The establishment of the first of January as the beginning of the “new year” is entirely artificial. A better date for a celebration would be the spring equinox — or […]
1956
From ‘The Moors’
The Moors holds a hallowed place in the history of Provincetown restaurants, even though it has been gone long enough (it closed in 1998) that many latecomers may not know […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Entropy Disrupted
Friends and helpers bring order out of chaos
“It’s always something” is a common phrase loaded with meaning. At my place it is the rule. Why is everything always breaking? And what am I to do about it? […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Looking for the Blackbird
A futile search yields other breathtaking sights
That damn yellow-headed blackbird: I just couldn’t find it. As William von Herff reported in last week’s Independent (“Rare Birds in Truro,” page B8), this rare Western bird was first […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Pilgrims Revisited
Current events ask us to explore the motivations of our ancestors
Nov. 11 was the 403rd anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower in Provincetown Harbor. For at least the last 120 years, the people of Provincetown have worked to correct […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Identity and Ethnic Specialness
Dehumanizing divisions are tearing our world apart
I can still see the resplendent genuine Sioux war bonnet in the window of Fitch’s Trading Post down on Third Street in Harrisburg, Pa. Even though it has been almost […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Futility of Naming
Struggling to define evil and peace of mind
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 […]
