The holiday crawl to Cape Cod is about to commence!
While gridlock, bathroom stops, and cries of “Are we there yet?” are the usual accessories to the July 4th holiday, there ARE some ways of heading to the Cape which don’t require defensive driving and the patience of…..you get the picture!
The greatest job in the country may just be that of Dr. Stephen Leatherman, the self-proclaimed “Dr. Beach” who each year evaluates the hundreds of gorgeous beaches in the U.S. to determine the best of the best.
Pack your bags and start your engines! The 2011 list was released this morning and Massachusetts placed in the Top 10 !!
This year’s Top Place winner is SIESTA BEACH in Sarasota, Florida. One of the nation’s rare non-smoking beaches, this stretch of sand encompasses 600 sq. ft., has gently lapping emerald water, quartz sand, and facilities including a snack bar and other amenities detailed on the list of criteria which includes 50 highly desirable items, boiling down to sun, sand, and sea.
“It’s not a perfect beach, but I’ll tell you, it’s getting pretty close,” said Stephen Leatherman, director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research. “The water is clear, clean and emerald-colored. The beach is safe. There’s plenty of parking, a great snack bar and lots of other facilities.”
COAST GUARD BEACH --Margo Tabb / Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce via AP
And while the Mayflower may have first sighted land along these waters, attractions such as the natural wildlife and quintessential lifeguard station are just some of what draws beachgoers from all over the globe.
Coast Guard Beach
Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Mass., slopes steeply into the water. Swimmers tend to take quick, cooling dips in the ocean since summertime water temperatures reach only 60 to 70 degrees.
– MSNBC’s Overhead Bin
Well this morning the Water Temperature’s a brisk – – 46.6°F (8.1°C)! Ahhh!!
If you want to check out the wave action before you pack up the car, check out the Coast Guard Beach Cam!
All the beaches of the 2011 list are great for kayaking, so let me know what you think!
For Bostonians, perhaps it depended upon age or generation.
Your opinion of Ted Kennedy was cast by the assassination of his brothers, Chappaquiddick, the trial of William Kennedy Smith, or the image of sailboats and football on the lawn at Hyannisport.
Following the non-stop media coverage of the passing and life of Senator Kennedy, today your image may be cast by the recollections of his Congressional colleagues, the Irish wake Memorial Service that resembled a roast, the throngs of people who lined the streets of Boston and Cape Cod, the eulogy of President Barack Obama, or the heartfelt words of his sons Ted Jr. and Patrick.
In his passing, many of us actually got to know him–Ted the man versus Ted the caricature often played out in the media.
Regardless of where you stood in reference to his politics, you could not help but be moved by the portrait drawn the past few days of a music loving, dedicated parent and uncle who shared his love of history, fondness for pranks, commitment to public service, competitiveness, and love of the sea with his family, friends, and staff.
The theme echoed over and over was that Teddy had a rich, exuberant life characterized by an overriding desire to make the United States a better country. Not without his flaws certainly, but his acknowledgement of his imperfections and desire to do better marked the only Kennedy son we saw become a grandfather, and an elder statesman.
Countless thousands of people who stood hours in line to view his casket, told of the multitude of times he called them, helped them, visited them, sat with them, prayed with them, and counseled them when they needed him.
The Senator wrote notes, showed up for the best and worst times in people’s lives, comforted them during suffering, and encouraged them in times of need.
His pride in Boston, his deep faith, and his dedication to filling the shoes left by his departed brothers was painted in broad brushstrokes by the many who spoke of their relationship with Ted.
The change manifested when he married Vicki, enabled him to live his final years a happy, fulfilled man. He seemed to relish all of his roles and exhibited the Irish charisma and gift of gab for which his brothers were elevated to iconic heights.
For many of us, it brought back memories of when Boston was a different place, and reminded us of a time when families were always in close proximity and not located in the various corners of the world.
It brought back remembered conversations with grandparents -when they spoke of the Kennedys with awe and pride. Some of us grew up in similar large boisterous families, or we were fortunate to have close friends with families who welcomed you into their fold.
There was always strong, eloquent debate at the dinner table followed by a slap on the back and a game on the front lawn. Qualities that apparently enabled Ted to be an effective legislator and dear friend to many, regardless of the party with which they were affiliated.
So the passing of Ted Kennedy, for many of us, reminded us of similar family figures whom we have mourned.
The family patriarch who brought the family together, taught them well, and cherished each individual for who they were.
