Jeff & Nancy's Large Party Logistics

Parking

• Feel free ignore the No Parking signs along Chamberlin Circle. The parking restriction is selectively enforced--in practice, the only way a car would be towed is if none of the neighborhood residents knew who it belonged to.
• If you park so that you're blocking someone else's car, please put your name on a piece of paper under one of your windshield wipers. That way, guests can find out easily who they need to ask to move their car.

Signs

In order for us to be able to maximize our enjoyment of our own parties and minimize the amount of time we have to spend answering questions, we will have signs posted all over the house. Please read them.

Potluck Contributions

• Please label any food you bring with your name and a list of ingredients, so guests with dietary restrictions will know what's in it and who to talk to for more information.
• If you bring something that should be warmed or cooked before it is served, you are welcome to use our stove/oven/microwave. Please coordinate with Nancy.
• We often segregate food according to course (e.g., appetizer, entrée, dessert), ingredients (e.g., vegetarian, non-vegetarian), and/or preparation needed (e.g., ready-to-eat, needs to be warmed, needs to be cut up/arranged on a plate). There will be signs pointing out the appropriate location for your contribution.
• Please don't hide used paper/plastic cups and plates that you intend to use again. Instead, please write your name on them and leave them someplace where we'll find them when we're cleaning up afterwards. (If we haven't put markers out for this purpose, feel free to remind us.)

About the House and the Neighborhood

• Our house is child-friendly, but no house is ever truly childproof. Parents should make sure someone is watching their children at all times.
• Toys and young children may appear under your feet without warning. Please be watchful and careful.
• Our neighbors are very nice people. Please be nice to them, and don't do anything that might disturb them or freak them out.

Pets

We have a calico (female) cat named Countess (because she is very insistent about what she wants). She is skittish and timid around people she doesn't know, but she is also quite friendly. If she comes up to you, she will happily let you pet her, but please do not pick her up.

She is an indoor cat. She hasn't tried to run escape, but please help us make sure she stays inside. Also, she is possessive of her territory (the house). If you bring pets of your own, please keep them outside. Note also that Nahant has a leash law, so if you bring your dog, it needs to be on a leash at all times.

Note also that Nahant town laws require that dogs be leashed at all times (except on "Doggie Beach"), and that dog owners clean up after their dogs. If you bring your dog(s), please plan accordingly.

Public Beaches

• The beach that's closest to our house is called "Short Beach", which is a public beach owned by the town of Nahant. Watch for "quickseaweed" (kind of like shin-deep quicksand) on the section of beach closest to our house. The sulfur smell is from Pilayella littoralis (Linnaeus) Kjellman, a species of brown, sulfur-containing seaweed that is prevalent on the beaches in the area.
• "Long Beach" is the beach that runs the length of the causeway. It's a public beach owned and maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation (formerly the Metropolitan District Commission).
• "Black Rock Beach," (also known as "Doggie beach") is the public beach on the other side of Nahant Road (the main road) from our house (the beach that faces Boston). It's the one place in town where dogs are allowed to run free (as long as they stay away from the private beaches further down Nahant Road). It's also the only beach where dogs are permitted during the summer. (Dogs aren't allowed on other town beaches from May 1 through November 30.) Despite the "pooper scooper" law, you should watch out for canine "land mines", especially on "Doggie Beach".
• The water is nice for swimming during mid-to-late summer (June/July through September. Most people find it too cold the rest of the year, and it has been known to freeze over during extreme cold spells in winter.
• Tide Predictions and water quality data are also available.

House Rules & Requests

• No contraband substances.
• No smoking inside the house, on the porch, or in the garage. If you smoke outside, please try to stay downwind of nonsmokers, and be sure to pick up your cigarette butts and any other smoking acoutrements. This is especially true if you are smoking weed, because none of us like the smell.
• We have crash space. If you're not in any condition to drive, please don't.