flight. “Here, you can see reminders of the past, with the old overgrown cranberry growers’ borrow pits,” says Lach, who explains that about a century ago, local cranberry growers dug large pits of sand along the edge of the woods—using shovel and wheelbarrow—and brought the sand back to their bogs to help stimulate cranberry growth. Several of these pits can still be seen along the trail today.

In Harwichport, the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve (9) consists of 66 acres, with two miles of trails traveling through and along wetlands and crossing Cold Brook (via berms) in three different locations. Named after Smith, a founding trustee and a 27-year past president of the trust, the preserve is a draw for both botanists and birders. The land is home to no less than 200 species of trees and plants, from red maple and small pine to cattails. Also, the trust and the Cape Cod Bird Club together maintain 45 nest boxes along the trails, and visitors might catch glimpses of bluebirds and colorful tree swallows. Walkers can set out on a number of loop trails, or walk the entire trail system in approximately 90 minutes.

The Lee Baldwin Memorial Woodlands (5), is a serene destination just a short distance from Route 28.

Located between Chatham Road and Route 39, Thompson’s Field Conservation Area (8) consists of 57 acres, with wide-open spaces and multiple trails totaling 2.75 miles. Leslie Kennedy Shaw, a dog walker from Harwich, regularly visits the area with her Maltese poodle, Inspector Gadget, and three or four other pooches. “The location is perfect,” she says, “and the sunsets here are amazing.” Walkers can enjoy a multitude of trails that wind through open fields and pine forest.

For a quick five-minute meander, there are two trails located a short distance from Route 28, that each offer a little over 100 feet of boardwalk leading to scenic vistas. Accessed from Lothrop Avenue, Lee Baldwin Memorial Woodlands (5), named for the late naturalist and trustee, features a short boardwalk through the woods. A bench at the end is a relaxing perch where one can gaze upon a red maple wetland and enjoy the quiet. Accessed from Route 28, the A. Janet DeFulvio Wildlife Sanctuary & Boardwalk (3) offers pleasant views of an expansive marsh. The property was donated to the trust by the DeFulvio family, and highlights include a 20-foot osprey-nesting platform. In fall, the area’s tupelo trees turn a striking red.

On the other end of town, visitors can explore the Monomoy River Conservation Lands (10), which are located just within Harwich’s border with Chatham. With 1.25 miles of trails stretching along the Monomoy River (a.k.a. Muddy Creek), visitors can take a leisurely walk through the woods. The trails have benches overlooking the river, and those that make their way to the trail’s end are rewarded with distant views of Pleasant Bay.

In all, Harwich’s nature areas offer a diversity of trails and topography, wildlife and natural scenery, and walking and hiking areas to explore and enjoy. “In this special corner of the Cape, Harwich offers the curious hiker a chance to walk woodland trails, enjoy sweeping marsh vistas and reflect by picturesque ponds,” Lach says. “It’s always inspiring.”

The post A guide to 8 nature trails in Harwich appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

“The Galactic Sister” –  One of the Three Sisters lighthouses under a starry night’s sky, as captured by nighttime photographer Timothy Little. Little’s photo can also be seen on the cover of Cape Cod LIFE August 2017.

Cape Cod Life ONLINE exclusive

Since their birth in 1838, the Three Sisters lighthouses in Eastham have worked together as a family—first to illuminate the waters off Nauset Light Beach to keep sailors and their families safe, and now to educate the public about the importance of lighthouses in Cape Cod’s history.

The journey of the Three Sisters to their current location in the woods off Cable Road began in 1836 when residents of Eastham, who were concerned about shipwrecks, petitioned the Boston Marine Society to ask the U.S. Congress to fund construction of a lighthouse. There were already a pair of lighthouses in Chatham to the south and a single lighthouse in Truro to the north, so it was decided that three lighthouses would be constructed at Nauset Beach Light Station to help mariners differentiate between Cape towns from the water. Congress granted the petitioners $10,000, and builder Winslow Lewis began construction soon after. The completed 15-foot towers resembled three women wearing white dresses and black hats standing on the shoreline, so the nickname “Three Sisters” caught on quickly with sailors—and it has been used to describe the towers ever since.

The original Three Sisters served until 1890, when erosion of Nauset Light Beach made it impossible to preserve the towers. That first generation of sister towers were replaced by a second generation of 22-foot, wooden look-alike towers in 1892, which were built farther from the edge of the cliff.

