Being thankful this Memorial Day weekend

by Donna Cain, innkeeper and owner

I recently wrote a blog about spring and how energized I feel this time of the year when everything is blooming and coming to life. We are full at both of our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast, Brewster by the Sea and the Captain Freeman Inn this weekend. Guests are enjoying the sunshine and all the natural beauty found on Cape Cod. We are thankful that our businesses are thriving and that we live in such a beautiful area.

As I was watering this afternoon my mind reflected on the true meaning of what Memorial Day weekend represents. While some think of barbecue and family gatherings to welcome warm weather, the true meaning is honoring all of our veterans. It’s being thankful for the freedom we have in our wonderful country and being grateful to all of our veterans that have served to protect that freedom. I recently saw a picture of a young mother crying over her husbands grave as a young toddler was on her lap. My heart broke in two and cannot image the pain this young mother must have to endure.

And so this Memorial Day weekend I want to say thank you to all of the men and woman that have served to protect our freedom. As a dog lover I also want to be thankful for all of the wonderful canines that have helped our soldiers in war time.

U.S. war dog memorial guarding the gateway to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, New Jersey.

God Bless America!

Brewster conservation

by Donna Cain, innkeeper and owner

For us, conservation is a lifestyle. For example, we strive to do the right things in being green at the inn, using farm to table practices and reusing things whenever possible. This philosophy took on a new twist when we lost part of a beautiful Norwegian Maple in the back of the Captain Freeman. This tree is probably about 125 years old, based on it’s size and countable rings. When we purchased the Captain Freeman our new neighbors came over to introduce themselves and laughed when they said they had adopted our tree, as the inn had been vacant for several years. The grass on the rest of our property was several feet high, but our gracious neighbors had mowed the grass around the tree and had set a bench at the base. It really was a lovely thought as their grandchildren came to visit in the summer, and they all gathered around  this tree to let the kids play in a small  pool. Since then we have lovingly restored the grounds around the inn and have also enjoyed it’s shade and respite in the summer months. This past winter we had several North Easters that brought down two large limbs of the tree.

Side lawn at the Captain Freeman

We were saddened as it was evident that the tree was diseased and would probably have to be totally removed in the next few years. My husband Byron cut up some of the branches and again our neighbor came and asked if we would mind if a friend took some of the wood as he was a craftsman that made lovely bowls. We were glad to share and know that the wood was put to some good use.

This morning as we were finishing up breakfast and had a surprise visit from Craig McConchie. Criag is a talented artist who specializes in wood and glass. He brought us a beautiful round bowl made from our tree:)

Wood bowl by Craig McConchie

Byron and I were both so tickled when we looked at this web site, Tobias Wood and Glass and saw all of his beautiful pieces.Some of Craig’s other pieces that can be purchased on Etsy include:

Wood bowls

Stained glass

Stained glass

We had a great conversation with Craig and were delighted to learn that his grandparents use to own “High Brewster” We had heard many stories from our guests about this restaurant and inn that was renowned for their great home style meals.

High Brewster Homested

High Brewster was built in 1738 by the Winslow family on the north edge of Lower Mill Pond. It was run as an inn for most of the past century. The Thorne family bought it in 2001 and have been restoring it ever since.

I was also excited to learn that Craig raises chickens (I have wanted to get a chicken coop for year) and honey and would be able to provide us with some fresh eggs and honey for our breakfasts at the Captain Freeman Inn.

So all in all a great day! So much fun to have a beautiful bowl to remember our beautiful tree. We are talking about what species we will replace it with ….. thinking about a Tupelo or Swamp Oak Tree.

Cape Cod Boutique Inn is inspired by nature

by Donna Cain, innkeeper and owner

Beach shells

One of our favorite things in life is walking on our Cape Cod beaches.

walking the beach with Harrison

This past week we found some beautiful shells that spoke to me. I am fascinated with color and am always looking for new color schemes and decor to use at the inn. We are a “boutique inn on Cape Cod” as each room is tastefully decorated in a unique theme. Our main objective is to have an elegant feel combined with a relaxed feeling. My husband always teases me in that I am always talking about a feeling……but I know our guests pay attention to their feelings during their stay and we strive to make every guest feel both relaxed and pampered during their stay at the Captain Freeman Inn.

Since nature is a perfect place to relax, I often use color tones that are found in nature. I was intrigued when I found a shell that pulled together beautiful tones of blue, grey and tan. it would be fun to find a modern painting with these color tones as a base for decorating the room. The walls and fabric treatments could work around the painting…what fun! Can’t wait to decide which room I will be redecorating at the Captain Freeman Inn.