The 4th of July marks the true beginning of Cape Cod's all too short beach season. The forecast for Saturday is rain, Now what? Well, if you're in the water and already wet who cares? But out of the water there's an instinct to stay dry. It's helpful to have the the right equipment and a warm dry place to ultimately retreat to. Equipment can be as simple and inexpensive as a large hefty bag with a cut outs for head and arms and a wide brimmed hat. Whale watch tours offer a cozy cabin where you can stay dry after spending time on the rail.. You can have fun while staying completely dry while taking a ride on the Cape Cod Railroad.. The Four Points Sheraton in Eastham offers a large indoor pool with a comfortable wide deck area that's available to the public for a small daily fee. There are always movies and museums and bowling and restaurants and he mall to go to. Puzzles, Monopoly, Twister...

The proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound took a small step forward last week. Massachusetts Superior Court Justice Robert M. Kane ruled that the environmental review for the wind farm was proper and correct. The Massachusetts environmental review focused on the power cable that transfers power from the windmills to land. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the Town of Barnstable and some private individuals filed the suit arguing that the environmental review should have considered the entire project. There were five complaints in the suit by the anti-windfarm forces. Four of the complaints were dismissed in the ruling. The fifth complaint, concerning an administrative appeal regarding Massachusetts' endangered species law, was allowed to continue.

Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound
Cape Wind

Just because a thing can be done doesn't mean it should be done. That's my first reaction to a NYTimes story by David Kocieniewski about kayaking the canals of Venice Italy. The appeal of quietly paddling along streets of water that date back nearly 1000 years is obvious. But the idea of sitting in a kayak on top of an open sewer that serves 1.4 million people while being tossed around by wakes of speeding water taxis makes me want to reach for the nearest bottle of penicillin.  Leaving the issue of water quality behind, is sitting at water level a good way to view a city that's built above the water?  When you're on the water in a city what you see are the walls that contain the waterway much more than the city itself.  What's unique about Venice is that those walls are mostly comprised of sunken first floors of homes that were built around the time of the Crusades.  Ok. That IS cool.  Two bottles of penicillin please...

Link to NYT story about kayaking in Venice Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 June 2008 07:22 )