Forsythia about to bloom

Spring returns to Cape Cod and the rest of New England this weekend, Saturday, March 20th to be exact. And none too soon as far as I’m concerned. We’ve just endured 3+ days of torrential rain and wind from a classic Nor’easter. But even as the temperatures climb into the 50s and the days grow longer now that we’ve turned the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, the spring that I yearn for is weeks away.

When I was little, my Mom used to clip branches of forsythia to force into bloom starting in February. Those seemingly dormant branches sitting for days on end in a tall vase beneath our picture window in the living room were pathetic to look at, I thought, until they burst into brilliant yellow bloom on some sunny afternoon in March. March is the cruelest month, some say, and certainly the longest. Though the gray of winter is beginning to show some signs of greening up around the periphery, the sun has yet to warm the earth enough to put forth the dazzling display of blossoms that April brings.

Being born in April, I tend to think of it as the most hopeful month of the year, for it certainly brings with it its share of promises: tulips and daffodils and flowering trees…the easter bunny…the Boston Marathon…and opening day of baseball season. If you are a Red Sox fan, as I am, opening day signifies an opportunity for dreams to come true. Gone are last year’s slumps and injuries and tragic losses. What lies ahead are new records to break and MVPs to be found and, yes, the chance, the hope, for a pennant race and a series win.

Fenway Park, Home of the Red Sox

So I’ll patiently wait to turn each page of the calendar throughout the rest of March and into April, knowing that as each day’s sun sets, a new one will rise in the morning, and we’ll all be that much closer to our own dreams of spring.

In the meantime, here are a couple of great weekend festivals to welcome spring on Cape Cod. Book your stay at the High Pointe Inn in West Barnstable, MA well in advance to enjoy these fun-filled weekend fests!

Nantucket’s Annual Daffodil Festival Weekend, April 23-25, 2010

Nantucket’s traditional welcome to spring, the annual Daffodil Festival celebrates the return of over three million daffodils that blanket the island in springtime. Special events include the Antique Car Parade and Tailgate Picnic, Daffodil Flower Show, Children’s Daffodil Parade, Daffy Hat Contest, Window Decorating Contest and Daffy Dog Parade.

Nantucket Daffodil Parade

Brewster in Bloom Festival, April 30-May 2

An exciting local Cape Cod festival, Brewster in Bloom is a town-wide celebration featuring an antique fair, fine arts & crafts show, band concert, and more. The festival runs for three days and culminates in a Bloom Parade down Main St.

Winters are long on Cape Cod. Not necessarily cold, but often gray. Hence, one of our favorite winter pastimes is anticipating the arrival of spring and summer with their inherent seasonal offerings and requisite celebrations. Cape Cod is rife with special events that highlight our symbiotic relationship with the fruits of land and sea, and the High Pointe Inn avidly supports many of these events. In fact, Rich is a major contributor to the Wellfleet OysterFest, making his annual sacrifice by consuming 4-5 dozen oysters single-handedly. (more…)

Sunset over the Cape Cod Canal

Often during the summer months, Rich and I will fill a cooler with drinks and hors d’ouevres, throw some folding chairs into the car, grab the dog and head for the Cape Cod Canal for what we like to call “Cocktails by the Canal”. It’s a great way to unwind after a busy day at the Inn. We set up camp at the edge of the canal near the Visitors Center. Once we set up our chairs and pour our first cocktails, we settle back for an hour or two of “canal watching”. Rich likes to observe, and sometimes chat with (quel surprise!), the men and women casting for stripers or hauling lobster traps up from the side of the canal. I like to scan the horizon for the next approaching yacht and dream of the day when it will be me onboard swirling my martini and eating canapés. Casey just likes to sniff whatever she can and beg for food. It’s truly a family outing. (more…)

Rich and I just got back from having our bikes tuned-up for the season. We take them over to where we first purchased them at Art’s Bike Shop in North Falmouth. Run by a former elementary school teacher, Art’s is a full-service bike shop offering rental, repair, and retail, including all manner of accessories. It’s hard to walk out of Art’s without some new trinket for the bikes. Rich has his eye on a new rack and bag system that is sure to set us back a few bucks. Cha ching, cha ching. (more…)

View Cape Cod Golf Courses in a larger map
Few resort destinations can beat Cape Cod when it comes to great golf. Everyone from a beginner to a handicapped pro will find a course to challenge their particular skill set at any one of 27 public and 15 private courses. Dotted here and there among Cape Cod’s numerous quaint little villages, the courses run the gamut from friendly Par 3s to professionally designed clubs of tournament quality. Combine the natural beauty of Cape Cod with the region’s mild climate, and it is no wonder golfers can be found on the fairways here nearly 52 weeks a year.

My husband fell in love with me on a golf course. We used to play once a week on summer evenings after work with a mutual female friend of ours. I was the novice in the crowd, Rich a good, if erratic player, and our friend experienced enough to be among the best in her league. It was a friendly game among colleagues out for some after-work camaraderie and a few laughs. The evening usually ended with a light supper and a beer at nearby hamburger or pizza joint.

We were all single at the time, myself divorced, our friend unattached for the moment, and Rich separated from his wife and in the throes of the final dissolution of his marriage. My friend and I used to call Rich “our boyfriend” and the three of us shared some great times together.

I was unaware that Rich’s feelings for me were evolving into something more than friendship. Happy just to be out with friends enjoying the freedom from work and an emotional holiday from a failed relationship, I was oblivious to what should have been obvious signs. Needless to say, things worked out in the end, but somewhere along the way we “hung up the clubs” so to speak as we set forth together and became innkeepers.

I dusted off our clubs the other day. Buried among the rubble that is our basement, there they were beside the snowshoes and hiking poles that have also been collecting dust of late. Determined to regain the freedom I used to feel on the golf course, I’ve started to assemble a wish list of courses to tackle this spring, summer, and fall. All located within a 5 to 25 minute drive of our Inn, these 7 courses include several Par 3s and are among some of the most scenic on Cape Cod. See you on the links!

(more…)