Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Cape Cod Clothesline

~The Cape Cod Clothesline.

~A fixture on Old Cape Cod. As common as the much adored outdoor shower. A Cape Cod clothes line has a particular style. It's, shall we say, rather crude. Usually two posts, each with a "T" formation on the top and two lengths of rope spanning from one end to the other. A 'must have' on the Cape where wet beach towels and swim suits are a constant. The routine consists of coming back from the beach, hopping into the outdoor shower, rinsing one's self and swim suit off and heading to the clothes line.

~Somehow, we inherit several beach towels here each year. No one owns up to possession which never ceases to amaze me. A good beach towel is not cheap! But we have quite a collection that are unclaimed. I just wash them and put them in the beach towel pile in the shed with the others.

~On occasion, the clothes line is used like any other clothes line. I love to dry our sheets outdoors and if I'm not in a hurry on the day I change the beds, the sheets get to blow in the breeze...love the sweet smell of cotton dried outdoors. I've also used our clothes line to feature aprons for our apronsgonewild.etsy.com online shop. Looks sort of old fashioned, don't you think?

~Hubby has a thing about drying clothes outside. He thinks it's silly when there is a perfectly good electric dryer ready and waiting. He also doesn't like the way it looks. Isn't that a hoot? There are soooooo many things that we disagree on mainly because I don't like the way something looks. But this one is his pet peeve. Odd. Go figure.


~Right now the clothes line is mainly bare. But soon, it will be loaded with towels and swim suits and running gear. We have several runners in the family and their clothes are dripping wet when they get back from a jog. They go right on the line for a bit until they can be brought in to wash.


~I don't think I could live without our clothes line. I love to air out the many quilts we have on all the beds. And it's the perfect place to hang something white that needs natural bleaching from the sun. It's a very serviceable object, indeed.

~So I say....happy air drying and happy summer!

~Oh...and while I'm at it, I couldn't miss the chance to show you the job I did on our slate path to the back shed. I actually cut out all the grass around the stones with a steak knife! It had grown so heavy that it was covering almost all of the steps. You could hardly see them. Now, there's a clear pathway.

~Be sure to check us out at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com



5 comments:

  1. What a perfect path! And of course I know the clothesline well! Mine has been missing since Hurricane Bob and I have yet to put one back up! Great to have you back on our shores!

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  2. I grew up by the shore and we always had something hanging on the clothes line. Brings back lots of memories!

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  3. wonderful post.
    some neighborhoods have cc and r's (codes, covenants and regulations) about no clothes lines. Translation, snotty neighborhood.
    Perhaps you can tell your husband that you are saving money by using the clothes line and being environmentally correct and going green:)
    Plus clothes last longer, because basically all the lint in the dryer is the (fibers of) the clothes, right?
    I love the roses by the clothes line as well. Pretty.
    Had an outdoor shower in Az and loved it!
    I just toss my swim suit to dry on the back of the patio chairs....I am thinking that maybe your post will be the jump start to put up a line and take my own advise.
    Line fresh smelling clothes are wonderful!
    Alex.

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  4. Alex...it's funny...In Florida, where we spend the winter months, there is a law that no condominiums or associations can ban clotheslines. It's called the Sunshine Law or something similar.

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  5. Beautiful job on the stones...I will try your trick with the steak knife. :-) I have been here at the Cabin for 25yrs with no clothes line...my hubby feels the way your DH does. Go Figure I love clothes hung out and its an energy saver for sure...maybe one day I'll get one. lol
    Hugs ~ Connie xox

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