An off-season love letter to Cape Cod

My beloved Cape Cod:

I adore you always, but never so much as during the off-season.  After the crowds have gone home; after the leaves have finally begun to turn yellow and orange and red; after the traffic is gone and the cranberries have been harvested and the sounds of motor boats on the lake have quieted and all that remains is the sound of a lone seagull circling high above the waves ... and you're mine again.

Here is a loving pictorial tribute to our neighborhood and one of my favorite places on earth, taken during a sunny, brisk early Cape morning.  As we pack our bags and prepare to leave you for the winter months, please know you have my heart and I'll yearn to return to you in the spring.

The Captain Freeman House on Route 6A in Brewster

The Brewster Ladies Library, where I've spent many pleasant hours.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill atop the Brewster Herring Run.  There is actually a sign here asking visitors not to touch, pick up or play with the herring.  :)

The legendary Brewster Store, reproduced in hundreds of paintings and prints.  A favorite spot for the local townsmen to grab a cup of coffee and chat early in the morning.  In fact, if you squint, you can see a few of them sitting on a bench next to the entrance!

Chillingsworth, quite possibly the finest restaurant on the Cape

All has gone quiet on our lake.  This photo was taken from the western shore facing east; we live high atop the lake on the northeastern side.

A well-known landmark in our lakes region, the Pleasant Lake General Store.  During the summer months the parking lot is swamped with cars and bikes.  Just about everyone stops here for ice cream, water or a sandwich as they tour the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 15-mile-long bike path that runs from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Fall foliage arrives at last in our own front yard.

Creative ways to display a small collection ...

I've enthusiastically begun collecting miniature whimsical hand-painted cat plates thanks to my friend Barb Plevan (http://BarbPlevan.etsy.com) -- Barb and I go way back together from my days as a miniaturist, and I just love her bold, bright, confident folk art painting.

Not satisfied with hiding these wonderful plates in my dollhouse where they're difficult for family and friends to see and admire, I decided to mount them on a wall instead.  Here's what I did:  I bought a color-coordinated 5 x 7 easel-style frame and replaced the glass with a sheet of textured paper.  I then removed the easel mount and replaced it with a wall hanger.  I carefully glued each plate onto the paper backing which, in turn, is glued securely to the frame back.

I love the fact that this display idea allows viewers to enjoy these tiny works of art not only from a visual, but also a tactile, viewpoint.  Who wouldn't want to reach out and caress these adorable kitties and feel the tiny raised bumps of the stitches on their sweaters?

Loading the car ...

We're in the process of loading the car with my show gear to set up tonight.  Finally, an indoor show, so no worries about the weather!   I'm excited about some of the pieces I've created since my last show.  Sneak preview:

Tribal Coral Box Bead Necklace

Seahorse II

Creation

Dive

The Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod Show runs two days -- Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Indoors at the Nauset Middle School, Route 28, Orleans, Mass. on beautiful Cape Cod.  Just a short walk to the Left Bank Gallery at 8 Cove Street, where you can see more of my work!