Getting Married? Make It A Wellfleet Wedding

Cape Cod is a pretty nice place for a honeymoon, according to US News & World report, which ranked it third, but Wellfleet is great for a wedding, too. Choose one of the many perfect venues, like Preservation Hall, the Chequessett Country Club or the Holden Inn. Be inspired by Cape Cod Bride magazine. The Cape Cod Chamber even hosts a wedding planner page. I found these photos of a Preservation Hall wedding particularly beautiful. Choose Winslow’s Tavern for the rehearsal dinner. We have noticed, over the years, that couples like to return to the place they married for anniversaries, 10, 20, 30 years later. Wellfleet is nice for that, too.

LeCount Hollow: Perfect Walk!

Still Smells as Sweet?

Only fifty more days until spring!Almost February already. At this time of the year, I start craving flowers ...

Many of you responded with regret on hearing of the demise of WHAT at the harbor. Here's more information on its resurrection by a group of theater enthusiasts calling themselves the Harbor Stage Company. We can look forward to a peek during Wellfleet's first Blossoms weekend. No word yet on what will happen to the iconic WHAT sign ...

More Beach Treasure?

Yesterday we discussed good stuff you can find on a beach. What about the bad stuff? There's a new foundation that needs your support. Surfrider works to protect the oceans, and us. Check out the amazingly effective ad on its blog.

And, while we are on the subject of toxins, here's some great news: Wellfleet Selectmen just signed an e-waste resolution, which "calls on its State Representative and State Senator to support passage of a producer take-back bill for electronic waste in the current legislative session, and calls on the Legislature to develop and support legislation to require Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for all consumer electronics products, computers, TVs and household hazardous products." More than half of the towns in Massachusetts have taken this step, including Provincetown, Truro, Eastham, Orleans, Brewster and Dennis. Congratulations to the Wellfleet Selectmen for signing on and to the Recycling Committee for spurring them to make this decision.

More reason to cheer, 28 state legislatures are tackling toxic chemicals, since Congress is still dragging its feet. Read all about it at the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow.

More Reasons to Walk the Beach in Winter...

People come to the beach in winter for different reasons. In the comments section on a past post on this subject, readers often mentioned peace and quiet. Beauty, of course, should be right up there at the top of the list. Today we are going to review physical reasons for coming to the beach in winter, ie. what people take away. Last week Sven and I spotted a couple picking something up on the beach. What do you think it was? Here are some options ..

When I was a child, we would search the seashore for pretty shells. I remember starting a shell collection after a visit to Rehobeth Beach, in Delaware. On Cape Cod, bay beaches are where to look for scallop shells. In Wellfleet, shells can still be found at Duck Harbor, but the ocean beaches only offer the broken clam now and then.

Some folks come for driftwood. They turn a nice piece into a lamp base, or create a mobile, or simply put a weathered branch on the mantelpiece as a reminder of summer. Others drag larger pieces home for firewood.

In the olden days, Wellfleetians would cart home buckets of seaweed to fertilize the vegetable garden. Salt straw/hay was also collected on the beach. (In Eva and Henry, local author Irene Paine explained how salt hay was fed to the animals once the regular kind ran out.)

On the beach, you meet the occasional person with a metal detector. Everyone dreams of finding buried treasure, but these folks take that dream a step further, acting on it. Sometimes metal-detection becomes a hobby, but rarely do people discover more than scrap metal or a few coins. Read about becoming a licensed beachcomber here.

What most people will look for on Wellfleet's ocean beaches, in 2012, are stones, , and this is what the couple above seemed to be doing. Stones can be beautiful. One woman we met two years ago was collecting pretty stones for her pre-school class. Shelly Daly, a regular blog reader, turns them into jewelry. Some people use them as garden decoration. Others put them in the bottom of fish tanks. From time to time our guests collect stones on the beach, only to forget them in the hurry of packing. Stones are a great way to remember summer in the dead of winter.

