Now based on the local time zone, we found our rhythm of life. We have chosen to be laid down long enough to immerse ourselves in daily life, avoid permanent travel, and we do not regret this choice. On the one hand because we live a beautiful and very funny relationship with our guests and on the other hand it allows us to return several times to the same places and to see spring settling on the beautiful garden of Fiske Street.
We were on vacation during our first week of stay. Since Monday 13 May, we have resumed our daily work. Administrative management and accounting for Céline and coordination design for Manu.
Life starts here early! It is probably partly due to the fact that it is at the extreme east of the time zone (the sun appears at 5:30 am), and also to the working personality of the Americans. Is it the pioneer spirit that is passed on from generation to generation or the sometimes very precarious situation of some who have to work to pay for health insurance? Probably both. We settled on this morning rhythm and it's nice. The weather alternates between grey, rain and sunny days with peaks at 30°C. The time is a little longer for Elina who would like to be able to chat with young people of her age but the school is not over and it is not so easy to find a way to exchange while others are busy. It persists and goes in the afternoon on sports grounds trying to understand the rules of lacrosse (play played by Natives before the arrival of Europeans) and baseball. It must be said that this sport is a real institution, we don't laugh at it! Sport at a good level is also a means of obtaining scholarships to enter prestigious universities.
The first turning point of the trip took place on Monday, May 20, when we had an appointment in Cape Cod with Evan Abramson (Landscape Interactions). We contacted him from France to arrange a meeting and he offered to attend a volunteer project. Evan is working on the renaturalization of spaces from ‘Native plants' (the equivalent of the local plant in France) to help safeguard endangered insects. This work was carried out in Mashpee at the Mashpee Wampanoag Government Center. It is the local government of Wampanoag tribes. The location of the development is a large storm basin. The morning objective was to prepare the ground for the fall planting season. Here too they have invasive plants to « fight » and the plant in question on this site is the Mugwort, also known as the Latin Artemisia vulgaris, Common Armoise in French. If in some cases the area has been changed to herbicides, in this particular case of proximity to a nature reserve, the technique of shading has been retained. Wise decision! The site was quite consistent and our presence was welcome.
After a time of exchange with Evan Abramson, we went to see the ocean. Facing the island of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard we were able to appreciate the sweetness of this seaside resort, very popular with the inhabitants of the region. We were lucky enough to find a public beach that provides access to the shore. Otherwise many spaces are private and close access. It's a bit of the coast of the region. Marthas Vineyard is an island where many celebrities have a holiday home. Barack Obama is one of them. In any case this little beach has allowed us to make beautiful bird observations. For connoisseurs, Balbuzard, (very easy to observe in fishing and on nests laid on poles, in the middle of parking lots), Arctic Tern, and other unidentified Laridae.
So life flows peacefully here. Other places and meetings have come to punctuate our days, and will be the subject of future articles. Just a little teasing: in the footsteps of Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of Central Park, Chicago Jackson Park...), with whom our place of residence has a connection, the flowering of « Dodwoods » and a very interesting community farm.
See you soon!
