Archive for the 'Miscellaneous Musings' Category

The Cape Playhouse

Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA

Cape Cinema

In the heart of Dennis Village, tucked away behind Main Street,  is an absolute gem known as the CAPE COD CENTER FOR THE ARTS. This cultural hub consisting of 20 acres is home to The Cape Playhouse, The Cape Cinema and  The Cape Cod Museum of Art. How lucky are we??!

The Playhouse’ summer stock season began this week featuring TEA AT FIVE with Stephanie Zimbalist in the lead of this bioplay about Katherine Hepburn (saw it on Broadway with Kate Mulgrew – really great.)  Lots of great plays coming up, including GREY GARDENS (also saw this one on Broadway and loved it.)  The Cinema features foreign-type films (no Avatar playing here!!) and is a very special cinema-going experience with it’s extra wide seats and, of course, the fantastic Roger Kent mural on the ceiling. ( They occasionally have live shows  like this past April when they featured an indie rock group that was holed up  in Dennis to rehearse for the upcoming Coachella Music Festival in CA. )  The Museum itself is a real treasure, exhibiting the art of outstanding artists and offering art classes for children and adults throughout the year, with special programs in the summer months.  All in all, a very fine cultural center supporting the arts on Cape Cod – and we’re so fortunate to have it right here in Dennis!

Click here for my previous post on #1  of  The Top Ten Things we Love about Dennis

Here we go again!  Massachusetts is about to make history once again, this time with the first offshore wind farm in the nation.

Secretary of the  Interior Ken Salazar announced this afternoon that  the Cape Wind  Project, ten years in the making, has been been given the “thumbs up”.  The government has accepted the proposal with modifications  to include:  a reduction in the size of the turbines from 170′ down to 130′; requiring the developer to conduct additional marine surveys to address the impact on Nantucket Sound and to take  ”other steps” to make the turbines less visible from the shore.

As stated in my previous post on this subject,  local Wampanoag  tribes are among those strongly opposed to the wind farm, in their case because of  the location  in what they term “sacred waters”. We will soon see if they make good on their announced intention to pursue legal action to stop the project from going forward. 

Ted Kennedy is undoubtedly turning over in his grave.

Elaine

Every time we visit certain relatives in NYC, the only thing we are ever required to bring are Wellfleet oysters.  Our hosts are oyster connoisseurs and always request that particular brand.  Well, being big supporters of our fellow local businesses, we decided to surprise them with some  East Dennis Oysters.  I am happy to report that our here-to-fore Wellfleet oyster snobs were quite favorably taken by the “new kid in town”! 

John and Stephanie Lowell started their oyster farm back in 2003 and their passion for the mollusks is evident in every taste. One VERY fun way to sample these succulent treats is any summer weekend at Chapin’s Restaurant right here in Dennis Village, where the Lowells set up an oyster bar for your after-beach enjoyment!  Don’t miss this local treat next time you’re on the Cape!

Elaine

Wherever you stand on the Cape Wind project, you have to have taken note  a week or so ago,  when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited the Cape on an information gathering mission in regard to the project. Salazar came at the invitation of two of Cape Cod’s Native American tribes who claim that Nantucket Sound, the site of Cape Wind’s plans to put 130 wind turbines, each 400 feet tall, is sacred ground for their people. 

The two Wampanoag tribes argued that the wind turbines in Nantucket Sound will block their view of the rising sun, an integral part of their religious observances.  (Wampanoag means “People of the Morning Light”) At  6:30 a.m., Salazar joined respresentatives of the tribes at a beach in New Seabury for a ceremony to demonstrate the sunrise’s importance  - a glorious, crimson show  by all reports.   

After nearly a decade of review, this historic preservation issue is the final phase of the considerations of the  project – Salazar promises a decision on permitting  from the Department of the Interior by April.  It will be interesting to see what effect a Nantucket Sound sunrise will have on that decision.

Elaine

The Village Tea Room at Borsari Gallery in Dennis Village

Dennis Village life has recently been further enhanced by the opening of The Village Tea Room at the Borsari Gallery.   The former home for many years of the Grose Gallery, this 1800’s barn/gallery that is the backdrop for the tea room has been lovingly and exquisitely restored by its new owners, Bob & Kathy Borsari.  Each day’s menu  features a homemade soup and sandwich special as well as the traditional “high tea” of petite wedge sandwiches and locally made pastries.  Such a delightful treat on these cold wintry days!

The Borsari Gallery features the unique art of noted photographer Andrew Borsari as well as former owner David Grose and various maritime artists. Best of all, you may host your next event at the gallery, which I personally have done twice!  They do a superb job with everything from weddings and engagement parties to 80th birthdays. The setting is truly memorable (as you can glimpse on their website) and the food was top notch.  Your guests will be bowled over, as mine were!

Don’t miss the Borsari Gallery and  its Village Tea Room on your next visit to the Cape – this latest addition to Dennis Village is a GEM!