Ted Kennedy showed up. He showed up in his life, and the lives of his family and constituents.
And for that alone, he will be remembered and remembered with fondness.
And for reminding us all of the importance and richness of family, he has eclipsed his achievements as a statesman.
Ted Kennedy was the Massachusetts senator all of my life..but I’m only just beginning to know him.
Can a young man growing up in Wellesley, go on to play a morally bankrupt head of a multinational research and development corporation?
Jay Harrington plays the head of R & D for a multinational corporation of questionable morals in “Better Off Ted.”
Well it seems that Wellesley’s Jay Harrington, whose parents now live in South Natick and have summered for years in West Dennis, has taken a potentially pivotal next step in his acting career with this week’s debut of “Better Off Ted,” an ABC show about a man whose wife has walked out on him and their daughter.
“It’s a satirical look at the corporate world, and I think anyone in that world can come home, kick back and appreciate the comedy of that,” observes Harrington, who prior to this gig had a brief stint as an oncologist on “Private Practice.”
The LA Times likens this workplace comedy to the “Love Child of the “Office,” where the quirky cast of characters work in “soul free” cubicles.
Slate Magazinedefines Harrington’s role as the “straight man at the center of a farce.”
And it’s a wacky farce at that!
As Ted Crisp, Harrington walks a tightrope as single dad laboring in an amoral corporate conglomerate where profit always overrides morals (…AIG ring a bell?)
Indeed, no idea is bad if it makes $$$$ at Veridian Dynamics. The company motto, …”money before people…” is actually engraved on the lobby floor at Veridian.
With somewhat more of a conscience than the rest of the Veridian crew, Harrington lets us in on his thoughts by talking directly to the camera, an innovative technique for a sitcom.
Big, bad corporations are the focus of the media and public these days, so the subject matter is certainly timely.
And the actors all are adept and credible in their heartless, nutty roles.
But it remains to be seen whether this “inside look” at greedy execs and their excesses will entice an economically depressed audience.
Harrington is the consummate confident crazed ringmaster at the center of this zany corporate caper.
Both Harrington and his brother, caught the acting bug and spent many a summer at the Harwich Junior Theatre.
The March 18th premiere is the pilot episode, and finds Ted struggling to find the line between right and wrong.
Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net
Many of you will remember Mary, and her marvelous dance studio in Wellesley Hills.
She was a dance teacher with a passion…and it showed.
Some years ago I was one of her many students, when my bride-to-be decided that we needed dance lessons to get ready for our wedding.
Whoa…I’d done the dance lessons thing before. Oh yeah, as any proper young Wellesley male had done, I’d spent many a time learning the proper way to dance with the ladies at the Wellesley Country Club.
More dance lessons???
Not needed, I proclaimed!
Well, the bride had other ideas, and off we went to the Mary French Dance Studio.
And much to my surprise, the bride also enlisted the family of the bride and the family of the groom, as Mary’s dance students.
(Would it surprise you to know that my wife had been a long- time dance student and performer?…)
Well, the dance lessons were just priceless.
My soon-to-be father-in-law rockin’ out! In a suit no less!
And my Mom and Dad trading in the Hully Gully for the Hustle!
The dancing lessons bonded the two, soon-to-be related families in a way, like no other! We were just one big, happy dancing family!
And Mary French brought out the best in all of us.
We showed our wedding guests the bride and groom’s artistry…and then we hauled out the entire family and set the stage for the yet to be born, Dancing with the Stars!
That’s right…we hustled, we rocked, we jived, and we discoed.
We were dancing with the stars !!
And now the heavenly stars are dancing with Mary French…
Goodbye dear friend…
Mary French held a member degree certificate from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance in the United States. It was awarded to her in London, England, in 1975. She held a lifetime membership to the Dance Teachers Club of Boston. Mary also achieved a licentiate, silver level, in the standard ballroom dances, and was proficient in the Latin American dances. A competitive dancer herself, she was instrumental in promoting dance competitions and was one of the original organizers of the former New England championships. This past June at the Yankee Classic Dance Competition in Cambridge, Mary was presented with a special award in recognition of her valuable contribution to championship dancing in New England. – Excerpt from the Cape Cod Times, on the passing of Mary French, 89
For the complete article on Mary French, click here:
Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net
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Quality new construction, granite & stainless kitchen. Beautiful grounds with natural stone walls.
BostonKayakGuy - JOHN PRESCOTT 508-523-9252, Metrowest Real Estate ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~Century 21 Commonwealth 