President’s Message

Hope you are all doing really well and spending every opportunity tak-ing advantage of the beautiful fall days. Colors are beginning to turn here on the Cape, cranberries being harvested, apples and pumpkins being picked, and colorful mums are showing up everywhere! SNN will continue in-person outdoor groups (Men’s Breakfast, Book Club, kayaking, etc.) as long as weather allows, and add virtual Game Nights and special events throughout the next few months.

The SNN community is connected in many ways and I find it so positive that during this ongoing pandemic, groups are reaching out to each other building and extend-ing friendships. Recently we lost Supreme Court Justice and strong women’s advo-cate, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who, when once asked how she wanted to be remem-bered, replied, “to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability I have, because I’ve gotten more satisfaction for the things I’ve done for which I was not paid.”1 SNN members all do this in our own way, through our own personal com-mitments, charitable giving and above all, volunteerism, a theme you’ll read about in this month’s member profile.

For now, just enjoy life as we take it, one month at a time! See you all soon but feel free to reach out at any time, even just to say “Hi”.

Jean

1 MSNBC interview

October 2020

Sandwich Newcomers & Neighbors Newsletter

2

Member Profile—Nora Cannon

The Birth of an Artist by Jeannie Dodson-Edgars

Married in Chicago, Douglas (photographer) and Nora Cannon migrated

to Massachusetts. Nora Cannon began a business career that hinted her

future path. “I took any job I could find, sometimes working more than

one,” Nora recalls. With a certificate in Merchandising, she worked as a

window display designer, merchandising, Saks fragrance buyer, and ad-

vertising agency office manager. The ’89 recession found Nora unem-

ployed. Nora had a chance to ask, “What do I really want to do?”

Her self-examination led her to conclude, “I want to teach art as an artist.” Nora attended the Mas-

sachusetts College of Art and design. She pieced together three jobs and went to school. “My eyes

were on the prize,” Nora reminiscences. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, the school

districts were laying off art teachers. Then schools added the requirement of a Master’s Degree to

teach.

With little prospect of teaching art, Nora applied to graduate school. Again, through resilience and

resourcefulness, she and Douglas did what was needed. They moved to lower cost Boston neighbor-

hoods before they became “hot”, including Jamaica Plain, where the Woolworths was still viable and

Haymarket Square with a weekly food budget of $11.

Upon receiving her Master pf Arts in Education from Tufts University and studio consideration from

the Museum School of Fine Arts and armed with her teaching certificate, Nora looked again at a

bleak job market. Again she pieced together an assortment of employment opportunities. Using her

MFA thesis “Art: The creative language of children of Reggio Emilia Italy” (written after her studies in

Italy with the teachers of the region), she started working with Daycare Centers in the Boston area.

She applied what she learned in Italy with American daycare centers modeling that children ages 4-6

had the ability to express higher level thinking through art before they could write. Working at Bright

Horizons Centers located at Boston medical Hospitals she gave workshops to parents and teachers

on ways to integrate art at early ages. “Art is about sensory excitement, not drawing in the lines,”

Nora emphasizes. She shared her passion of the expressive languages of art as a consultant at Head

Start in Dorchester where she used creative projects to show the thought process of children with

low language skills. She offered workshops to parents on ways to create toys from recycled materi-

als. Continued next page

3

Member Profile—Nora Cannon

The Birth of an Artist (continued)

Finally, the boom and bust times were somewhat over. She found work in Waltham as a public

school art teacher at three elementary schools. Then the dream job graced her steps. Nora began

working in the Georgetown, MA school district. Nora and Douglas lived within walking distance of

her work in an antique 1849 house with lots of projects. Nora became immersed in the community

as the Head of the district’s Art Department and a member of the Cultural Council.

Meanwhile… Nora and Douglas spent weekends and some summers on the Cape in their Truro

cottage. In 2018 Nora retired and she and Douglas moved to Sandwich into a newer home with an

art studio. They were ready to focus on their own art. Today she explores painting and continues to

immerse herself into the community. She became a Master Gardener and helps an elder Master

Gardener maintain his garden and volunteers as a mentor for Sandwich High School art students.

