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November 29 - December 12 2011Fun & frolic on Cape Cod.

271 Main Street Falmouth www.StoneLoven.com

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Pizza from the hearth.

271 Main Street Falmouth www.StoneLoven.com

We deliver!(508) 548-1222

Pizza from the hearth.

Living in New England, or anywhere with a well-defined seasons, you hear a lot about the Winter Ten. You know, those ten bonus pounds that get packed on as instinct overrides common sense, spurring us toward the warm glow of baked goods and holiday binge eating in the guise of helping our bodies stay warm and survive the imminent cold, grey months. Here on Cape Cod, there are always great excuses to over indulge as far as eating goes. We’ve laid out ten of our local fall / winter favorites, and included some suggestions on how to burn off the extra calories – without donning Lycra suits and repeatedly lifting heavy objects.

1. Breakfast Burritos from the Chatham Corner Store. If you haven’t had one of these flour-wrapped breakfast bombs, stop what you’re doing, get in the car, and make it happen. Now. Fully customizable, with every possible option available, the possibilities are endless. Counter with: A two-mile walk, preferably to…2. …The Chatham Jam & Jelly Shop’s Red Pepper Jelly. Sweet and spicy, just like a fall romance should be. We like it paired with a strong cheese and crackers. Counter with: Head over to Monomoy Island and do some beachcombing, keeping an eye out for any straggler white sharks.

3. Tomato Bisque from La Petite France on Main Street in Hyannis. Silky and rich, this homemade goodness can’t be had without a hunk of house baked French bread, preferably still steaming from the oven. Counter with: Get there at noon and have a parkour session as you attempt to navigate the streets clogged with lunching Sturgis Charter High School students.

4. Hot Common Ground at the Common Ground Café in Hyan-nis. This spiced cup of milk, Yerba Mate tea and who know what else will give you a much-needed warming rush of caffeine and sugar energy. Counter with: Climbing a tree on the green across the street.5. Pecan Pie from the Centerville Pie Company. Hey, it’s good enough for Oprah! And while we don’t necessarily always agree with big O’s endorsements, this one is spot on. Chewy, gooey, sweet and rich. Counter with: A nap on the couch.6. Cape Cod Beer’s Porter. Nothing says summer’s over like the much anticipated release of CCB’s darkest beer, and nothing keeps the winter blues away like a few pints of porter. Counter with: Training for next year’s Last Gasp ride.7. Mini cinnamon buns at Jo Mama’s Bagels in Orleans. They’re small, delicious and just about perfect. We’ve literally driven across the Cape for a fix, and after one of these bite-sized baked goods you’ll see why. Counter with: Squeezing into your wetsuit and surfing at Nauset Beach.

8. Cinnamon coffee cake at the Cape Cod Chat House in Dennis. Cinnamon seems to be the spice of the holidays, and there’s plenty of it in the Chat House’s home baked cake, which we’re happy to report is also nut free. Counter with: Walk some laps checking out their rotating display of local art.9. Cape Cod Lollicakes red velvet lollicake. We just can’t get enough of these decadent chocolate-coated truffle/cake/lollipop hybrids. Counter with: Do some agility training dodging doggie droppings while hiking the Eagle Pond conservation area.

10. Banana chocolate chip muffins from Earthly Delights in Osterville. Made fresh daily of all organic ingredients (like most everything else Earthly Delights offers) don’t be surprised if you actually find pieces of banana in the spongy, cake-like muffins. Counter with: A round of disc golf.

(Not so) fine print.Dinghy is published bi-weekly right here on Cape Cod, by a locally owned business. We believe in supporting local at every possible opportunity and think you should too. We’d love to hear your comments, story ideas, or submissions. Send ‘em to hey@thelittlemagazine.com. If you’re not of the digital persuasion, you can use the good ol’ USPS at P.O. Box 414 Centerville, MA 02632. Although at that point you may as well just give us a call at (508) 648-2214. Don’t be alarmed by the message, we share our office with an outdoor lifestyle mag, and they can get kinda crazy. Can’t wait for the next issue? www.thelittlemagazine.com

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Warm up at the

Kettle Ho

Fine dining in a casual atmosphere12 School Street Cotuit 508.428.1862

If you have small children, as we do, you’ve probably found that it can be a challenge to get them outdoors to enjoy nature. Between iPads, laptops and on-demand television, kids today have a lot more distractions, and fewer reasons to enjoy a quiet hike in the woods. Enter letterboxing, one of my family’s favorite outdoor activities. An intoxicating blend of orienteering, treasure hunting and good old-fashioned detective work, letterboxing gives kids a great reason to pound the paths and nature trails of Cape Cod. Letterboxing has been around in some form for hundreds of years. In today’s manifestation, it involves finding clues online that point to specific locations, where intrepid and careful hunters will find hand-carved rubber stamps inside Tupperware containers. Often these are hidden under rocks, inside hollow trees or beneath shards of bark, necessitating a thorough search of the area. Kids get a thrill out of finding the hidden stamps, and keeping a journal of all of their stamps serves as an enduring record of the fun they’ve had.

