A Perfect Way to Spend the Afternoon

With a panoramic view of Quissett Harbor and Racing Beach, the small park known locally as the Knob is definitely worth the journey. The Knob is truly unlike most places in Woods Hole – long wooded paths circle throughout 12 acres that eventually lead to this narrow peninsula where you find yourself surrounded by water and horizon.

After emerging through the winding paths, the Knob becomes visible.

Aspiring to preserve and let the public utilize the land, Cornelia Carey left the Knob to Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries in the early 1970’s. Ever since, the Knob has been a  treasured piece of Woods Hole that everyone can enjoy.

A perfect place for a picnic, swim, or day-dream, visitors hike up to the Knob for the calming walk and the amazing views.  Don’t miss the small beach here too — definitely not your typical Cape Cod beach, tucked away, serene and rarely crowded.

If you’re looking for a little more adventure, walk onto the beach and climb the rocks that cover the sides of the Knob.  This definitely takes a bit longer, but the experience close to the waterline is completely unique.

Nothing beats sitting on a rock on the tip of a spit of land looking out into the ocean – for me, the feeling of seclusion is unmatched.

Take Quissett Harbor Road to park at the head of Quisett Harbor and near the Quissett Yacht Club.  There are about 20 public parking spaces here and signs pointing to the start of the path.  There are two ways out, either one will get you to the Knob eventually, but the path to the left offers peek-a-boo views of Quissett Harbor as you hike out.  The Knob closes at sunset.

The view of Racing Beach from the Knob’s trail.

Red White and Blue

It’s safe to say that the Fourth of July Parade in Woods Hole is one of the most unique parades in America. The event is filled with water themed floats and everyone dresses up to reflect their love of Woods Hole’s marine life.

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) organizes the parade. Locals and researchers dress up in the quirkiest ways – posing as amoeba, lobsters, crustaceans, squid, etc.

Those wishing to get in on the action gather at 11:30 at the School Street parking lot to suit up in costumes. The parade starts at 12 o’clock along Water Street and lasts about 15 minutes.

The porch of the Woods Hole Inn is a great place to view the parade, and don’t miss the free lemonade and cookies.

What would Fourth of July be without seeing scientists dress up as amoebas? C’mon – you can’t miss this!

Fourth of July in Woods Hole perfectly reflects our love of science.

A Reviving Garden

Woods Hole or Grand Cayman?

On one of the hottest days of the summer, I sat down to interview Kevin Murphy – the owner of Shuckers. As the southwest breeze off the water flowed through the shady restaurant, pairing with the Caribbean music and brightly colored fresh squeezed cocktails on every table, I felt like I was in the Cayman Islands.

Murphy and his wife, Karen, opened Shuckers 30 years ago. “We try to create a fun, fast pace, casual, water front experience,” he said. With music and dockside seating, this spot achieves Murphy’s goal of  “an atmosphere much like the Caribbean but located here on the Cape.”

Murphy as he captains Shuckers’ floating barge.

Shuckers, nicknamed “home of affordable water-front dining,” is most famous for their lobster boil.  But that is just the beginning of Shuckers’ lobster menu – they serve lobster in nine different ways! The lobster values don’t end there either — Tuesday nights Shuckers has a twin lobster boil and Friday nights a triple lobster boil. Affordable lobster PLUS dock seating?  OK, now I’m drooling.

In addition, Shuckers has a well-reviewed raw bar, plus soups, sandwiches, and all the seafood you could eat.  “We serve the freshest catch to the dock,” said Murphy, who purchases Sippewissett and Waquoit oysters, as well as soft and hard shell clams, fish, and shellfish native to Cape Cod.

Most of Woods Hole’s restaurants have a great view of the water – Shuckers is the only one with seats on a floating barge, named “the Song of Eel Pond.” This distinctive vessel is usually attached to the dock but is also available for chartering and has been used for small weddings and other special occasions.

Shuckers’ floating barge – “The Song of Eel Pond.”

Local artists are featured every Friday and Saturday at Shuckers and during the rest of the week Shuckers has “a great music assortment made specifically for the restaurant,” says Murphy.

So why fly south when you can drive to Woods Hole and enjoy the laid-back Caribbean vibe right here on Cape Cod? Shuckers is seasonal – open from the week before Memorial Day to Columbus Day weekend.  Open weekdays (11am to 11pm) and Fridays and Saturdays (11am to midnight).

Shuckers’ outdoor dock seating overlooking Eel Pond.

Emperor Penguins in the News

Emperor penguin struts his stuff.

Woods Hole is the epicenter of global warming research, and the latest news this week strikes close to our hearts as local scientists announce research indicating emperor penguins now face shrinking habitats.

Stéphanie Jenouvrier and other biologists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recently studied a colony of emperor penguins at Terre Adélie in East Antarctica. The WHOI researchers wrote of their results in Global Change Biology and stated, “Overall, the ensemble of models predicts that population declines are far more likely than population increases. We conclude that climate change is a significant risk for the emperor penguin.”

