Memento Vivere

Memento Vivere...Remember to Live.

"Memento Vivere" was tattooed on the arm of a friend who died unexpectedly last month.  Like he was trying to send a posthumous message to the rest of us... And so it was I embraced the carpe diem of it all and wandered off the beaten path this week in Woods Hole.

Ahh, the fall weather on Cape Cod is so unbelievably sweet.  I walked in the full moonlight around on Harbor Hill Road and back into town at School Street.  It was about 10 pm on a quiet Monday night and once I was on Harbor Hill I did not see a person or a car until a got back into town.  The crickets were singing to me, moonlight filtered through the leaves and a soft warm breeze followed.  Magical, zen, very in the moment.

Jon Kabat-Zinn lives in Woods Hole, with his family, and if you have read any of his books ("Full Catastrophe Living" or "Wherever You Go, There You Are") you will recognize the splendor in a moment like that one.   

So I share a few fall photos of Woods Hole.   This is from the Great Harbor where the ferries pass daily to the Vineyard, looking back across the water at our little town.  Windy day, but not cold yet.

The Woods Hole Passage, they call it, and it is one of the most treacherous crossings on the eastern seaboard -- currents of 4-5 knots pull industrial sized buoys sideways at peak tides and the narrow channel is peppered with rocks the size of small islands.  A boat a day goes on the rocks here in the summer and there is a Coast Guard station around the corner to service all the rescues needed.  Through these waters pass huge yachts, old wooden racing boats called "Twelve Footers" and "Knockabouts," Hinckley picnic boats daytripping to Quicks Hole and fishing boats of all shapes and sizes following the striped bass and bluefish.

And this is Hadley Harbor in the off season.  A short boat ride from Woods Hole, through the Woods Hole Passage, any local charter fisherman can take you there.  Empty and undeveloped, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Memento Vivere.

If you miss the boat, don't Miss The Boat...

Any season. Especially summer! You DON'T want to miss that last ferry to the Vineyard.

You find yourself, cold-knuckling it on the last bus down from Boston (or up from NYC). Over the Bourne Bridge, through the rotaries on Route 28. You are glancing nervously at your watch...will I make the boat? You glide into Woods Hole, the distinctive curve of little Harbor and your first glimpse of water to the left. And there she is out on the horizon, your eyes on the prize... Martha's Vineyard shimmering in the moonlight. You mutter to yourself, damn it that boat better still be there.

And then, the slip is empty! The dock deserted. The ticket window closed and dark. You have joined legions of travelers who over the years have missed the last boat.

So, when you miss the boat...don't Miss The Boat. Walk 100 yards up Luscombe Ave and ring the doorbell at the Woods Hole Inn. If we have room, we will welcome you with open arms. Relax onto your pillow top mattress and dream about the morning ferry, the early one with your "New York Times" and a hot cup of Joe. The one where the bow of the ferry seems to separate the fog bank and the sleepy gulls drift after you looking for scraps. The one that gets you there with a great night's sleep behind you.

The Woods Hole Inn. The place to go when you miss the boat.

Tally Forbes show at Quick's Hole

Quick's Hole is open for the season with wicked fresh lobster rolls, burritos and tacos! Come in for a mouth-watering meal or to see the amazing new space hung with new paintings by Tally Forbes.

In addition, Quicks is now selling gourmet cupcakes made fresh daily from all organic materials by our friends at "CupCapes of Falmouth" on Main Street. The Red Velvet Sox with cream cheese frosting are not to be missed. And our coffee is roasted locally at "Pie in the Sky"

Stop by today and learn why people are saying this is the "hottest new joint in Woods Hole" -- we are across the street from the ferry landing and at the end of the Shining Sea bike path on the ground floor of the famous Woods Hole Inn. 6 Luscombe Ave in Woods Hole. Menu and more at www.quicksholewickedfresh.com.