Don Wilding’s Cape Cod

Bernie Collins and the Castagna rescue The surfmen of the U.S.

Bernie Collins of Eastham was only 17 years old when he assisted in the rescue of the crew from the Castagna shipwreck in February of 1914.
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

The Otherworldly Ocean Effect Snow “The very snow in the air had a character of its own, for it was the snow of the Outer Cape and the North Atlantic, snow icy and crystalline, and sweeping across the dunes and moors rather than upon t...

“Ocean effect snow,” as it’s called here, has become a regular — and otherworldly — part of winter on the Cape.
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

The ocean effect snow rolled in over the mid Cape area this morning, as seen from these photos from Bass River. While the rest of the state was recovering from yesterday’s storm, we saw almost as much snow this morning as we did most of Saturday.

The Scenic Sacred Grounds of the Cape If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m one of those happy wanderers who saunters through the sand from Dennis to Provincetown — a Cape Coddiwompler, if you will.

Whether it’s the exposed edge of an estuary, an ocean beach swept clean by a gale, undulating dunes that stay untouched for months, or the distant ribbed reaches of the bayside flats at low tide, the remoteness of the Cape can be riveting.
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

The Scenic Sacred Grounds of the Cape If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m one of those happy wanderers who saunters through the sand from Dennis to Provincetown — a Cape Coddiwompler, if you will.

Whether it’s the exposed edge of an estuary, an ocean beach swept clean by a gale, undulating dunes that stay untouched for months, or the distant ribbed reaches of the bayside flats at low tide, the remoteness of the Cape can be riveting.
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

This guy gets it …

Snow forecast update from former National Weather Service meteorologist Glenn Field …

How The Historic ‘Blizzard of ‘78’ Got Its Act Together Half of the U.S.

#OTD 48 years ago … open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

NOWHERE to walk at Chapin Beach in Dennis. The Arctic conditions continue. Don’t try to walk out on the ice — it’s extremely unstable!

Cape Cod house with Watergate ties falls victim to eroding bluff Due to erosion, on Feb. 3, demolition began on Eastham's Bartlett House, bringing to the forefront its connection to the Watergate scandal.

Update on the demolition of Eastham’s VIP House … www.boston.com/real-estate/...

Noel Beyle’s ‘Blizzard of ‘78’ adventure When it came to documenting all things historical on Cape Cod, no one did it quite like the late Noel Beyle.

No one told the stories of Cape Cod history like the late Noel Beyle …
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

Guess What's Back? Independent Bookstores Makes Big Return

Bravo Mike Hardman — boosting books & the written word on the local level! #indybookstore #booklovers #booksales #IndyBookStores
open.substack.com/pub/mikehard...

A few more shots from wintry West Dennis Beach today …

1978: Recalling the loss of Henry Beston’s Outermost House On the morning of February 5, 1978, and radio newsman Bob Seay of WVLC in Orleans was talking to Henry Lind, the Town of Eastham’s Natural Resources Officer, in front of the Eastham Town Hall.

48 years ago this week: Henry Beston’s Outermost House lost in historic storm …
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

The gulls of West Dennis Beach will stop at nothing to get your lunch.

From the Town of Yarmouth …

The Bass Hole/Grey’s Beach Boardwalk was damaged by ice on Sunday. The combination of ice buildup & storm surge caused some of the pilings to be dislodged & broken.
It will be closed until a complete condition assessment can be completed & repairs can be made.

Join me on March 28 at the Osterville Village Library for “Historic Storms of Cape Cod.”
ostervillevillagelibrary.org/event/histor...

The political background of the “VIP House” in Eastham, which is close to dropping off the cliff overlooking Coast Guard Beach. From the Cape Codder, July 4, 1974.
Also, check this out from 2024 … www.wickedlocal.com/story/cape-c...

More elemental punishment for the Outer Beach today. Coast Guard Beach, Eastham.

Coldest blast I’ve faced in years at Chapin Beach in Dennis this morning. More later …

Washing ashore May 12: My new book, “Prohibition On Cape Cod: Running The Rum In.” Preorder now at bookshop.org/p/books/proh...

Sunday’s “cyclone bomb” looks to be tracking further out to sea than expected. However, sustained winds of 20-30 mph & an early afternoon full moon tide could make things tricky for the Occupy Chatham South Beach Dune Shack just 1 day short of its 11th anniversary. open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

Wander around the Cape with me on Substack … substack.com/@donwildings...

So what was that thing that hit us twenty years ago? On Friday, December 9, 2005, the New England region was hit by what seemed to be a typical northeaster.

Lots of “bombogenesis” talk this week. Now imagine something four times as intense. On Dec. 9, 2005, it happened on Cape Cod …
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

Thomas Merton ‘fascinated’ by Truro, Outer Cape There’s no shortage of writers who have been influenced by Cape Cod during their lives, whether it be Henry David Thoreau, Henry Beston, John Hay, Joseph Lincoln … the list goes on and on.

Thomas Merton, the American Trappist monk, writer, and mystic, may be best remembered for his time spent at a Kentucky monastery, but also spent a memorable summer on Cape Cod during his youth.
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

“As I walk the beach on a bright and blustery January morning, my first impression is one of space, beauty, and loneliness.”
— Henry Beston, “The Outermost House”

Stand back from the edge of the cliff — that’s just one of the rules of going out in the storm on the beaches of Cape Cod … open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

Do NOT Turn Your Back On The Ocean … And Other Rules Of Cape Storm Chasing ‘Tis the season for the number one spectator sport on Cape Cod.

A nasty nor’easter is predicted to hit the Cape with high winds and coastal flooding. Want to venture out to the beaches? Here’s some guidelines …
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...

Do NOT Turn Your Back On The Ocean … And Other Rules Of Cape Storm Chasing ‘Tis the season for the number one spectator sport on Cape Cod.

A nasty nor’easter is predicted to hit the Cape with high winds and coastal flooding. Want to venture out to the beaches? Here’s some guidelines …
open.substack.com/pub/donwildi...