A blog reader named Lynn shared why she collects stones: "When we are on Cape every fall, I gather the stones that speak to me. Then, I have them to tuck into a coat pocket, or my handbag, and pile them in selected spots in my bathroom, so when I feel I am missing my spiritual home too much, I put them in the sink and see the colors come back to life in the water. It always restores me!"

What do you take home from a visit to the beach and why?

Seagull Conference on the Harbor: Before & After

Apparently there were more than just seagulls holding conferences in Wellfleet this week. News broke last night that six actors are forming a new theater troop, which will be called the Harbor Stage Company. Read all about it in this theater blog. The Harbor Stage Company plans three shows a season.

What do you folks think? Is there room in Wellfleet for two different theater options?

Dolphin Strandings Continue in Wellfleet

Those of you who live in the Boston area have probably heard about the numerous dolphin strandings on the Outer Cape over the past ten days. You may have even seen newscasts, showing Wellfleetians hard at work in an effort to save these marvelous sea creatures. My friend Tracy Plaut and her husband Swede volunteer for IFAW on a regular basis. The months of January and February bring the greatest need for this type of assistance. Volunteers make themselves available at a moment’s notice. They grab gear and head out, often in raw, inclement weather, for hours at a time. Last Thursday volunteers, along with our local harbormaster, were able to herd dolphins out of Wellfleet Harbor successfully. There have been so many strandings in our area of late that the IFAW trucks were parked in the Cove Corners parking lot when I drove by. No one knows why the marine mammals seem to get stuck in Cape Cod Bay. As the Boston Globe reports, the Outer Cape is one of the top three stranding locations IN THE WORLD. Often strandings take place at low tide. The animals are transported to the IFAW trailer for testing, treatment, and the occasional tracking device. Tracy headed up the trailer team last week when a particularly vigorous group of animals were brought in for testing. In her attempt to hold one down, Tracy bruised her ribs and side. She told me that a rather chubby dolphin was examined as well. When the team realized the dolphin was pregnant, they used ultra-sound equipment to peek at her babies. “It was so thrilling to see their flukes,” Tracy told me. Indeed! What an amazing experience.

What Makes Me Angry ...

Every so often I get really, really angry. If I stood in front of a mirror, steam would probably be coming out of my nostrils, and my face would have already turned purple. The signs above, at Ballston Beach in Truro, indicate danger. There are no signs to warn us of the toxic chemicals that have infiltrated our lives. We need to turn this situation around, but how?

I get angry when I read the umpteenth article on endocrine disruption and realize that life will go on as desired by the chemical industry with no change. Ignorant human beings will gain weight and develop diabetes, despite today’s news of a new study linking phthalates to childhood obesity. This morning also brought an ABC report on 300 chemicals detected in a nursery. (Express your approval of this type of investigation here.)

Yes, it’s true that enlightenment comes slowly ...

Recently there have been more articles on how to avoid toxic chemicals in food. Here's another. Food bloggers are big on the Internet, but, so far, they have not tackled toxins in food.

I only started studying these issues two and a half years ago, in my effort to prevent NStar from spraying Monsanto’s glyphosate, and four other nasty chemicals, under Cape Cod’s power lines to kill vegetation. One thing led to another and soon I realized Monsanto is an evil empire here on earth. The corporation has infiltrated our government and has been twisting arms to impose GMOs on Europe, for instance.

And, the USA? We’re already doomed unless someone does something fast. Monsanto has managed to bypass rigorous testing and sneak unlabeled GMOs into 80% of the food found on American grocery shelves. Last month NPR's Diane Rehm did a whole show on why GMOs should be labeled. Corn and HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) remain the major offenders. Food Inc. explained how HFCS also makes us fat. It’s still possible to eat local and avoid GMOs, but for how long? Monsanto is buying up seed companies. Argh!!! (Read the latest on this dreadful corporation on the Organic Consumers Web site.)

