Thursday:
Provincetown. I have already published a Facebook note, so I think the best way to tell this story will be to interject the points from that post where they fit into the story.
I woke up Thursday morning, and before any of the accordion stuff happened, I had a pleasant surprise. Cody was in the kitchen with Anne! Cody is this guy who is sleeping in a tent in the backyard. He's about 28, a friend of Anne's son Cedar, and he's totally awesome. I just got back from Guatemala, where he opened a café. He's working at The Juice, a Wellfleet restaurant, and hanging out here. I was glad to finally meet him, since he had been moved in a few days but we hadn't crossed paths yet. [Going into the future a bit, since I'm behind.] Since then, I've seen him most mornings. We seem to have similar body clocks, and are usually starting our days at the same time. He'll be in the outdoor shower while I'm making breakfast, and we'll usually chat in the kitchen, working together to interpret the very vocal kitty, Misty, and comparing plans for the day. This has been a wonderful way to start the mornings. He's on the couch across from me now, reading National Geographic.
Anyway, after our first breakfast chat, he went back to sleep on the couch (or attempted to, at least) as I practiced a few accordion songs. I got dressed: black top and my red and white polka-dotted skirt. In my year playing the accordion, I learned that what is on the upper half of the accordion player's body is very important. The bellows are constantly opening and closing, pressed against the player's upper body. Therefore, wearing necklaces or buttons adds unintentional percussion, and risks breaking said necklace or button. Pearls would have completed the outfit nicely, but of course I wouldn't dare wear them. Additionally, fabrics that are too smooth will take away from the necessary friction to hold the instrument in place, so I opted not to wear my polka-dot dress instead because it is too slippery. You don't want to risk sleeves falling, especially on your left hand, because your left hand needs to be practically adhered to the box of the instrument or you'll lose all control. Any long sleeves need to thus be out of the way. (The bike-riding accordion player thus starts each day rolling up her right pant leg and left sleeve before starting her day.) Lastly, the straps dig into your shoulders and sides after a while, so a full back to whatever top is necessary. I completed the outfit with my Scrabble piece earrings.
I put my dear accordion in it's beautiful case (built by my dad) on it's blue velvet cushion (constructed by my mom) and took off on foot to catch the 11:00 Flex bus. I had never traveled this far with the accordion in it's case, and I learned what a hassle it is to carry it. It was weight for the wrong muscles, and I feared blisters on my finger joints. (Number of callouses forming on my hands from carrying my accordion: 24) My folks are bringing me the rolling rack I got for Japan in eighth grade when they come this weekend, so that will help. Anyway, I was almost in town when I did #1: Number of rides to the bus stop I accepted from a kind old woman who spotted me lugging my accordion on the side of the road: 1. She, as did a Provincetown bus driver, assumed my box to be a paint set. She brought me to the bus stop, on the corner of Commercial Street and Baker Street (Dad, the one with the house on it) where other Flex-riders were waiting.
Number, in dollars, that the bus to Provincetown cost: 1. The Flex is simply awesome. It is a small bus that runs between Harwich and Provincetown, stopping everywhere in between. Fare is two dollars. It's called the Flex because it also flexes off it's route to pick people up at places more convenient to them and to drop people off wherever they need to go. You call ahead to "schedule a deviation," and pay a buck or two more. Therefore, it's full of those of us who aren't driving at the moment: young summer workers like myself and senior citizens. This day was a promotional "Dump the Pump" day, so fare was a single dollar. The only downside is that most of the seats face sideways, so motion sickness is inevitable. That's why it's handy to bring an accordion case. :)
Number of buildings I visited before successfully getting my busking permit: 4. I arrived in Ptown and went right to the Town Hall to get my permit. I saw that it was under renovation, and said that the temporary offices are on Jerome Smith St. I went to the Chamber of Commerce building next, in case they could give me the permit. They couldn't, but the man (in a Hawaiian shirt and two different earrings) gave me good directions to the outskirts of town, where the portable Town Hall offices were located. He allowed me to leave my accordion there, which was a big load off. This building was truly in the middle of nowhere. I had left the commercial area completely, and finally found the portables right next to Rte. 6. The sign said that the licensing department was at the rear entrance. I went there, and the door was locked. The sign said the window was closed from 12-1 for lunch. It was 12:18. Too long to wait patiently, and too short to go into town and come back. I was very discouraged at this point, because in addition to that problem it was starting to rain. I decided to play dumb and go in the front entrance. Once in, I asked a lady where to go to get my street musician's permit. Expecting, "The rear entrance, but they're closed until 1:00," my heart leaped when she said, "At the police station." Good thing I had gone to the front instead of finding this out after sitting on the steps for 45 minutes. I called my dad as I walked along Skank Painter Rd. headed towards the station. It was quick and easy at the police station. I filled out an application with only contact info (I was hoping for "Tell us the longest version possible of how you came upon your craft, hopefully including a broken bone.") She gave me my permit (a business card with my name on it and the town seal) and gave me papers stating [with a frown] the street musician bylaws and [with a smile] a welcome letter from the Town of Provincetown! The best part: Number of dollars permit cost: 0. I was expecting to use my first day to pay back the permit.
I headed back into town, and before getting my accordion I wanted to treat myself with a lobster roll. I remembered the last time I was in Ptown (around age 13) I got a delicious lobster roll on the wharf. I went over there, and I think I actually found the same place. However, it was closed forever. I asked the parking attendant where to get one, and he recommended the Burger Queen, because it's quick and cheaper. I passed many lobster roll places on the way, and found the place. It was in fact three dollars cheaper than all the other ones I had passed. In line here I met Damien. He apologized that his cigarette smoke was near me, and I told him it was fine since after my semester abroad the smell of cigarette smoke brings me back to Spain, so it's quite pleasurable (true story). We got to talking after that. He explained that he judges a town by it's burgers. Everywhere he goes he gets a burger, and that will make or break his time there. He's a graphic designer who lives in Hyannis. He was very excited when I told him what I was there for, and promised that he and his friends would find me before they left town. He, and his friends, were just so genuinely kind, and the interaction made me so proud to say "I'm a street accordion player" because of the reaction I got. He gave me great confidence to start my day, and we exchanged info and became Facebook friends ("In case [I] ever need a graphic designer"). Oh, number of workers at the place I got my lunchtime lobster roll wearing a sweatshirt that described Provincetown as "a quaint little drinking town with a sailing problem": 1
I went back to the Chamber of Commerce to get my accordion (which by then held several handbags) and sought a place to play. The Town Hall is a great spot (especially since it's going under renovation; normally you can't play in front of it during business hours), since it has shade and benches. There was a bearded man singing and playing guitar (much like the type you see in Northampton), and I didn't want to get to close, so I took a street corner across the street. Unfortunately...Number of times store owner asked me to not play near his store: 1. This was a blow, since I was halfway through my first song. I wanted to cry. Staying composed, I went back across the street, on the Town Hall side, to where I deemed far enough away from the guitar player. I cackled to myself that the store owner could then hear me even more than he could when I was next to his store, but I was on town property so there was nothing he could do about it.
I stayed there for the next three hours: Number of songs I played, on repeat: 15,
Number of songs I am completely sick of: 15, Number of MassPIRG workers who are also completely sick of my songs: 2. This was of course excellent practice time, and I felt much more comfortable on some of my newer songs by the end of the day. I was also, as I am every once in a while, in awe of my motor memory, since I would space out or talk to people and realize my fingers just kept going. This especially happened the second day I was there (not to get ahead of myself), I was super tired and at times actually forgot what song I was playing, but my fingers just took over. Or things like...in "Beer Barrel Polka" you do the first part twice. I had screwed up the first one, so I decided to do the first part a third time to get another shot, and to practice that part. However, my fingers aren't used to moving on to the B segment after doing the first part not in a multiple of two, so even though I was planning on going on I did the first part a fourth time. It would be nice if I got a say in these things, but I don't want to interfere.
