cabin fever

The weather lately up here in the Northeast has been alternating between frigid/snowy and moderate/rainy, and the puppy and I have been enjoying our morning runs-- either on cross-country skis or on foot. We are lucky that there are so few people out right now because that means the pup can get her sillies out off-leash. Her favorite activity is reaching the beach, where she darts back and forth across the sand, as fast and as happy as can be. I'm not sure what it is about the beach, but that's where she really gets excited!

After all that energy exertion, back in we go where that tired puppy sleeps for most of the rest of the day. That leaves the rest of the day free for me. There are not as many work hours at the stores now that the holidays are over, so I've been doing a lot of at-home projects and activities. However, a few days ago it hit me that I wanted to go out and do something. (I can state with confidence that there is really not much in the way of open businesses on Cape Cod in the winter, at least if you prefer something other than Starbucks or Wal-Mart.)

So, my friend and I grabbed a discount pass from the library and headed to the New Bedford Whaling Museum where we learned all about the history of whaling in the area. Who knew there was so much trade between New Bedford and places like the Azores, Cape Verde, and the northern Pacific? Of course it makes sense for island and coastal communities to form trade alliances leading to the exchange and movement of people. That always fascinates me, so in the spirit of these cross-cultural exchanges, we ended up eating at a Portuguese cafe for a late lunch. I chose a not-quite-American burger that included linguiça, a fried egg, sliced potatoes and some incredibly spicy chilies, which after one burning bite I promptly removed.

 Lots of scrimshaw...

 I recognized this from my graduate studies as a Loango carved whale tooth

 The largest model ship ever built

 grey day

 I spy... lots of fishing boats

think two-year-old

"Think two-year-old"

That was the advice given to my upon the departure of this puppy's humans, on their way to spend the winter in Florida. Shahna the dog...puppy... is a one-year-old Boxer, left in my care for the next few months, and so has our bonding begun! Luckily, we are both active (a BIG plus, and convenience), though Shahna being the young'n is constantly on the go. I can't keep up. She is still learning, and although a little stubbornness comes through periodically, she is generally very easygoing.

Born in Florida herself last year, Shahna had never seen snow until this winter. We had a standard winter blizzard going on the past 24 hours, which left a beautiful blanket of snow on Cape Cod about a foot deep. Puppy seemed slightly disoriented at first, but quickly realized how NEW everything was! And of course that set her off. We went down her favorite trail to the water, me on my cross-country skis, and Shahna with a friend on foot (read: runner who could keep up with her).

It was gorgeous out by the time we reached the water! The entire morning it had been flurrying, and by the time I scraped and defrosted the car and plowed the drive later in the afternoon, the sun was peeking through. It was about an hour before sunset when we reached the water. It was my first cross country ski of the season, and a beautiful one at that!

the rock

Wow, it has really been an entire month since I have posted. I haven't been necessarily busy now that my job has ended its regular hours, but I've been spending a great deal of time outside rather than at the computer. With the time change, there's been the adjustment to the sun setting at 4:30, and I'm happy to have my early rides and runs back, even though it's the coldest part of the daylight hours!  Most of the leaves have fallen, and some snow is even in the forecast for tomorrow.

The drive to New York a few weeks ago was just beautiful. I'm in the habit of stopping at the midway point, around Mystic, Connecticut, which is a lovely place for a walk break.

 

Another point of interest I recently visited was The Rock, more commonly referred to in other parts of the country as Plymouth Rock. 

There it is! It's at water level, with a crack from it being moved a couple centuries ago to/from another viewing location. No one is even sure if this is the real "rock"-- most likely not, I would think.

The Mayflower II is also nearby.

It also sailed from England, but in 1957 with a somewhat smaller crew, and a pet cat rather than livestock. It's an accurate reproduction of the original ship, and smaller than you would imagine, much like The Rock turned out to be. I can't begin to imagine being on that boat for several months!

 

42 miles for fall

It's that time of year! Fall. Cranberries are being harvested all around these parts. Being from the Midwest, where harvest means that of corn and wheat, it's all new to me. The Cape Cod Rail Trail was a perfect option today for viewing the bogs of floating berries. I still don't have a clear understanding of the process, but it was exciting to see, nonetheless.

This was the midway point of a total of 42 miles for my bike ride. I am now exhausted, so enjoy the photos!

 flooding the field: the water was flowing in from a pond on the other side of the bike path

the equipment

When I returned home, I noticed another red patch through the trees as I rode up my drive.

neighbor's bog

(almost) wordless wednesday

    "And summer's lease hath all too short a date" -- Shakespeare               
                                                                                            (especially up here in the Northeast!)

what are we losing?

A few weeks ago I visited Newport, Rhode Island, where I enjoy visiting the mansions periodically. There were a few more houses I had not yet visited, so I spent the day touring three of them. One of the houses, somewhat more modest in size and decor than, say, The Breakers, neighbors a strip mall.

Our tour guide explained that the original house next to it was demolished to make the parking lot for that strip mall, and that the city had intended to demolish the still-standing home to build a CVS. Their reasoning? The CVS would be paying higher taxes than the historic home. But really, who travels to Newport to visit the CVS? Clearly, the city came to and got their priorities straight by choosing a different location for that store, but it is saddening to think that a structure with such significant historic importance could be so easily cast aside in favor of a redundant national business.

But it is not only CVS, and it is not only Newport. Residents in Turkey felt similar sentiments when their city attempted to turn their beloved community park into a shopping mall.

photo by Eda Gunay

And in Lhasa, Tibet: another shopping mall is currently being built over the oldest and most well-known part of the city, the Barkhor Market.

 

photo by Tsering Woeser

We humans are already so destructive. We don’t need more. We have everything we need. My wish is that we learn to favor new experiences and self-improvement in the form of education and physical well-being over material goods.

night sky

 

Star of the Hero, Nicholas Roerich

I may just have the best view out my bedroom window that I have ever had, or at least the most serene. Each day I can look out onto the pond and watch beautiful white swans resting on the still water, as a pair was tonight, with a golden sliver of the moon and Venus by its side in the sky above. There is little development on this end of the pond and being at the end of a long sandy road, it is completely void of traffic noise, except for a boat or two going by during the day. Tonight the air is very still and I hear only some evening insects. The night time sky fascinates me. In fact, it is the subject of my favorite painting, Night Flight of Dread and Delight, by Ethiopian artist Skunder Boghossian:

One of the most beautiful things I ever saw consists of a night I experienced in Tibet last year:

    I was walking up the hill after dark toward the house in which I was staying and I could see the full moon rising through the valley between two mountains. There were clouds, none covering the brightness, but simply intensifying the illumination throughout the sky. I came around the corner from my favorite restaurant and saw the moon reflecting off one side of the white stupa, lighting everything between it and moon. I had never seen a brighter night sky. The air was so calm and the stars so close, I felt as if I were in a dream. 
 

                                                             (That was the moment I realized why they call it the roof of the world!)