It is raining today, showers all afternoon, on and off. I feel awful for our Seagull Cottage guests who went to Provincetown this morning, armed with umbrellas. They are from England and should be used to rain. Still, as their hostess, I cannot help wishing for one good day out of their three. As soon as the weather turns grey, Wellfleet loses its sparkle. The wood shingles, the pavement, the overcast sky, all are different shades of grey. Duck Creek is grey, too, reflecting the clouds. Rather than take photos to illustrate how drab everything looks downtown, I prefer to share views from last week's walk at Lecount Hollow. We were fortunate. It was beautiful then. You never know exactly what the conditions are going to be down on the beach. The wind may be whipping off a white-capped ocean.
Or, perhaps you will find the sun has heated the sand and it feels warmer than up in the parking lot. Sometimes the sun is shining at Chez Sven but beach walking is out of the question due to mist or fog rolling in. The tide also makes a difference. We like low tide because of the large expanses of beach and sandbars. You also get incredible reflections when waves leave water up on the shore and it drains slowly back into the ocean. Each beach excursion is an adventure. You may see seals, lolling in the sun, or perhaps an old lobster trap, torn loose during a storm.
Once in a while beach treasure can be a piece of an old ship. Several years ago Sven found part of a beam and lugged it home. He claimed it was from the Whydah, which sank off Wellfleet. “It's 17th or 18th century, for sure,” he said with delight, the inveterate historian. Rain is pouring down now. We should be grateful because the water table was low. The grass will be greener than ever. The phone has stopped ringing. Last week’s balmy weather inspired many bookings. Lucky it doesn’t rain here often in summer!