I love the people of Provincetown. There are so many interesting people, and so many people like to stop and talk. They are easily distinguishable from the tourists, who are either totally feeling the town or a bit frazzled. It was easy to avoid distraction, though, because most of the good-looking young men who walked by me were holding hands with another good-looking young man (except that one on the bike who got away...). Anyway, some things that happened:
Number of men who rang their bike bells in rhythm with what I was playing: 1
Number of passersby who sang along with "I've Just Seen a Face": 1
Number of friendly Provincetown cops I met: 2 (Dean and Nathan)
Number of friendly Provincetown cops who clapped along with "What is Love?": 1
Moment of elaboration: Dean and Nathan were loitering near me. I was sure I was in trouble, and that they were waiting for backup enforcement or something before approaching me. I visualized where my permit was so I could close my eyes and duck and hold it out to them if I needed to. I scanned the area for a new place in case they were going to arrest me for being too close to another musician and thus violating the bylaws. It finally happened: they made their move. They walked over, and fear swept over me (visualize Gromit of Wallace and Gromit when he's afraid: ears straight up and vibrating, eyes wide, pressed against a wall). "Heyyyyyyy I'm Deeeeean!!!! Sounds greeeattt!!!" "I'm Nathan, are you new here???? We haven't seen you before!" (Not to stereotype or draw assumptions from these police officers' location, but I wondered if Dean and Nathan were more than co-workers.) They welcomed me to the town, and stayed there, smiling, for a song. Phew.
Number of passersby who asked me where the "statue lady" was that day: 3
I finally met the statue lady on my second day. We'll get there.
Number of men who commented "I play a different kind of organ" then winked: 1 (sorry, had to include it) When I told Luke this one, he said, "This is exactly why I worry about you going up there." I, on the other hand, am so glad he said it, since it contributes so much to the story.
Other conversation with Warren, the man who said this:
S: We're in Wellfleet for the summer, but we come up to play.
W: You and your boyfriend?
S: No...
W: Girlfriend? [Raises his eyebrows a few times]
S: No
W: Who's "we" then?
S: Me and my accordion!
W: Oh, so that's what you're into...
Anyway, Number of people who asked, very slowly, "where--are--you--from?" then acted surprised when I spoke English perfectly: 2. I'm sure playing French songs helps with that.
Number of fellow street musicians who walked by and said "Now THAT'S an instrument!": 1
This is a guy I spotted en route to the portable town hall. The first time I walked by he was playing guitar. The second time he was playing a vintage-looking trumpet. My age. I definitely want to get to know him more.
Number of accordion-featuring bands recommended to me: 2 ("Main Squeeze" out of New York and "Alec Something Something and the Eyesores" out of Providence). Apparently Main Squeeze is an all-female accordion orchestra. Cool!
Number of people I stopped on the street and asked to sing me the Tetris theme song, because it was on my list to play but I completely forgot how it went: 1
Number of people who, after giving up on thinking of the Tetris theme song and leaving, doubled back to find me when he remembered it: 1
This was the best. I chose someone around my age to ask, since he's most likely to know it, and he was totally into stopping and trying to think of it. I was really pleased when he came back, it obviously took time of out his day, but he was committed to helping out a Tetris-generation sistah.
Number of photography students who hung around to shoot: 2
Number of men who informed me that their Irish mothers would be proud, since they themselves never took up the accordion as she had wanted them to: 1
Number of women my age who said they were so happy to see me, since they're sick of all the "Melissa Etheridge wannabes" who usually perform on the street: 1 BE MY FRIEND PLEASE!!!
Ooh, I'll interject with a comment I forgot to include in the Facebook note: one man said, "blond hair...polka dots...accordion...what more could you ask for?" That's a line straight out of all my wildest dreams.
The last bus out of Provincetown was at 5:00 on the off-season schedule, so around 4:15 I packed up and sought a cup of tea before boarding the bus. As I walked down the street I ran into Carly from the pond and her mom, straight off a whale watch. Carly had lost a tooth the night before, after I met her! They directed me to a coffeeshop. As I walked I received many compliments from passersby. The polka dots help with recognition when the accordion isn't exposed. Celebrity life is nice:) I finally got a cup of tea and counted out my earnings: $53.41, a chocolate coin, and a rainbow livestrong bracelet (that Damien from the Burger Queen had actually thrown in when he came to listen) in three hours of playing. Tea and sitting had never been so good. I was recognized in there by Josh, my second new facebook friend of the day. He's a young photographer who lives in Provincetown, who heard me play. He actually went to school for classical music, and has always thought about playing on the street. He suggested I learn Pennsylvania Polka for next time.
I lugged the accordion back to the bus stop. It was drizzling by this point, and I was freeezing. Of course my celebrity status stayed with me on the bus, my fans were swarming me with questions and compliments. SO annoying. :)
Number of leather garments (that I could see) that one man on the bus home was wearing: 5. He's one person I talked to. Another was Butch, a man who lives in Truro but works in Provincetown. I said I work at the Flying Fish, and he told me to tell Sarah, the boss I hadn't met yet (dun dun dunnnnnn *ominous preview of future post*) that I had met her friend Butch and that "he actually liked me!" She'd get it. The third person I talked to was Tyler, a cutie around my age with a Raven Used Books bag. I was excited to see it and asked if he was from the Northampton area. It turns out there are other branches. He's from Cambridge. But it was still a worthy conversation starter, and he's now my first friend! But you'll hear about that in posts to come. He's from Cambridge, but he's living with his grandma in Truro for the summer. In July he's going to move to Wellfleet when his dad's house is done being worked on. He works at a used bookstore in Provincetown (be still my beating heart). He noticed my Scrabble earrings and that turned our acquaintance into something more: we discussed getting together to play Scrabble. Thank you, Aunt Laura, for those earrings!! He doesn't have Facebook (which is why I can gush about him), so we exchanged phone numbers. He goes to Bard and is studying film. I encouraged him to come to the Lighthouse that night to watch Celtics game 7, and he said he might.
I got back to Weflleet and dashed into the Lighthouse to pee (tea before 45-minute bus ride=bad idea). I was cold and sooo sore and tired, so luckily Luke was hanging out there and offered to drive me home.
This was one of the greatest days of my life. I was simply so proud of myself for actually going through with it. I get so many crazy ideas of things to do, but this was the first one I had gone through with. I am incredibly grateful to my parents, since "learn to play the accordion" could have been one of those crazy ideas that never happened if they hadn't bought me one. I also feel like this was such a Sophie Crafts thing to do. My first couple years of college I tried to do crazy stuff to establish myself as a quirky individual (which is why I have so many polka dots in the first place). However, the last couple years, especially this one, I really toned it down. I didn't feel the need to go out of my way to be different, and came to find previous things I had done to be embarrassing. I wore purple and gray this year instead of my standard red and yellow. I tried to make my hair look a natural color. However, I never completely extinguished the flame that made me publicly eat acorns, sharpie my hair and play kazoo at open mic nights in years passed. The remaining flame manifested itself to put me on a bus wearing polka dots with my accordion and sent me to a town that enabled me to be admired for it. Every dollar thrown in my case, every smile I received, and, most importantly, every "Hey you're the accordion player! You rock!" gave me so much fuel to embrace the fact that however many monochromatic earrings and tights I wear, I will always be Sophie Crafts, and Sophie Crafts simply cannot pass a summer only working at a restaurant. I have the skills and confidence to play a cool instrument on the street, so why should I do anything else? I am particularly envisioning myself in the role of a street musician as a Clark Alumna. Soon I will not know a single student at Clark, and I will be forgotten (although Pres. John Bassett told me I won't be when he gave me my diploma). If Clarkies are to be remembered through the Alumni Affairs office by what they do after college, there's nothing that would make me happier than to hear, "Ah, yes, she's the one who made it as a street musician playing the accordion after college." "Cool!"
