“How can we use the element of contrast in our work?” asked Alana Barrett, one of the two founders of the art collective PROMPT at the beginning of last week’s […]
Next Generation
RESTORATION
Ecologists Establish a Baseline on Herring River Oysters
Scientists and shellfishermen prepare for increased tidal flow
WELLFLEET — In the late 1960s, the Chequessett Neck tide gate on the Herring River started to rust. As a result, the tide pushed through openings and into parts of […]
PROVINCETOWN BOOK FESTIVAL
Ruth Ozeki on Bringing Books to Life
The acclaimed novelist conjures a dreamscape in her latest book
Ruth Ozeki spoke about her latest novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, winner of the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction, at last weekend’s Provincetown Book Festival. It was her […]
METAPHYSICS
The Song and Stillness of Taizé
An ecumenical tradition from France is celebrated quietly in Wellfleet
During a Taizé service at the United Methodist Church in Wellfleet, Tony Pastucci, a retired Catholic priest, serves as the cantor, his sonorous voice weaving through the simple, chant-like songs […]
LOST AND FOUND
Kurt Reynolds Connects the Past With the Present
A Provincetown artist combines found objects, history, and memory
Two years ago, artist Kurt Reynolds responded to a call for submissions for artwork commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing in Provincetown. But the piece he created became […]
MEET THE MAKER
Lightening Up the Serious World of Design
Playfulness and technical mastery come together in Bernhard Dessecker’s creations
When Bernhard Dessecker and his partner, Della Spring, were getting duct work done for air conditioning at their house in Wellfleet, the excavators dug up a trove of silver objects, […]
JOURNEYS
Paul Resika Reaches Toward the Miraculous
The artist unspools his interpretations of a single work by Fra Angelico
Paul Resika was browsing in a bookshop in New York City when he came across four volumes of engravings of paintings in the Vatican Museums. He bought the whole set […]
BIRDS
On the Herring River With Stephen Broker
Watching herons, egrets, ospreys, and rails
WELLFLEET — Mayo Beach is bustling on an August evening. SUVs are loaded with beach gear, and musicians tune up under the tent across the street. In the background, the […]
QUEER ‘I’
Ta-Ta for Now to All That
A writer reflects on returning to Provincetown after a year away
It is a showy move to begin a personal essay with a Virginia Woolf quote, but I am a showy person. So, here is Woolf: “What does it mean, then? […]
ROADSHOW
Why the Byways Bloom in Eastham
150 gardeners keep EFFI growing
EASTHAM — Vida DeMale and her friend Ann Darsie saw eye to eye on their town’s roadside traffic islands: they were awful and overgrown. The two of them gathered six […]
RAD
Skaters Jam at the Wellfleet SK8 Park
Riders from Boston and beyond compete for new gear and good cheer
WELLFLEET — Though the tricks executed at Wellfleet’s annual Skate Jam & Contest on Aug. 20 were serious, the competition was playful and welcoming. Skaters gathered across from Mayo Beach […]
ENVIRONMENT
Killing Weeds With Herbicides Is ‘Last Resort’
Invasive Phragmites is threat to pond ecosystems, says NPS
WELLFLEET — The National Park Service plans to treat six Outer Cape kettle ponds for the invasive weed Phragmites australis, which is threatening the ecology of Herring, Gull, and Higgins […]
CAMP OUT
Staff Shortage Limits Campground to Three Days a Week
The DCR’s late-June decision left Wellfleet Hollow campers in the lurch
WELLFLEET — A simple, affordable escape to the natural beauty of Outer Cape Cod grows ever more elusive as real estate and rental prices skyrocket. And Wellfleet Hollow State Campground, […]
BUGGIES & BIRDS
On ‘the Outer,’ Piping Plover Protection Is Working
From Nauset Beach to Race Point, shorebird programs balance over-sand vehicle access
ORLEANS — From the sandy bank of Pochet Creek emerge two small piping plover chicks. Their fuzzy plumage serves as camouflage against the sand, making it nearly impossible to spot […]
POND SCUM
Cyanobacteria Blooms Rise With Water Temperatures
Swimmers are advised to learn to spot and report ephemeral blooms
TRURO — Kettle ponds, the glittering pools of fresh water that are one of the Outer Cape’s most prized natural features, are facing a growing threat caused not only by […]