Meanwhile, here on Cape Cod, NStar has not abandoned its plan to poison our sole-source aquifer with five toxic chemicals. One of them, glyphosate, has been shown to increase risk of birth defects in the unborn. The utility company will put their plan into action in the spring. If you are a pregnant woman on the Outer Cape, you do not want to be drinking unfiltered well water, since NStar already tested its spraying plan in certain areas. These toxic chemicals do not dissolve. They are not absorbed by the soil. In fact, they flow right through our sandbar-of-a-beautiful-tourist-destination into the aquifer. Activists proposed goats early on and NStar scoffed. Google uses goats at its headquarters in California. Why shouldn’t we have them here? Now Eastham has its own herd. Today’s New York Times reports goats are a great way to avoid herbicides, something we already knew, but, hey, it’s refreshing to see people are beginning to talk about it ...

Snow Follies in Wellfleet ...

Woo-hoo! 100 followers. Welcome, Julee Hastings. Since being number 100 is a milestone, you have just won a prize. Send me your address via the Web site contact email and I will shoot something off to you in sunny California. Not so much sun this weekend here in Wellfleet. In fact, the snow took the forecasters by surprise. We had 8 to 10 inches, when 2 to 4 were predicted. Everything looks so lovely cloaked in a mantle of white. Check out the windows and flowers painted on this Lond Pond Road garage. The snow really makes the design stand out.

Chez Sven had its first guests of the season, adventurous folks from Western Massachusetts, who arrived in a Prius. They drove down to Provincetown for the day around 11 o’clock. The forecasters in Amherst had predicted rain on Cape Cod. No one likes rain for a holiday weekend, so our guests seemed psyched to hear there might be some snow. Beaches are much more interesting with patches of white here and there. Fortunately, these folks did think to bring sturdy boots. Imagine their surprise to have all those snowflakes fall out of the sky by evening!

Sven and I were having dinner with a friend: goat stew, fresh baked bread, salad. There came a rapping on our door. Chez Sven has three doors, and I never know which one to open. I went to the side door, which Wellfleetians usually use. No one there. So, I decided what we had heard must have been a particularly energetic chipmunk, shifting his stash of nuts around in the attic, or maybe a mouse caught in the Have-a-Heart trap? But, the rapping came again, louder this time. I hopped over to the front door and there were the daughters of our guest. Mom’s car was stuck in a snowdrift at the bottom of Old King’s Highway. Did we have a shovel? The friend and I headed out with several. Meanwhile, a policeman had stopped his car, seeing a damsel in distress. Lights were flashing red and blue on the snowy landscape.

Since Old King’s had not yet been plowed, access from Long Pond Road was the only option. But, our guest wanted to keep her new Prius out of drifting snow, an understandable request. We left the car in one of the town’s parking lots, drove her back to the cottage, and accompanied her to the car in the morning.

This winter Wellfleet has not seen bitter cold like 2011. Last year there was an inch of ice on Old King’s Highway and it remained for three weeks. (Here's a look at snowy Commercial Street, by two o'clock. It was around that time that Wellfleetians decided to stay inside and wait for improvement.)

Unexpected snow can produce drama. I remember riding back to Vassar with a friend when the New York Thruway was summarily closed due to a snowstorm that no one had foreseen. Have you had any wild experiences, being stuck in snow?

Sun Sets on Harbor Stage & Other WHAT Sparks

When summer guests arrive at Chez Sven, I always do orientation. One of the things I say is, “Wellfleet has great theater. You might want to look into seeing a show. Tickets cost around $25. WHAT prides itself on ‘edgy drama’ ...” This description never fails to pique the interest of guests from Britain, who smile politely, unwilling to believe a seaside resort could really have theater of the caliber they are used to in London. But, since Wellfleet does not offer all that many activities for tourists in summer, they usually take me at my word and return delighted to have enjoyed off-Broadway-worthy performances.

For years, W.H.A.T. (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater) slept in the off-season. But recently, with the recession and new mortgage bills to pay, the new Julie Harris Stage became busier in winter, with opera broadcast on the big screen and a sweet little selection of independent films, as well as Yule For Fuel in December. Then, last August, Jeff Zinn, its founder, suddenly left. I have a lot of respect for what Jeff accomplished and was sorry to see him go, whatever the reasons. He did put Wellfleet on the theatergoers map, a fact we should all remember.