Anyway, I'm rambling. Thursday night was Celtics game 6. I exchanged polka-dots for jeans (okay, I might still be a little embarrassed showing up at a bar dressed as Minnie Mouse when I'm desperately trying to make friends), and safely added my pearls. Self-esteem possibly the highest it's ever been, I decided to try to socialize on my own, rather than just sitting with Luke's friends. I sat at the bar and got a beer (ahh!!). I started talking to Allen who I was sitting next to. (Sorry, after that corny ending I realized the day wasn't over yet, I'll get through the rest quickly, I promise.) Allen is up for the summer working at the Truro Vineyards. We talked wine. He bought me a drink. Cool. He asked if I would go to the drive-in with him. ("What? What? [Crinkles candy wrapper.] The connection just got really bad!!"--any Pee-Wee Herman fans reading this?). He's 37. No thaaaaanks! I guess Luke's radar perked up when I sat next to this guy, so he loitered behind us. It was nonetheless nice to chat with this guy, although I didn't see as much as the game as I would have liked.
I ended up talking to this other guy, which was a more successful endeavor in my going solo socializing endeavor. His name is Moses and he's a year older than me. He's from Montreal, but went to University of Cambridge, England. He actually had an accent (unless I had drunk more than I meant to). He was hardly a die-hard Celtics fan, so he didn't seem too upset that he missed most of the third quarter talking to me. He's here for the summer caring for a spoiled dog. He has to cook it special food and take it on special outing and stuff. Ha. Anyway, he said he'd come into the Fish sometime, so hopefully I'll see him again.
Oh, Tyler never showed, but I didn't expect him to. I went home after the game (devastated, of course), and slept like a log.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Catching up More
I really have to write nightly, it's so easy to get behind!
Wednesday:
Last Wednesday was a day of exploring, sun, and loneliness. Being my first "day off," I went on a bike expedition to seek water. I discovered Long Pond Road which has an overpass over Rte. 6 and leads directly to Ocean View Rd., which seemed promising for achieving my goal of viewing the ocean. Long Pond Road also passes Long Pond. I stopped for a swim. The Cape ponds are really nice; this is one of many with a sandy beach, picnic tables, a raft, etc. I was thus submerged in water outdoors for the first time of the year. I continued on and ended up at Cahoon Hollow Beach. The dunes have been completely eroding, so they've built a new parking area very far above the beach, and haven't yet built a way to get down, so people were holding each other and sliding all around as they conquered the dunes.
Once down, I deemed the water too cold to go in (laaaaame) so I set up on my towel and read my book for a while. I also discovered the amazingness that is Bitch Magazine, thanks to my friend Mary who gave me her collection for the summer. Check it out. Anyway, I started to feel lonely at this point, because the afternoon was dwindling and I hadn't talked to a single human being all day. Everyone else was there with other people, and it was painfully clear to me that I didn't have any friends yet here. I have Luke, but the circumstances are unideal for our hanging out since I work early breakfast shifts and he works late bar shifts so our sleep schedules are pretty much opposites. I had met a few of Luke's friends at Celtics games at his bar, and I had met a couple of my co-workers, but nothing seemed promising.
I biked home, not planning to stop, but I passed Long Pond again and it looked so nice, so I doubled back for another swim. I'm very glad I did, because in the water I encountered a very chatty five-year-old. She was fascinated by the extra layer of fabric on my bathing suit and impressed by the fact that I had biked all the way there. She proceeded to show me a series of swimming tricks, which inspired a few other kids to come show me their tricks as well. They compared wiggly teeth and how old they were when they started swimming, determined to one-up each other on all accounts. This was really comforting, since it counted as a social interaction which boosted my morale a bit, and also confirmed that I wasn't actually invisible. I talked to the moms of two kids (who had traveled as a pack from Cleveland, as Carly, the little girl, had told me) which was really nice as well. Simply exchanging words for a few minutes with warm smiles abound can do so much for the soul, even if it's with complete strangers. This also reminded me of the lesson I learned with the corkscrew incident where I met the great neighbors: you have to put yourself out there to get these nice interactions and to meet people. If I hadn't decided it was worth redoing the hill on my bike that I had already done when I decided to swim again, I wouldn't have had this nice social interaction.
I didn't want to go quite home yet, so I biked the long way, towards the Wellfleet pier, planning to stop and watch boats for a bit. Once there I decided to call my friend Mary. Despite the fact that I chose the windiest place in town to call her, and she could hear the wind louder than I could through the phone, we had a lovely call. Mary just moved to New York where she has a "real world" job. It's interesting that a month ago we were in the same place doing the exact same thing, but now our daily routine is so different. Mary wears nice clothes and rides the subway to the office after saying goodbye to her 20-something housemates. I put on a bathing suit and sometimes shorts, say bye to fifty-something Anne, and bike to water's edge. Regardless of the differences, it's comforting to be reminded that so many people are starting new things, having to meet people and do things differently. I can't allow myself to feel lonely due to the mere fact that so many others feel as I do. I also discovered once again the very potent therapeutic activity of hearing loved ones' laughs. I can text my friends and do Facebook stuff, but when it comes down to it, hearing laughter I've heard for years has more power to brighten one's day than anything in the world. Except maybe ducklings.
Anyway, I felt much better after both meeting Carly and her family and talking to Mary, and continued home, thinking of what to do the next day. I was bummed that "the Flex," the amazing Cape Cod bus I'll tell you about soon didn't start until the next week. I went on the website to see if there was any other bus, and realized that I had misinterpreted the "summer service starts on June 21st" announcement. It didn't not run until then, it simply changed it's schedule. Score. I decided to follow my dream and go to Provincetown the next day with my accordion in hand. I spent the evening getting ready: playing a few songs to see what was ready, making a set list, setting up my Facebook fan page, and making a sign to put in my case, directing folks to said fan page. It was a day of mixed emotions, but it ended with pure excitement.
Wednesday:
Last Wednesday was a day of exploring, sun, and loneliness. Being my first "day off," I went on a bike expedition to seek water. I discovered Long Pond Road which has an overpass over Rte. 6 and leads directly to Ocean View Rd., which seemed promising for achieving my goal of viewing the ocean. Long Pond Road also passes Long Pond. I stopped for a swim. The Cape ponds are really nice; this is one of many with a sandy beach, picnic tables, a raft, etc. I was thus submerged in water outdoors for the first time of the year. I continued on and ended up at Cahoon Hollow Beach. The dunes have been completely eroding, so they've built a new parking area very far above the beach, and haven't yet built a way to get down, so people were holding each other and sliding all around as they conquered the dunes.
Once down, I deemed the water too cold to go in (laaaaame) so I set up on my towel and read my book for a while. I also discovered the amazingness that is Bitch Magazine, thanks to my friend Mary who gave me her collection for the summer. Check it out. Anyway, I started to feel lonely at this point, because the afternoon was dwindling and I hadn't talked to a single human being all day. Everyone else was there with other people, and it was painfully clear to me that I didn't have any friends yet here. I have Luke, but the circumstances are unideal for our hanging out since I work early breakfast shifts and he works late bar shifts so our sleep schedules are pretty much opposites. I had met a few of Luke's friends at Celtics games at his bar, and I had met a couple of my co-workers, but nothing seemed promising.