The second generation of Three Sisters served for almost two decades, until erosion again took its toll. While the middle tower remained on the beach as a navigational beacon, flashing her lights three times every 10 seconds as a reference to the original three towers, the other two sisters were decommissioned. Helen Cummings purchased the two lighthouses at auction for $3.50 in 1918, and they were moved to their current location on Cable Road in 1920. A room was added to connect the two towers, and the structure became known as the Twin Lights Cottage. Bill Burke, cultural resources program manager at the Cape Cod National Seashore, which currently oversees all three lighthouses, says Cummings and her family called the cottage home. “They used one tower for a kitchen and living room, with a bedroom upstairs on the landing,” he says. “The other tower had two bedrooms.” By 1923, the single tower that remained on the beach was also decommissioned, sold, and incorporated into a cottage.

A wooded area off of Cable Road in Eastham is where the historic Three Sisters lighthouses currently reside. Photo by Paige Biviano

Finally, in 1975, after 57 years of separation, the Three Sisters were reunited. After purchasing the Twin Lights Cottage in 1965, the National Park Service purchased the third tower and relocated it between its sisters on Cable Road. Burke explains that the lighthouses are no longer connected to cottages and have been reverted to their original orientation. He notes that “the distance between them and the angles at which they lie are correct.” During the 1980s, the Three Sisters underwent restoration, and in 1989, they were opened to the public for tours.

Ranger-guided tours, operated by the Cape Cod National Seashore, are free and run throughout July and August on Tuesday and Sunday evenings at 5 p.m. The lighthouses are currently undergoing restoration, but the tour schedule will not be interrupted. The one-hour, half-mile tour teaches visitors about the history of the Three Sisters and their importance to the area. Visitors are allowed to enter and climb the middle tower to see its lantern, and a series of small exhibits are on display on the wheelchair-accessible ground floor.

For adventurous visitors, the foundation of the original middle sister is occasionally visible on Nauset Light Beach at very low tides. “That foundation shows up every couple of years and has for a really long time,” says Burke. Lucky beachgoers may catch a glimpse of this foundation, and can look up at Nauset Light, which now occupies the Three Sisters’ original place on the cliffs.

The post The charming history of Eastham’s ‘Three Sisters’ lighthouses appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

The ’80s film icon is also a singer – and will perform at The Crown & Anchor on August 10

Actress. Writer. Singer. Molly Ringwald is a true triple threat. One might even call her a quadruple threat, as she danced in the starring role of the 2006-2007 national tour of Sweet Charity. While many know her as a screen star from the John Hughes’ classics The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink, Ringwald is also a bestselling author—her works include When it Happens to You: A Novel in Stories and Getting the Pretty Back—and a jazz singer. In 2013 she released her debut album, Except Sometimes, a collection of standards from the Great American Songbook. Since then, the mother of three has been performing close to 70 concerts a year across the United States and internationally, playing with her band in a total of eight different countries.

Her next stop is at the 2017 Provincetown Jazz Festival, where Ringwald will make her Cape Cod debut Thursday, August 10, at 7 p.m., at The Crown & Anchor on Commercial Street in Provincetown. Accompanying her will be Alex Smith on piano, Ron Ormsby on bass, and event founder and producer Bart Weisman on the drums. Japanese pianist Takumi Kakimoto—also making his Provincetown Jazz Festival debut—will open the show. On Monday, August 14, the festival makes its way to the Cotuit Center for the Arts, where clarinetist Ken Peplowski and duo Atla and Matt DeChamplain will both make their Provincetown Jazz Festival debuts and perform during the festival’s second and final night. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

“We provide an opportunity for jazz lovers to see performers from around the world at concerts in Provincetown and Cotuit,” Weisman says of the festival, now in its 13th year. This year, a portion of the event proceeds will be donated to JAZZ in the Schools, an organization that presents jazz music to schools in every town on the Cape. “Molly Ringwald has been singing jazz for many years,” Weisman says, “and it is wonderful to have her at the festival, where she will be able to experience Provincetown for the first time.”