This fall it was possible to find last-minute seats through Twitter.

For the last couple months WHAT has been acting like a dormant volcano, releasing steam from time to time, when in the past the sparks only flew in summer. The latest puff brings news Wellfleet lawyer Bruce Bierhans has been named CEO. (Read this report in the Barnstable Patriot.) Bruce has already proved his competence working with Outer Cape Health Services and Prez. Hall. (When does this man sleep? He also maintains a full schedule as a trial lawyer and even takes time to read this blog!)

WHAT began modestly, by the harbor.
Expansion created the magnificent Julie Harris Stage on Route 6 and a summer program for kids in a tent nearby. Now come more sparks, word that the harbor venue will be eliminated since the landlord wants to recover the space. (Did someone say rent increase?) I can imagine how nostalgic many old-time theatergoers feel about this decision, but frankly, the peanut-gallery type seating left much to be desired. Elimination of the harbor stage presents a way of cutting costs. What will happen to the sign on the roof of the building? Can this Wellfleet landmark please be saved somehow?

Do you attend plays at WHAT in summer? What play did you enjoy the most?

Racoon-Proof

Wellfleet Vs. Boston: A Dozen Differences

A main difference, of course, is the serenity and beauty on the Outer Cape, which remains the reason so many tourists choose Wellfleet for their vacation. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed other differences though, that I would like to share:

1.) Pedestrians in Boston/Cambridge ride the subway and walk around with their eyes fixed on a smart phone or Kindle. Pedestrians in Wellfleet look up to admire the view.
2.) Wellfleet has one museum, and it’s only open in summer. Boston even offers free museum days, last Monday, for instance, Martin Luther King Day. (In Boston/Cambridge, Wellfleetians can go museum-wild, using passes from the public library.)
3.) In Boston, you can see elderly folks riding the bus, with walkers. In Wellfleet, not so much.
4.) The pace is frenetic in the city. In Wellfleet, people take their time, except in high season.
5.) Boston offers more options for organic food. To buy organic, you don’t have to jump in a car and travel 20 minutes away.
6.) Dinner in a good city restaurant is more affordable, dramatically so.
7.) Like ethnic cuisine? Boston offers Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Portuguese, French, etc.
8.) Eat gluten-free? It’s possible to find whole gluten-free restaurants in the city.
9.) Urban crime is always a possibility so people lock doors. Still, neighbors tend to know each other, which is less likely in Wellfleet with 72% of the housing stock being owned by non-residents.
10.) If I photographed a random group of people on the street in Wellfleet, the median age would be maybe 50. The general population in Boston feels younger, due to the large numbers of students rushing everywhere.
11.) In Boston, pharmacy checkout is now by machine. In Wellfleet we can still stand at a counter and interact with trained personnel.
12.) In Wellfleet, oysters can be found by the bucket, fresh off the flats. They cost $1 an oyster at Mac’s Seafood in Eastham. At Legal Seafood, a platter of six Wellfleets costs $13.95.

Some of you live in the city year-round. Can you add to this list?

President Obama Denies Keystone Pipeline

Now that's news! Doing a happy dance here. As you may remember, a Wellfleetian attended the protest in DC and, was arrested. Please stop over at NRDC and sign the letter to thank President Obama. This brave action on his part gives me hope that the Outer Cape will be able to stop the craziness of NStar's spraying chemicals over the aquifer. Read Brent Harold's column this week on the subject. Remember Femke Rosembaum's great banners from this fall? Did you know Eastham has chosen goats as its vegetation-control preference?