I biked home, not planning to stop, but I passed Long Pond again and it looked so nice, so I doubled back for another swim. I'm very glad I did, because in the water I encountered a very chatty five-year-old. She was fascinated by the extra layer of fabric on my bathing suit and impressed by the fact that I had biked all the way there. She proceeded to show me a series of swimming tricks, which inspired a few other kids to come show me their tricks as well. They compared wiggly teeth and how old they were when they started swimming, determined to one-up each other on all accounts. This was really comforting, since it counted as a social interaction which boosted my morale a bit, and also confirmed that I wasn't actually invisible. I talked to the moms of two kids (who had traveled as a pack from Cleveland, as Carly, the little girl, had told me) which was really nice as well. Simply exchanging words for a few minutes with warm smiles abound can do so much for the soul, even if it's with complete strangers. This also reminded me of the lesson I learned with the corkscrew incident where I met the great neighbors: you have to put yourself out there to get these nice interactions and to meet people. If I hadn't decided it was worth redoing the hill on my bike that I had already done when I decided to swim again, I wouldn't have had this nice social interaction.
I didn't want to go quite home yet, so I biked the long way, towards the Wellfleet pier, planning to stop and watch boats for a bit. Once there I decided to call my friend Mary. Despite the fact that I chose the windiest place in town to call her, and she could hear the wind louder than I could through the phone, we had a lovely call. Mary just moved to New York where she has a "real world" job. It's interesting that a month ago we were in the same place doing the exact same thing, but now our daily routine is so different. Mary wears nice clothes and rides the subway to the office after saying goodbye to her 20-something housemates. I put on a bathing suit and sometimes shorts, say bye to fifty-something Anne, and bike to water's edge. Regardless of the differences, it's comforting to be reminded that so many people are starting new things, having to meet people and do things differently. I can't allow myself to feel lonely due to the mere fact that so many others feel as I do. I also discovered once again the very potent therapeutic activity of hearing loved ones' laughs. I can text my friends and do Facebook stuff, but when it comes down to it, hearing laughter I've heard for years has more power to brighten one's day than anything in the world. Except maybe ducklings.
Anyway, I felt much better after both meeting Carly and her family and talking to Mary, and continued home, thinking of what to do the next day. I was bummed that "the Flex," the amazing Cape Cod bus I'll tell you about soon didn't start until the next week. I went on the website to see if there was any other bus, and realized that I had misinterpreted the "summer service starts on June 21st" announcement. It didn't not run until then, it simply changed it's schedule. Score. I decided to follow my dream and go to Provincetown the next day with my accordion in hand. I spent the evening getting ready: playing a few songs to see what was ready, making a set list, setting up my Facebook fan page, and making a sign to put in my case, directing folks to said fan page. It was a day of mixed emotions, but it ended with pure excitement.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Catching up a little
I'm meeting Luke at the Lighthouse for Scrabble at 12:30, so I have a couple minutes to play catch-up. I'm in the Wellfleet Library where I came to print the map of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which I will be taking on this afternoon.
Anyway, finishing Tuesday:
Eh, I don't remember. I went into town that evening for Celtics Game 6. I biked this time. This wasn't very much fun because I was wicked tired from work and the Celtics were getting crushed. I left early, but this is when I learned that biking in darkness is not easy. There was no streetlight for the last leg of my journey, so I had to dismount and walk my bike in the dim light from my cell phone. I'll take over my dad's bike headlight when they come next week.
I won't even tackle Wednesday now, since I'm going to go finally talk to the children's librarian about babysitting! Expect a long update by Monday.
Anyway, finishing Tuesday:
Eh, I don't remember. I went into town that evening for Celtics Game 6. I biked this time. This wasn't very much fun because I was wicked tired from work and the Celtics were getting crushed. I left early, but this is when I learned that biking in darkness is not easy. There was no streetlight for the last leg of my journey, so I had to dismount and walk my bike in the dim light from my cell phone. I'll take over my dad's bike headlight when they come next week.
I won't even tackle Wednesday now, since I'm going to go finally talk to the children's librarian about babysitting! Expect a long update by Monday.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Second Post
I'm sleepy from so much activity, so I've settled into a low-key night, which includes updating this here blog.
Wrapping up Monday:
I posted the last entry then went downstairs. Who should I find at the kitchen table but Sky, Anne's 24-year-old daughter. She's super cool! Definitely friend potential. She lives in South Wellfleet, but comes by not infrequently. She went to a school on long island where she constantly studied abroad, finishing with three years in Denmark. We compared study abroad experiences.
I went into town for an onion and bottle of wine, and came home and made burritos. I missed Liz and Sasha a lot, my burrito night buddies. I had some trouble opening the wine: I found a corkscrew right where I would expect it. It was a basic one where you have to yank the cork out yourself. I got it in, realized I had never used one of these before, and could not for the life of me get the cork out. I'll blame the fake plasticky cork, also my broken arm (I've extended the year of healing to when I started physical therapy, not a year from when I broke it to maximize radial scapegoat capabilities). Anne wasn't around, so I couldn't ask if there was another one.
I decided that I could either keep trying, get frustrated, pull muscles, and ultimately not get any wine, or I could meet some neighbors! I put some shoes on and went door to door, wine in hand. I amused myself relating my trick-or-treating insight into this situation. The houses that I would associate with good candy in my trick-or-treating days were also the ones I chose to knock on. The fourth house I tried proved successful. It was the summer home of Ed and Marjorie Chambers, an elderly couple hailing from Florida in the off-season. Mrs. Chambers opened the door, smiled, and said, "You never know what to expect when someone comes to your door with a bottle of wine." I explained the dilemma, and Mr. Chambers not only got the fish-shaped corkscrew out but opened the bottle for me while his wife and I chatted. I learned that she used to play cards with Anne's parents, back when they lived in our house, in the cottage in the backyard long into the night. I also learned that her grandson likes to frequent the Flying Fish, but that they feel the pizza is too expensive. They still get takeout sometimes. They bade me farewell, agreeing that it was a great way to get the neighbors.
This was such a nice interaction, and it reminded me that you have to put yourself out there and take direct action if you want to meet people and have things happen. I had a nice glass of wine at home, did the dishes, and got ready for my twilight stroll to the bay beach. It is a nice, short walk to Power's Landing, where there was a beautiful sunset. All the purple shit (as a "gangsta" kid in my ninth grade English class once described twilight) was reflected in the low tide puddles, and the few sailboats were leaning as the sand boosted them up. I have no idea why I didn't bring my camera. I promise I'll bring it next time. Unfortunately it was very buggy, so I didn't stay long. I went to bed early that night, getting ready for my first work morning. Angel the cat came to bed with me, so we got to do a ceremonial de-ticking before turning the light off.
Tuesday:
My first day at the Flying Fish! I woke up at 5:42 by the nice sunlight. The early morning is just so peaceful and beautiful. The first joggers were up while I biked to work. I was trained by Emily, a Wellfleet native who just graduated from UMass Amherst. Fancy that. She's super nice, and is going into Elementary education. Hopefully she'll be my friend too! At the Fish one gets trained as a barista first, then moves onto the floor. The barista job entails making café drinks and dishing out beautiful baked goods. This part opens a whole hour before breakfast, so I had lots to do at first. I made several lattes (so much fun!), several smoothies, etc. Once breakfast started there were much fewer people just in for my stuff, so Emily did much more than I. It was a little frustrating, because I thought I was ready to start some order-taking. I kept myself busy busing tables, refilling the coffee pots, getting ice, etc. I had a friendly sports debate with some of the Jamaican cooks.
The food looked amazing, so I was very happy when, after the breakfast rush, Emily instructed me to order breakfast, explaining that we get a shift meal. I had a delicious egg sandwich with avocado (Emily's recommendation) and homefries. During the lunch shift I learned to roll the silverware into the fancy rolls they do. Bruce (the old man) came in for a cup of coffee and to read his book in the early afternoon. The previous day he had told me that he brings his reusable cup in and gets coffee for $1.00. It turned out his "reusable" cup is simply a standard Flying Fish paper to-go cup that he has chosen to reuse many times. Sad.
