For a long time, I held a resentment against roses. I liked to see them, but I wouldn’t plant them. I didn’t want them in my garden. They are too […]
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Deadheading (or Not) Reveals a Gardener’s Aesthetic Leanings
Blooms are beautiful, but so are the seed pods and structures that follow them
The flowers of the irises are mostly passed. Almost all the peonies have bloomed, the petals breaking away and collecting on the ground. The baptisia is still going, in white […]
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Watering, Deeply
Guiding roots where they need to go to sustain the plant’s life — and your own
Our summers have been marked by significant dry spells for the last few years, and sometimes two or three weeks pass without a drop of rain. When these hot, dry […]
BACK TO THE GARDEN
It’s Time for Tomatoes and the Stories They Inspire
Plant your seedlings deep, give them sun and heat, and breathe in their aroma
Everyone has a story about tomatoes. They are plants of family, of memories, of passed-down secrets, like old recipes. Whenever tomato growing comes up, there is nearly always a personal […]
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Designing a Planter That Packs a Punch
How to play with elements of garden design that satisfy on a small scale
One of the things we humans like to do is to bring little chunks of nature into our immediate surroundings. This is what gardens are, and houseplants, too. We enjoy […]
SURFING
The Paddle Out Completes a Circle
The surfers’ ritual of celebration, gratitude, and farewell
WELLFLEET — The messages and phone calls came in all day. People asking, “Are you OK? I heard something happened at Lecount’s.” Messages and calls went out, asking the same […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
At Dusk With the Peepers
Listening to the sound of spring in a vernal pool come to life
It happens one night in early April. The air is warm, softened, the hard edges of winter worn away by gentle rain. In the woods, a sound that had almost […]
SURFING
The Surfer’s Claim
Cool is cool, but certain celebrations can’t be contained
During a morning surf, a young surfer-girl caught a big set wave. She scrambled to paddle as it reared up and hollowed. She made a late critical drop and disappeared […]
METAPHYSICS
Winter Sunsets
In the evening light reflected by sky and water, a glimpse of the universe, and of ourselves
Every evening, just before dark, a miracle occurs. You can go see it, and each time you do, it will be infinitely different from the last time you watched it. […]
SURFING
The Complex Stuff of Simplicity
Boards, suits, straps, wax, and other things surfers need to ‘be in the moment’
Surfing exemplifies simplicity: a human, on a board, riding a wave. There is a presence and purity to it. When you are surfing, everything falls away and the only thing […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
A Eulogy for 2 Truro Trees Felled by Nor’easter
The Siberian elm and silver maple were neighbors on Shore Road
TRURO — In the early morning hours of Oct. 27, the night of the recent nor’easter, a tremendous gust of wind came swooping down over the ocean, across the tops […]
SURFING
There’s Togetherness in Surfers’ Small Transgressions
On the practicality and satisfaction of peeing in the ocean
Surfers pee in their wetsuits. I’ve never met one who doesn’t. All those people you see out there in the ocean, looking calm and free? They are. They’re peeing. This […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Walled Gardens Can Put Us at Ease
More than a collection of plants, a garden is a place that speaks to body and mind
On a recent trip to Philadelphia to visit friends, I had an opportunity to sit and think about space. My friends’ house is in a tightly packed neighborhood with narrow […]
SURFING
The Childish Joy of a Shared Wave
On a perfect summer evening, a child’s invitation coaxes surfers out of solitude
Life’s essence is revealed more on some days than on others. Days when the roses reach so far out into your path that you can’t walk by without smelling them. […]
DO NOT DISTURB
A Sanctuary for Soaking In
An outdoor bathtub is a place of self-ness under the stars
The home is many things. At its barest, it is shelter. If we are lucky, it is more, fulfilling an array of our human needs beneath one roof. The kitchen […]