Ringwald’s passion for jazz was ignited at the age of 3, when she started singing with her piano-playing father, Bob Ringwald, and his Fulton Street Jazz Band. In an interview with Cape Cod LIFE, Ringwald says that music ultimately took a back seat to acting. “I assumed, as much as you can as a child, that I would pursue music,” she recalls. “I was simultaneously acting and dancing as a kid, and the acting just kind of took over.” At the age of 10, Ringwald was cast in her first professional role as an orphan in West Coast productions of Broadway’s Annie, and soon after landed her first TV role on The Facts of Life. Then, at the age of 13, she starred in the film Tempest (1982)—a role that earned the budding actress a Golden Globe nomination.

“I wasn’t really interested in becoming a pop star—it wasn’t really a thing in my era—so I felt that I had to make the choice, and I chose acting,” Ringwald says. “But singing is always something that I just did for fun, and I had it in the back of my head that I’d like to put a group together to explore performing this music I love as an adult.”

Out of all of her creative endeavors, Ringwald, who has recently appeared in ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager and CW’s new series Riverdale, says singing gives her the most joy and “fires up” a different part of her brain. However, she also finds that acting, writing and singing are ultimately connected. “I approach every song the way I do material as an actress,” she explains. “I look at the words musically much in the same way I do as a writer, so somehow it feels similar but different. Jazz is very collaborative and requires a lot of listening, which is actually a great exercise for an actor. I constantly feel like I am learning from the incredible musicians I get to work with.”

When Ringwald takes the stage in Provincetown, attendees can experience her take on traditional jazz and hear selections from Except Sometimes—which features standards like “I’ll Take Romance” and “The Very Thought of You,” as well as a jazzy, nostalgia-inducing rendition of Simple Minds’ 1985 hit “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” a song forever linked to The Breakfast Club. “My shows are always a little different depending on the audience,” Ringwald says, “but generally I would say they’re fun, at times emotional, and people tend to feel good after—I realize that sounds a bit like therapy.”

Looking ahead, Ringwald plans to release a new album, recorded live from a weeklong run at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in New York, and this fall she and her band will perform in China for the first time.

The Crown & Anchor is located at 247 Commercial Street, Provincetown; and Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28, Cotuit. For more information about the festival, visit provincetownjazzfestival.org.

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Check out these shops to find unusual and fascinating treasures

In today’s technology-driven world where many seem to live in a haze of Twitter updates and Instagram stories, one might find a sense of comfort in connecting with the days of old in a tangible way. Yes, #ThrowbackThursday can be fun, but it’s a lot different from actually finding a piece from the past in the real world.

With their collections of bygone treasures—each with their own stories—antique shops offer a foyer into the past. The pieces they sell can add unique character to a living space or take on new life as part of the history of a home. In this article, we highlight six antique dealers on Cape Cod and the Islands that specialize in finding, restoring and introducing to customers one-of-a-kind pieces from the past.

Like the items housed within, the building that is home to the Sandwich Antiques Center on Route 6A carries its own unique history: the structure previously served as the Yankee Clipper restaurant, then the Baretree Inn during the mid and late 20th century. With 5,500 square feet of retail space, the store offers the broadest selection of antiques on the Cape, says owner Paul Dobson. “Basically,” Dobson says, “our criteria is: one, is it interesting? And two, is it quality?” Antiques in the shop date from the 1700s to the mid 1900s and include everything from Sandwich-made glass, to a 600-piece inventory of vintage lighting. “That,” Dobson says of the light collection, “is worth coming in to see all by itself.”

Continuing along Route 6A, one finds Eldred’s Auction Gallery in Dennis, owned by Josh Eldred, Mary Ann Eldred, and John and Susan Schofield. Josh Eldred, whose grandfather founded the company in 1952, says the third-generation business is the oldest antiques auctioneer in New England, and the company specializes in antique Americana, marine, Asian and other types of artwork. “As often as we can, we try to offer ‘fresh’ merchandise,” Eldred says, “things that haven’t been in the market over and over again but are new, exciting discoveries.” Upcoming auctions include a contemporary art sale on Thursday, August 10, featuring paintings by Provincetown artist Anne Packard; and Eldred’s 50th annual Asian art sale, August 22-26.

On the Lower Cape, antique enthusiasts will also enjoy Kahn Fine Antiques on Main Street in Chatham. Owner Richard Kahn says customers might get the feeling they’re aboard a 19th-century luxury yacht while browsing in the shop. “When we designed the building, I wanted the place to feel nautical,” Kahn says. That makes sense as the company focuses on maritime antiques such as telescopes, sextons, naval officers’ swords, maps and scrimshaw pieces. The first floor of the gallery, done in solid mahogany, features a vaulted barrel ceiling with ship slats, and a balcony above gives the look of a ship’s bridge.