I got out of work at 2:30ish, and planned to go to the library. Bruce left as I did, and, as Luke predicted, invited me to go to his house sometime for a cup of coffee or glass of wine. Don't worry, Mom, I will not go. He said he was going to the library to renew his book. I decided to alter my plans a little. I sat on a bench and checked my phone. I got the most amazing text in history from Sasha. I'm not going to share what it said, but I'm including this to remember it when I read over these posts in the future. I was broadly smiling the rest of the day thinking about it.
Oh, also at work that morning, I met Cedar, Anne's son. He paid for his coffee with a fifty dollar bill.
I waited ample time while reading my book ("Accordion Crimes" by Annie Proulx, by the way) then headed to the library. I goals were twofold: to (1) get a library card, and (2) talk to Martha, the children's librarian, about babysitting. Martha is the mother of Luke's coworker Sam, and the link to Anne. She is responsible for my housing. Anne recommended talking to her about babysitting, because many families in town with kids ask her for local babysitters. She wasn't in, but I got her card and I talked to another nice librarian. This one saw on my form that I'm from Leverett, and revealed that she used to live in Shutesbury. Crazy! While I was there I poked around and saw that the library has an extensive DVD collection, which is good news. I also saw that they have my book, which takes some pressure off. It's a library book from home, so I was going to try to finish it by the time my parents come in two weeks to send it home with them.
I've lost my concentration, so I'll finish this later. But a little preview of the excitement to come: Thursday I'm going up to Provincetown for the first time! I'll get my street musician's permit and play! Friday I'm biking to Grandma's in Brewster for dinner and rented movie with her, laundry, and errands. Saturday I'm meeting up with my aunt/uncle/cousins (Laura, Alex, Hannah and Ben) and hanging out and spending the night when them on Pochet Island, where my family stays in August. Uncle Alex and I will get up early Sunday morning to get me back in time for my second day of work. I'm really looking forward to spending time with people I know well, since I'm putting on appearances (right expression?) here since everyone is new to me.
'Til next time.
Wrapping up Monday:
I posted the last entry then went downstairs. Who should I find at the kitchen table but Sky, Anne's 24-year-old daughter. She's super cool! Definitely friend potential. She lives in South Wellfleet, but comes by not infrequently. She went to a school on long island where she constantly studied abroad, finishing with three years in Denmark. We compared study abroad experiences.
I went into town for an onion and bottle of wine, and came home and made burritos. I missed Liz and Sasha a lot, my burrito night buddies. I had some trouble opening the wine: I found a corkscrew right where I would expect it. It was a basic one where you have to yank the cork out yourself. I got it in, realized I had never used one of these before, and could not for the life of me get the cork out. I'll blame the fake plasticky cork, also my broken arm (I've extended the year of healing to when I started physical therapy, not a year from when I broke it to maximize radial scapegoat capabilities). Anne wasn't around, so I couldn't ask if there was another one.
I decided that I could either keep trying, get frustrated, pull muscles, and ultimately not get any wine, or I could meet some neighbors! I put some shoes on and went door to door, wine in hand. I amused myself relating my trick-or-treating insight into this situation. The houses that I would associate with good candy in my trick-or-treating days were also the ones I chose to knock on. The fourth house I tried proved successful. It was the summer home of Ed and Marjorie Chambers, an elderly couple hailing from Florida in the off-season. Mrs. Chambers opened the door, smiled, and said, "You never know what to expect when someone comes to your door with a bottle of wine." I explained the dilemma, and Mr. Chambers not only got the fish-shaped corkscrew out but opened the bottle for me while his wife and I chatted. I learned that she used to play cards with Anne's parents, back when they lived in our house, in the cottage in the backyard long into the night. I also learned that her grandson likes to frequent the Flying Fish, but that they feel the pizza is too expensive. They still get takeout sometimes. They bade me farewell, agreeing that it was a great way to get the neighbors.
This was such a nice interaction, and it reminded me that you have to put yourself out there and take direct action if you want to meet people and have things happen. I had a nice glass of wine at home, did the dishes, and got ready for my twilight stroll to the bay beach. It is a nice, short walk to Power's Landing, where there was a beautiful sunset. All the purple shit (as a "gangsta" kid in my ninth grade English class once described twilight) was reflected in the low tide puddles, and the few sailboats were leaning as the sand boosted them up. I have no idea why I didn't bring my camera. I promise I'll bring it next time. Unfortunately it was very buggy, so I didn't stay long. I went to bed early that night, getting ready for my first work morning. Angel the cat came to bed with me, so we got to do a ceremonial de-ticking before turning the light off.
Tuesday:
My first day at the Flying Fish! I woke up at 5:42 by the nice sunlight. The early morning is just so peaceful and beautiful. The first joggers were up while I biked to work. I was trained by Emily, a Wellfleet native who just graduated from UMass Amherst. Fancy that. She's super nice, and is going into Elementary education. Hopefully she'll be my friend too! At the Fish one gets trained as a barista first, then moves onto the floor. The barista job entails making café drinks and dishing out beautiful baked goods. This part opens a whole hour before breakfast, so I had lots to do at first. I made several lattes (so much fun!), several smoothies, etc. Once breakfast started there were much fewer people just in for my stuff, so Emily did much more than I. It was a little frustrating, because I thought I was ready to start some order-taking. I kept myself busy busing tables, refilling the coffee pots, getting ice, etc. I had a friendly sports debate with some of the Jamaican cooks.
The food looked amazing, so I was very happy when, after the breakfast rush, Emily instructed me to order breakfast, explaining that we get a shift meal. I had a delicious egg sandwich with avocado (Emily's recommendation) and homefries. During the lunch shift I learned to roll the silverware into the fancy rolls they do. Bruce (the old man) came in for a cup of coffee and to read his book in the early afternoon. The previous day he had told me that he brings his reusable cup in and gets coffee for $1.00. It turned out his "reusable" cup is simply a standard Flying Fish paper to-go cup that he has chosen to reuse many times. Sad.
I got out of work at 2:30ish, and planned to go to the library. Bruce left as I did, and, as Luke predicted, invited me to go to his house sometime for a cup of coffee or glass of wine. Don't worry, Mom, I will not go. He said he was going to the library to renew his book. I decided to alter my plans a little. I sat on a bench and checked my phone. I got the most amazing text in history from Sasha. I'm not going to share what it said, but I'm including this to remember it when I read over these posts in the future. I was broadly smiling the rest of the day thinking about it.
Oh, also at work that morning, I met Cedar, Anne's son. He paid for his coffee with a fifty dollar bill.
I waited ample time while reading my book ("Accordion Crimes" by Annie Proulx, by the way) then headed to the library. I goals were twofold: to (1) get a library card, and (2) talk to Martha, the children's librarian, about babysitting. Martha is the mother of Luke's coworker Sam, and the link to Anne. She is responsible for my housing. Anne recommended talking to her about babysitting, because many families in town with kids ask her for local babysitters. She wasn't in, but I got her card and I talked to another nice librarian. This one saw on my form that I'm from Leverett, and revealed that she used to live in Shutesbury. Crazy! While I was there I poked around and saw that the library has an extensive DVD collection, which is good news. I also saw that they have my book, which takes some pressure off. It's a library book from home, so I was going to try to finish it by the time my parents come in two weeks to send it home with them.
I've lost my concentration, so I'll finish this later. But a little preview of the excitement to come: Thursday I'm going up to Provincetown for the first time! I'll get my street musician's permit and play! Friday I'm biking to Grandma's in Brewster for dinner and rented movie with her, laundry, and errands. Saturday I'm meeting up with my aunt/uncle/cousins (Laura, Alex, Hannah and Ben) and hanging out and spending the night when them on Pochet Island, where my family stays in August. Uncle Alex and I will get up early Sunday morning to get me back in time for my second day of work. I'm really looking forward to spending time with people I know well, since I'm putting on appearances (right expression?) here since everyone is new to me.