Meditation

In Which I Share a Homework Assignment

As you know, I'm taking courses at Grub this semester. One of these courses is called Fiction II. Christina, our teacher, is super knowledgeable and incredibly nice. The assignment this week offered the writing prompt "Familiarity and Estrangement." I thought you might enjoy reading the 600-word scene, entitled "Fishy Business," which I intend to submit tomorrow. Fiction is an entirely different animal from non-fiction, in case you hadn't noticed. Okay, so get out your French flags and accompany Heather (me!) on her (my) very first trip to Paris:

A ray of sunshine angled through the broken Venetian blind, causing Heather to open her eyes and peer around the bedroom. The excitement of the previous day came flooding back. For months she had looked forward to this trip to Paris, a high school graduation present. As planned, her father’s cousin had met the Air France jet at Orly. Heather felt as if she already knew Lisa because they had exchanged so many aerograms. Lisa had taken Heather to a real café and bought croissants for lunch. Since her stomach had been tied in knots, she hadn’t eaten much. The café was located a short distance from Le Bon Marche, the department store where the former model said she had once worked. At least, that was what Heather had understood. Lisa was definitely still glamorous despite advanced age. Sixty? Seventy? After a taxi ride around the city, Lisa had escorted her here to meet Princess Dadiani who had inherited this four-bedroom apartment, rue Constant Coquelin, and took in paying guests. The women had exchanged kisses, but did not seem very happy to see each other, perhaps because Juliana Dadiani had family visiting, two rambunctious little girls with blond hair, and a niece, with what looked like a recent black eye? There was nothing but tea for supper, since the family ate their main meal at noon. While the two adults discussed alimony, Heather had roughhoused with the children. How the halls had resounded with their cries of glee! Now all Heather could hear was a door closing somewhere. Outside pigeons cooed. Yes, there they were, two pigeons strutting along a nearby roof. She tried to open the window but couldn’t make the latch-bolt work. Drapes covered a second window. Heather parted them only to discover a brick wall.

She dropped the house key in her purse and proceeded down the corridor. The apartment was loud in its silence. Narrow parquet boards creaked beneath her feet. In the kitchen, an elderly woman was making borscht. She said something friendly in Russian and wiped beet-red hands on a dirty apron. Heather shrugged and pointed at her stomach. The cook poured some café au lait into a pitcher and carried bread with butter and jam into the darkened dining room.

After breakfast, Heather went for a long walk along rue Duroc, lined with stylish clothing shops. She sat down on a bench and spent half an hour writing postcards.

“Bon-jour?” the American teenager called out tentatively, opening the apartment door at lunchtime. The dining room table was set for two. Ah! Surely Princess Dadiani would be home soon.

Once Heather had washed her hands, she hurried back to the table. A stranger, dressed in a soiled business suit, sat erect in one of the seats, eating radishes. He was big, with thick glasses and greasy brown hair. The man gestured for her to sit down. “Have some crudités,” he said.

Heather chose two longish radishes and broke off a piece of baguette.

“Eat them with butter,” the man advised, shoving a butter dish across the table.

Heather made herself a small radish sandwich but refused seconds. Her companion rang a silver bell. The cook placed two platters on the table. Heather looked down and confronted the dorade that was to be her nourishment for the day. The stranger was too busy carving out his fish’s eye to notice her consternation. “The best part,” he said with a flourish of his fork.

The sea bream, accompanied by three perfect potatoes, was crusted with slivers of almonds. And, it still had its head on …

Harriet Korim Summarizes MLK Day March

"Wellfleet's 10th all-ages ArtPeace celebration of MLK Day was our biggest and one of our best ever. So grateful for Dr. King's life and work, for all the seeds his generation of Civil Rights activists planted, now bearing an historic nonviolent harvest. In our little off-season town, two hundred or so participants of all ages chalked, sang, stamped, clapped, walked, meditated, gazed, listened, shared a communal feast and collected a truck full of food and hundreds of dollars to help bail out our food bank and fund bullying prevention. Grateful for amazing all-ages turnout, phenomenal volunteers, gorgeous weather, profoundly moving films and speeches and danceable and passionate music by performers from their teens and twenties to their sixties. Delicious, abundant potluck with the backdrop of provocative art by children from Bourne to Provincetown, featuring this year's work by kids from six Outer Cape schools, including micrographic self-portraits of sixth graders aiming to 'be the change you want to see,' prayer flags hand-stitched by seniors and middle school students and dreams and wishes and peaceful words by kids from pre-school to 8th grade. After clean up (to the sounds of jazz by our soulful Friends of the Village), the day ended with a sky-wide sunset lighting the heavens. Thanks Wellfleet Library, Prez Hall and to all the musicians and artists and teachers, speakers and volunteers who created this great tribute. Tax-deductible donations to compact/artpeace for nonviolence education and bullying prevention will be matched thru February 14."

