Cape Cod in The Fall – A Celebration of Art and Food

Labor Day exits slowly stage left in a limping line of traffic that inches its way over the Cape Cod bridges and out onto “The Mainland”. In its stead sweeps the magical light of fall, glinting off the water and dunes, its long shadows reaching out to welcome you.  For those in the know, autumn is without question the best season to be out and about enjoying Cape Cod. Although the summer season may boast the hottest days, it is fall when the number of cars on the Cape has dwindled, the beaches have freed up, golf courses have emptied, the sun is still shining, and a whole slew of premier activities are put on across the Cape to treat the lucky visitors who vacation there this time of year. The focus of activities is on arts and food, which is not a bad combination by anyone’s reckoning, but is especially rewarding on Cape Cod where there is such a legacy and depth of artistic talent and which rightly boast some of the best seafood in the whole of North America.

Some art highlights of this fall include the Tennessee Williams Festival in P-Town from September 22nd to the 25th, the Harwich Junior Theater production of Hal David & Burt Bacharach’s classic “Promises, Promises” from October 14th to November 13th, the “Fall For Harwich” activities in Harwich and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce sponsored “Fall for The Arts” festival in October. “Fall for The Arts” will feature a range of activities on local artists, photographers, theaters, musicians, and historical sites across the Cape.

Outside of the arts, fall brings a feast of foodie delights. The season kicks off with Restaurant Week on Nantucket starting September 25th, followed by the “Taste Of Dennis” on October 13th. Next up is the Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival on October 14th and 15th. The traditional end of season culmination is the “Wellfleet Oyster Festival” on October 15th and 16th. The Wellfleet OysterFest is brought to you by SPAT (Shellfish Promotion and Tasting), a non-profit organization devoted to fostering a greater understanding of the town’s shell-fishing traditions. Proceeds support educational initiatives, including a scholarship program, which provides financial aid to people pursuing careers in shell-fishing or to those whose creative or educational contributions will increase awareness of Wellfleet’s shellfishery. The festival is in its 11th year and livens the town with food, music, art and fun! It provides a wonderful excuse, should one be needed, to indulge in some of the finest oysters on the planet; my mouth waters at the thought of the delicious sharp, briny taste rounded off with some Cape Cod or Mayflower beer!

Shucked Oysters. Photograph by Steve Heaslip of the Cape Cod Times

The annual Oyster Shuck-Off draws the biggest crowd of the event; amateurs compete for the fun of it, and some of Wellfleet’s hometown shuckers have been fast enough to compete nationally. To shuck an oyster, press it down with a towel on a hard work surface (the flat side of oyster should face up) and slip the tip of a knife in the hinge of the oyster. Turn your hand while pushing in with steady pressure until you feel a snap and then fully twist to allow you to slide the knife along the top of the shell, cutting the muscle. The top of the shell is now off and all that is left to do is cut the bottom muscle. Keep the oyster level at all times, so as not to lose any of the juice. Serve on cold ice and shuck away.

If you can’t make it the festival, I guess that’s a case of Oh Shucks!

This fantastic Cape Cod fall update was generously shared by Simon Hunton of the Platinum Pebble Inn in beautiful Harwich, MA. We are happy to report that as part of the “Fall for the Arts” festival, the inn is  offering a “Fall Under The Covers at The Platinum Pebble” special that includes a free night’s stay and a complimentary copy of Under Cape Cod Waters by Ethan Daniels.

Ethan Daniels featured on Yankee Magazine.com and WCAI’s The Point

Union Park Press is thrilled to announce that Ethan Daniels, author of Under Cape Cod Waters, is profiled on Yankee Magazine.com this month. Delving into the specifics of underwater photography techniques ranging from finding light in murky Cape Cod waters to getting shots of skittish underwater creatures, the feature acts as a primer for anyone interested in the art of photography. The interview, which includes audio elements as well as a slideshow of Ethan’s stunning photography, can be viewed by visiting Yankee Magazine’s website.

While touring Boston and Cape Cod this summer, Ethan Daniels also visited with Mindy Todd of The Point, a radio show on WCAI Cape and the Islands NPR station. Covering topics such as the Cape Cod’s natural history, the area’s unique marine ecology, and environmental change, the comprehensive interview is a must-listen for anyone who cares about Cape Cod. The entire The Point interview can be heard here.

