We should have a day where cars are forbidden in Wellfleet, don't you think?
A day different from the other 364, when people would have to walk into town. Or, bike. Rethink old habits. Consider our dependence on oil. This idea occurred to me when I went downtown yesterday evening, at twilight, for a pot of yogurt to serve today for breakfast. Despite the occasional flurry of interest in sidewalks, no town official has been able to get sidewalks built so far. Most roads are sidewalk-less, so pedestrians must struggle not to get hit by traffic, and, in summer, the cars whiz by, operating at a faster pace. There's no shoulder to walk on, either.
When you walk, your senses experience the town in a totally different manner. Sense of smell gets hit with roses along Main Street, garlic at The Juice, exhaust by Commercial. Of course, last night, at Uncle Tim's Bridge, the sweet scent that rose from the flats was low tide, an earthy, sea smell that is so Wellfleet. Sight: You have time to observe gardens, paint jobs, paintings in gallery windows, earrings. You see things you have never seen before, although you have driven the same road hundreds of times. Hearing: the low buzz of a million insects in the reeds is only interrupted by the roar of a car engine, once or twice every minute. Touch: I sat down at The Juice and placed my hand on the bar, hard and cold, while awaiting my order. Taste: I drank a smoothie, coconut and pineapple, on the way home. It was getting darker outside. The surface of Duck Creek shimmered with azur and pink light. It was a beautiful sight, one I'm sure I would have missed had I taken the car ....
We should have a day where cars are forbidden in Wellfleet, don't you think? 
A day different from the other 364, when people would have to walk into town. Or, bike. Rethink old habits. Consider our dependence on oil. This idea occurred to me when I went downtown yesterday evening, at twilight, for a pot of yogurt to serve today for breakfast. Despite the occasional flurry of interest in sidewalks, no town official has been able to get sidewalks built so far. Most roads are sidewalk-less, so pedestrians must struggle not to get hit by traffic, and, in summer, the cars whiz by, operating at a faster pace. There's no shoulder to walk on, either. 
When you walk, your senses experience the town in a totally different manner. Sense of smell gets hit with roses along Main Street, garlic at The Juice, exhaust by Commercial. Of course, last night, at Uncle Tim's Bridge, the sweet scent that rose from the flats was low tide, an earthy, sea smell that is so Wellfleet. Sight: You have time to observe gardens, paint jobs, paintings in gallery windows, earrings. You see things you have never seen before, although you have driven the same road hundreds of times. Hearing: the low buzz of a million insects in the reeds is only interrupted by the roar of a car engine, once or twice every minute. Touch: I sat down at The Juice and placed my hand on the bar, hard and cold, while awaiting my order. Taste: I drank a smoothie, coconut and pineapple, on the way home. It was getting darker outside. The surface of Duck Creek shimmered with azur and pink light. It was a beautiful sight, one I'm sure I would have missed had I taken the car ....
