It’s the time of the year to go to Snow’s in Orleans and see their beautiful Christmas train exhibit. It is always a treat! And, din’t forget to visit their other model train exhibits in the back of the store.
Snow’s also has an amazing room filled with anything you can imagine for the holidays. So, while your kids enjoy the trains, you can shop to you heart’s content!
Thanksgiving Day and Friday the temperatures were in the 20s with windy conditions here on Cape Cod. I took a ride to Rock Harbor In Orleans on Friday to take some photographs of the ice on the harbor and on Cape Cod Bay.
As I was taking some photographs of the harbor, 2 teenage boys came riding down on their bikes. They had just a hoodie on, so they were not dressed for the weather at all. They parked their bikes on the dock closest to the water. One of the boys went and sat down on the edge of the dock and took some photographs with his phone. So far…ok.
He then decided to stand up on the ice. I could not believe it. I was afraid if I yelled, he would get scared and fall in. There was a woman that they knew also on the dock and she said to him, ” Oh, you can stand up on the ice?” He said, “Yea,” and then proceeded to fall in. Thank goodness he was within arm’s reach of the dock and grabbed on and pull himself out. He went in just over his knees and his pants and shoes were soaked.
All I could think of was that if he were another foot away, he would have fallen in through the very thin ice and drowned. It was such a scary thing to witness.
The moral of my story is… don’t EVER take ice for granted! Stay off of it, especially in salt water.
Today is Small Business Saturday across the United States, so I thought I would highlight a small business in Eastham that I happened to walk into yesterday.
“Located on historic Route 6 in North Eastham on Cape Cod, you will find the Chocolate Cafe. Featuring a fun and brightly colored 50’s Diner Theme, the Chocolate Cafe serves freshly made breakfast sandwiches, lunch, homemade chocolate, truffles, pastries, gourmet organic coffee, espresso, hot chocolate, iced and frozen drinks, freshly made smoothies, frappes, root beer floats, assorted bagged candies, fudge and freshly made breakfast sandwiches daily. Looking for a fun gift to take home? The Chocolate Cafe has a very eclectic variety of cards and gifts, both salty and sweet.” I loved their new addition of Elvis in the back room where you can sit down and enjoy the ambiance.
I did some research on Small Business Saturday and learned: “In an effort to support local shops that make our communities strong, American Express launches Small Business Saturday on the
Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.
In 2011, the Senate unanimously passes a resolution in support of
the day and officials in all 50 states participate. It even gets a
shout-out from the president of the United States.
In 2013, more than 1,400 individuals and organizations sign up as
Neighborhood Champions to rally their communities with events and activities on Small Business Saturday — and that number continues to grow.
Kudos to the riders, the volunteers, the organizers, the families, the people who cheered the riders on… and everyone who was involved in this amazing bike challenge. I stood at the end of our road and took some photographs of these incredible riders. Each and everyone of the riders thanked me for cheering them on. Unbelievable!
Here are some facts that I got from their website:
About the PMC: The Pan-Mass Challenge® (PMC) is a bike-a-thon that today raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Benefiting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the PMC pioneered the $4 billion athletic fundraising industry when it was founded in 1980 by Billy Starr, who remains the event’s executive director, an annual cyclist and a fundraiser.
The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to Dana-Farber and is the institute’s largest single contributor, raising more than 53 percent of the annual revenue at The Jimmy Fund®.
In 2017, the PMC gave a record gift of $51 million to Dana-Farber, bringing the PMC’s 38-year contribution to Dana-Farber to more than $598 million since its inception in 1980. In 2018, the PMC has a fundraising goal of $52 million.
The Ride: The PMC is a fully supported bike-a-thon — with food and water stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage, transportation and lodging — that runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. More than 6,300 cyclists from ages 13 to 85 will ride in 2018, choosing from 12 routes designed to cater to all levels of cycling and fundraising ability. There are six two-day routes that range from 132 to 192 miles and six one-day rides that range from 25 to 110 miles. Cyclists are required to raise between $600 and $8,000 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route.
It was an amazing morning. I got goosebumps just watching them all riding on this hot and stormy weekend for such and incredible cause. Thanks to everyone who participated! It was inspiring!
