From Football to Changing Trees & Pink Bikini Punch / 11-5-19

       Well, the leaves for the most part have finished changing colors and with the winds and latest rains are pretty much either off the trees or are holding on for deal life. And my Directv signal is back to full strength and no channel diggy out. This past spring was the first time in the 7 years I have lived here that I have had a problem with the signal due to my neighbors trees getting to dense with leaves to pull a full signal and the first time in about 20 years that I have had Directv that I have had a problem at all of any kind, including weather related. So I am a happy man, especially in light that college football is coming down to playoffs and by December will be bowling and Division 2 & 3 championship playoffs. Yes folks I am a football junkie and I watch and follow teams from all over the country. I also enjoy football tailgating food, which constitutes more finger foods than anything else and I mean making them as much as I enjoy eating them. Although the Cape is not a hub of football activity like the mid-west were I grew up and spent most of my years. In the land I come from we put it simply like this, once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye and we all bleed Scarlet & Gray. But up here on the Cape I have had to learn to live with other Big !0 fans, until the day we play each other than all bets are off for that day. Pro football is another story up here, and is different than being off Cape. The Cape is now more of a hodgepodge,  potpourri or mishmash of people from around the country who have settled here. Sure our patriots are strongest, but we have people from that weird state of New York (ok take a laugh right now, its a joke, yet not as serious as to Ohio State Buckeyes the state up north during football season, we don't use the M word at all, still it's a joke). But literally we have east coast rooters, west coast rooters, AFC, NFC of all divisions. So we can mix fairly well out here and have fun at it. Bottom line however is football is not that big of a deal as it is in the mid-west whatever division you follow. So getting my signal back is like a kid on Christmas seeing all the gifts under the tree, not knowing which one to open first. What game to watch, do I go split screen or quad screens, and do I stay up till 1:30 am to watch the west coast games. Get the picture here. So having the winds come through and clear that path has been wonderful for me, as much as I enjoy seeing all the color that the change in season brings to the trees. But what is left are all the pine trees, still green, still protective of the blowing wind and sand, still beautiful, and still filling the air with that pine sent so many of us love. That sent combined with the salt-air was the give away we were so close to the Cape when we were traveling to vacation on the Cape over the years. That is what reminds us of what is so special here, not just in the warm summer months but also throughout the year. The birds that live here year round that call the pine trees their homes like the Warblers Nutcrackers to Wrens, Owls and more. The animals that crawl into their protection like coyotes and foxes to rabbits and chipmunks. The Cape is full of these protective shelters and our nature walks and preserves can be a place to find so much of what really happens here on Cape Cod. Sure I love my football, as many of us do, but sometimes we need to put the remote down and step outside and see all that is going on around us here on Cape Cod, besides worrying about who is going to clean up all those leaves and if I hide long enough watching football they will all go away by themselves. (P.S. some will say they are find just where they are at until spring,) So here is to fall football, if that is your thing, but please be sure to find a good weekend and go exploring what has not been revealed by the leaves falling off the trees and what new is showing up in the trees that are still so green and prevalent here on the Cape. Now let's have a great and wonderful fall in all that we do and let's explore this great and wicked awesome place we call as our home, old Cape Cod.         

      So small business report time, First a great place for breakfast, someplace I enjoy is the Keltic Kitchen. Folks it is the off season, so time to take advantage of some of these places you can not come close to eating at during high season and Keltic Kitchen is one of them. Located in West Yarmouth on Rt 28, facebook or try their website at keltickitchen.com, open daily from 7am-2pm. Reasonably priced for what you get and trust me, you won't leave hungry. And when you get don't forget to check out their gift shop in the back the Keltic Kottage, a wicked good place to pick up some of those Christmas or Holiday gifts and get your shopping done early. Good eats, and good gifts, and great staff to make your morning a great morning, and open year round.