Please find the address for donations in the comment section. Sounds like a tremendous event, and I'm sorry we had to miss it. Quite a crowd! Even Senator Dan Wolf was present and accounted for. Harriet sent me these photos to share with you. They were taken by Paul Rifkin of Occupy Falmouth. Thanks!

Box Lunch, the Best Little Sandwich Shop on Cape Cod

Need a quick and delicious lunch in winter, affordable, too? Try Box Lunch on Briar Lane, where the service is fast and friendly. Box Lunch has been in operation for a whopping 35 years. In high season, before the recession, this popular eatery would whip up "rollwiches" for 1000 customers a day. That number drops to 100 during the winter. In 2011, the MacNutts renovated a side room to create a pleasant space where folks can pause during a hectic day and enjoy a cup of chowder with one of Owen’s famous wraps. There’s a great variety from which to choose. The new kids on the block are Chicken Parmesan and The Harley, which features meatballs. My absolute favorite is the Guacamole, a sandwich for anyone vegetarian at heart. That’s what I order, and it never fails to please. Sven likes “Porkey’s Nightmare,” above: ham, three melted cheeses, mayo, tomatoes, onions & Durkee’s Sauce (mustard vinaigrette.)

Kathy MacNutt always greets customers with a smile. She's happy to offer suggestions to newcomers. Her favorite? “The John Alden, I guess. Though I do love the Chicken Parmesan. It’s hot and gooey.”

Box Lunch is a great place to hang out if you want to absorb some true Wellfleet atmosphere, too. There are always shellfishermen and carpenters stopping by.

I often tell guests about Box Lunch. They can call ahead and pick up the makings of a super picnic fifteen minutes later. Every minute matters in the life of some tourists, especially in summer.

Over the years the MacNutts have employed guest workers from 7 or 8 different countries, with Lithuania, Russia and Moldavia as the most frequently represented. 12 to 14 young people help Kathy and Owen out in high season.

When Sven and I stopped by two days ago, Box Lunch smelled of bacon since a recent customer had ordered a BLT.

“Bye, bye. Take care,” Kathy said to a regular, who had just complimented her on the kale soup, Saturday's special. “We feed the working guys during the week," she told me. "We have the best clam chowder around, made by Owen when he doesn’t break his arm.

(Last week Kathy’s husband Owen had a freak accident, smashing his elbow, and won’t be making his famous chowder during the recovery period. We wish him a speedy recovery!)

I asked Kathy what she likes about the job: “The pace. It’s exciting here, especially in summer. I get to chat with people in winter. I also like getting to know the employees. They become family. I enjoy being creative and making up the different sandwiches. It beats sitting behind a desk. That’s for sure!”

Box Lunch is one of the only restaurants in town to stay open year long, from 9 to 2:30, which is quite an achievement. Who hasn’t called ahead, in summer, in order to avoid waiting in line? I even know fans who come to Wellfleet specifically for the Box Lunch rollwich and take several home with them.

Owen and Kathy MacNutt can be proud of what they have achieved. Box Lunch has been so successful that it became a franchise, with eight Cape stores and two off Cape. Ten restaurants represents a whole lot of sandwiches. And, don't forget, it all started in Wellfleet ...

Have you ever eaten at Box Lunch? What do you order? Anyone tried the "guac?"

What's Wellfleet Like in Winter?

Ocean effect snow covered the ground this morning. It's Martin Luther King Day weekend and we are ready for Monday's peace march. Check out the great badge Sven is wearing. You might expect to find lots of folks visiting Wellfleet for the three-day getaway. Not so much. The town was quite deserted and unusually quiet, when we drove down to the pier to watch the sunset yesterday afternoon. It was mighty cold and became even colder overnight. We didn't even see any seagulls dropping shells on the macadam. Of course, Wellfleetians were shopping at Marketplace. Restaurants start opening next week.