'Til next time.
Monday, June 14, 2010
First post!
I am having so much fun already. My mom and dad drove me up in the pouring rain on Saturday afternoon, we dropped my stuff off where I'll be staying and met my landlady, and spent the night at Grandma's. They drove me back up Sunday morning.
My living situation is incredible. My landlady/housemate, Anne, is a kind middle aged woman who does energy therapy, Indian head massage, and elderly home care for a living. She lives in an old farmhouse inherited from her parents. The old house is beautiful (white with red and yellow trim!), lit with Christmas lights and candles and decorated with beautiful things. In two of the comfy chairs are Misty and Angel, the two affectionate cats. We compost (a nice break from city living) and use the outdoor shower. Anne often has the radio tuned to the Provincetown world music station (yesterday was all accordion!!!), and the TV (only for movies, no TV--yay!) is covered with a Batik cloth when not in use. My room is up the blue staircase. I have a very comfy king sized bed and nice windows with lots of sunlight. I have my own bathroom next door. There is a pretty rock garden in the front, and a nice backyard. I seriously lucked out.
In said backyard there is a guy camping. He moved in today, but I missed him and haven't met him yet. There is also a cottage in the backyard where Jamaicans will be living, starting next week. Anne has two kids, Sky (24) and Cedar (29), who live in the area.
We are wonderfully located: a five-minute bike ride/ten-minute walk (although I was walking very quickly last night when I timed it) from both downtown and the bay.
Onto what I've done!
Sunday:
My folks left Sunday morning, and I unpacked. Anne left, and I had a hilariously difficult time operating the old-fashioned wall-mounted can opener before heating up soup. I took a shower (indoors, since it was raining) and sat on the couch with a cup of tea. Misty, the mother cat, jumped down from her chair, walked across the room, jumped on the couch, and placed herself in my lap.
My cousin Luke, who lives in Wellfleet and made all this happen, along with Thea and Rachel (who had come this rainy weekend to tan before their wedding) stopped by. Then I saddled up and rode into town to check out the Flying Fish Café, where I will be working. I met a very nice co-worker, and learned that my reputation proceeded me when a local women heard me say my name and announced, "You're Luke's cousin! The accordion player!" I walked around town after this to explore. Wellfleet has a very cute downtown, with many restaurants and artsy stores. I went first to the Wellfleet Library, to get a library card and put my name in with the children's librarian about babysitting (Anne's great idea). Unfortunately it was closed, so I strolled around as long as I had a break in the rain. I had a lovely phone call with Sasha, and perused a book on Cape bike trips at a store while Sasha went on a subway and the call was lost temporarily.
I went into the Wellfleet Market and was moved to buy some Milanos. With my new biking information, I biked out of downtown and found Uncle Tim's Bridge . I walked my bike halfway down, sat on the railing, and admired the view as I ate milanos. It was very peaceful. I got back on my bike and headed home, via the pier. It was a cool scene, with lots of boats and Mack's Shack, the seafood restaurant where my backyard Jamaicans will be working.
I got home, snuggled up in bed, and read for awhile before falling asleep. This was a much-needed nap, since I didn't sleep well the week before with all the excitement about moving here. I woke up at 7:00, missed the chance of eating dinner with Anne, and made dinner. Around 8:30 Anne got in her jammies and put in a DVD of her choice TV show, and I left the house once again. My destination was the Lighthouse, and bar/restaurant where Luke works, where I would be watching the Celtics game. (I became a Celtics fan in the last week, and wouldn't dream of missing game five!) However, I decided to take the long way into town, to go by the water. It was a really nice night for walking, but it was a much longer route. I eventually made it into town and met some of Luke's friends over the Celtics [kick-ass] game. Afterwards I walked the ten-minute walk home. There are a few streetlights, which is nice, and Anne gave me a flashlight. Walking home after dark is a great way to begin bedtime, in my opinion. I slept very well on my HUGE bed.
Monday
I promise these posts won't always be this detailed. This morning I got up and made a big delicious breakfast. Unfortunately, I missed Anne. I was doing stuff in my room when the camper came, and by the time I went down to say hi, he was pulling out of the driveway. I was due to meet Lara, the manager of the café at noon, so I had some time. I decided to walk down to the bay. I had driven there with my parents on Sunday, and we had clocked it at 0.4 miles from my house. The roads are narrow and curvy, so walking is a little treacherous, but not so bad. I love walking in residential areas in the summer because everyone is out side. This morning's walk yielded great people-watching and the spotting of license plates of early vacationers from all over the place.
I left my shoes at the entrance to Power's Landing, the closest bay access. An elderly couple from Pennsylvania (if the car in the parking lot was theirs) sat in front of their easels, both painting the bay. I walked very slowly in front of them hoping to paintingbomb them. I had a lovely walk on the beach, avoiding many live crabs of every shape and size. When the time came I headed back home, regretted my sock/shoe choice due to the amount of sand on my wet feet. I packed a lunch (pb&j, banana, and two milanos) and got on my bike.
Note: my bike is awesome. I have my cousin Jim's old bike basket from his paper route days, compliments of Aunt Norma, a cool light from Aunt Laura and family, and a rear view mirror and bell from my dad. My bike was recently tuned up so it's in great shape. I am very much enjoying riding it and carrying around lots of stuff.
I took an alternate route to town this morning to avoid an intersection I don't like, I'm definitely sticking with the new way, since it brought me past many nicely decorated cottages, houses, and barns. Lara wasn't in, so I met with Rachel, the day manager. I learned that everyone starts as a barista, then depending on how I'm doing I'll move to the floor. I got my Flying Fish t-shirt and instructions to return at 7:00 am tomorrow to begin barista training with Emily, the very nice one I had met the previous day. I went to the library again, but it was still closed. Luckily I had brought my book, planning to set up somewhere for a leisurely afternoon. I parked my bike behind the town hall and found a bench. I observed a strange group of people who turned out to be photographers, models, agents, etc. from all over the world.
I ate my lunch and read my book, and people-watched quite a bit. There was a group of people on the grass behind me, one of whom I suspected to be Anne's son Cedar, recognizable from photos on the fridge. This was later confirmed, but I didn't speak to him. And old man, Bruce, came and sat next to me. We had a long conversation, and I couldn't access if he was a jolly, kind old man, or a crazy old man (not to generalize). We discussed the model group, and he said that they wanted to take pictures of him. In the relevant part of the conversation I disclosed that I had studied Psychology, and he asked me which type of Psychology he should use to get a young woman to move in with him. Hmm. He said that he had gone to the Beachcomber (restaurant/bar on the beach) the previous night to dance for the first time in five years. I asked what his plans for the afternoon were, and he said he was going to learn to grow food, since he has 230 acres in Canada. As quickly as the conversation started, he got up, said goodbye, and went on his way.
Luke happened to stroll by, so he took his spot next to me. I learned the Bruce is in fact a crazy old man. He was called the "White Devil" when he worked as a lawyer in the Virgin Islands. He built an addition on his house for which he didn't have a permit, and the Wellfleet authorities caught up with him. His reaction was to chain saw the addition in half. He is nicknamed "Chainsaw McGiver" in the town. Luke said that Bruce says he gets a sponge bath every Friday, whether he needs it or not. Luke was surprised that Bruce didn't directly invite me to his house. I of course would love to find a kind senior citizen to play Scrabble with, so I told Luke that Bruce wouldn't be the one. This decision inspired us to head to the Lighthouse and play Scrabble.
It was cool hanging out there with a Lighthouse worked who was off the clock. I felt like an insider, but also got to observe both restaurant workers and general Wellfleet clientele in preparation for my own employment. I re-met Justine, from Galway (I had met her briefly last visit) and met her two little children. We briefly talked babysitting. It was a worthy first Scrabble game of the season, although I had very few consonants, and the ones I had were very infrequently more than one point. I was dealt five As from the start.
