Friday, August 27, 2010

Wellfleet in Winter (Part 1)

“What’s it like to live here in winter?” I get this question a lot from B&B guests. They always have a quizzical expression on their face that says why would anyone intelligent choose to live in Wellfleet? Actually, the charm of winter in Wellfleet is a well-kept secret. And, those of us living here sure ain’t telling. Oh, no. We have no desire to share our little piece of paradise ... or, do we?

By December 21st, the gaiety of revelers at the Fourth of July parade has faded to memory. The bustle of August is forgotten. Stunning September days bring the closing of Hatch’s, on the town hall parking lot. With one last hurrah, the town welcomes the end of the “season” by throwing a magnificent street party called Oysterfest, in its tenth year now. Twenty thousand people come to savor the sweet and succulent oysters that first made the town famous. After Oysterfest, the restaurants close, one after the other. Soon the Lighthouse, Wicked Oyster, the Bookstore and Finely JPs are the only options for lunch or dinner.

In December and January, even the restaurants may be closed. The pace slows even more. Most of the shops are shuttered and dark, making Main Street resemble a ghost town. A few pedestrians shop at Wellfleet Marketplace. The town hall parking lot has become deserted. No cars are parked outside Preservation Hall, either. But all you have to do is proceed a bit further, down West Main, to find the natives. We all know where the action is: our public library – and that’s where we congregate in winter.

The beaches remain as beautiful, if not more so.

Somehow we associate sand with heat and sunshine. In winter, the tide will deposit huge chunks of ice high up on the shore at Duck Harbor or Powers Landing. Their incongruity boggles the mind. Duck Creek often becomes a logjam of sheets of ice. Patches of snow dot beaches on the Atlantic. The dunes, in a mantle of white, are majestic and cold.

When the temperature reaches 32 degrees, the shellfishermen return to the flats and go about their daily tasks, regulating their lives according to the tides. There’s something primordial about the constant harvest of shellfish. This finding subsistence from the land is part of what gives Wellfleet its soul.

“What’s it like here in winter?” I asked Sven, another relatively recent convert to yearlong Cape Cod living. “Why do you like it here?”

“The beauty and the silence,” he said. “Wellfleet has a quality beyond weather, especially for people used to big cities, who don’t know what silence is.”

No one passes on our road. In the distance the Congregational Church bell rings to mark time passing. Low tide announces itself by a strong musky smell that spreads up over the land.

Sometimes the wind makes it hard to walk on the beaches. The salty air is crisp and clear, the shadows long. Then we walk the woods of Dyer Pond instead. Sven lights the wood stove and curls up with a good book. The winter months here can be summarized by one word: retreat. Winter allows us to draw closer to nature.

The appeal of winter reminds me of Thoreau, that is, a return to an era of simplicity, where people did not spend all day bent over a computer. They valued their neighbors and lived off the land. No cell phones or renegade car alarms disturbed the peace. It is an ideal people everywhere aspire to but rarely achieve. In Wellfleet, in winter, the illusion of living in Thoreau's time is still possible.Do you live in a rural setting, a city, or a suburb? Do you yearn for a return to nature? If you live here already, why do you enjoy Wellfleet in winter so much? Do you dream of retiring here? If you have only visited in summer, what would it take to get you to move here?

Comments (15)