       And for Lunch or Dinner if you have not done so yet, you have got to try the Naked Oyster on Main St in Hyannis. Watch for their specials of $1 dollar oyster specials couple that with some clam chowder or puffed duck soup and folks I can be just has happy as a clam in the Cape Cod Bay. Just telling you. And now that it is scallop season, they are running specials with freshly harvested Nantucket Scallops, can you just pass me the towel now as I am drooling all over the keyboard right now. Folks this is one of the best restaurants here on the Cape, and off season is one of the these best times to get to know these folks better.
      As I am sitting here, with my glass of Cranberry Harvest Beer from Cape Cod Beer writing this blog, I have to make mention of my friends at Kappy's, located at 333 Iyannough Road, or online at hyannis.kappys.com or on facebook or twitter and instagram. This month they have two big events coming up, the first on November 16th is their Autumn Wine Tasting event from 2pm-5pm. Lots of good wine to taste and special on multiple bottle purchases.This is a major event for those who are wine lovers and a chance to try something new that you would have not otherwise tried. Then the following weekend, and just a weekend before Thanksgiving on November 23rd is their Grand Whiskey Tasting event. Folks what is a good holiday feast without a good Bourbon, Scotch, Rye, or some other great whiskey or is it whisky. Try something you have never had before, try something you thought you didn't like, maybe your tastes have changed. Talk to folks who make whiskey their business on pairings to go with Holiday dinners and especially desserts.Don't ruin a great dinner with bad whiskey, come check it out and and get the right whiskey for you and yours this Holiday season. Hope to see you there, I know I will be.     

      Well, it has been a busy place around here the past few weeks, with lots of weather, lots people of all ages and lots of fun. But now is the time to take a deep breath, get all these decorations cleaned up, picked up and put away, and get ready for the next holiday and that being Thanksgiving. No, we are not in Christmas mode yet. Unlike a lot of others, we still celebrate Thanksgiving here at the old homestead guard station and lighthouse. A few of the decorations from the last holiday will stay up, but we will also add quite a bit that notes our thanks to both the Pilgrims and the Native Americans as in the beginning they worked together, not against each other. We will have other displays of others who may have even come before the pilgrims like the Vikings and others. This display will be up through Thanksgiving weekend, Then we do a quick turn around and on December 5 start our Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa which will run through January 5th. So we look forward to seeing you and your family sometime throughout the holiday seasons.

      As far as what is happening with the actual lighthouse, LOL, well in between everything else is going on we still have station to run, see that the beacon is burning brightly, and the fog horn is sounded when needed. The weather meters and gauges still need read and reported on. Even with all the weather issues we have been overly fortunate that especially with all the high winds there were no high sea boating issues that we had to deal with. The sad thing is there was quite a bit of erosion but as the beach line changes so do the sandbars and channels. So as you fishermen and ladies head out over the next several weeks, be careful of changes that have occurred and continue to change those channel openings. Some may have changed drastically and want you safe. Also with the temperatures changes, there is fog out there, the horn will be sounding but again please be careful. I hope that all you recreational folk have a great time and please be sure our local harbor masters and coast guard folk are still on patrol, keeping things legal and honest, and making sure that your safety is top priority, so keep the PFD handy, the fire extinguishers up to date and all your licenses in a handy but dry place. Now we need to get to work get the changes need done, so that we can see you back here with the next display. I hope you have a great and wonderful and especially if you can do it right here on old Cape Cod.

      This month's cocktail is more of a party style punch than an individual cocktail. It is holiday season and with lots of parties going on, I thought this would be perfect for any party (other than those going on at the actual work place). You know I normally do not do these types of drinks, but I feel this month it is appropriate, as I know a lot of folks like to prepare a nice punch style adult beverage. So with all that the name stays in the category, and since all the sites I found make it the same way not sure who came up with it but it is a real goodie. So please enjoy to the max, but be a responsible drinker, a responsible host and always have a designated driver, an alternative in transportation or an extra bed ready for those who need to just stay put. Now have a great and wonderful and let's get this party rolling.

      This week's recipe: Pink Bikini Cocktail Punch

      1      1.75 L      bottle of Raspberry Lemonade. (such as Minute Maid, Simply Lemonade, or your favorite)
1 3/4      cups        coconut rum
      1      cup          amaretto liqueur

      Combine raspberry lemonade, coconut rum, and amaretto liqueur in a large pitcher. Stir well, and serve over ice. You can easily double or triple this receipt for larger groups. And float a raspberry lemonade ring with mint leaves in it or raspberry lemonade ice cubs to keep cold.