The sea ice that rings the Antarctic is crucial for Emperor penguins survival. Due to global warming this ice is melting – leading to devastating effects for the penguins. Sea ice is not only important for penguins, but for many other living organisms within the food chain. In addition, melting sea ice also makes scientific research difficult.

While Arctic sea ice has declined, the West Antarctic Peninsula has warmed even more. In fact, one emperor penguin colony has completely vanished. The harmful decrease in sea ice is primarily due to global warming – making global warming all the more real and unsettling.

Researchers from WHOI, who observed the specific colony created a mathematical model that ultimately predicted the emperor penguin colony to decline from a present day 3,000 breeding pairs to a mere 575 breeding pairs by 2100. It’s hard to imagine that within 88 years an entire penguin colony could decline so significantly.

WHOI biologist, Stephanie Jenouvrier holds an Emperor penguin chick.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s work really hit close to home – thinking that these flightless birds will only decrease in population. We can only hope that our efforts against global warming will increase and mitigate the expected outcome – helping save not only the penguins but also their ecosystem.

Maybe one day Woods Hole will even see one of these adorable birds at the Woods Hole Aquarium?

Source: http://www.livescience.com/21063-emperor-penguin-decline-antarctica.html

The Taste of the World

With a front row seat of Eel Pond and the unique drawbridge that rises to let sailboats in and out of the protected inlet, it’s no wonder why Phusion Grille is always buzzing. It’s not just the killer real estate that keeps patrons coming back year after year – owner Carol Grigas credits inventive cooking and a great staff for keeping her customers so happy.

Grigas has worked with chef Stuart Hirsch for ten years, and together they have developed a unique menu combining the flavors of many cultures.  Hirsch, who trained with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and others, has worked in both Hawaii and Jamaica, and delights in creating a Hawaiian-Asian menu with a Jamaican twist.

Hirsch strives to use as many local ingredients that are available – as is evident by the fresh taste of his dishes. Grigas also maintains her own small garden outside of Phusion where she personally waters and picks fresh herbs. Her chocolate mint leaf mojitos are famous from Woods Hole to Waikiki.

Grigas waters her fresh herbs right outside of Phusion’s door.

Popular items on Phusion’s original menu are the mussels in a coconut-lemongrass-saffron broth, the Kahana black ribs grilled in a sweet and spicy passion fruit-plum sauce, and snapper with Jamaican rundown sauce.  But the biggest hit is Hirsch’s original “Phu-burger” — an eight-ounce American Kobe beef burger, tomato micro-greens, lemon grass caper aioli, six-ounces of mango pimento butter, topped with a lobster tail, and finally, a side of truffle fries.  Wolfgang himself would be wowed by this one.

Grigas is a true fan of reggae and spends her winters in Jamaica enveloped in the upbeat atmosphere. She beams as she points me to a Bob Marley painting and begins talking of Reggae Nights here at Phusion. Every Saturday at Phusion is Reggae Night, featuring Niko one Drop Roots Radical Connection from FM 89.3 WUMD.  Other musical guests include local artist Isel Garcia-Renart, who sings on Thursday nights.

With food from around the world, these snapshots will show you that Phusion is still rooted in the village of Woods Hole:

African Dance brings the Community Together

The Woods Hole Community Hall, an 1878 wooden building in the center of this historic fishing village, is an unlikely mecca for African dance. But professional African dancer, Tara Murphy loves teaching here because her enthusiastic students and great sense of community.

Murphy has a long history with Afro centric culture, starting with her own biracial heritage. She later earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in theater and religious studies at Yale, where she also delved into African dance.

Her great interest in African culture lead her to study traditional dance and drumming in Ghana, West Africa. Murphy’s studies did not stop there – she has worked with teachers in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City.

Throughout her career, Murphy has danced with many companies with whom she has performed with around the globe. However, upon moving to Cape Cod in 2002, Murphy created her own group, “Cape Cod African Dance and Drum,” after meeting professional “African rhythm” drummers.

Their group offers drumming and traditional West African (Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Haiti) dancing classes all over the Cape for all levels. Four classes remain in Woods Hole this summer — June 22^nd and 29^th and August 14^th and 21^st. You don’t want to miss them either – watching the class made me want to jump in and give it a try!

For Murphy, the “organic movements” of the dance emphasize the sense of community the dance brings as well as the dance’s ability to balance energies.

Murphy stated, “The ancient dance opens up the body and mind which really heals the individuals and the community… Because we now connect so verbally through the Internet, we miss the non-verbal interactions that are so needed. By dancing the community comes together and is able to connect in a non-verbal way.”

Murphy’s infectious smile reflects her absolute love of the dance and her students. As the class ended, everyone gathered around Murphy to thank her and give her a hug as they slowly filtered out. The spirit of the group was completely appropriate for a building named “Community Hall.”

For more information, check out their website: capecodafricandanceanddrum.com

Murphy’s after-class practice with a student.