Under Cape Cod Waters is available in regional bookstores and online–and for those on the Cape, as always, we encourage you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

The Great Sunday Morning Art Switch

A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help the amazing team from the Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Art (BU CDIA) set up the Ethan Daniels exhibit at Trident Bookstore’s café. The folks at Trident are serious about their art: with the goal of never having art-free walls, they have the artists come in at the wee hours of the morning and hang their prints.

Now, I am a responsible working adult. I regularly get up before the sun rises to head to the gym, get chores done, maybe do a bit of emailing or writing before I head off to work. But on a Sunday, it just seemed…. so wrong. When the alarm went off around 5:45 AM, I quietly dressed and I slipped out the front door, grumbling slightly. Ah, I thought to myself- the less glamorous side of the publishing industry.

But then, I realized something. I had the entire city to myself. As it turns out, there are very few people out and about at 6:00 AM on a Sunday morning in Boston.  As I walked toward Trident, I crossed over Boylston Street, which usually is quite busy with cars, pedestrians, tourists and shoppers. Not that morning- just the sun glinting off the tall buildings and a lone runner in the distance.  Newbury Street was also abandoned, and seemed like a magical street right out of a fairytale. The quiet storefronts and cafes would soon be bustling with servers and clerks and people from the neighborhood- but in those few moments, it was like the city was all mine, and I took it all in like I was seeing it for the first time.

When I finally snapped out of it, I joined the BU CDIA team. They were great that morning: chipper, despite the hour, and extremely efficient. We were ready to go when the first diners showed up at 8AM, and I stuck around awhile to see if people were taking in the new prints. Some seemed to notice, while others were pretty absorbed in their cups of coffee and their books, which I understood.

With just a few days left to see Ethan Daniels’s stunning photography from Under Cape Cod Waters at Trident Books, we encourage you to take a trip over there. Grab a cup of coffee (and maybe a piece of rich chocolate cake) and hang out in the café for a while. Soak in your surroundings, and submerge yourself in Daniels’ underwater photography – before the next crew comes in to do the great Sunday morning art switch!

Trident Booksellers & Cafe  is featuring prints from award-winning underwater photographer Ethan Daniels in their gallery this month (July 10-August 21). Daniels, a trained biologist, is the author and photographer of Under Cape Cod Waters, a stunning and unique portrait of the world beneath the Cape’s near-shore waters.

Quivet Neck Oysters

Jonathan Swift is quoted as having said, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster”, in which case we should be thankful for that bold man and any trip to Cape Cod should always include the consumption of one (or more) of these aesthetically challenged mollusks.

At one time oyster reefs stretched up the Eastern seaboard from Chesapeake Bay to Canada but over-fishing, pollution and development have wiped out most areas for wild oysters. A reef restoration experiment launched in 2009 by Mass Audubon and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aims to restore a section of oyster reef in Wellfleet (the famous Wellfleet wild oysters of today are actually farmed on grants in other parts of the bay). This is no mean task given the fast moving tides of Wellfleet but would be a great step to restoring an historic wild oyster bed.  For the successful growth of high-grade oysters you need a number of things to be present; cold waters to slow the oysters’ metabolisms that help give a sweeter taste; high salinity to give a sharper taste; fast-moving tides to increase the feeding of the beds; and clean water. These all naturally occur in Wellfleet and the local species of phytoplankton help to give the Wellfleet oysters their famous distinctive taste. Wellfleet oysters are world renown and are plump and clean with a distinctively good balance of creamy sweetness and brine. If you’re passing through Wellfleet, fresh local oysters can be found at most restaurants including The Wicked Oyster, Winslow’s Tavern, The Pearl and The Bookstore.

But the Wellfleet oyster is not the only Cape Cod oyster. There are Dennis, Eastham, Brewster and Orleans oysters. In fact there are those that say that the aquaculture oysters farmed in Quivet Neck, Dennis are in fact the tastiest on Cape Cod. In a blind-taste test held in Provincetown the Quivet Neck oyster was judged as the best tasting oyster on Cape Cod, a result that still does not sit well with the residents of Wellfleet! Aquaculture in Dennis was started in 1995 by Gerry Bojanowski and has grown into an area industry with 30 different oyster lots being farmed today. Juvenile oysters are sourced from approved North East hatcheries based in nearby Brewster or from Maine. The oysters are initially grown in bags and then as they grow they’re transplanted into cages of growing sizes. When they are around 3” in size they are ready for harvesting. Dennis has many of the same prevailing conditions as Wellfleet helping to make it a prime location for oyster aquaculture. The Quivet Neck oyster is only available at The Oyster Company restaurant, which is located close to the Dennisport/Harwich town line. The owner, Greg Burns, harvests the oysters at low tide 3 times a week and in the summer is selling @ 1000 oyster per day. The Quivet Neck oyster is less briny than Wellfleet but has a wonderfully sweet taste. If you do stop into the Oyster Company, I can recommend their signature dish, which is Sashimi Oyster (raw Quivet Neck oyster topped with tuna and wasabi aioli and scallions).