For more seafaring finds, visitors can set a course to Yesterday’s Treasures on Provincetown’s Commercial Street. Owners Jay Gagne and Jack Delmond keep their 750-square-foot shop stocked with collectibles, many of which are connected to Provincetown’s whaling history. Maps, historic documents, and harpoons and other fishing equipment from days’ past are just some of the treasures on hand. Customers will also find Chinese exports and Japanese imari pieces that whalers brought back to P-town in the early 1800s. “We’re always adding new stuff,” Delmond says. “It’s a very interesting, very eclectic mix.”

For those who fancy antiques from the United Kingdom and other areas of Europe, Tonkin of Nantucket might be just the spot. In business since 1970, Tonkin has one of the largest collections of European antiques on Nantucket, with 10,000 square feet of showroom space. Each year, owner Robert Tonkin spends three to four months across the pond searching for new and unique finds to bring back to Nantucket—from English country furniture and silver and brass accessories, to old-fashioned medical instruments, Staffordshire figures and pub signs. “We might have more English pub signs than anyone else outside of England,” Tonkin says. “They are so colorful, and they have great history behind them.”

At Past & Presents on Martha’s Vineyard, there’s always something old and something new in both of its stores on Main Street in Edgartown. “We have a little bit of everything,” says Bev Fearey, who owns the two-shop business with Jane Norton. “It’s nice to mix it up.” Fearey and Norton also travel to England every year, in search of furniture—like Victorian bamboo—and accessories such as biscuit barrels and china. They visit Atlanta as well to acquire more contemporary pieces, including lamps and placemats. Past & Presents even sells hurricane glasses and etched glassware specially made for the store by Vineyard artisans.

The post Hit the road to visit 6 Cape & Islands antique shops! appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

An eye for design: East Wind Silver Co. of Chatham creates attractive jewelry for women and men

(Editor’s note: This is the first installment in our series on Cape Cod Life General Store vendors.)

Whether it’s a $6 pair of earrings or a $500 ring, each piece of jewelry at East Wind Silver Company in Chatham is designed with exceptional craftsmanship. For shop co-owners, John and Joan Taylor, each and every piece must not only have aesthetic appeal but also value. “There are a lot of stores that sell jewelry on the Cape,” John Taylor says. “This is a different kind of a shop. There’s a real curated nature to what we’re doing.”

The husband-and-wife team got their start in the jewelry business in Albany, New York in 1985 as a passion project outside of their “real” careers. Joan was (and still is) a social worker, and John worked for the New York State Education Department. In 1999, they brought their wholesale business—originally called Sierra Designs Silver—to Main Street in Chatham, changed the name, and built East Wind Silver Co. into a thriving retail store. The company designs its own silver pieces and has studios in Taxco, Mexico where the pieces are crafted.

“The craftsmen in Mexico are like part of our family,” John says. “When you watch these guys work, it’s just incredible. I can be standing there talking, and one of our master silversmiths is shaping a piece—and every one of the 25 pieces that he’s making by hand, by eye, is exactly the same.”

The company’s signature offerings include the sterling silver Chatham Hook Bracelet^tm, a portion of sales from which are donated to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. Additional items that are popular with customers include the Chatham Fish Cuff, a sterling silver bracelet featuring a brass eye; and a mermaid cuff featuring a sterling silver design of an 18th-century mermaid the Taylors once saw at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

In addition to their own designs, East Wind Silver sells a variety of other jewelry lines, including SSD Jewelry, whose pieces, such as their Atlantic cuff, are made of patinated copper, as well as authentic Cape Cod Jewelry^tm made by LeStage of Attleboro.

“You can categorize our jewelry as both trendy and traditional,” Joan says. “Our pieces appeal to women and men of all ages.” Some of the company’s popular items for men include a Mariner’s Cross necklace, cufflinks and money clips. East Wind Silver also sells home décor items such as Asian lamps, Cape Cod maps hand-drawn by New York artist James McDonald, and oil paintings by Chatham artist Maryalice Eizenberg.

East Wind Silver Co. • 878 Main Street, Chatham • 508-945-2470 • eastwindsilver.com

Check out more products from East Wind Silver Co. in the Cape Cod Life General Store

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Online only: Expanded story, plus more photos of Orleans!