Afterwards it was almost nap time for Luke (who works nights), so I headed home. I made some tea and spent this time researching bike routes. Bruce had told me that I could bike all the way to Provincetown mostly avoiding Route 6, so I checked out. I used Google Maps and made myself a very complicated route to Provincetown which did, in fact, mostly avoid 6. Because of all the backroads, it became an 18-mile trip one way, so I'll save that one for when I'm in better bike shape. A friend of Anne's came over, and we further discussed said bike routes. She informed me that I can get on Long Pond road, which leads to the ocean, without touching 6. I ran back upstairs and discovered that this is true. This is an excellent discovery, because Long Pond road leads to (A) Wellfleet Elementary School, where I can put an ad for babysitting, (B) Long Pond, and (C) Cahoon Hollow Beach. It's 3.5 miles to the beach from my house, which is nothing. This ride is on the agenda for Wednesday.
I also researched biking to Grandma's in Brewster. This also seems doable, since I can ride most of it on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. There is a little Route 6 (0.2 miles) which I'm not looking forward to. This would be a 16 mile ride, which I'm up for since I can then spend the night at the other end.
That brings us up to speed! I'm planning on being in bed early tonight, since I have my first 7:00 AM start tomorrow. Around 7:30 or 8:00 I'll stroll down to the bay (hopefully with Anne) in better shoes to walk. I'm planning on making burritos tonight, so I might bike (or walk) into town right now to buy an onion and a bottle of wine.
Thanks for reading!
My living situation is incredible. My landlady/housemate, Anne, is a kind middle aged woman who does energy therapy, Indian head massage, and elderly home care for a living. She lives in an old farmhouse inherited from her parents. The old house is beautiful (white with red and yellow trim!), lit with Christmas lights and candles and decorated with beautiful things. In two of the comfy chairs are Misty and Angel, the two affectionate cats. We compost (a nice break from city living) and use the outdoor shower. Anne often has the radio tuned to the Provincetown world music station (yesterday was all accordion!!!), and the TV (only for movies, no TV--yay!) is covered with a Batik cloth when not in use. My room is up the blue staircase. I have a very comfy king sized bed and nice windows with lots of sunlight. I have my own bathroom next door. There is a pretty rock garden in the front, and a nice backyard. I seriously lucked out.
In said backyard there is a guy camping. He moved in today, but I missed him and haven't met him yet. There is also a cottage in the backyard where Jamaicans will be living, starting next week. Anne has two kids, Sky (24) and Cedar (29), who live in the area.
We are wonderfully located: a five-minute bike ride/ten-minute walk (although I was walking very quickly last night when I timed it) from both downtown and the bay.
Onto what I've done!
Sunday:
My folks left Sunday morning, and I unpacked. Anne left, and I had a hilariously difficult time operating the old-fashioned wall-mounted can opener before heating up soup. I took a shower (indoors, since it was raining) and sat on the couch with a cup of tea. Misty, the mother cat, jumped down from her chair, walked across the room, jumped on the couch, and placed herself in my lap.
My cousin Luke, who lives in Wellfleet and made all this happen, along with Thea and Rachel (who had come this rainy weekend to tan before their wedding) stopped by. Then I saddled up and rode into town to check out the Flying Fish Café, where I will be working. I met a very nice co-worker, and learned that my reputation proceeded me when a local women heard me say my name and announced, "You're Luke's cousin! The accordion player!" I walked around town after this to explore. Wellfleet has a very cute downtown, with many restaurants and artsy stores. I went first to the Wellfleet Library, to get a library card and put my name in with the children's librarian about babysitting (Anne's great idea). Unfortunately it was closed, so I strolled around as long as I had a break in the rain. I had a lovely phone call with Sasha, and perused a book on Cape bike trips at a store while Sasha went on a subway and the call was lost temporarily.
I went into the Wellfleet Market and was moved to buy some Milanos. With my new biking information, I biked out of downtown and found Uncle Tim's Bridge . I walked my bike halfway down, sat on the railing, and admired the view as I ate milanos. It was very peaceful. I got back on my bike and headed home, via the pier. It was a cool scene, with lots of boats and Mack's Shack, the seafood restaurant where my backyard Jamaicans will be working.
I got home, snuggled up in bed, and read for awhile before falling asleep. This was a much-needed nap, since I didn't sleep well the week before with all the excitement about moving here. I woke up at 7:00, missed the chance of eating dinner with Anne, and made dinner. Around 8:30 Anne got in her jammies and put in a DVD of her choice TV show, and I left the house once again. My destination was the Lighthouse, and bar/restaurant where Luke works, where I would be watching the Celtics game. (I became a Celtics fan in the last week, and wouldn't dream of missing game five!) However, I decided to take the long way into town, to go by the water. It was a really nice night for walking, but it was a much longer route. I eventually made it into town and met some of Luke's friends over the Celtics [kick-ass] game. Afterwards I walked the ten-minute walk home. There are a few streetlights, which is nice, and Anne gave me a flashlight. Walking home after dark is a great way to begin bedtime, in my opinion. I slept very well on my HUGE bed.
Monday
I promise these posts won't always be this detailed. This morning I got up and made a big delicious breakfast. Unfortunately, I missed Anne. I was doing stuff in my room when the camper came, and by the time I went down to say hi, he was pulling out of the driveway. I was due to meet Lara, the manager of the café at noon, so I had some time. I decided to walk down to the bay. I had driven there with my parents on Sunday, and we had clocked it at 0.4 miles from my house. The roads are narrow and curvy, so walking is a little treacherous, but not so bad. I love walking in residential areas in the summer because everyone is out side. This morning's walk yielded great people-watching and the spotting of license plates of early vacationers from all over the place.
I left my shoes at the entrance to Power's Landing, the closest bay access. An elderly couple from Pennsylvania (if the car in the parking lot was theirs) sat in front of their easels, both painting the bay. I walked very slowly in front of them hoping to paintingbomb them. I had a lovely walk on the beach, avoiding many live crabs of every shape and size. When the time came I headed back home, regretted my sock/shoe choice due to the amount of sand on my wet feet. I packed a lunch (pb&j, banana, and two milanos) and got on my bike.
Note: my bike is awesome. I have my cousin Jim's old bike basket from his paper route days, compliments of Aunt Norma, a cool light from Aunt Laura and family, and a rear view mirror and bell from my dad. My bike was recently tuned up so it's in great shape. I am very much enjoying riding it and carrying around lots of stuff.
I took an alternate route to town this morning to avoid an intersection I don't like, I'm definitely sticking with the new way, since it brought me past many nicely decorated cottages, houses, and barns. Lara wasn't in, so I met with Rachel, the day manager. I learned that everyone starts as a barista, then depending on how I'm doing I'll move to the floor. I got my Flying Fish t-shirt and instructions to return at 7:00 am tomorrow to begin barista training with Emily, the very nice one I had met the previous day. I went to the library again, but it was still closed. Luckily I had brought my book, planning to set up somewhere for a leisurely afternoon. I parked my bike behind the town hall and found a bench. I observed a strange group of people who turned out to be photographers, models, agents, etc. from all over the world.
I ate my lunch and read my book, and people-watched quite a bit. There was a group of people on the grass behind me, one of whom I suspected to be Anne's son Cedar, recognizable from photos on the fridge. This was later confirmed, but I didn't speak to him. And old man, Bruce, came and sat next to me. We had a long conversation, and I couldn't access if he was a jolly, kind old man, or a crazy old man (not to generalize). We discussed the model group, and he said that they wanted to take pictures of him. In the relevant part of the conversation I disclosed that I had studied Psychology, and he asked me which type of Psychology he should use to get a young woman to move in with him. Hmm. He said that he had gone to the Beachcomber (restaurant/bar on the beach) the previous night to dance for the first time in five years. I asked what his plans for the afternoon were, and he said he was going to learn to grow food, since he has 230 acres in Canada. As quickly as the conversation started, he got up, said goodbye, and went on his way.
