All of creation — everything around us — comes without labels. But there are people busy fixing that. I am one of them: I am a namer of things. We […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Old News: An Informal Study
The attitudes of the aging, from grumpy to giddy
It is often said that old age is not for sissies. Although I know quite a few old sissies, I generally agree. Old age is no joke. I firmly believe […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Waiting for the Storm
Imagining what will happen when our turn comes
Do you remember that scene from Hitchcock’s The Birds when a flock of crows silently swoops into a deserted playground — first one, then a few more, and then many […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Hometown: An Ineffable Connection
Trying to put the inexpressible into words
We each tumble into birth somewhere on this planet, and many of us just stay put. In fact, for most of human history the vast majority of people lived and […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Being With Whales
Why are people so drawn to these wild creatures?
You know what you’re doing, but do you know why you’re doing it? How often do we really think about our actions? How conscious are we of our motivation? We […]
TRIBUTE
Josephine Del Deo, By Your Side
The woman behind so much of what Provincetown is fought hard against what it isn’t
Saturday, August 8, 1970 Just got into town yesterday, after quite a few years away. What a lot of exciting changes! Instead of taking boring Route 6, I took the […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
A Guest of This Age
Living in a time that we are not prepared for
In the heat of July, I found myself dazed and confused, and I remain so still. I have no idea what is going on with this whirling planet of ours […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
You Are What You Eat
The challenge, as Thoreau said, is to ‘live deliberately’
On a warm, cloudless morning, I am crouched in the underbrush, the only sounds in the woods the song of a pine warbler, the whine of a mosquito, and the […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
An Entangled Calf
Must baby whales be collateral damage for the tuna fleet?
The young humpback whale swam near his mother out on Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine. He had had many experiences in his young life, but that day three […]
BOOKS
On the Road With Richard LeBlond
In Homesick for Nowhere, the former Advocate columnist is a companionable guide
I’ve never been a fan of most travel writing. The older I get, the more comfortable my couch, the more set my ways, the more satisfied I am to stay […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Painting on the Seawall
The beauty of an act of public artmaking
Beauty follows us everywhere. The color of the harbor today is blue, the color of the sky above it, blue, too, but paler. Of course, they are just reflections of […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
To Choose to Tattoo
Discovering the reasons why people decide to decorate their skin
The ungainly spider crab out on our tidal flats decorates its carapace with bits of seaweed, the better to camouflage itself and enhance its role as an ambush predator. Several […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Requiem for the Beech
What will we do when these eminently huggable trees are gone?
There is a sadness in Provincetown’s East End Dwyer Woods today. It is a beautiful morning, with bright sunshine and enough breeze to make the mosquitos work for their blood […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
What Would Dune Charlie Have Said?
The proposed shack leasing rules put profit over preservation
Exactly 50 years ago, I met Charlie Schmid, or Dune Charlie, as he was known. He was what might have once been called a hermit, living by himself with his […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
On Reading Moby-Dick
The annual library marathon symbolizes entry into a community of believers
Of all the human shortcomings I can think of, the one that irks me most is complacency. Of course, a healthy sense of self is a positive thing, but being […]
