Sal Desantis spent many years vacationing on Cape Cod. He and his family would spend time out on the Outer Cape at homes they rented during the summers. Nearing retirement, he and his wife realized their dream was to be able to have a home here themselves, so they went and purchased a home. They started spending more time there than at home and suddenly went from being full time New Yorkers, to full time Cape Codders. This is Sal’s story.  

Sal is a born and raised New Yorker. He spent much time with his family and friends throughout the years

“I’m originally from Yonkers New York. Westchester County in general. I was the parks commissioner for the Department of Parks and Recreation Conservation for Westchester County. For many years, we vacationed here for about 30 years and finally realized that this is where we wanted to be, so here we are. The environment is spectacular and the people are friendly. We were here Thursday to Sunday and then we realized we were here more than we were in New York. It was silly to stay any longer.”

It has now been 15 year since he moved here full time. He taught a few classes at Cape Cod Community College and looks to educate a bit more on sustainable tourism practices. In his free time he is an avid gardener and works in his wood shop. If he isn’t doing home repairs he is building bird houses which is his real passion.

“Birdhouses are my love. I use recycled and reclaimed wood unless I am making a Japanese house. They sell well, and it's a creative outlet. I have an exhibit Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet. They are nice enough to ask me to be in there garden in season.. It's a fabulous gallery. If you haven’t seen it, you should. And then I’m at Reciprocity in Harwich Port. It's a great new shop. I also sell privately. There is a gentleman in Provincetown who has taken a liking to them. He bought quite a few last year for Boxwood Trading which is a nice store down by the post office.

In his time down here Sal has seen a few trends. The Cape is becoming vastly more popular while the younger generations down here are not staying on Cape. He understands that this a troubling trend.

“We have so much family and all of our kids and grand-kids are back in New York. We're back and forth once a month for a couple of days. The ride seems to be getting longer. You get out of the car a little slower. 95 Has not gotten any better. traffic is terrible. We used to come onto the Cape on a Thursday or Friday Night. 18 years ago. There would 4 or 5 cars on the road. Now it's a conga line from the bridge to exit 10. The Cape has truly been discovered. It's going from rural toward suburban. I’m not sure I am favor of that but that's the way of the world. I think professional opportunity is a bit lacking so it tends to point the young people to seek employment off Cape. I don’t think there is much else that can be said except that is it in a nutshell. If you’re lucky enough to be entrepreneurial, then I think this a great niche. I hope that trend continues. “

Sal and his family love Cape Cod. They love it so much it became their permanent residence. It is the environment around them that they enjoy. We wish Sal well as he continues to build bird houses, and work in his garden.