Luke happened to stroll by, so he took his spot next to me. I learned the Bruce is in fact a crazy old man. He was called the "White Devil" when he worked as a lawyer in the Virgin Islands. He built an addition on his house for which he didn't have a permit, and the Wellfleet authorities caught up with him. His reaction was to chain saw the addition in half. He is nicknamed "Chainsaw McGiver" in the town. Luke said that Bruce says he gets a sponge bath every Friday, whether he needs it or not. Luke was surprised that Bruce didn't directly invite me to his house. I of course would love to find a kind senior citizen to play Scrabble with, so I told Luke that Bruce wouldn't be the one. This decision inspired us to head to the Lighthouse and play Scrabble.
It was cool hanging out there with a Lighthouse worked who was off the clock. I felt like an insider, but also got to observe both restaurant workers and general Wellfleet clientele in preparation for my own employment. I re-met Justine, from Galway (I had met her briefly last visit) and met her two little children. We briefly talked babysitting. It was a worthy first Scrabble game of the season, although I had very few consonants, and the ones I had were very infrequently more than one point. I was dealt five As from the start.
Afterwards it was almost nap time for Luke (who works nights), so I headed home. I made some tea and spent this time researching bike routes. Bruce had told me that I could bike all the way to Provincetown mostly avoiding Route 6, so I checked out. I used Google Maps and made myself a very complicated route to Provincetown which did, in fact, mostly avoid 6. Because of all the backroads, it became an 18-mile trip one way, so I'll save that one for when I'm in better bike shape. A friend of Anne's came over, and we further discussed said bike routes. She informed me that I can get on Long Pond road, which leads to the ocean, without touching 6. I ran back upstairs and discovered that this is true. This is an excellent discovery, because Long Pond road leads to (A) Wellfleet Elementary School, where I can put an ad for babysitting, (B) Long Pond, and (C) Cahoon Hollow Beach. It's 3.5 miles to the beach from my house, which is nothing. This ride is on the agenda for Wednesday.
I also researched biking to Grandma's in Brewster. This also seems doable, since I can ride most of it on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. There is a little Route 6 (0.2 miles) which I'm not looking forward to. This would be a 16 mile ride, which I'm up for since I can then spend the night at the other end.
That brings us up to speed! I'm planning on being in bed early tonight, since I have my first 7:00 AM start tomorrow. Around 7:30 or 8:00 I'll stroll down to the bay (hopefully with Anne) in better shoes to walk. I'm planning on making burritos tonight, so I might bike (or walk) into town right now to buy an onion and a bottle of wine.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Goals
In a few days I am starting my first activity in the real world: moving to the Cape (Wellfleet) to work at a restaurant. I have high hopes for this summer, and I want to make sure I do all the things I say I'm going to do:
I. Take care of my body
1. Get lots of exercise. Bike everywhere and a lot. I am going to be in good shape for
the first time.
2. Eat well. Since it's summer, I want to fill my awesome new bike basket with fresh
fruits and veggies every day and eat predominantly them. I am going to follow the
"breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper" rule.
3. Sleep. I'll be working at 7:00 AM and I need to leave time to eat breakfast like a
king in the mornings, so I need to be asleep by 9:30 every night.
II. Be a musician
1. Busk with my accordion. I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it well. I'm
going to build a good repertoire of favorites, play them perfectly, and become a
staple of the Summer 2010 Provincetown scene.
2. Jam. I am going to make sure to have Irish Sessions (and others) with my cousin
Luke and other Wellfleet musicians.
3. Practice and improve. I am going to master the penny whistle, and get my fiddle
skills back. I am also going to study key points of music theory to be able to
improvise better on the accordion.
III. Appreciate where I am
I will be living in an absolutely incredible place. I want to make sure I take
advantage of this, through:
1. Daily twilight walks by the bay,
2. Regular beach visits and swims,
3. Long bike rides on the Cape Cod bike trails
IV. Cut off technology.
I want to spend very little time on the computer this summer. I will go on the
computer only to:
1. Check email, but only once a day,
2. Upload pictures,
4. Very occasionally watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother before bed,
5. Arrange music, for no one in particular,
6. Record and post new youtube videos (http://youtube.com/sophiecrafts)
7. Update my new blog. It's mostly for myself, since I really want to keep a better
account of my adventures, but I do love sharing my stories:
http://sophiecraftscape.blogspot.com/
V. Other
1. Read. I'm going to read for pleasure every day, and finish many books.
2. Keep in touch with my friends. I'm not going to automatically see them again in
the fall, so I am really going to make an effort to keep in touch.
3. Find Wellfleet kids to babysit.
4. Spend time with my Grandma. She lives on the Cape, so I want to make sure I go
down to her house for meals and movies and laundry and dogwalks.
5. Grow my hair?
6. Finally get my wrist 100% (restaurant will help with this).
7. Memorize the list of acceptable two-letter Scrabble words.
8. Make friends of all ages who can join me on my twilight beach walks and numerous
Scrabble games.
9. And if there's time, learn French.
Come visit me!! Come dine at the Flying Fish Café! If you're in Provincetown listen for my squeezebox! Send me snail mail! c/o Freyss, 26 Hamblen Farm Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667
I. Take care of my body
1. Get lots of exercise. Bike everywhere and a lot. I am going to be in good shape for
the first time.
2. Eat well. Since it's summer, I want to fill my awesome new bike basket with fresh
fruits and veggies every day and eat predominantly them. I am going to follow the
"breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper" rule.
3. Sleep. I'll be working at 7:00 AM and I need to leave time to eat breakfast like a
king in the mornings, so I need to be asleep by 9:30 every night.
II. Be a musician
1. Busk with my accordion. I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it well. I'm
going to build a good repertoire of favorites, play them perfectly, and become a
staple of the Summer 2010 Provincetown scene.
2. Jam. I am going to make sure to have Irish Sessions (and others) with my cousin
Luke and other Wellfleet musicians.
3. Practice and improve. I am going to master the penny whistle, and get my fiddle
skills back. I am also going to study key points of music theory to be able to
improvise better on the accordion.
III. Appreciate where I am
I will be living in an absolutely incredible place. I want to make sure I take
advantage of this, through:
1. Daily twilight walks by the bay,
2. Regular beach visits and swims,
3. Long bike rides on the Cape Cod bike trails
IV. Cut off technology.
I want to spend very little time on the computer this summer. I will go on the
computer only to:
1. Check email, but only once a day,
2. Upload pictures,
4. Very occasionally watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother before bed,
5. Arrange music, for no one in particular,
6. Record and post new youtube videos (http://youtube.com/sophiecrafts)
7. Update my new blog. It's mostly for myself, since I really want to keep a better
account of my adventures, but I do love sharing my stories:
http://sophiecraftscape.blogspot.com/
V. Other
1. Read. I'm going to read for pleasure every day, and finish many books.
2. Keep in touch with my friends. I'm not going to automatically see them again in
the fall, so I am really going to make an effort to keep in touch.
3. Find Wellfleet kids to babysit.
4. Spend time with my Grandma. She lives on the Cape, so I want to make sure I go
down to her house for meals and movies and laundry and dogwalks.
5. Grow my hair?
6. Finally get my wrist 100% (restaurant will help with this).
7. Memorize the list of acceptable two-letter Scrabble words.
8. Make friends of all ages who can join me on my twilight beach walks and numerous
Scrabble games.
9. And if there's time, learn French.
Come visit me!! Come dine at the Flying Fish Café! If you're in Provincetown listen for my squeezebox! Send me snail mail! c/o Freyss, 26 Hamblen Farm Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667
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