This week Sven and I have had some great talks with our guests from Australia and Canada over breakfast or, in Sven’s case, a late-evening glass of wine. The Canadians explored Chatham yesterday, then ran through the raindrops to visit antique shops in Brewster. The Australians were thrilled by the cardinals at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and got a kick out of the composting toilets in the renovated building there. My brother and his wife were also visiting. Nick agreed to write a guest post on the experience of being here in the rain:People who plan to come to Wellfleet often obsess about what the weather will be like during their stay. “Hope you get nice weather,” friends will say upon hearing of travel plans to Cape Cod. Well, our two-day visit this week has been during a period of rain and wind. The weather has forced us to stay inside except for brief walks and visits to the beach. I’ve tried to appreciate the pleasures of Wellfleet in the rain. We’ve enjoyed sitting around Chez Sven and reading while listening to the wind and rain outside. It’s been an enjoyable interlude that contrasts with our busy lives at home. And I’ve always found that rain is soothing when sleeping.
This morning we ignored the rain and wind and drove to Newcomb Hollow Beach. The waves were spectacular and, as always, instilled in us a sense of humility in the face of powers much greater than ours. We noticed that there were mini-dunes that the ocean was lapping up on and wondered if they were caused by the current conditions or if the beach had been reshaped by a recent storm. We dropped by what seemed to be a convention of seagulls and tried to see them as fellow creatures. While this beach was crowded just six weeks ago, we were the only humans there this morning.
The smell of the sea air as we arrived in Wellfleet was enough to remind us that we were in a special place. And, that you don’t need to see the sun to enjoy a visit here ...
