Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE CASHMAN FAMILY (PIGGYBACK, BAREBACK) THE SIMPLE LIFE CHRISTY and JAY CASHMAN If you bumped into Christy and Jay Cashman at their chicken coop on Strong Island, you would probably—no, make that never—guess what their "real" life is. She is a glamorous filmmaker and actress; he is a master-of-the-universe, general- contracting business owner and inventor—Monday through Friday, that is. Summer weekends consist of tending to the garden, hatching chicken eggs, midnight golf cart rides with their children (four between them), and a constant f low of friends. But make no mistake: This is no country farm. It's 200 acres of woods, salt marsh, and beach, with hun- dreds of species of birds, room for horseback riding, and six different varieties of clams. The chicken coop is just the beginning… WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SET UP SHOP ON STRONG ISLAND? JC: I lived on Middle Brewster Island when I was a kid with my family for two summers. Although we were camping and roughing it, I remember those summers as the best of my youth. CC: It was obvious the minute I set foot onto the poison-ivy- ridden, bug-infested land that it was a special place. I loved the wild, unruly landscape. WHAT SUMMER CULTURE HAVE YOU CREATED AS A FAMILY? CC: I love that we are eating vegetables from the garden minutes after they've been picked. And starting the day outside in the barn with all of the animals, and ending the day outside watching a movie on the outdoor screen in a sleeping bag. JC: The culture is welcoming to our friends. There is always a spare bed. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITIES? CC: I love my chickens. Riding the horses on the beach… piling everyone on the pontoon boat, kayaking around the sometimes shark-infested waters, and, of course, campfires. JC: Playing beanbag, bocce ball, tuna fishing, boating to the other end of the marsh (known as the party point). DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL TRADITIONS? CC: Well, we have quite a few parties, planned and unplanned. We might wake up and it will be just Jay, the boys, and me. Then a call comes in from friends who are passing through Chatham, and we pick them up in a boat. Then another call comes in, and suddenly we have a house full of friends. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Catching a chicken on the front lawn; Jay Michael and Quinn Cashman play piggyback; bareback riding on the beach. 96 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM