Mayo Beach Sited In Top 10 Family-Friendly Beaches in the USA!

The online travel service Trip Advisor has selected Mayo Beach as one of the top ten Family-Friendly Beaches in the USA. Mayo Beach, across from the Bookstore Restaurant, and close by both Mac's Seafood and the original Wellfleet Harbor Actors' Theatre, is indeed a great place to take toddlers. I do not recommend it, however, because of the muck underfoot. Also, older kids, quickly get bored, if my experience is any indication. When I would suggest Mayo, my children would clamor for the Atlantic. So, under five, maybe. Over five, no. At low tide, it is possible to glimpse shellfishermen out on the flats, as in the above photo. Should you be coming to Wellfleet this March, Mayo Beach is a fabulous place to view sunsets in winter. Sven is always urging me to go down and check out the spectacle. Just take a look:

A February Day in the Life

I didn’t do much today for the bed & breakfast because it’s February and I have been busy on another project, revising a manuscript. I did go to Stop & Shop, pleased at the success of my effort to reduce our carbon footprint, since it was the only trip of the week. I prepared the cottage for our weekend guests. Made the beds, cleaned, answered reservation requests by email. What I didn’t do is take a walk or review our sheet selection to winnow out those with stains or tears. Sheet inventory is quite important to an innkeeper. I do not like to give guests sheets, which are not impeccable. Since sheets wear out – even organic sheets – that means updating the inventory every year. It is almost eight o’clock and our guests still have not arrived. They had planned to be here at 5, but they are doctors, with shifting schedules. Sven made a fire, but the delay means no one is there to enjoy it. We talked the situation over and decided to implement a new policy for Seagull Cottage. Since everyone has a cell phone these days, in the future, I will request that guests call when they cross the bridge to Cape Cod if they want us to light the fire. That way, we will know when to strike the match. Here is a view of the interior of Seagull Cottage. Doesn’t it look cozy?

One Pond, One Walk, One Hour

Another day, another walk. The colors are supreme. The benefit of storing images in one's mind occurs to me, as we ride the ridge at the eastern edge of Long Pond. A tourist could walk past here in the summer, admire the pond, and pull out an image of its beauty during the long dark winter. Many probably do...

Here is what Sven was thinking as we walked along: “This is our first spring walk. The ice is melting. You can feel spring is in the air.”

We walked over one hour. I do not know whether spring is really around the corner, but I did see a chipmunk yesterday, near the bird feeder. Not only did we walk today. This morning we drove. And I took a photo for all Cahoon Hollow Beach readers out there. Look what has just replaced the dune shacks across the road from the Beachcomber!

Note: Photos taken with Canon Power Shot A 510; Top photo taken at Great Pond, not Long Pond, so theoretically we visited two ponds today, but walked around one!

Dyer Pond, Frozen, in Winter

Best Kept Secret ...

The Best Kept Secret around town is how breathtaking Wellfleet can be in winter. Crisp air, bright colors. Here is the first view we had of the ocean. Wow! Our Seagull Cottage guests set off for civilization this morning, pronouncing themselves utterly delighted with their romantic getaway, a break from their usual harried life: “We saw chunks of ice on the bay. It was so beautiful at Duck Harbor!” It was beautiful at the ocean and the ponds, too. Several dozen people were skating on Long Pond. We saw a hockey game, a barbecue, even a little girl pushing a doll carriage over the ice.

“The sea is extraordinarily beautiful!” Sven exclaims as we pass the spot on Oceanview Drive where the Atlantic fills up the horizon like a cup. The frigid weather had made walks impossible recently. Now as we hurry down the dune, the brilliance of the light and the invigorating air greet the senses in a rush. Other Wellfleetians are out to enjoy the beach, too. We greet these strangers, also happy to be alive today. Gentle waves lap at the shore. There are patches of snow and ice. Wellfleet is amazing in winter. It is hard to imagine living anywhere else.

New Wallpaper!

Finding period wallpaper for a house built in the 18th century was more difficult that we expected. I looked online to no avail. Then Sven and I made three trips to the wallpaper shop in Orleans. We borrowed several wallpaper books before making our choice. We finally settled on an old-fashioned pattern from the Salt Box book by Greeff, the only selection, which seemed appropriate to our old house: Providence Resist, in Cranberry.

Before application of the wallpaper, our carpenter friend, Rick Buckley, boxed in the beams. There had been powder-post beetle damage, which we fixed five or six years ago with salvaged beams from the Cataumet Sawmill. Sven oiled the beams, now that the room is empty. Then he repainted the woodwork and wainscoting. Finally, Audrey Danforth, who did such a great job five years ago with the smaller bedroom of our Liberty Coin Suite, did paperhanging, an art, at which she excels. Sven and I are very pleased with the result and cannot wait to show off the room to returning guests.
In 2007, the room will function as a bedroom, with a queen-sized bed. Next year it will become a proper salon. (Renovation of the north side of the building is slated to begin next November.)