Flower Boats Vanish on Cape Cod

Cape Cod - a 64 mile long island clinging to the cost of Massachusetts

Once there were thousands of 'Joseph Boats' on the Cape. In every village, folks pulled up an old dory from the sea and loaded it with flowers in honor of the late Reverend Joseph Metcalf. Today there is just one left among the 15 towns of the island and its 200,000 year rounders. 

It seems that over the years people have been terrified when seeing the ghost of the 300 year old Reverend Mr. Metcalf creep into their yards by moonlight to pick flowers from one of 'his' boats. So, one by one, the old flower boats have been chopped up and consigned to the fireplace. 

Today the only Joseph Boat to be found anywhere on Cape Cod, is right in the middle of the island at mile 32, on the King's Highway in the village of Dennis at Corporation Beach, 

Read the full story in Ghosts of Cape Cod, still in the top 30 of Amazon Kindle after five years https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Cape-Cod-Bill-Russo-ebook/dp/B01BL1TP7U

-0-

Twisters Score Two Touchdowns on Cape Cod

Twisters Score Two Touchdowns on Cape Cod! 

I wish the pair of touchdowns were made by the young men of the Harwich (Monomy) Regional High School Football team, in a victory over Yarmouth-Dennis High School, but they were not.  

These touchdowns, nearly a first for the region, were made by a pair of twin tornadoes that blasted the Cape on Tuesday the 23rd of July, 2019, striking the lower part of the island in the town of Harwich (my summer place) and the mid-cape town of Yarmouth. 

Photo from the Pleasant Lake section of Harwich, which was about a mile away from the hardest hit areas of town.

Power was lost about noon time on Tuesday and was not restored to most of the affected area until two and a half days later. 

Monday night we were first warned of the tornado during the Red Sox game. 

By Tuesday morning we figured we were in the clear.

Mother Nature had other ideas. We were watching the news at noon, when the next warning came. Less than five seconds after the announcer said "Tornado Alert for Harwich", the power went out and an eerie stillness overspread the hillside where we live.

In an instant, it seemed as though all the air was being sucked up to the clouds. The wind picked up and small branches were plucked from the trees and sent flying into the drive way and the yard and then.... then, it was over. 

Our section of town missed being in the direct path of the twister by less than a mile. Still we did have many downed power lines as well as trees and branches. 

Though the Pleasant Lake section of Harwich, where my summer place is,  was not in the direct path of the storm we lost power for close to three days.  My group had hoped the General Store was still open and could get a hot meal and a cold drink but when we drove to the store, we got the sad news - no electricity.

This General Store is a highlight of the Harwich section of the 26 Mile Cape Cod Rail (bike) Trail. But this week, there were no wheels turning on the bike path.

We were lucky.  The storm did no damage to our property and we were not injured. With the General Store closed, we made good use of the grill during the power outage, grabbing steaks and swordfish from the freezer, and had a picnic on the deck, overlooking the branches and other debris in the back yard. The clean up would have to wait another day or two.  We were celebrating the end of the storm.

Tornadoes  are as quirky as an eccentric uncle.  They sometimes strike and leave without causing extensive damage. Others leave entire communities in total ruins with flattened buildings and swaths of devastated trees.  Power lines can be plucked from the utility poles and strewn on the ground like strands of spaghetti.  

On the bike trail by the side of Long Pond, the largest lake in Cape Cod.  It is one-twelfth

 the distance of the island and its shores stretch through both Harwich and Brewster.

Tornadoes are ranked by the carnage they leave in their wake as well as by their strength. The categories range from EF-Zero to EF-5. The twisters that blasted the Cape were EF-1, which means they were the second mildest type. The word 'mild' however does not begin to describe the destruction caused by the pair of torments.

Hundreds of trees were uprooted (some falling on to the roofs of cars, outbuildings, yard furniture etc.), a church steeple was ripped off, part of a hotel was wrenched from its foundation, power lines were yanked from utility poles, and four towns lost electrical power.  It took 900 crews from multiple locations, working round the clock, more than two days to get the utility grid back up and functioning. 

The twisters that struck Cape Cod in the Summer of 2019 were not the first to hit the island, but the 200,000 year round residents, and the many hundreds of thousands of summer people and tourists, certainly hope they are the last. 

