“Some people feel the rain; others just get wet.” – Bob Marley

Thus far in our Cape Cod adventure, the weather has not been our friend on Thursdays and Fridays – our days off from work! This week was no exception as it continued to rain off and on, and temperatures struggled to reach 70 degrees. Did we despair? Absolutely not! So what did we do?…

We started our “weekend” with a wonderful dinner at Rock Harbor Grill in Orleans. This was a repeat visit and our meal was as delicious as we remembered. We sat at the bar and enjoyed cocktails along with a massive fish sandwich for Bill and lobster mac ‘n cheese for me! (My rational was viewing it as a reward for a more strenuous than usual gym workout!)

Thursday morning we took care of business – deep cleaning of our house on wheels and laundry – and then we ventured to one of the most unique jewelry experiences I have ever had. Eden Hand Arts is a tiny building located on the corner of Route 6A and Doctor Lords Road in Dennis, Massachusetts, that was originally the home, and garden, of Eve and John Carey, a potter and jewelry designer/maker, respectively. They are both gone now, but their legacy lives on in their art, and Eden Hand Arts is still the only jewelry maker authorized to make or sell the Cape Cod Screwball Bracelet.

The screwball bracelet is a long-standing Cape Cod tradition. Little girls receive them as youngsters and as they grow, that first bracelet becomes a key chain and they replace it with a larger one as they continue to grow! The other unique bracelet they create is the sterling silver Cape Cod herring bracelet, which is what I went in search of!

So, one might think that the acquisition of such a bracelet would be as easy as strolling into the Eden Hand Arts store, finding one that fits and whipping out the credit card! That is certainly not the case at Eden Hand Arts. The store is only open from June until August 31 and only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10-4:30. All sales are cash or check and you need a reserved ticket to enter the tiny shop! Tickets are free and are emailed to you a week in advance of your visit, indicating the time period within which you are welcomed. Even so, it is not unusual to see a very long line of people waiting patiently to enter the jewelry store.

If you know exactly which one – and only one – item you desire, there is an alternative to the ticketed entrance. It is referred to as the “Onesy Door,” a side door where you also stand in line, but only to have one item brought out to you for purchase. This is the route I chose as I knew I wanted the fish bracelet, and with it still being somewhat early in the season, the line was only three-deep. In no time at all, the herring was perfectly placed on my wrist, where it will remain for a very long time! As John Carey, the jeweler, wrote, “Life should be a search for Truth and Beauty, all else is mere existence.” Well, I did have to search for Eden Hand Art, and in so doing, found beauty and discovered a very singular jewelry experience

After patiently waiting for me, Bill deserved lunch, so we tried a new place, The Yardarm, where we had a great meal. Based on the crowd, it seemed to be the thing to do on an ugly Cape Cod day. Bill chose a trio of chowder, lobster salad slider and shrimp cocktail, while I enjoyed a Cape Cod Reuben – cod, coleslaw and Swiss on toasted rye – Yum!

We completed our day by attending an Orleans Firebirds baseball game! Two years ago I blogged about the Cape Cod Baseball League, which is an independent league of ten teams comprised of college players from all over the country. They stay with host families here on the Cape and play a pretty rigorous schedule basically for the months of June and July. The games are free – fans sitting in beach chairs on a grassy knoll – young children racing after foul balls – families bringing picnic dinners – and local kids taking turns as bat girls and boys! Truly a Norman Rockwell scene of days gone by! Unfortunately, by the 4th inning, the rain returned with a vengeance, so we quickly packed up and headed for the car!