Getout.

By Peter Crosson

High-tech, lo-fi scavenger hunt is great way to get outdoors.

photo by Edward C

rosson

There are hundreds of letterboxes on Cape Cod, from Bourne to Provincetown. They are hidden in conservation areas, beach dunes, parks and even cemeteries. Part of the fun of letterboxing is exploring new places we’ve never been, and might never find otherwise. Some of the most enjoyable letterboxes come in series with a central theme. For example, we completed an eight letterbox series in West Barnstable, with every stamp carved into different Star Wars characters. Other series have involved pirates, Calvin and Hobbes characters, Cape Cod Baseball League teams, and many others. Another great thing about letterboxing is that there are letterboxes practically anywhere one travels. We get out to Western Massachusetts a lot to visit my parents, and we recently found a letterbox on top of Mt. Greylock, the highest point in the state! Most states in the union have hundreds of letterboxes hidden, and these are cataloged on the internet. Be aware that older letterboxes are often lost or intentionally destroyed by non-letterboxers, so ensure that the box you are seeking has been found recently,

photo by Edward Crosson

to avoid taking a long hike and striking out on the box. Believe me, that will turn your kids off to letterboxing pretty quickly!

You can find letterboxes online at www.atlasquest.com, an excellent site with nation-wide coverage. There is also www.letterboxing.org, but I find that this site is less user-friendly and often has boxes that are outdated and not present anymore. Both sites give you plenty of information about how to start letterboxing. Whichever you choose, you’ll need a journal for your stamps, a fresh ink-pad, pen, and a sense of adventure. You might be surprised the next time one of your kids asks, “Can we go out letterboxing?” Perhaps more surprising, you’ll look forward to it as much as they do!

photo by James Joiner

Okay, so first things first, you’re from Sandwich. How did you go from being there to living in Denver, and what do you do now?I moved to Colorado because I have always loved the snow and the mountains. Originally I was just going to live in Breckenridge for a winter…ten years later I’m still here! Denver has a great arts scene and I just couldn’t tear myself away! Now I design costumes for theatre and dance and run my own small screen printing business.How did you become a costume designer? What led you there, and how does one go about getting a job doing something like that?To me costume design is the marriage of history, fashion and art; all things I adore. I went to school at University of Colorado in Boulder and studied costume design (and biology…just in case the whole costume thing didn’t work out..luckily it did) and put in a lot of time working for free or very little. Once I got some contacts and experience I got more work and eventually I made a living! The key is meeting the right people, being willing to work hard and having a good attitude. Which I think is the key to success in almost anything. Wow. I should write a book…

I’ve known Jen Blake for a long time. Too long to say, almost, without making some embarrassing observations about my current age. In that time she has made her way across the country from one adventure to another, finally settling with her young family in Denver, where she has set up shop in a variety of creative and unique ways. Never one to

Made. exit a room without leaving a smile behind, her art is a reflection of this with quirky, almost nostalgic and yet somehow modern designs.

Cape transplant keeps true to her roots with quirky & crafty designs

What is Coin Laundry, and what inspired you to start your own clothing / home good line?The Coin Laundry is my latest adventure. I knew a lot about textiles and how to manipulate them but I had never tried screen printing. So of course I dove in head first, bought a machine and the supplies and through trial and error learned how to screen print! I really wanted to have a business I could do from home, even more so when I found out I was having my son. So we set up the spare room and I was off and run-ning!Where do you get the graphics / ideas for your products? Do you draw them yourself? Most of the ideas just come to me. My son is an amazing inspiration. He will point and squeal with delight at the most mundane things! Some of the graphics are from vintage advertisements and some I draw myself. I love to marry the old and the new with a little bit of wit.

How do you think growing up on the Cape has influenced your life and your art?Living in New England you can’t escape the antique shops, old homes, cobblestone streets, and tour guides dressed as colonial settlers. Of course I didn’t appreciate any of this until I moved. I think that aesthetic is engrained into me somehow and comes out through my designs.

www.etsy.com/shop/thecoinlaundry

What’s better than cookies, you ask? Well, the an-swer is obvious: not much! These delicious discs are a New England take on the classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie. We think the molasses gives it a rounder flavor and makes us feel nostalgic for nana’s warm cookies on a cold winter day.

