Fall? and hurricane Jose

The remnants of Hurricane Jose were still blowing onto the Cape this weekend. Notice that the waves are coming from the Northeast: a fall 'nor'easter' they are calling it. Most of the weekend we couldn't see across the pond to the other side. It was weird to have so much fog and so much wind! I guess we were really in the clouds most of the weekend.

Here are pictures of Bob and Dave and Kris at Coast Guard Beach. It was very windy and wet, not from active rain, but from being in the clouds and wind. And not very cold at all. Even the water...Notice how white the water is from the breaking of waves. The waves were big and constant. we could see the erosion behind us on the sand dunes. The stairs at Nauset Light Beach were still there, but the sand dune had eroded very close to them, I'm not sure they'll make it through the winter if there are any winter storms.

And the following pictures are on Sunday before we left. It's low tide at Coast Guard Beach, but you can see that the waves are much calmer, the sky is blue and the wind has died down. 

It was a fascinating weekend, weather wise.  

We also met with 2 contractors to find out what it would take to bring town water to the house. We've since received a quote from one - VERY EXPENSIVE - and that's not even hooking up the water inside - that takes another plumber and a separate contract. We will have to re-think this I think...

The Kimballs and we ate lunch at Arnold's (still crowds there on a Saturday afternoon), after we walked around Fort Hill trails and the Coast Guard Beach. During the storm, I checked out some of the (MANY) pictures in those boxes upstairs. Found a lot of the 'kids' when they were little.

We also went through ALL the games - closet, box, and upstairs - and I will donate the duplicates to some charity. Any suggestions?

We moved sand away from the basement wall and took up some of the pavers on Friday morning in the mist and wind. Hopefully that will keep the water from coming into the basement. There was none when we got there, but after the hard rain Thursday night, some had come in by morning. (none down the chimney this time) Bob spent most of Saturday cleaning up the basement closets: going through all the nails, screws, plumbing stuff, electrical stuff, etc etc. Didn't throw much out, I think, just organized it so he can find it 'next time'.

A busy summer! After we left in mid August, Anna stayed and her friend Diane came for the week. Much clarinet playing, giggling, studying and making silly birthday videos for Jen's 30th ensued. Then Ethan joined them, Diane left, Ethan and Anna finished painting the twin bed room. (It looks amazing!) Ethan's family came in a torrential rain storm. Here's a picture of the driveway. A real 'gully washer'! It rained so hard that the rain came down the chimney and dripped out of the stove pipe onto the wood stove, and also came into the pond side of the basement. Wow!

 

The Foxes had a wonderful time by all accounts: Anna et al steamed clams and lobsters. They went to the beaches, went to Ben and Jerry's and played a lot of games. It sounds like a good visit. 

Then Alex Sandin came with a couple of his friends for a couple days. Alex left a great note as usual. 

Daniel, Julie, Nate, and Kate stayed a couple nights between various weddings in Boston and Brewster.

I decided to go out to check on the house the weekend after Labor Day (did it survive all the various combinations of visitors?) All looked fine of course. I also wanted to take pictures of the driveway because the gutter-man wouldn't/couldn't get up the driveway because of the low branches. I wanted to see if it was something Bob and I could remedy. In the process of inspecting, I met Kyle Kearin our neighbor's son. He has grown up! He gave permission for us to trim the offending branches. When I left, I took this picture at Boat Meadow beach, just off of Bridge Road. LOW TIDE!

Finally, Bob and I drove out Friday for a short 2 days to trim the trees on the driveway. When we got up on Saturday morning, it was so foggy we couldn't see across the pond. We walked to the corner store for donuts and coffee and here's Samoset Rd near the library and then Great Pond from the deck later that morning.

 By afternoon, the fog had lifted. We spent the morning trimming, cutting, cleaning up the driveway. Can you see the difference? The road is slightly better, and we raked some of the gravel back into it to level it a bit. Kyle said he wanted to fix it, but I'm not sure when/if that will happen. We did see Bob Kearin driving out and then in, he's looking older, too. Still so nice. As we were working, Art Hall (other side of the yard) came out to say hello. He had been in Florida the past week cleaning up his house/yard from Hurricane Irma. Luckily, they didn't have major damage, but had no power for the week. He was back in Eastham to close up their little house for the winter.