Action, on Main Street, could be found at the clothing store Off Center, which was holding its annual mega sale. A sign outside indicated 70 to 90% off everything that remained on the racks. I asked Sven to pull over and went in to explore. The markdowns were considerable. I found a black linen top for $3 and a pretty sleeveless summer tank top for $6. Who could resist prices like these? There were no dressing rooms, and no mirrors. That did not bother the ladies who stripped down to undies in the rear of the shop and eagerly donned the colorful bargains.

"Would you mind taking my picture?" one matron asked.

Clever! A cell phone image is better than no image whatsoever.

The sale continues today until 5 pm. Off Center will turn into Filene's Basement again on President's Weekend.

Seeking Eco-minded Visitors to Wellfleet: Your Opinion Is Solicited

This pond is beautiful, no doubt about that. It's Long Pond, in Wellfleet, eastern end. No trash in view, thank goodness. Our town is fortunate to have a very active Recycling Committee, chaired by Lydia Vivante. Lydia has asked me to ask you a few questions today. She is holding a meeting next week to encourage seasonal renters and other assorted folks visiting Cape Cod to use the Transfer Station during their stay by recycling and composting whenever possible. How do you feel about these activities during vacation? Are you willing to make a few extra gestures on behalf of the environment? Would you like landlords and real estate agents to post friendly reminders? Have you seen any such signs? Do you bring your totes with you or use those provided at the rental? If you want your answers to be confidential, write Lydia, c/o Town Hall. Otherwise, please share ideas on how to improve recycling and composting in Wellfleet below. Thanks!

What's Up this Weekend in Wellfleet?

Greetings from Boston, where I’m attending courses at Grub Street. Sven is manning the fort, so to speak, back home. We are lucky, in Wellfleet, not to hear rumblings about a possible end to our post office. That's what happening in Cambridge. Under serious discussion, the closing of the post offices in both Inmann and Kendall Squares. Yikes! I have received a number of announcements to pass on to you, so here goes:

There will be two concerts featuring the Higher Praise Gospel Choir on Sunday. Check the Prez. Hall Web site for details.

Cape Cool is holding is annual Martin Luther King Day walk and potluck on Monday. The 2012 walk will be especially, well, cool because it’s a tenth anniversary celebration. Come join your neighbors at noon and stay for lunch. Looks like the meeting point this year is Prez. Hall. While we’re on the subject of Cape Cool, please hop over to Harriet's blog and think on her words.

And, mark your calendar for two worthwhile upcoming events:

1.) Mac’s Seafood will be celebrating Groundhog Day with a seven-course dinner at Prez. Hall. “A Taste of Local Food: Wellfleet in Winter” promises more than just good eats. Come learn about the local food movement. Tickets cost $65 and will support WCAI and Prez. Hall. The fun starts at 6 pm.

2.) Wellfleet's 250th Anniversary Committee is holding a brainstorming session, open to the public, on February 4th at 10 AM, Council on Aging. I know you all have lots of ideas, so do share them at this meeting.

What do you think of the post offices closings across the nation? Is your post office in danger of ceasing to exist?

Methods of Wellfleet Navigation (Part 3, Air)

Methods of Wellfleet Navigation (Part 2, Water)

Methods of Wellfleet Navigation (Part 1, Land)

Navigation Series Introduction

It is possible to express oneself through one's choice of navigation. (It's also possible to post one's opinions through bumper stickers, as in the photo above.) Since I'm trying to spend all my time writing this week, I prepared, for you, a short series of images that illustrate different methods of navigation, used in Wellfleet. It is not always necessary to resort to riding in a car, is it? One of my 2012 resolutions is to use my feet more. There are other transportation options, like this scooter that zipped down Main Street last month. Some people choose roller blades, others bikes. Tracey Barry Hunt, at Winslow's Tavern, gives bonuses to employees who ride bikes to work.

What is your favorite means of transportation?

Bonus Post: Beachcomber Sunrise