Cape Cod Oysters, Photography by Steve Heaslip for the Cape Cod Times

Whether you stick with the famous Wellfleet oyster or try the relatively recent Quivet Neck oyster, you will not be disappointed. Cape Cod is quite rightly recognized as one of the top oyster growing regions in the United States.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was contributed by Cape Cod resident Simon Hunton of the Platinum Pebble Inn, a boutique Bed & Breakfast in gorgeous Harwich, Massachusetts. Thank you, Simon!  You’re making us hungry…

Ethan Daniels & Under Cape Cod Waters on Cape Cod Community Access TV

Union Park Press is thrilled to announce that Ethan Daniels has been featured on Profile with Linda Sandhu (Cape Cod Community Access TV) to talk about his book Under Cape Cod Waters.

The interview delves into the making of the book, startling moments in Ethan’s Cape shoots, his childhood memories of the Cape, and the continual environmental change among other topics (timely with the 50th Anniversary of the National Seashore Act this month, as well as the recent coverage of Cape beach erosion).

Look out for the Profile interview–or watch it on the Cape Cod Community Media Center website here–throughout the month of August on Cape Cod’s Community Access TV station. Under Cape Cod Waters is available in regional bookstores and online–and for those on the Cape, as always, we encourage you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

Reader Review of Under Cape Cod Waters

Photograph by Ethan Daniels

As we gear up for an exciting week of author events with Ethan Daniels in Boston and on Cape Cod, we wanted to share a fantastic review of Under Cape Cod Waters. In our line of work, we are lucky enough to meet many talented writers, photographers, artists and feisty small business owners. One of those great connections was made recently with Kelly Knight, an artist who lives and works on Cape Cod, who wrote a beautiful review of Under Cape Cod Waters on her blog, Twill & Dot.

While reviews and coverage from big newspapers and journals are extremely important to a small publishing company like Union Park Press, we also care deeply about what all of YOU think of our books. After all, we create these books for the readers out there – those who want to discover more about the history, art, culture of Boston, Cape Cod and New England. That’s why we were particularly excited to read about how Kelly connected with Under Cape Cod Waters.

Here is an excerpt from Kelly’s post:

…While I’ve explored the Cape on land, my knowledge of it’s underwater habitat has not kept pace… until recently. Last week I picked up a copy of this book: Under Cape Cod Waters by Ethan Daniels. Daniels has a background in science and an artist’s eye for color and composition. He is an award-winning photographer who has traveled the world capturing images of life below the waves. Like myself, he is locked in a lifelong love affair with Cape Cod, but his fascination lies below the surface of Cape waters, in a world that many never have the opportunity to see. InUnder Cape Cod Waters, he has compiled a collection of images that show us some things familiar – a tangle of water lilies, swaying rockweed, blue crabs, starfish, painted turtles – but from new angles: up and through the water’s depths. He also captures images of sea life that few of us will ever observe first hand: a rare yellow sea raven; beds of orange seas anemones; finger sponges reaching towards the light; great colonies of algae, bivalves and invertebrates that have, over time, established themselves on the broken forms of forgotten shipwrecks. He shows us color – not just the deep green-blue-black of the water, not just the dull browns of sun-dried seaweed on the sand, but rich, unexpected tones: fuchsia, lime, silver, red, cobalt, orange…

We love the way Kelly describes the color present in Under Cape Cod Waters. Please visit her site and read the rest of the review. While you’re there, be sure to check out her gorgeous handwoven treasures. Thank you, Kelly!

Ethan Daniels will be speaking at the following venues:

Wednesday, July 27 at 6PM: Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Thursday, July 28 at 7:30PM: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street, Brewster, MA
Monday, August 1 at 7:30PM: Woods Hole Public Library, 581 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA

Meet the Author of Under Cape Cod Waters, Summer 2011

Ethan Daniels, photographer and author of Under Cape Cod Waters is here on the East Coast the next few weeks with a limited number of appearances…so come submerge yourself in the world beneath the Cape’s waterlines!

