Thoughts on Being a Place-Blogger ....

What a charming little town! Wellfleet offers two great places to meet people. One is the library, of course. The other? Our Swap Shop. Yesterday I deposited a plant at the Swap Shop door and stepped inside. Sven followed close behind. A curly-haired man was perusing the day’s offerings.

“I liked your blog about the turkeys,” he said in a chipper voice.

Not sure if I had understood, I glanced at Sven to judge his reaction.

“It should be fun …” The man’s fingers started furiously typing on an imaginary keyboard. “Your trip to practice writing.”

This statement made me raise my eyebrows, realizing here was yet another stranger who reads Chezsven Blog and enjoys it. When you write a place-blog about life in a small town, I guess encountering readers is to be expected.

Sven held out his hand. “I’m …”

“Sven. Yes, I know. Name’s Mark.” The man turned back to me. “I like the way you write about the realities of Wellfleet in these tough economic times. Like how they’re teaching the kids at school to eat fresh food, but it’s more expensive, and not everyone can buy it.”

This new Elementary School initiative is a topic I have not yet covered but apparently should. I’ve heard about the school nurse and her plan to start a vegetable garden, the way a group of parents have done in Truro, surely material for a blog post in the spring.

We also discussed Noam Chomsky, who owns a house here, and Sven told Mark about the online interview we had just read on Chomsky’s reaction to Wikileaks. I bet Noam Chomsky likes Wellfleet because he can go about his business without harassment. We’re good to our celebrities in this town.

I was a minor celebrity once. When I did radio in France, my photo was plastered across one third of all the buses in metropolitan Paris for a full week, much to my daughters’ chagrin because their friends kept asking, “Isn’t that your mom’s picture?” At the beginning of every show, I would say, “C’est Sandy Beach…” (Yup, my radio name was Sandy Beach) “…en direct du petit studio de CVS…” (NOT the pharmacy) “…et je vous invite á vous promener sur les ondes avec moi.”

In a way, with this place-blog, I've started up those walks again ….

Incognito No More

I have been bringing you lots of beach photos over the past few weeks because I know many readers are feeling withdrawal, now that summer is over, and have been missing Wellfleet. It’s been cool, actually cold yesterday morning, so I had to serve breakfast inside. I chatted with our Green Room guests for an hour, about this and that. One of the main topics was renovation: another, what makes a good B&B, where guests feel comfortable, welcome and happy. Once our Liberty Coin Suite guests had arrived, it was time for LeCount Hollow.

“Who would have expected it to be warmer on the beach!” Sven exclaimed as we set off on our walk.

A fisherman positioned his poles, while his daughter played nearby. The surf was still vigorous, due to Igor, and a hint of fall had slipped into the air despite the warm sun. No seals in view, but we did see a couple beachcombers. The sand felt just right, hard as rock, perfect for walking. The waves rolled in, shooting foam up the beach. Sven even got caught unawares by a wave, which does not happen very often.

Meanwhile, I was taking photos. It's tough trying to capture the absolute beauty, because there’s this split second where you have to position and snap. If you miss that second, the photo is off. I like this shot though, don't you?

After our beach walk, Sven and I drove downtown to buy a few provisions at Wellfleet Marketplace. I ducked into the store and headed right back out. A man with short curly hair stood on the sidewalk, in front of a pick-up truck, and he was holding out his hand, as if he expected me to shake it.

“Are you the person who runs Chez ….the bed & breakfast?” he asked.

“Chez Sven. Yes, that’s me,” I said, wondering how he knew.

The stranger broke into a happy smile.

“My name is Don. I read your blog every day. I tell everyone I know. We have friends in Switzerland. I tell them, too. If you want to know what Wellfleet is like, read this blog.”

I was touched and thanked him, extremely moved. (Again, thank you, Don!) It’s nice to have one’s work recognized from time to time although it looks like my days of going incognito in town may be drawing to an end …