The next chapter combines her passion for out of doors and desire to improve our relationship with

nature. She is becoming certified as a mindfulness outdoor guide. She wants to volunteer her abili-

ties to guide walks for organizations such as the MA Audubon, Trustees of Reservations, and Sand-

wich Newcomer and Neighbors.

“I am excited about life and love to learn. Weathering the multiple economic downturns, I did what I

had to do. Each job built skills that paved the way for the next step.”

Learn and see more at: www.cannonfinearts.com and recent paintings are on display at Sandwich Arts Alliance

Dream - Mix Media Collage Cape Cod Harbor Seal

4

September 2020 In Review

Walking/Hiking Group

Couple trips out around town for this energetic group. They hiked at the Boyden Farm Conservation Area near the intersection of Quaker Meeting House Road and Cotuit Road. And it looks like there’s more to this story to be told from the rocking chair.

Another outing took the group to the East Sandwich Game Farm...it was a beautiful day to be out near the Scorton Creek bridge.

Bike Rides

Here’s the biking group enjoying lunch at Cobie’s after riding the

CC rail trail from Nickerson State Park. We are trying to stay social-

ly distant while enjoying our clams etc. David Darling is not in the

picture as he practiced his social distancing skills by leaving early.

Our annual ride on the Vineyard was a sunny and warm day,

perfect for our ride from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown. The bike trail

follows along the shore through town and then to Edgartown.

Many stores and restaurant were closed but our favorite, the

Seafood Shanty, was open and as good as ever!

L to R—Ron Murphy, Joe Fattori, Barbara

Gaughan , Patty Williams, Beth & Ed Houlihan

Annie Adler

5

September 2020 In Review—Paddling Pals

Fearing the end of a great kayaking summer, SNN kayakers ventured

out on Saturday, September 5 for yet an-

other adventure. This time we left from

Crocker Neck Rd. in Cotuit to explore

fresh and brackish waters of Simon Nar-

rows, Shoestring Bay and under the

School Street bridge into the Santuit River. After navigating the

challenge of high tide and therefore a lower bridge, we were re-

warded with a serene river, lush with unspoiled marsh grass, hovering ospreys and great blue her-

ons in flight and watching us while perched gracefully in trees. All seven paddlers agreed that it

was the perfect trip!

Loyal and adventurous paddlers headed for Waquoit Bay and Great River Landing on September

12 for a morning paddle through the bay and into the Moonakis River. Considering the early

morning launch of 9:00 am, five kayakers were surprised by the warming sun and gentle waters,

finding they didn't need the multiple layers of warmth. The reward was a paddle through the

many boats in the bay (post Labor Day) , sightings of many shorebirds and even a swan. Oh yes,

there was another bridge! A great day for trip #9. Wouldn't it be nice to get to 10!

Not willing to give in to the end of summer and thoroughly taking advantage of the warm weath-er, seven kayakers enjoyed a paddle up the Herring River in Yarmouth. The Herring River is tidal

and we had fun rounding many curves against a tide that was go-ing out. It did give us an opportunity to observe armies of fiddler crabs along the shores as well as many birds.

Ed and Jean scan maps...not lost, just checking!

6

September 2020 In Review

Book Club

The group met

at Lesley Zicko’s

discussing Here

Lies America:

Buried Se-

crets by Jason

Cochrane.

Men’s Breakfast

The twice monthly gatherings continued in September with Ed Houlihan hosting in his beautiful backyard. There were plans in place, in case it was too cool or raining to move to Jack Sample’s barn. So far Mother Nature has been cooperating nicely.

Jack, the Houlihan’s friendly dog looking for

attention and probably an Egg McMuffin from

George Zantuhos.