Wednesday, July 27 at 6PM: Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Thursday, July 28 at 7:30PM: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street, Brewster, MA
Monday, August 1 at 7:30PM: Woods Hole Public Library, 581 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA

Books will be available for retail at each event — at the BPL and Woods Hole Public Library by two of our favorite local indies, Trident Booksellers & Cafe and Eight Cousins Bookstore. And if you haven’t had a chance yet, be sure to stop by Trident Booksellers before August 21st to see Ethan Daniels’ Photography Exhibit.

Can’t make it to Ethan Daniels’ events? Not to worry! Under Cape Cod Waters is available in bookstores and online.

Under Cape Cod Waters Twitter Contest

Photo by Ethan Daniels, Under Cape Cod Waters

The dog days of summer are here. Luckily for you, Trident Booksellers & Café offers a cool respite from the hot city streets. With a great collection of books, magazines and an always-tempting café, Trident is the perfect place to spend those warm summer days. For those who would rather be on Cape Cod than in the city, Trident is featuring prints from award-winning underwater photographer Ethan Daniels in their gallery this month (July 10-August 21). Daniels, a trained biologist, is the author and photographer of Under Cape Cod Waters, a stunning and unique portrait of the world beneath the Cape’s near-shore waters.

In honor of Ethan Daniels’ exhibit, we decided to put a slight twist on our twitter contest. In order to enter, we want you to test your own photography skills and snap a photo of your favorite Daniels print.

Here’s how to enter:  simply follow @unionparkpress on Twitter and tweet us a photograph of your favorite Ethan Daniels print from the gallery at Trident Booksellers & Café. Please include @unionparkpress in your tweet.

You will be automatically entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Trident Booksellers & Café. The contest will end on Sunday, July 17, and the winner will be announced via twitter on Monday, July 18^th.

Interested in learning more? Consider joining us on July 27^th at the Boston Public Library for an Ethan Daniels book talk and signing. The event, which will feature his stunning photography, will be sure to transport you to the cool waters of Cape Cod – without the bridge traffic!

Under Cape Cod Waters in Cape Cod Times

Union Park Press is pleased to announce that Under Cape Cod Waters by Ethan Daniels was featured in the Cape Cod Times’ Sunday Edition on June 26, 2011.

Cape Cod Times Books Editor Melanie Lauwers writes:

Ethan Daniels shows us in beautiful color photographs that showcase the variety of plants and aquatic life in our streams, rivers, ponds, bays and seas, plus the relationship between the aquatic world and land. This is a coffee-table-sized book that will be picked up again and again, as it reminds us that what we easily see of Cape Cod is so much less than what it really is.

Take a closer look for yourself: Meet Ethan Daniels at his author events this summer at the Boston Public Library, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, and the Woods Hole Public Library; plus, Under Cape Cod Waters is available in regional bookstores and online.

Congrats, Ethan, on a great review!

Ethan Daniels, Photographer of the Month at Cameras Inc.

With temperatures getting into the 90s later this week, it’s safe to say that we will actually see a real summer this year. What better way to cool down than to submerge yourself in some unique underwater photography from Ethan Daniels?

Scrolling through those stunning photographs is easier than ever, as Ethan Daniels, author and photographer of Under Cape Cod Waters, has been chosen as the Cameras Inc. Photographer of the Month. The local camera shop will prominently feature his stunning sub-surface shots throughout June on their website—and Under Cape Cod Waters will be available in both their Somerville and Arlington stores.

If you love what you see, consider ordering custom prints from Cameras, Inc. this month. As part of Photographer of the Month program, Cameras, Inc.:

• is donating 80% of sales of prints to the charity of Ethan’s choice, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, where he spoke last summer. PCCS is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to preserving coastal and marine ecosystems and promoting responsible stewardship of our oceans.
• is generously offering a 20% discount on framing for those who order Ethan’s prints from their website’s store.

Want to meet Ethan and learn more about his work in person? While he has most recently been spending his time underwater in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, he’ll be a bit closer to home this summer, giving talks at:

Boston Public Library on July 27 at 6pm
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History on July 28 at 7:30pm
Woods Hole Public Library on August 1 at 7:30pm

Hope to see you there!