You will need:2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt1 cup butter, softened3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup brown sugar, packed1/4 cup dark molasses1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 large eggs12 oz. M&M candies

TasteMolasses M&M cookies

photos by James Joiner

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Gradually add flour mixture, careful to avoid Scarface impression. Sample liberally, then add candy. Sample again.

3. Use spoon to drop rounded globs on ungreased cookie sheets. Lick bowl clean.4. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes or until you can’t take it any longer. Cool on cookie sheet for two minutes, then transfer to wire racks. 5. Share with friends.

Sandy Allen of Milton gets ready for some windsurfing at Kalmus Beach in Hyannis. Photo James joiner

Kite surfing at Kalmus beach. Photo James Joiner

Dawn breaks over the Cape Cod Organic Farm in West Barnstable. Photo James Joiner

An ornament-like cardinal adorns an evergreen tree. Photo James Joiner

Corrine Brandi of Cotuit mans the petting zoo at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod’s holiday fair. Photo James Joiner

12 year old Emma Crockford pours candy for ginger bread houses at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod’s annual holiday fair. Photo James Joiner

Shoestring Bay at dusk. Photo James Joiner

“They’re common in Europe, with the Romas and Gypsys”. Mark Hopeman of Harwich with his custom truck cap. Photo James Joiner

A bedraggled song sparrow gives a disparaging look in Dennis. Photo James Joiner

I spend a lot of time waiting for things to happen.For example, as I write this I am posted near the head of a snaking line of parentally piloted vehicles, dutifully awaiting my daughter’s dismissal from her stereotypically red brick school. Dozens of full grown, at least (hopefully) mildly responsible adults flock here five days a week, jockeying for position. There’s something about lining up in parking lots that really brings out the tiger in normally docile suburbanites. The way our elementary school is laid out, there is a front parking lot that houses the buses, and a side circular one for parent pick up that will hold about 15 cars, a hotly contested position. After that a haphazard and confusing geometric train wreck of automotive Tetris begins in the overflow lot. I admit to being as guilty as anyone else in vying for prime real estate, arriving at staggeringly earlier and earlier times just to be near the coveted front of the line, as though my daughter hearing her name called in the first round of dismissals will somehow affirm to her my fatherly devotion and possibly even send her riding a loving wave of self esteem that will carry her to the ivy leagues. Unfortunately some of the other parents have picked up on my early arrival lead, and themselves queue up more than an hour before the bell rings. My wife thinks I’m insane.While generally the worrywart of the family, for some reason when it comes to the parental pick up pecking order she is lackadaisical to an extreme. We dutifully promise our daughter every

DaddyismA nihilistic attempt at guiding a flourishing being’s life while fitting into predefined social caste; employing complete irrationality and negation of the accepted laws of society.

morning when depositing her that we will be, “half an hour in the parking lot” at the end of the day. It’s become a mantra of sorts, one that is repeated again and again on her slightly more insecure days, and a promise that I have seemingly interpreted in a different way from my (allegedly – all right – most likely) better half. To her it simply means, “I will arrive at the parking lot thirty minutes before you are dismissed from school”. To me, it is more a pledging of my word upon which I hang my (intensely domesticated) manhood, a solemn vow made to my daughter that I will, come hell, high water or a bout Route 28 construction arrive to chariot her home not just at a specific time, but in time that she may rest assured under no circumstances will she be cooling her heels any longer than absolutely necessary, and certainly that she will be sprung and no doubt most of the way home before the rest of those poor, less-neurotic parent’s children have run the gauntlet of overflow parking.The real question is whether or not our sunnily-dispositioned, happy-go-lucky ADHD candidate would even notice if she had to brave a few extra minutes of class time at the end of the day, which in third grade is, let’s face it, probably more akin to a play date than any sort of dissertation on comparative economic theory (I don’t know if that’s a real thing, but it sounded studious). My own internal insecurities paint her as a weak and vulnerable flower, but in thinking back to my own elementary years I spent most of my time trying to eat paste and lobbing spitballs, not worrying about whether or not I would make the forward echelon of dismissals. Of course, I also rode the bus, which it seems in this day and age of Young Einstein and Montessori theory is not unlike the uphill both ways in the snow my parents had to trudge, with wood on their backs, to get educated in the ol’ one room schoolhouse.The kids are probably tougher than we think they are. After all, they’ve survived us this long. But I’ll still be eating lunch in the parking lot tomorrow.

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