By my reckoning, this is my 73rd column for this paper. My first, in the inaugural issue, was printed under the heading “The Year-Rounder,” as has every column since then. […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Sal Del Deo’s 75 Provincetown Years
The Red Inn will host a Sunday afternoon with a town treasure
According to Salvatore Del Deo, the first shellfish warden hired in Provincetown, back in the 1950s, was a retired Portuguese fisherman named Joe Ventura. Before that, Joe had worked intermittently […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Where Does Courage Come From?
Shocked out of normalcy, our true selves are revealed
This morning I awoke after a good night’s sleep. After a hot shower, I had a hearty breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee, while I perused a magazine […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Finding the Exquisitely Small, Pick by Pick
Under the microscope ‘is where the magic happens’
Standing on the beach the other night, I gazed up at the ink-black sky pierced with stars and found myself thinking about infinity — endless space going on and up […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Lost in Town
After 50 years of navigation, still geographically challenged
I might as well confess it: I am geographically challenged. If you spent any time with me, you would know. Without a map, I have a hard time remembering where […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Town Hall Love Affair
A letter to Provincetown’s grand and yet modest matriarch
I have never written a love letter to a building before, but the spirit moves me now. Provincetown Town Hall is doubly beautiful, first for her physical attributes but even […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
On the Edge
What is legal in our society is not always ethical
Sometimes the truth of a story is found between the lines, between the words, even. Not that the words are not true, but that there is a larger truth behind […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
White Christmas Dreams
Provincetown winters — and much else — are not what they used to be
In December, I kept hearing the familiar Irving Berlin tune: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know….” Of course, what we had was […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
In an Outer Cape Bubble
How can it be that we are so far out of the mainstream?
I have never written a political column and do not intend to do so now. We will see if I succeed in that. Provincetown is one of the bluest dots […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
A Heritage of Nicknames
Reflections of a time when Dutras and Silvas were ‘as thick as the air’
A small notice in the Nov. 18 edition of this paper caught my eye and started me thinking. It announced a memorial for Joe Corea, a good man. The notice […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Sometimes, Beauty Is Not Enough
Nature in itself cannot heal every human heart
I am not happy today. Don’t ask me why. I didn’t rest well last night; perhaps the magic balm of sleep did not take place. Or am I getting sick? […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Strong, Thin Line of Remembrance
On keeping watch in the dark
I am standing outside our beautiful town hall on a chilly, dark evening — late afternoon, actually, in this damnably short-day time of year. There are flickering candles all around […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Laughing Matters
A well-told joke is a lot like poetry
The old woman brought her toddler grandson to the beach and watched placidly as he played in the sand at the water’s edge. Suddenly, a huge wave washed the child […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Over the Bridge
Two weekend trips to a foreign country
I believe I have mentioned my fierce love of Provincetown. I believe, too, that I am not unique in this respect. Indeed, one of the defining attributes of people on […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Dog on a Beach
The satisfactions of immeasurable love
The British inventor Lord Kelvin famously said that if you can’t measure something, “your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind.” I heartily disagree. The most important things in […]
