The Outer Cape in winter may be chilly, sparsely populated, and a little bleak (all of which suits me just fine), but one of the pleasures of being here in the cold months is the shell-fishing. In winter, when our highly prized oysters are at their peak of flavor and plumpness, the Wellfleet oyster-beds are open to permit-holders every day of the week (it’s just Wednesday and Sunday in the summertime), and you pretty much have the place all to yourself.
I just got back from the Indian Neck flats, where in the pale January sun the air was mild and still, the bay calm and quiet save for the crying of the gulls, and the tide was low and bounteous. On the exposed harbor bottom lay happy, healthy Wellfleet oysters in multitudes beyond reckoning.
Here’s a snapshot (click the image to zoom in):
In forty minutes or so I had about four dozen in my pail. There’s a medicine for melancholy!