Pickle Ball: ‘Rallies’ are Underway

Our new pickleball group is off to a great start. We had 15 enthu-

siastic members sign up and have had two clinics with our instruc-

tor. And in between some are signing up for court time to prac-

tice. If you want to sign up on Sandwich's new courts, call: Grace

Chamberlin at the REC Dept. at 508-888-4361 ext. 12. You can

also try the town's website though some of us have run into problems. There will be more

classes for those who wish and if you are interested and want to join, call or text Annie Adler

at 774-810-0255 or email at adleanni@gmail.com.

7

September 2020 In Review

Blue Stream Aquaculture

On September 8th, 15 SNN members met at Blue Stream

Aquaculture in West Barnstable for a tour of this local fish

farm.

The owner and tour guide was Keith Wilda who has been in

the fish farming business for 30 years. Keith’s West Barnsta-

ble farm is the oldest, continuously operated farm on Cape

Cod.

There are several natural spring-fed ponds on the prop-

erty in addition to naturally constructed sluiceways

where the trout and bass are fed and nurtured until it’s

time to either be sent to stock New England lakes and

ponds or to be served in the finest restaurants. Keith

was enthusiastic as he explained the process from

spawning on-site, to feeding, to finally large enough to leave the farm.

Blue Stream has recently constructed solar panels to serve all of their power needs as well

as a greenhouse to grow fruits and vegetables using an

aquaponics system.

It was a fascinating 1.5 hours and we all learned so much!

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Upcoming October Member Activities

WINE SOCIAL . Due to the chilly and windy weather approaching the Cape this weekend, we have decided to reschedule the Wine So-cial to Saturday, October 3. Catherine and Tom Morrison will be the hosts....attendance will be limited to 20 guests. Please RSVP to Catherine or Tom at twobayberry@aol.com. Since days are getting shorter, we will start at 4 pm.

BOOK CLUB

The group’s book for October

is Say Nothing: A True Story

of Murder and Memory in

Northern Ireland by Patrick R.

Keefe. We will meet October

13, 1:00 PM at the home of

Catherine Morrison. Please let Catherine know

if you are coming.

Please submit your payment of

$25.per person (made out to

Sandwich Newcomers) to:

Annie Adler

7 Inkberry Circle

Sandwich, MA 02563

Sold Out! WE CAME,

WE SAW, WE CONCORD!

Looking forward to hearing

about what we hope will be a

beautiful fall day in historic

Concord and Lexington for

those making the trip. Marie

Luck will send info to those signed up.

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Member Activities

Save The Date

Virtual French Cooking Class with Our Own Kitty Ott

Friday, November 20 at 3:00 pm

This will be a virtual hands-on cooking class with our own French-trained chef. You can reserve a

spot by emailing Kitty Ott, by November 11th, at kittyott@hotmail.com. Kitty will send pre-class

material, including the necessary cooking utensils and ingredients, to registrants so that they can

fully enjoy this special cooking experience.

Wine Socials Calling ALL members! Cooler temperatures are here.....so we are looking for members with a fire pit in their backyard who would be willing to host a "socially distanced" outdoor Wine Social. Please contact Candice Murphy at murphyrc6@comcast.net or 925-389-7233 if you would like to host.

Walking/Hiking Group: Get outdoors and walk the

trails of Sandwich and neighboring towns. All levels of walkers welcome! We usually meet at 9:30 am a few times per month, weather permitting. Emails are sent out to inform members of the date, time, and location of the next hike. Coordinator: Candice Murphy, contact Candice at murphyrc6@comcast.net

Hoxie Pond Viewing Time out to enjoy the scenery!

10

Around Town

Cranberry Harvest—between social media

and meeting by chance, a number of the Sandwich

Newcomers and Neighbors learned about and

stopped by to see the harvesting operations going

on in East Sandwich. Annie Adler reports these cran-

berries were destined for Ocean Spray and will turn

up on the supermarket shelves as Craisans. Carol

Darling reminisced, “My dad and his brother owned

bogs in East

Sandwich, along

what is now

Cranberry

Trail. Back then

they picked by

hand with big

wooden scoops.”

Candidate Forum

Cape Cod Young Professionals, Inc.

