Before The Beginning in Cape Cod

And so the day arrived, the 15th July. Not that it hadn’t been expected given that the
previous day had been the 14th but still, for Annabelle and I it was to be the day that
we embarked on “something completely different”, an exciting new voyage.

A lot was happening on July 15th; in Canada crazy Canucks were hopping out of
bed ready to celebrate National Bunny Week (I’m assured this was a tribute to the
pesky rabbit and not Hugh Heffner’s house-guests), in Poland re-enactments were
staged for the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald and here in Harwich,
Massachusetts, Annabelle and I took ownership of a wonderful Cape Cod Bed and
Breakfast – The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn.

So, let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start (people of a
certain age may have to resist the urge here to burst into their best Julie Andrews
impersonation!), by using this first blog to introduce Annabelle, myself (Simon) and
The Platinum Pebble.

Behind every man stands a woman rolling her eyes and in my case that’s my
adorable wife, Annabelle. Born in London she studied in the UK before working in
Italy, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and the US, where she spent many years
as a Mary Kay Cosmetics Director leading a formidable team up in Buffalo, New
York. She speaks fluent Italian, French and some Dutch and German and is the
most social, warm-hearted and generous person I know (she also has a gorgeous,
contagious smile that would make me rich if I could find a way to bottle it!). Her
love of cooking and interior design and her flair for both will shine through in our
renovated boutique inn.
As for myself I was born in Liverpool, which was lucky as that was where my mother
was at the time. I too am well travelled, and a little crumpled, having worked
in various management roles in the US, Germany, China and The Netherlands
for a business supplying equipment for the manufacture of injectable drugs, the
prescribed rather than proscribed variety I hasten to add! I grew up near the sea in
Liverpool and am thrilled to find myself back living less than a mile from the ocean.
I love the outdoors and am looking forward to exploring the bike Rail Trail and the
national seashore of Cape Cod.
The historic building, a sea-captain’s house, that houses our luxury Cape Cod Bed
and Breakfast has been in continuous operation as an Inn since 1949 but the
name “The Platinum Pebble” is a mere youngster. It was born as the name to
grace our new lodging last May when my wife and I were relaxing aboard the SS
Rotterdam, a boutique hotel and restaurant on a wonderful old Atlantic liner in
Rotterdam, enjoying a glass (or three) of wine and reviewing a list of possible names
provided by friends and family. An interesting list to say the least that ranged
from “Ocean’s Grace” and “The Harwich” to “The Sailor’s Knot Inn”, “The Prince
Charm Inn” and “Get The Beers Inn”. We toyed for a while with naming it after my
God-daughter, “The Amelia Grace”, but then became concerned that she might see
this as giving her an implied ownership stake in the business! In the end Platinum
Pebble won out. Something felt strangely right that we had picked the name some
3,450 miles from its final destination on-board a ship that took passengers from
Europe to the US on the same journey on which we were about to embark. There
was also a symmetry that we, like the Pilgrim Fathers, were English, living in The
Netherlands and about to “set sail” for Cape Cod. That it should be said is as far as
the analogy goes, as I’ve no intention of wearing a large black hat and short
trousers. Whether it was the wine or the location, we knew that Platinum Pebble
captured and communicated the essence of what our boutique inn would be
providing. “Platinum” emphasized the superior quality, high level of service, attention

to detail that we want to achieve with the B&B and also conjured up a certain
magical quality, and “Pebble” underlined the inn’s closeness to the sea-shore and
evoked the ocean, something that is so entwined and integral to the history and
culture of Cape Cod, while also portraying the more urban, zen-inspired design that
we’ll incorporate.

So that’s us and the beginning. More on the inn and the wonders of Cape Cod will
follow and I hope it’ll prove to be of interest.
Also, if you’re interested in following the renovation work on the inn, please sign-up
for the mailing list.

Wishing you safe travels,
Simon