-0-

The Florida Keys are Not Islands

by Bill Russo

Author at Amazon, Apple, Smashwords

Living the life.  Cape Cod in Summer

Tropical South Florida in Winter

Why aren’t the Florida Keys, called the Florida Islands?  The short answer is because they are not islands, they are keys. 

Key West

The 120 mile string of keys constitute a paradise, and thanks to roads and bridges you can drive from the first key, Key Largo, to the last key, Key West, in just three hours.

The Southern-most point in the 48 United States 

Key West, 90 miles to Cuba

Okay, so why are the keys keys, and not islands?  The difference might seem minor to you and me, but there is a big dissimilarity between the two. It has to do with how they were formed.

Currents in the ocean pick up reef debris and other matter and deposit them in a particular spot on the ocean floor.  Over time these deposits build up and form a coral reef.  As the flotsam and jetsam of the sea continue to add to the reefs they grow larger and finally climb above the surface.  The constant battering of the waves, reduces the coral to sand.  Birds and other ocean creatures add further materials to the reef which eventually develops soil and becomes an island.

Conventional islands such as the Hawaiian Islands (now a part of the United States) are often the result of volcanic eruptions.  Other islands are created simply by the ocean bottom ascending above the surface.

 However they were formed, the Keys represent one of the major attractions of a state which is literally stuffed with attractions from Jacksonville down to Orlando and on to Miami.

The waters enclosing Key Largo are a protected marine park with a very healthy aquatic population. The key offers the best Scuba diving in the states.

Key Largo is the first key after you cross the tip of the state. It’s only an hour from Miami and a couple hours from West Palm. 

Ernest Hemingway's House in Key West

is now a museum and one of the

key's most popular attractions.

Just like with its magic neighbor Cape Cod, some 2000 miles North; once you exit the mainland, you instantly feel the peace, serenity, and relaxation of an enchanting place, where watches are unknown and life is lived at a calmer pace.

Sleepy Siesta Key

Scuba diving is Largos claim to fame, along with its elegant underwater hotel. The submarine hotel is a former research center. On Key Largo you will also find an eclectic collection of shops with a vibrant community of local artisans and crafters.

A huge statue of a spiny lobster greets customers in front of one group of stores. In Key Largo tourists can interact with trained dolphins at one attraction as well as at a similar venue in Marathon.

Highway Number One is the main road all along the 120 mile long waterway, with markers enumerating each of the miles along the route. Most businesses and residences use an address that refers to the mile marker nearest to their location. This make for easy navigation anywhere along the road.

The view is special right at the start in Key Largo, but it manages to exceed itself as you reach each new key.  Pelicans stand like avian soldiers atop the posts of the bridges. Local anglers perched on girders cast their baited lines to the sea.

As you near the end you’ll see ‘Seven Mile Bridge’ which is the world’s longest segmented bridge. Drive on my friend, drive on, for the best is at the very end – Key West. 

Seven Mile Bridge 

the World's Longest

And speaking of end, this is it.  I only meant to write a hundred words explaining the difference between a key and an island, but once started, it was difficult to stop talking about the Keys.

Plan a visit for yourself as soon as you can.  It will be the trip of a lifetime.

-0-

Selling a Haunted House

by Bill Russo

Author on Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, Barnes and Noble and others

Before we get started, I must disclose that I do not have a haunted house to sell.  Further, I am not an expert on ghosts, though I have written about them in the Ghosts of Cape Cod – and I have seen a paranormal creature, as recorded in the Bridgewater Triangle Documentary and written about in my book The Creature From the Bridgewater Triangle.

With that said, I have prepared a guide for you to sell your haunted dwelling.  If you don’t happen to have one at the moment, read the guide anyway, because you never know when haunts might decide to (dis)favor you with their presence.

Selling a haunted house can be dicey if the spirits take a mind to be unruly and noisy and perhaps even aggressive. Many home buyers want to have nothing to do with a spirit who might be prone to waking them in the middle of the night, rattling chains, and howling like a banshee. So let’s discuss ways to reduce the impact of spirit infestation and the manifestation of nocturnal disturbances and other supernatural occurrences.  

Good old fashioned Exorcism is one method of driving out a bothersome or even murderous spirit. Re-watch the Exorcist with young Linda Blair for a refresher course on this.