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We have the same peace here in the winter (well, aside from the hunters during open season). The lake, however, is wonderful in the winter. On unseasonably warm days, we can boat and fish without the fear of being ran over by one of those huge pleasure boats or dodging the wave runners.
Thanks for this description. We often talk about what it would be like to live here year round. It sounds both amazingly peaceful and also quite desolate and hard. I think you have to have the right mindset and personality to be here in January and February. It sure would not work for everyone. I recall one young Fleetian who waited on us at the Lighthouse post-season telling us that all the young people (and many of the older ones) drink heavily all winter because there is nothing else to do. Do you think that is true?
3 replies · active 756 weeks ago
I have heard that this problem does exist within the shellfishing community and needs to be addressed by a social worker. To say all young people drink heavily would be a gross exaggeration. Many young people are extremely enterprising and looking for ways to create economic opportunity that allows them to stay here and raise families. One of the problems is housing. Real estate has become expensive due to the amounts of money non-residents can shell out. Non-residents now own 72% of the housing stock. The town housing authority is working on this issue. I plan to interview a few town movers and shakers in Part 2, so stay tuned!
Yes, I am sure it is an exaggeration. And I can certainly see that the cost of housing here is a real challenge for a young family, especially given the seasonal nature of the economy. As I said, I would imagine that life here in the winter can be quite difficult.
Difficult? I don't think so. Have not met anyone who feels this way. The only time life is difficult is when there's a layer of ice on our dirt road, but that does not happen very often. Perhaps some Wellfleetians will read the post today and speak up with their opinions?
You make it sounds lovely. I have to say I am personally getting tired of winters here in western NY state. Snow, slush, cold seem to last for far too many months. In the beginning I like it, but by Feb I am just fed up with no end in sight!
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MyKidsEatSquid · 756 weeks ago

I love seeing the snow on the beach. I've wondered also what happens in beach communities like yours in the winter time. I'm looking forward to your interview about addressing housing problems.
How fortunate you are to live in such an idyllic place! The photos are just beautiful. Having grown up right near the ocean, I am drawn to the water. I'm sure I'd love it in Wellfleet.
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Thanks for sharing these pics, things sure look different around town with snow and ice and all the leaves off the trees !!! I'm quite sure that the perfect cure for long lines at PB Bistro, lines at Hatches and lines of traffic on Route 6 is a long winter where it feels like one has the entire town to oneself. I personally love solitude, quiet and nature (its the cold I don't mix well with).

I spent many many years in Northern New England and know the pace of winter life well, but now choose to spend my time in the subtropics where soon winter will come and the hordes of tourists will descend upon us.

Here, as in Wellfleet, I am still able to enjoy my secret spots and solitude even when the crowds are thick. Being a "local" (of sorts) has its benefits... In this area the warmth and water make life overly abundant - urban development cannot stop thick walls of vines, spanish moss, bamboo, trees, and the ospreys, lizards, big cats & snakes from sharing the cityscape with humans. At night the stillness is often broken only by a frog chorus, the calls of owls, the hum of a distant boat, the cicadas. Some winters it feels like the one perfect New England autumn day that lasts from late October until May.

One day I'll get up to Wellfleet off-season to see the changes with my own eyes. But first I need to get some warmer clothes!
I've been reading your blog for almost a year now (maybe more?) and I must admit that the more I read about Wellfleet--in winter and in summer--the more I am DYING to go there. The photos, especially, make it look so romantic. Plus I'm homesick for Massachusetts (I'm a Boston native) and I love the Cape...
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the place I stay in Ireland is much as you describe Wellfleet, a tourist driven economy is summer and a small fishing village in winter. I am there most often and longest in winter, when it it it is quiet, and beautiful. the weather has its challenges, but very well worth it. I've not yet been to the Cape in winter but it sounds like a place I would love to visit, or to live in all seasons. thank you for sharing your photos and insights through the year.
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I'm dying to come, too. Any season but summer sounds wonderful. Lovely post.
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Oh Alexandra, it sound heavenly!! We've come out for a few weekends in the winter, and the Cape is transformed into a most magical place. I've lived in upstate New York all my life, so I'm used to loads of snow and howling wonds, but to walk the beach on a cold winter day is to die for. The ice crystals on the shore, that different type of "saltiness" in your nose. I think living in Wellfleet (or Truro or Provincetown, for that matter) in the winter would provide a much needed yearly spiritual cleansing.
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sarah henry · 755 weeks ago

Wow, winter in your neck of the woods sounds lovely. As for where I am, I'm just grateful summer has finally arrived/
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I'm not a fan of winter cold, but I admit there is something appealing about such a quiet, isolated place. Especially after the summer bustle, I bet you really enjoy it!
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