Blizzard '09

Just in time for the holidays... the first Blizzard of the winter season!

We had about 2 feet of snow on the Cape, starting last night around 10 p.m. It's still snowing now. We took the dogs to the beach to check it out around 2 p.m. this afternoon.

You can see that where the paths weren't shoveled at all, you can see the snow drifts were up to my knees - and up to the dog's belly!
The tide seemed exceptionally high, and it had washed sand over a bunch of the snow, turning the exposed sand into a kind of quick sand. The dogs sank in up past their knees, but fortunately didn't get stuck. The water came in over the tops of our boots. Thank goodness for wool socks!

Christmas Stroll in Chatham

This is the weekend for Chatham to roll out the candy canes and little white lights. The Holiday Stroll starts tonight at 7 pm, all throughout downtown Chatham. If you're on-Cape this cold weekend, bundle up and check it out! Don't forget your scarves and mittens!

Make sure to visit the Chatham Candy Manor, who claim to serve the "best hot chocolate in the Stroll" - I was there with my Girl Scout troop yesterday for a candy cane making demonstration. Cinnamon flavored. Mmmmm. The 13th batch of the season so far. They may be making more candy canes tonight - definitely will be on Saturday morning.

Have fun - stay warm - and enjoy the holiday season!

The Calm Before the Storm

Today there is a storm raging outside my window, but yesterday the ocean and beaches were calm. We are not having snow on Cape Cod, as so many of you are having off-Cape, but there are severe wind warnings and cold, pounding rain battering my windows.

It will be interesting to see what this storm does to our coast line. But I'm not headed up there with the camera at the moment!

Rocks and Docks

I had a surprise when I went walking on the beach this morning - lots of big machinery all around me! First, a large crane and an earth mover were on Strandway Beach, taking out that section of rocks. I had the dogs with me so I didn't want to get too close, but you get the idea from this picture.


At the docks, there was an oversized dump truck to haul away the granite from the beach...but there was also the barge that comes to Old Mill Point twice a year to put in and take out our docks.

Not the most relaxing beach walk, but interesting nonetheless.

Welcome December

December arrives once again on Cape Cod, bringing with it a mixture of fair and foul weather.

The first "storm" was actually at the end of November - on December 1st I took the above photos, showing the calm ocean and the slightest bit of erosion from our beaches. The SeaWay beach actually fared better, and seemed to gain a little sand, wither from the ocean or from the dunes blowing down onto the beach.

Last night another storm battered Cape Cod, and this morning the wind is still blowing. I can hear the ocean pounding from my house, even with all the storm windows shut tight! We'll have to wait and see whether this storm gives or takes from the beach.

Winter has certainly arrived on our shoreline.

Cape Women Online posts its Holiday Issue

The Holiday Issue of CapeWomenOnline is here!

Visit www.CapeWomenOnline.com to read all kinds of fun holiday stories and recipes.

I've written an article on why people should be asking Santa for ebooks this year, as well as an environmental story on choosing eco-friendly gifts from local Cape Cod stores.

My fellow author Marissa Doyle has a great article on Victorian Holiday traditions, and my good friend Nicola Burnell tells us why women really want handmade chocolates for Christmas. Yum!

Take a few minutes to check out these articles, and the great recipes for the holidays. You won't be disappointed!

Holiday Happenings Listed by Town

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and we all know what that means: the Holiday Season is upon us.

While there may be no more sun and summer fun here on the Cape, we have a ton of Holiday Happenings to chose from, and keep you busy if you should chose to visit the Cape this December.

Check out the online magazine that I edit - CapeWomenOnline - to find a nice listing of all the things going on Cape-wide, as well as all the helpful websites each town has to tell you the details of where and when.

Go to www.capewomenonline.com and click on the Community Action section to find our town-by-town listings. Off the top of my head, I know that the Orleans street fair is scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving, from 4-8, and the Harwich Holiday Stroll is scheduled in downtown Harwichport for Friday, December 4th. If you go on December 4th, the elementary school chorus will be performing for the tree-lighting (in the park near the Harwichport CVS) and my Girl Scout troop will be selling handmade ornaments and dog toys inside the Pilgrim Congregational Church on Main Street. Stop by and say hello!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holiday Season!

P.S. more beach photos coming soon...

Happy Thanksgiving to all!