Lis Sur Mer - Artist Cottages on Cape Cod

"A View From My Window," 2009

2009-09-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

I spend one glorious week at Lis Sur Mer every year to labor away on my artwork far from the distractions of the city. My stay obviously offers me time dedicated to work, but there is also a magical quality to this property (as many previous visitors have commented on). Sitting by the bay at the Beach Cottage always makes me think, and watching the sunsets that seem to drop off the edge of the earth is transformational.

I started a new video series at Lis Sur Mer this year focused on the light pouring through the windows facing the ocean in the Beach Cottage. These works will look very familiar to people, perhaps in a subconscious way because we experience sunlight through windows very often in our lives (and this work will look especially familiar to anyone who knows the Beach Cottage well.)

The first work in this series "A View From My Window" Truro, MA" was completed at Lis Sur Mer, and it was exhibited in New York City in September, 2009.

A Little Lis Sur Mer History

2008-07-30T07:10:00.001-07:00

It was 1966 and I was a college student hell bent on making a career in the music business. I had just begun managing my first band on the side. A very worldly college mate who had paid his tuition by spending four years in the Merchant Marine told me of a place called Provincetown on Cape Cod with a lively summer tourist season most likely ripe with opportunities for live bands. I had heard of Cape Cod but never been there and I headed off in March of that year with him to see if we could find a place to book this first band of mine “Orphans” for the summer. Provincetown in 1966 was an eye opener. Everything “liberal” in our country at the time, if not born there, was celebrated in every nook and cranny of the picturesque fishing village, where behind it’s provincial facade lurked a lawless coastal smugglers den/art colony. Provincetown was Fellini’s Wild West at the beach and I fell madly in love.

The band and I spent that summer in Provincetown. They played the back room of the Atlantic House which was famous for: having presented the likes of Billie Holiday as well as housing and hosting Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams in their prime. The “ A House” also sported the first (I had ever seen) all gay bar where everyone looked like Troy Donahue, tan blonde men in white sweatshirts. (There is a great Atlantic House history at Wikipedia.) It was an eye opener to a small town CT. boy attending an all men’s business school.

That summer changed my life. I was determined to spend it in the pursuit of great music/art, individualism, and liberal leanings and most relevant to this blog made a lifelong commitment to this amazing discovery of mine: the lower cape.
After that first summer I began renting funky summer places in Truro and visiting P town as often as I could, electing to keep the option of P- Town close at hand but to nurture my still small voice in the isolation of the pristine beauty of the Truro dunes. These summer sabbaticals to cottages created in the image of the Provincetown Dune shacks provided avenue to my more important internal life and became an important factor in my ability to keep my bearings at a time and life fraught with insanity. I returned to Truro every year from that first summer and eventually found the collection of shacks that became Lis Sur Mer in the early 80’s. I rescued them from the wave of gentrification that rolled in shortly thereafter.

From that fateful 1966 discovery until the 80’s I was on an international rollercoaster ride and was fortunate to spend time running around the world pursuing the business of music on an international platform. Through all this traveling I had the good fortune to taste the cultures of many many lands. I always came back to Truro to keep my wits. As I began to develop the Lis Sur Mer property it was always with the idea that I wanted to capture the true original experience I had as a starry eyed college kid discovering the funky, cozy, crazy, mind expanding days of old Cape Cod that first summer. The desire was to develop an escape from the mania of the rest of my existence. Having a place where I could feel I was an instant recluse became more and more important to me. I yearned for the serenity, simplicity and cosmic connection, to nature, the ocean and the infinite universes. Each year I would spend as much time as I could afford staring out at the ocean and checking my self. These visits gave me understanding and sent me back into the world blessed with insight, meaning and a grounded perspective of “what really matters”
As my friend Forest Church would reflect:

Do what you can.
Want what you have.
Be who you are.

