The Portland Connection

I just have to interrupt my postings on Cape Cod for a few posts.
Just returned from an amazing trip. Thank you Chris & Lisa for this introduction.
Portland Oregon is quite the experience!
Wikipedia states "Portland is a city located near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Oregon. With a population of 568,380 it is Oregon's most populous city, and the third most populous city in the Pacific Northwest.The city and region are noted for strong land-use planning and investment in public transit. "
It is attracting and capturing the hearts of our youth and families. A visit there gives a glimpse of the why. Portland is one beautiful city with an exciting blend of historic and modern architecture (I will have to do another post devoted to the architecture, it is wonderful). Vistas of Mt. Hood and the Willamette River, stately Douglas Fir trees, flowers and trees budding and ready to bloom in FEBRUARY. Combined with great art, farmers markets, waterfront festivals and a diverse population, and you have one very exciting city.
Some of the highlights...I experienced some of the best small local dining establishments, I have ever had. The neighborhoods are more like small towns where you can walk (and most do, a wonderful site to see neighbors outside and greeting each other) to a cup of coffee, a grocery or one of the many quaint stores. Yet you are only a 10 minute drive to the city proper.
Did you think I would just mention the shops in passing ? (Ha!) That will be a post in itself as the shopping was just as exciting as the city.

Winter comfort is a Vintage Wool Blanket

Vintage Wool blankets

It must be the snowstorm we just had on Cape Cod, or just being in the midst a very cold winter. But today my thoughts turn to warmth & comfort, and if style can be included, even better.
One of the nicest ways to warm up on a cold winters day has got to be to wrap up in a warm blanket.
My favorite ones are striped vintage wool blankets. Hudson Bay blankets, dating back to the early 1800's, are probably the best known. They have small vertical black stripes or tick lines at one edge indicating the size of the blanket. Others well known are Beacon and Pendleton. But don't pass up the many wonderful ones which were homespun in homes though out the country. Each one unique to the makers taste and colors available to them.
I have one posted on my etsy shop at http://solsticehome.etsy.com
The simplicity of these blankets blend perfectly with todays decorating trend of a more casual atmosphere. Even the ones with blemishes can be used. Try a pillow cover, cover a headboard, warm up a chair by reupholstering it. Tip Have a favorite ottoman which is a bit worn?...Its the perfect candidate for a blanket coverup.

Misplaced Cape Cod Shop

Missing
A very small cozy shop. Unique with finds and decorating ideas. It was located on Route 6A in East Brewster. Hmmn...Now where could it have gone?
Could be adrift among the dunes, but, no, it hasn't vanished.
Are you missing Solstice home & garden? So am I.
While I put it back on course it can be found virtually at http://www.solsticehome.com
and in my new etsy room at www.solsticehome.etsy.com
Also watch for new postings on fabulous finds and the wonderful shops where I find them. I plan on enjoying others shops while I can!

Anatomy of a move

So we wanted to move. Well we really didn't want to move, but in order to be closer to the bridge and family off Cape Cod we had to move.
When the thoughts starting turning to reality I searched for other moving blogs. Always a good way to learn of others experiences good and bad. Hmmn..not an easy find. Did I wonder why, no, as usual just plunged right in. Being right now in the midst of selling and buying a new home, finding a new spot for my shop, Solstice home & garden and dealing with everyday life. I now know, when you are doing this, you have no time to blog! You do do a lot of ranting and raving, but that will have to be saved for another blog post. While I'm trying to pull this all together you can find some great deals on my web site http://www.solsticehome.com

Promises kept

To all my customers who had to grudgingly leave Cape Cod at the end of summer . For you, as promised I am starting up my blog again.
This week had the feel of summer, temp at 80, fog starting to come in early. Although as I walked the beach, the winds were gusty and the bay was choppy. But the give away, as always here, is the light. It has changed to a fall light, a light that some days changes everything to gold or a deep red at sunset. A gentle reminder that soon we will be spending most of our time indoors.
I have some new items in the shop and on the website to help make this transition a little easier.
So take a peek and stay in touch with Old Cape Cod @ www.solsticehome.com

Sping Fling

"The Cape has no spring," words we've all heard many times. They are wrong.
Spring has definitely arrived. To this small Antique Shop owner it means opening the shop and having customers. The bulbs I worked so hard to plant last fall are peeking up and have started to bloom. I can walk a deserted beach without freezing. The first of many nights listening to the Peepers has started. And Yes, the Estate Sales have begun. It's time to try to out "Womaneuver" the Good Old Boys! A task which will probably never end, but I do get a kick out of trying. A girl has to have some fun. Now if only the Deer can resist the Tulips I will be a happy woman patiently waiting for summer!

An Open and Shut Case

It has now taken me about three weeks to write this blog! Why? My guess is I don’t truly know how I feel about this subject.
I was often asked, when I first opened my shop, if I would remain open in the winter. Amazed by how often I heard this question, both from other shop owners and customers, I answered with a puzzled look on my face “of course I’ll be open.” With a knowing smile they replied "wait a few years, you’ll close". Well, I did stay open those first winters, even when it snowed. And, for three winters it snowed! I shoveled and shoveled some more, but managed to stay open. The exception was last January when even I couldn’t get the shop opened (or the driveway cleared for that matter). So I closed. I painted and cleaned, and as soon as I could, I reopened. Frustrating times for sure, with very few customers coming in or calling. This winter I thought about the energy bills and compared them to sales receipts from the last few winters. I thought of those smiling knowing faces and thought, ok maybe they're right, I’ll close.
Am I enjoying my time closed? Absolutely! Not only does it allow me to catch up on long overdue projects and my web site, it gives me a sense of freedom. Freedom that allows me to be renewed and regenerated. But, lurking in the depths of my refreshed self, is a pesky feeling that I should have stayed open. And then it happened, that pesky feeling, was now staring me in the face. As I searched the Web for information pertaining to the Cape, I'm discovering many Cape-related travel sites, local sites and blogs. But, more often than not, there are references to the Cape "shutting down" for winter. With nothing to do and shops and restaurants closed, why bother going?
This past weekend I opened for a 3 day sale. I sent out postcards and emails to my customers and posted an ad to let people know. As it turned out, my customers did come and most did not even blink an eye when they found out that I had been closed all winter. Happy that I had reopened for a short time, they wanted to know when I would open for the season.
So, my question is... Are we not doing a good enough job getting the word out that there is life on Cape Cod in all seasons? Doing so would allow more businesses to have a year round source of income, instead of struggling along all winter.
And then this started me wondering... Are we still a seasonal tourist-run economy where we can safely shut down for the winter? Aren't we a group of small towns with a growing year round population living in a beautiful area where other people would like to visit in any season? What needs to come first, our businesses staying open, or our customers creating demand?
What does the Cape need to be? Or more to the point, what do we want it to be?