Bob and I also spent some time installing a dish soap dispenser (on the left side of the kitchen sink) and putting a sun-blocking film on the front storm door. We brought in the docks and enjoyed the quiet pond from the deck. All in all a nice (if short) trip out. On our way home Saturday evening, we stopped at the Kimballs in Harwich for a light supper of chips and salsa and warm chicken dip. Great to see them!

Deck Project #3

Done!*

And introducing 'Cosmo', Anna and Ethan's kitten, who serenaded us on more than one occasion as he explored all surfaces in the house. 

*well, not quite: the rain spout now empties on our heads as we walk down the stairs. We're in process of getting that fixed...

Deck Project #2

Here are some of the pictures Vicky and Paul took this weekend. The deck is progressing! The driveway is too curvy and tree covered for dumpster truck driver to get up, so the contractor will have to haul the demolition and construction debris out by trailer. Unfortunately, we'll have to come up with another plan to throw our stuff away.

Chase is checking it out. Notice the late evening sun coloring: beautiful picture.

This looks like the old deck wood, and you can see the new deck extension beyond the corner of the house that will become the head of the stairs.

This is the new flooring. Hopefully we still like the color once it's on the deck :)

Lily season and a monarch

 There's a reason I didn't pull up the milkweed this year: a monarch butterfly flitted around for the better part of an afternoon to the various plants!

 I wish Dad/Poppa could see the daisies. I moved the yellow cosmos from the deck area this trip, we'll see if they take and come back next year.

And the other 'monarch' of the pond with the paddle he made last winter to go with the painted canoe.
On our late evening paddle we saw a huge! snapping turtle in the pond, swimming on the bottom halfway to Wiley Park beach, along the shore.
The Deck work starts Monday! Paul and Vicky hopefully will send pictures of progress with their upcoming visit.

Deck Project #1

We have moved forward with plans for replacing the old deck with a new 'up to code' version. The proposed plans keep it much the same. Changes include having it 10 feet wide instead of 8, and the flooring will be a composite material that should last longer and be easier to maintain. Work should begin after approval by the Conservation Commission (we're within 100' to the pond, hopefully 'grandfathered in' due to existing deck) and getting a town building permit. We've hired a local contractor to do it. To chronicle the changes, here are pictures of the deck as it has been. 

This first one is from June 2006, note that the rope 'railing' is on the other side of the railroad ties coming down the hill. Did you move ALL the ties, Paul, or just the top? I've always wondered. And there's Poppa's yellow rope/netting on the deck to keep the grandchildren from falling through! When did that actually go on?

This picture is from summer 2011. The netting is still along the deck!

The rest of these are from early spring 2017.

We're planning to change the direction of the stairs... have to wait to see how that ends up.

I also moved the 2 azaleas and 2 remaining small roses from one end of the fence to the other so they wouldn't get trampled while the deck's being worked on. I hope they survive the transplanting! Luckily, I found some old peat moss and potting soil in the garage to add to the (very) sandy soil, and watered them heavily. We'll see how they fared the next time we visit!

PS The location of the EXTRA KEY has changed with the planned deck construction. Let us know when you're going out and we'll let you know where to find it.

Introduction

Welcome to our old-new family retreat and a blog that hopes to let you in on what is going on at Keewaydin.
The quote is from the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Song of Hiawatha, the very last stanza.
I'm not sure if Dad and Mom gave it the name, or if it came with it. But after reading a lot of the poem, I think it is fitting to continue to call it Keewaydin. The wind comes across the pond from the northwest a lot of the time; it is a place where one is outside more than inside; it is a place for exploring, growing up, resting. When I investigated the word, keewaydin, I found that it comes from the Ojibwe, a Native American people, who lived in an area not far from Duluth, Minnesota,
where Poppa and Nanny lived for a number of years - another reason to continue calling it Keewaydin! So welcome to Keewaydin and enjoy the view.