Lis Sur Mer became in time the perfect antidote for the world of commerce back in New York. Its character took on little bits of the various cultures I had learned to appreciate in the one world we all inhabit. It became apparent that LSM has a resonance that often affects other people the way it does me. Friends and family became as addicted to the experience as I am. I enjoy the fact that I have found a chord that often strikes the personal deep seeded desire for simplicity is so many. So when the kids had grown and my family scattered I made LSM available to those of you that understood. I placed guest books in the cottages and found that I look forward to reading about personal stories from visitors I hadn’t met but with whom I share the experience of LSM. Couples would propose, spouses would grieve the loss of a mate, children would take their first swim and this shared experience all became so gratifying to me that I wanted to share these personal stories and reflections with more of the people who had been there. To that end I decided to start this blog and to ask those so inspired to write about their time at Lis Sur Mer sharing their primal reaction to the place. I hope that many of the visitors that share their intimate vacation stories in the guest book will also take up the challenge and offer their ruminations here to inspire the converted, and yet to be, by reporting about their own inspirations born from the sanctity, simplicity and solace of this most beautiful part of the world.

Thank You.

Two Foodies from Brooklyn at Lis Sur Mer

2008-07-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone who visits Cape Cod, and especially those who have stayed at Lis Sur Mer, knows all about the picturesque beaches the peaceful landscape. There are some people in the world, however, that need something beyond beauty to enjoy themselves: foodies. At Lis Sur Mer, foodies will have no problem satisfying their insatiable appetites for fine cuisine.

Truro center is home to Mac’s Seafood which provides extremely fresh sea food at incredible prices. We bought enough mussels for dinner for only $2.76 (less than a gallon of gas), and they were amazing. They also sell lobster, soft shell crabs, all sorts of really fresh and smoked fish.

For other top quality ingredients that you might have forgot on your way to Lis Sur Mer, there is a great gourmet shop in Provincetown called Angel Foods. They have great fresh baked bread (get there early) and other specialty items to add a little something extra to your meals.

During good weather, eating on the front deck of the Beach Cottage is the way to go. We enjoyed a fabulous organic chicken that we roasted while sipping Sancerre and soaking in the perfect sunset. If it’s a little chilly outside, the dining table in the Beach Cottage also provides the same gorgeous view.

If you are entertaining guests, there is a deck on the other side of the Beach Cottage and its equally as private. With outdoor speakers you can fill the air with your favorite music as you grill up some burgers on the Weber charcoal grill – it’s perfect.

The Cape is also home to many fine dining establishments. We went out one night to The Mews, on Commercial Street in PTown and we weren’t disappointed. The restaurant has a breath taking views of the bay. The place was packed when we went, with what seemed like mostly locals (a great sign for the restaurant). It felt like the gourmet version of Cheers. The menu is loaded with local seafood with a subtle Asian flare. Our favorites were the Lobster Dumplings in a Miso Broth, and the scallops of the day which were lightly cooked with a saffron Risotto – perfect! There are may more great places to eat at the Cape – but so far we have only tried this one. Please leave your recommendations in the comments section for our next trip!

The Visitors' Book

2008-04-08T15:03:00.001-07:00

The following are testimonials left by visitors to Lis Sur Mer over the years.

August 2005 - This year marked our 10th year of vacationing in the beautiful town of Truro, and by far Lis Sur Mer is the best place we have ever stayed! We enjoyed our morning coffee every day while sitting on the staircase bench overlooking the water. I'm sad to leave today, but look forward to our next visit. Shelley + Dave, New Hartford, CT.

September 2005 - During the year somehow I forget how beautiful and special this refuge is. Oh the sweet remebering upon my return! Amazing Sun - hot hot! Ocean Warm enough to swim - with seals! I sleep so deeply here dreaming of the blue sky I can only find in North Truro. Dina, Portchester, NY.

January 2003 - A wonderful palce to connect with friends, the New England landscape, and winter. Our time was a complete joy and it is clear how much care has been put into this place to make it so. Thanks so much for creating such a warm, happy environment. Looking forward to more winters in Truro. Lynne, Kent, and Susan, New York, NY.

March 2003 - Wow! What a wonderful week we had at Lis Sur Mer. Have been to the Cape many times but never in the Spring and never in a cottage as nice as this one. With the war going on and all, we couldn't think of a place we'd rather be. We'll be back!
Steve + Marty, Rochester, NY.

The First Post

2006-10-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Lis Sur Mer Blog where you can find all you need to know about three beautiful artist cottages for rent in North Truro on Cape Cod.

Please visit Lis Sur Mer for more informations and to make reservations.