With coastline along both the Atlantic and Cape Cod Bay, the town of Orleans offers spectacular natural scenery, and the community’s fascinating history is inextricably tied to the sea. Orleans is also known as a mecca for art, culture and fine dining. For two days in September of 2016, photographer Charles Sternaimolo and I explored the town, from Main Street to Nauset Beach, Rock Harbor to the rotary, and everywhere else in between. We met artists, farmers and business owners, and plenty of folks just enjoying the scenes. We hope you enjoy this photo essay on the town of Orleans.

The Orleans Cultural District—where Main Street meets Route 6A, and the surrounding neighborhoods—is a popular area to shop, stroll or enjoy a meal. To the east of 6A, one can savor a burrito at The Corner Store, browse summer reading titles at Main Street Books, and admire the charming exterior of the recently renovated Orleans Whole Food Store. Visitors can also make a beeline to Honey Candle, a colorful shop with a wide selection of candles, all made from beeswax. “Beeswax is the noble side of candles,” says Agostino DiBari, the shop’s owner. “There’s no animal fat, no petroleum and nothing that can hurt you. It’s a beautiful material to work with.” Beeswax candles, DiBari adds, burn cleaner and longer, and a 3” by 6” rolled candle might burn for 80 to 90 hours. Another positive? “By promoting beehives, you’re promoting the environment,” DiBari says. During our visit, a handful of bees buzzed around the shop, drawn in by the sweet-smelling ingredients. This is a regular occurrence, DiBari says, and the shop owner held the door open patiently so each could safely depart. A native of Italy, DiBari once made molds for ceramics, but today he makes molds for his candles. His designs feature birds, shells, pumpkins and pinecones in yellow, cream, green or red. Another design depicts Torre del Mangia, a 14^th-century tower in Italy that bears an uncanny resemblance to Provincetown’s Pilgrim Monument. What does an Italian candle maker from Eastham think of Orleans? “If you love the ocean and the brightness of the light,” DiBari says, “this is it.”

To the west of Route 6A, we visited the Artist Cottages of Orleans Market Square—just behind Hot Chocolate Sparrow. Artists can rent the shacks to sell their work either for the summer, or just a weekend. The cottages are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, first on weekends, then daily in the summer season. The cottages are colorful, the artists are friendly and informative, and a spirit of camaraderie and community runs throughout. We chatted with several artists, including photographer Roberta Anslow. “I’m a fan of the ocean so I do a lot of seascapes,” says Anslow, who shoots only using natural light. “I love Orleans,” she adds. “There are two great beaches—Nauset and Skaket—you have the best of everything here.”

Another Orleans artist, painter Lanae Pink-Fox is also inspired by nature. She enjoys the artist cottages and Orleans in general. “It’s very relaxing,” she says. “There’s a lot of culture here. You’re standing in the middle of the ‘cultural district.’ They actually put a sign up last summer.” Fellow artisan Megan Dugas of Eastham offered a similar sentiment. “It’s a great artist community,” Dugas says. “It’s very peaceful here.” A jeweler, Dugas handcrafts wire necklaces, rings and other pieces using copper, sterling silver and various gemstones. She follows a free-form approach to her work. “It’s therapy,” she says. “I just go into a zone when I’m creating. I never know what I’m going to make when I sit down to make it—and all these creations come out. I think that’s pretty cool.”

Just across the street from the artist cottages, one can access The Cape Cod Rail Trail, a hugely popular attraction. Running all the way from Dennis to Wellfleet, the trail winds through Orleans for several miles along the path of the former Old Colony Railroad. Need a snack? Hot Chocolate Sparrow on Old Colony Way is a sweet spot for coffee and confections. They have ice cream and chocolates, too, as well as apple blossoms, almond cream cake and other homemade creations.

While in town, we made two stops at Nauset Beach, which runs north to south along Orleans’ Atlantic coastline. The beach is huge, and it’s a fantastic area for walking, picnicking and surfing. We met Jack Griffin and Nicole Dardia, two Barnstable High School students who regularly surf there. “The waves make it a lot of fun,” Dardia says. Just over the crest of a dune, we watched a camper make its way to a section of the beach that allows drive-on visits. The driver stopped to deflate the tires before heading out across the sand. Nauset Beach is also well known because of the many shipwrecks that have taken place off its shores over the years, with vessels being tossed against shoals and shore by the powerful surf. Recently, the beach has also been in the news for another reason: shark sightings. Liam’s Clam Shack, a burger stand at the beach, has some fun with this scenario, offering t-shirts depicting a picture of a smiling shark extending an invitation: “Let’s do lunch.”