Be aware however that in this age of P.C. your actions could be deemed as discriminatory to ghosts and perhaps even prejudiced. This could lead to the spirit having the right to initiate legal proceedings against you. Another fact to consider is that although you may believe yourself to be the legal owner of the house, it may actually belong to the ghost! 

You may want to consider retaining a ‘medium’ to speak with the ghost and act on your behalf in negotiations.  If you cannot find a worthy ‘medium’ in your area, a Ouija Board will serve equally well, as long as you have a partner willing to risk putting his or her hands on that eerie little planchette that flies around the board, with seemingly no aid from the human hands touching it.

You also need to be aware that many ghosts come from diverse religious belief aggregations that would look doubtfully upon a priest from a Christian background and find it enormously odious. More importantly, it will not work if the spirit has no belief in the organization represented by the cleric. Further, if the ghost is an atheist, you may have to purchase a volume entitled “The Origin of Species” by Mr. C. Darwin, to get some ideas on how to enact the purification and extraction of the ghost.

As in all transactions, communication is the key.  You need to be ‘straight up’ with your ghost and have a heart to heart chat with him or her.  Keep in mind that some spirits are challenged.  They might not be able to manifest a working body and may only be able to rap on doors or windows.  In such cases you may be able to ask the spirit a question and get a reply in knocks.

If you are unable to understand the meaning of the knocks, get an old Boy Scout manual with lessons on Morse Code.  Study it carefully and then at midnight, try rapping on a door in the following manner.  Three quick knocks, followed by three raps with a hesitation between them, and finally three more quick taps.

If the spirit answers with the same sequence, it means that you have successfully transmitted the S.O.S. signal to the ghost and it has responded in kind.  Follow this up with further queries using your newly acquired telegraphy skills.  

If your ghost is accomplished enough to manifest a body and to have a working set of vocal chords, have a seance with the ghost and attempt to impress upon it the significance of not making a disturbance until the sale is completed.

If the spirit is resistant to all forms of communication you can't drive it out by Ouija talks, you'll have to resort to hoodwinking some unsuspecting city folks.  

If the house is very attractive and in a quaint little town with a low crime rate and a highly desirable name like Smallville, Happytown, or Sunnyland,  you can always find a wealthy family from a big city who are desperate to move to the country. 

Tell them they can have a dog, a couple chickens, a bee hive, a garden with flowers and vegetables, and even their own barbecue pit – they’ll be so enthused, they won’t even ask about ghosts, or a home inspection, or the fact that the roof is about to fall in.

Hurry.  Quickly get them to sign the papers, then take the money and run. 

-0-

The Where and Why of Cape Cod

The Where of Cape Cod is New England. It is a 65 mile long island off the coast of Massachusetts, that’s shaped like an arm. 

You get to it by air from Hyannis, Boston, or many other cities.  By land you can drive to the island over your choice of two narrow hundred year old bridges. 

This is the Bourne Bridge, with the Railroad Bridge in the background. 

 It's not quite a hundred years old, but close. The Narrow structure dates back to the 1930s.

By train, you can arrive in style on the Cape Cod Flyer out of historic South Station in Boston.  Also you can come to the Cape by ferry boat from numerous services. There’s even a Boston to Provincetown ferry that makes the trip in a swift 90 minutes – which is hours faster than a car can make the same trip. 

The Cape Cod Flyer from Boston to Brockton and then on to the towns 

of Cape Cod, ending at the Hyannis Transportation Center

The ‘Why’ you should see the Cape is because there are 15 historic towns, with some of the best beaches in all of the United States.  Coast Guard Beach in Eastham is ranked among the top ten beaches in the entire United States, including the islands of Hawaii.  

Coast Guard Beach, known for its fabulous sand and surf 

as wellas spectacular views

In addition to hundreds of the finest beaches in the nation, there are scores of pristine ‘kettle ponds’ formed by the last Ice Age that provide the very best in fresh water swimming.  Long Pond, the biggest lake on the Cape, covers one twelfth of the island in length and spans both the towns of Harwich and Brewster. It’s one of the most popular fresh water spots on Cape and is also highly favored by fishermen for the five pound bass that swim in the clear waters.