Elaine

Sagamore Bridge by Robert E. Kennedy

A recent cartoon in The Cape Cod Times depicted a group of tourists approaching a customer service booth labeled “New England Summer” and manned by Mother Nature, with the caption “We’d like a refund for all the cold and rainy days!”  Hear! Hear!  The short Summer of 2009 will not go down in the annals as a banner summer for Cape Cod in any respect.

So far, September on Cape Cod is ALMOST  making up for it!  The weather has been spectacular – sunny and 70’s most days. The shoulder season has always been an important one for the Cape Cod economy, and this year ever-so-much-more so. There are plenty of festivals, activities and leaf-peeping to attract the crowds this fall, but along comes the Army Corps of Engineers in an astounding lack of  awareness, scheduling overdue repairs on the Sagamore Bridge, shutting down lanes and causing MAJOR traffic jams 24/7 coming on and off the Cape!  AARRGH!!

We are told that our local politicians are working on an alternative plan with the Corps, but in the meantime, allow yourself a little extra time to get over the bridge. Autumn on Cape Cod is the BEST time to be here – assuming of course that you CAN get here!

Image via Wikipedia

Without a doubt, one of the best annual fireworks displays is the one held at SESUIT HARBOR in East Dennis. Instituted in 2002 as a collaborative effort of the Dennis Yacht Club and Northside Marina, this year’s event will take place on THURSDAY, JULY 2 AT ABOUT 9:00 P.M.  Viewing can be tricky as the Marina is located in the residential neighborhood of Sesuit Neck.  Parking at the Dennis Yacht Club is strictly for members only (must have a sticker). Ditto the parking lot at the Marina which fills up fast as it is restricted to the Marina’s boat owners and the fire department closes off part of it. On-street parking is going to be your best bet, and some additional parking at Harborview Beach which is a spectacular viewing site – IF you can get there very early.  Looking for your own 4th of July fireworks viewing site for your family and friends?  Take a look at these two nearby waterfront properties for sale, both of which would provide exceptional fireworks viewing for years to come! 12 Maureens Way and 177 Sea Street.

Happy Fourth of July 2009!

Elaine

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday on my early morning beach run, I stumbled (quite literally) upon several striped bass carcasses, fillets missing, heads and tails intact.  “Yuck!” you might say.  But it actually made me smile.  This particular harbinger of summer, discarded from a passing fishing boat, was a pleasant reminder that Cape Cod Summer 2009 is finally on the way!  It’s been a long, cold winter here on the Cape, but the fisherman are already out and the Cape Cod summer season officially begins this weekend!  (Am I the only one who didn’t know that striped bass were running this early?  Probably….  I actually love to fish – something few people know about me – I can even bait my own hook!)

Today is the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend 2009.  The traffic outside my office window has steadily increased as the afternoon wears on.  The weather report is for sunny skies and it won’t be long before we know how this economy will effect the upcoming tourist season……and the striped bass population!  Stay tuned for more musings on BOTH!

Happy Memorial Day!

Elaine

As a friend of mine recently declared in regard to Spring on Cape Cod, what we have is March, March, March then Summer!  Yet, year after year, amid the grey, rainy days, the daffodils still manage to show up….and give us all a bit of hope that summer is not far off.

Elaine

Long time clients of ours arrived in town last week to look for their next Cape Cod home.  We had sold their Dennis waterfront property back in December and they were now ready to begin looking again.  “Where should we look?” they asked.  “WHAT??!! We thought you were only interested in Dennis, the town you’ve vacationed in for 25 years!” Despite our surprise, we had to admit that it was a relevant question. A lot of things can change in 25 years!

It’s fun to think of how our forefathers, post 1492, made their decision as to where on Cape Cod to settle. Needless to say their needs & wants were quite different than ours would be today.  Can’t remember the last time  I’ve  had a client list “fertiile soil” as one of their top ten criteria!

But there are considerationts to be made even today. Every Cape Cod town has a unique character.  Some are more historic,  offering old sea captains’ homes on every block, some offer what we call “Village life”, where you can walk to everything – restaurants, bookstores, band concerts, ice cream.  And some are strictly beach communities, where the beach is all there is unless you want to get in your car and drive to the closest town.  Still others are no where near the beach, but offer golf, cultural activities and other less summer-oriented pursuits.  (I am always amused by the occasional client, looking for a home here, who proclaims “Oh we don’t need to be near the beach.  In fact, we never go to the beach!)

The demographics of the Cape suggest that there are many different considerations for someone moving here, either full or part time.  A good place to start is to look at your goal.  are you retiring to the Cape?  Are you looking to raise your young family here?  Will this be strictly a vacation home for you and your family?  Depending on the answers to these questions,  you will begin to formulate a plan for which towns/villages most speak to your requirements.

Rest assured that there is something for everyone here on Cape Cod.  And remember one of our favorite sayings (that tends to be repeated more regularly in these times) “Even on your worst day, you’re still living on CAPE COD!”

Elaine