Hungry? Orleans has many great restaurants, from Abba and The Beacon Room to Mahoney’s Atlantic Bar & Grill and Guapo’s Tortilla Shack. Want a quick bite? The Knack, a relatively new restaurant near the rotary, serves burgers, hot dogs and extra thick milkshakes.

While in town, we had the chance to try breakfast, lunch and dinner in different restaurants on Route 6A: The Hole in One Restaurant, Lobster Claw and Land-Ho! The Hole in One Restaurant offers a variety of fresh baked sweets including sour cream, honey dipped and other doughnut varieties as well as muffins, biscotti and fruit bars. They serve breakfast as well, and the place was jammed when we arrived. Lobster Claw offers diners a unique nautical ambiance—there are buoys in the windows and lanterns for lights—to go with the restaurant’s fresh fish, lobster rolls and other tasty fare. The Land-Ho! is an iconic establishment, known as much for its vast collection of signs hanging from the rafters as it is for its food. One license plate on display—N-A-W-S-E-T—is a true accent piece. Eastham resident Jesse Sullivan has been tending bar at the ‘Ho for 16 years, and it’s easy to see he enjoys the work. “I like all the locals,” says Sullivan. “You get a good feel for the local color.”

On the west side of town, we stopped at The Farm (WB Richardson Growers) on Rock Harbor Road. The business took root in the 1970s when Bill and Diane Richardson first began growing, and it’s carried on today by the couple’s children, Sassy Roche and Sean Richardson. Visitors will find a friendly staff and row after row of flowers, plants and trees. The farmers grow three main crops each year: some 25,000 perennials, 4,500 geraniums and 4,000 chrysanthemums. At the height of the season, they also sell 35 varieties of hydrangea. The Farm hosts events during the year that are open to the public including a Harvest Fall Festival every Columbus Day Weekend.

Both Sassy and her husband, Terrence Roche, commented on how grateful they are to be where they are—in Orleans, on the farm and working with family. “On our worst day,” Terrence says, “I walk to work every day. My kids ride their bikes down here. They have forts. There’s a fairy garden. We’re incredibly lucky.” Sassy adds that running a family business isn’t always peaches and cream, though. “We’re constantly together,” she says, “and some days you just have to laugh because . . . we’re constantly together.”

Rock Harbor is located on the Cape Cod Bay side. Think of it as the spot where the “bicep” meets the “forearm” on the Cape Cod “arm.” The area is known for its stunning sunsets and fascinating tidal flats, which allow beachgoers to walk out more than a mile from shore at low tide. We happened to be in town during the Orleans Pond Coalition’s annual Celebrate our Waters festivities, and the CG36500 was on display in the harbor. The CG what? During a snowstorm on February 18, 1952, four Coast Guardsmen used Motor Lifeboat CG36500 to help rescue 32 sailors from the Pendleton, which had wrecked off Nauset Beach. The story of the real-life rescue is depicted in the film The Finest Hours (2015), and additional information can be found at the Orleans Historical Society.

Rock Harbor is also home to a boatload of charter fishing outfits, many with uplifting vessel names like Flying Mist and Fair Lady. To help boaters recognize the channel in the harbor, there are eight trees planted in a line off shore. It’s a remarkable scene, particularly at sunset. “This place is famous for sunsets,” says Brian Treadwell, a photographer we met at the harbor. “They’re really spectacular. It’s one of the few places in the United States where you can see a sunset over the water and looking west, with some land in the background.” From the location, the eagle-eyed can make out the Cape Cod Canal in the west (or at least the Sandwich tower) and the Pilgrim Monument to the north. Treadwell also pointed out to us the massive rock off shore that gives the harbor its name.

Nearby, impressive scenery of a different variety can be found at The Church of the Transfiguration. The church is home to the Community of Jesus and features well-manicured grounds and some incredible artwork. In the sanctuary, there are frescoes, and mosaics on the walls and apse, including the stunning “Christ in Glory,” a mosaic depiction of Jesus created from 2.5 million pieces of tessera glass. Jesus’ face alone is 5’ tall. Also of note, the church’s organ, which is still under construction, will include 12,000 individual pipes, ranging in size from a straw to a phone booth.