The climate of Cape Cod is mild, making it a great holiday destination all year round. Typically, the sea remains warm enough to swim in right up until the middle of autumn. Cape Cod along with the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard have hundreds of miles of beautiful beaches. Most beaches are open to the public, however there are some beaches that require seasonal permits.

The islands of Cape Cod are readily accessible, and are great destinations for day trips. These islands were some of the first colonies formed by the Europeans who claimed the land from the original inhabitants, and started out as whaling or trading posts. Now these islands are some of the wealthiest regions, with vast estates owned by some of the richest families in the country.

The Kennedy clan, once a favored family that produced a U.S. President, has a massive compound in Hyannis, the unofficial capital of the Cape. 

Cape Cod is one of the few places that the North Atlantic Right Whale can still be found, as they are one of the most endangered species on the planet. There are only about five hundred of them left in the world….and over half of them swim to Provincetown and Eastham every single summer. What better way to see one on your holiday than taking a whale watching cruise!

Route Six-A, The Olde Kings Highway has been named one of the most scenic roads in the US. It runs the length of the Cape, and has many great boutiques, antique shops, and craft shops located up and down it.

It’s also the site of a number of fascinating ghosts, as written about in Bill Russo’s work, the Ghosts of Cape Cod.  There are also Ghost Tours in Hyannis that guarantee a ‘haunting’ experience. 

Cape Cod features some of the best fresh seafood in the whole of New England, from clam chowder to fine fresh lobster, be sure to sample them at one of the many restaurants on the Cape!

Once you discover the magic of Cape Cod, you'll conjure up ways to get back on 'Cape' year after year, just like hundreds of thousands of other happy 'Capers'.

 -0-

Bashful Mother Nature's Twister

Those of us living in New England have largely been safe

from tornadoes.  They usually are confined to ‘Tornado 

Alley’.  Yet in this age of ‘global warming’ or whatever phase

our planet is in, a ‘twister’ can strike anywhere and at any 

time.

An Oklahoma Tornado

In 2018 a tornado struck the town of Sandwich, at the 

entrance to the Island of Cape Cod. Similar reports came

from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and several other towns in 

Massachusetts.

In the summer of 2019, Cape Cod and numerous other areas

in the Northeast have had several tornado alerts, but so far 

none have actually materialized.

As stated, most ‘twisters’ in the adjacent 48 United States descend on Tornado Alley. It’s the great swath of land between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The plains are ideal for ‘twisters’ forming because they have so much open area for the torment to gain speed and power.

This is why Texas and Kansas have so many Tornadoes. While Kansas can claim the most famous tornado of all – the one that whirled Toto and Dorothy to the land of Oz, it is not the most tornado prone state.

A Texas Twister

That dubious distinction belongs to the state of Florida, which has more reported tornadoes annually than any other state. This is due to the combination of humidity in the air mixed with thunderstorms. However, the severity of the tornados in Florida is, generally far less than those of the mid-west. They don’t cause anywhere near the amount of damage as the ones in the middle of the ‘alley’.

The worst tornado damage comes from those that form in Oklahoma. The areas of tornado alley that are the biggest dangers include Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. These can be in the ranges of F3 to F4 tornadoes that are known to create a great deal of damage.

Some areas in tornado alley are prone to more tornadoes during specific seasons. There are spots that are famous for them in the summer months while others tend to form only during the winter. In order to help people prepare for tornadoes in these areas, detailed systems are in place. They notify people of approaching tornado watches and warnings.

There are also various types of building codes along tornado alley that you won’t find anywhere else. This is to ensure the various structures can withstand the tornadoes that come through. Most homeowners are required to carry tornado insurance on their homes and businesses as well.

Most individuals that live along tornado alley have learned to deal with it. They are prepared for when tornadoes will come across. They also have plenty of loud sirens in the area to warn people. They go about their daily routine without worrying too much about tornadoes.

However, many travelers through such areas are not aware of the tornado issues and are not prepared for them. Many public locations along tornado alley have shelters for those that need a place to go. If you are going to take a trip along tornado alley you should make sure you are prepared for them to occur.

Years ago I spent some time in Oklahoma, while one of my sons was stationed at Fort Sill.  I confess to hoping to get to see a tornado, but during my stay, there were none.

My son and some of his army buddies also hoped to see a ‘twister’ up close and personal.  They wanted to be storm chasers.  They too were frustrated when there was not one single ‘touchdown’ during their service time in Oklahoma.

