Many mornings throughout the year you'll see these brave gardeners, lugging topsoil and plants and tools and hoses from nearby homes and businesses. They risk their lives in summer traffic to keep them watered and maintained.
I see many of these island gardens every day on the commute to work (and Orleans has a few nice ones, as well, once I cross the town line.).
They really make the drive a pleasant one and most of them provide some interest throughout the year, not just in the high season of summer, but planted and decorated for various holidays throughout the year.
I would like to think that during the height of the Chaotic Madness which is driving on the Cape in July and August, these islands just might provide some calming influence against the possibility of road rage.
Like any garden, these are subject to the same whims of rainfall and squirrels, but also take the occasional hit from traffic. I've seen a team of volunteer gardeners out there on more than one morning, raking out tire tracks and planting anew, after someone's ill-planned turn in the dark the night before.
The circuitous route I took through town on the way to work today allowed me to capture a few more of these gardens then I normally see on the way to work, but it also took me past the Windmill Green, where great fun was afoot...and a million cars were parked!
In researching this blog post, I came across this article which offers more of the group's background and history. I was surprised to read there are seventeen islands they maintain, as well as the gardens at Town Hall.
I will have to do some more driving around town and get you some pictures of the rest of those on another day!
EFFI is part of the Eastham Forum. To quote their website, the Forum is "an organization of concerned residents, and friends, who are dedicated to preserving and enhancing our quality of life in Eastham. Membership is open to all Eastham residents."
You can make donations to support EFFI's efforts to bring beauty to Eastham's roads and ways in the collection barrels you'll find around town, or by sending donations to the Forum, designated for the gardens.
(Here was an extra bonus on the last leg of the trip: a few more of the afternoon's car show participants making their way to the show. I like seeing these classic beauties up close and personal when they're parked, but for my money, nothing compares to seeing them out on the open road!)
Getting back on topic, though, I offer my sincere thanks to all the participant gardeners who tend the Eastham Forum Flower Islands. They really do make a difference!
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