Across town, the Orleans Waterfront Inn is another impressive structure—and impossible to miss when driving on Route 6A. Built on the banks of Town Cove, the historic, pastel-colored venue has 11 guest rooms, various function rooms and restaurants, and one-of-a-kind views of Town Cove—and the historic Jonathan Young Windmill. “Orleans is unbelievable,” says Ed Maas, who runs the inn with his wife, Laurie. “It’s the best town anywhere. It’s a small town where everyone gets along. Where else can you have ocean to bay in five minutes?”

Maas recalls purchasing the inn, which had been set for demolition, in 1996. “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” he recalls. “I called my wife—she was in Florida—and I said ‘I think I just bought the Orleans Waterfront Inn.” Raised in the Sunshine State, Maas says he grew up hating the summer, associating it with Florida’s oppressive heat. Laurie, on the other hand, had regularly visited Cape Cod, where summertime is a celebration. In two decades of ownership, Maas says he has spent millions on renovations, but it’s been a labor of love. “Ever year it gets better,” he says. “I like it. I’m having fun.” For the couple’s first 19 years, they kept the inn open year-round, but in 2017, the restaurant is open May through mid-September, and the hotel offers accommodation through mid-October. At breakfast, we met a couple that was celebrating their 25^th anniversary with a weekend’s stay. After all, this is where they met. Got any funny or inspiring stories, Ed? “Every day,” Maas says. “Every day.”

Town Cove is another Orleans treasure. Located near the center of town, the water body winds out through Nauset Harbor to the Atlantic. It’s a popular spot for kayaking, waterskiing and other recreational activities. Those in need of rentals and gear can find what they need at The Goose Hummock outdoor center on Route 6A.

Naturally, Orleans’ nature areas and beaches are attractive draws for artists, and the town’s many art galleries are loaded with images of and inspired by the sea and coast. Housed in a charming half-Cape, Addison Art Gallery shows the work of many accomplished Cape Cod artists. During our visit, the gallery was exhibiting the winners of the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society’s 2016 National Juried Show. Scott Royston’s still life of a duck hanging on a door claimed the “Best in Show” prize. The title of the piece: “He Got Game.”

Around the corner, we browsed many of the quirky creations on display at Yak Arts on Route 28. Owner Robert Dalton visits many an auction and estate sale, but he also travels to Bali, Indonesia every year to find items no one’s ever heard of or seen before. Dalton loves his work—and returns to the Cape with a shipping container full of goods. “I get to travel and buy the funkiest things in the world,” he says, “and I love where I live.” In front of his shop, customers can look through a variety of large items spread out on the lawn, including furnishings fashioned from driftwood and a bust of Albert Einstein carved in teak. Dalton, who previously had shops in Provincetown, Rockport, and Newport, Rhode Island, says two items on his resume have helped him succeed: first, he has a fine arts degree; and second, he’s one of 70 million Baby Boomers. “I have an idea what people like,” he says.

Exploring further reaches of town, we drove through some peaceful residential neighborhoods in East Orleans. Walking along one beach overlooking Nauset Harbor, we met Randy Gallagher and Sarah Bartholomew, who were relaxing at Randy’s boathouse. “This is where I want to stay in summer,” Randy says—and who could blame him? First built in 1916, the cozy retreat just steps from the sand has been in his family for a century. There’s one bedroom with a loft, and a large deck with flower boxes and 180-degree views. During the No-Name storm in 1991, the cottage was washed away, so Gallagher rebuilt it—this time raised on pilings. And in the extra space between the pilings, he installed a chair swing for two.

In South Orleans, we found Ridgewood Motel & Cottages on Quanset Road. The buildings are grey shingled with red shutters, and there’s a white picket fence out front. There are 12 rooms, six cottages, and two owners—Stan and Agie Knowles—who have been running the business since 1980. “We’re a little bit of old Cape Cod,” Stan says. “It’s not just work. It’s a way of living, a way of life.” Stan enjoys gardening and chatting with guests, including many who have been staying at the Ridgewood for years. He’s got loads of stories, enough to fill a book, he says. Outside the office, flowers grow in abundance and a sign on the door reads “Just another day in paradise.”

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