Apparently Mother Nature is a little shy.  She does not want to perform her ‘twisting’ on demand.  She much prefers to sneak up on unsuspecting victims and catch them unaware.

As long as you are watching TV or listening to the radio these days, you won’t be the victim of a sneak attack by a twister.  The broadcasters have an emergency system that kicks in when a tornado alert has been posted for your area.

I found this out one night in July as I was watching the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game.  It was the last of the ninth.  The Sox were leading but the Rays were threatening.

Suddenly the TV screen went blank and a series of annoying electronic beeps assaulted my ears, followed by an announcement that a tornado watch was in effect for Barnstable County (the county consists of the 15 towns of Cape Cod) and I should take cover.

The game quickly came back on.  Luckily, the Sox held on and the storm held off!

This was the first time I had ever heard a ‘twister’ alert broadcast on television.  It was both comforting and disconcerting.  One the one hand I was glad to be warned, on the other – what was I to do?  Should I have taken cover in the cellar?  I chose to continue watching the ball game and fortunately the tornado never did materialize.

-0-

Tom Brady - The Early Days

Note: This is an opinion piece and is based on my belief.  You are welcome to think that the all time best QB is YA Tittle, Terry Bradshaw,  Peyton Manning, or some other player.

Tom Brady was born on August 3, 1977 in San Mateo, California. At 6 foot 4 inches tall and about 225 pounds, he is the perfect size for an NFL quarterback,

Yet Tom Terrific brings much more to the game than that. He is also capable of moving around in the pocket if need be, and of course his smarts are among the best in the game as well. With all of that in mind it is easy to see why Brady has been one of the best players in the NFL for almost two decades.

After playing high school football in the state of California, Brady decided to take his game to the University of Michigan. Although he would have to sit on the bench his first two seasons, he made a name for himself soon enough. During the 1998 and 1999 seasons Brady started every game for the Wolverines. He made the All Big Ten team in both seasons, and was even the captain of the team as a senior. His leadership and determination went a long way in helping the Wolverines achieve success while he was running the offense.

Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He was passed by time and time again by many teams, but soon enough he began to stake his revenge on them. After a slow rookie season, Brady stepped into the starting lineup in 2001; he has been there ever since. In 2001 he finished the season with 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns.

During his time in the league Tom Brady has been invited to the Pro Bowl Team 14 times, and has won Six Super Bowls. Not only has Brady done a great job in making himself the best QB to ever play the game, but he has always done the same for his team as well.

-0-

Gems From the Diamond

Gems from the Diamond 

Here are some baseball quotes that might make you smile.

Baseball ain’t work.  You know it for sure because when they start a game, they don’t yell, “Work ball.” They say, “Play ball.” 

Willie Stargell (Spent 21 years in the majors as the Left Fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  MVP in 1979 at the age of 39.  475 Home runs and a 282 lifetime average)

 

What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs.

 Harry Caray, longtime Chicago Cubs announcer who passed away in 1997, about 20 years before the Cubs ended their 108 year World Series famine, by beating Terry Francona’s Cleveland Indians.

Confucius say: Baseball wrong – man with four balls cannot walk. 

Full disclosure: Though the quote is attributed to the ancient philosopher, Confucius never said this.  It was probably a joke uttered by the unknown comic, the guy with a paper bag on his head.

Finish last in your league and they call you Idiot. Finish last in medical school and they call you Doctor. 

 This quote is from Abe Lemons – American college basketball coach who had 594 wins in a 34 year career.  He had many conference championships but never could manage to win March Madness.  

The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing. 

Dizzy Dean - star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals Gashouse gang in the 1930s and hero of their 1934 World Series win over the Detroit Tigers.  He had 30 wins in the regular season.  After his playing days were over he became one of the top Radio and TV baseball broadcasters.  

I managed a team that was so bad we considered a 2-0 count on the batter a rally. Rich Donnelly, long time minor league manager and major league coach.  As of 2019 he’s the Third Base Coach of the Mets.  

and finally, a reporter asked the great Babe Ruth how he could ask for a salary of $80,000, when it's more than then President Cal Coolidge was making. 

"I had a better year than he did," replied the Babe.

Babe Ruth, during his pitching years in Boston, 

when he was the top pitcher in the game. 

-0-