(CCYP), in collaboration with

the League of Women Voters of the

Cape Cod Area (LWVCCA) and the Cape

Cod Community Media Center

(CCCMC), will co-present a series of vir-

tual Candidate Forums for the local

State Representative and Barnstable

County Commissioner races.

The first forum will take place

on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. for the

contested State Representative races

including the 5th Barnstable Dis-

trict (James Dever (D) / Steven Xiarhos

(R)).

The forums will be accessible through a

number of options, from Zoom to pub-

lic television. Please consult the details

as viewers can submit questions ahead

of time if they so choose. Get all the

details here: http://

mebers.capecodyoungprofessionals.org

/events/details/vote-2020-state-

representative-local-candidate-forum-

13899

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October 2020 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 - 4pm

Wine Social

4 5 6 7 8 Concord -

Lexington Trip

9 10

11 12 13 — 1pm

Book Club

14 Men’s

Breakfast

15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 Men’s

Breakfast

29 30 31

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ACTIVITIES The Women’s Daytime Book Club meets 2nd Tuesday of each month at 1:00PM.

New members are welcome. Coordinator is Patty Williams, (mpatty3@comcast.net)

Biking: Riding the pathways and the rail trails of the Cape, lunch at a local favorite.

Patty Williams, Coordinator, (mpatty3@comcast.net)

Men’s Poker Group meets first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7:00 PM . Coor-

dinators are Paul Pronovost (paulernest@comcast.net) and Henry Jablecki

(hljablecki@comcast.net)

Girl’s Night Out: Ladies go to early movie, and then supper at local restaurant. Contact Kitty Ott,

(kittyott@hotmail.com)

Special Events (maybe with lunch or dinner): Contact Kit Sullivan/Rosi Holcombe

with any of your ideas. (kit.g.sullivan@gmail.com/sparkyhol@gmail.com )

Kayak Caucus: Sliding Quietly through the Cape’s bays, ponds, marshes and rivers. All

levels of Kayaking welcome. Please email Coordinator Ed Houlihan at

(ebhouli@gmail.com) to confirm you want to be included on the Kayak Caucus list.

Please include your email address and the phone number where you can be

reached on the day of the scheduled kayak trips.

Walking/Hiking Group: Discover new walking trails in the streets and backroads of Sandwich.

All levels of walkers welcome! We have explored areas in and around Sandwich Members

who show up are encouraged to plan the next excursion. We generally have been walking at

9:30 am on Fridays, weather permitting. Emails to all members with planned routes are sent out

weekly. Step away from that boring treadmill and enjoy the fun of socializing while exercising! Co-

ordinator Candice Murphy, contact Candice at murphyrc6@comcast.net

Guy’s Get Together: Guys meet for coffee-breakfast and discussion of issues, large and small. 2nd

and 4th Wednesday every month at the Marshland Too . Coordinator TBD

Patty Williams

Rosi Holcombe

Candice Murphy

Ed Houlihan

Kit Sullivan

Henry Jablecki

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Board of Directors—Contact Info

President, Jean Dorcus - jeandorcus2@gmail.com

Vice President, Lee Burns - leeburns110@gmail.com

Secretary, Jeannie Dodson-Edgars - jdedgars711@gmail.com

Treasurer, Annie Adler - adleanni@gmail.com

Membership, Marsha Beaudoin - marsha.beaudoin58@gmail.com

Newsletter, Ed Collupy - edcollupy@yahoo.com

Publicity, Leslie Zicko - lazicko@comcast.net

Special Events, Rosi Holcombe & Kit Sullivan - kit.g.sullivan@gmail.com & sparkyhol@gmail.com

Wine Socials, Candice Murphy - murphyrc6@comcast.net

Photos Credits

Thanks to Annie & Prentice Adler, Ed Collupy, Jean Dorcus, Candice Murphy for their photography in this

month’s newsletter.

You too can be a contributor to our Monthly Newsletter! Send along pictures of group activities and help make a SNN event come alive.

Send your entry to edcollupy@yahoo.com by the 20th of each month.