I will miss the throngs on Commercial Street in the center of town: the hubbub, the chatter, the flow of people, the animated wave of humanity — young and old, […]
The Year-Rounder
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Devastation Must Inform Action
What have we learned from the coronavirus?
The howling wind against my window reminds me of the coronavirus. Ruthless and breathtaking, neither storm nor plague has a master. Mindless and amoral, they go about their business with […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
We Need a New Compact
The Pilgrims had the right idea; it’s time to update it
Exactly 400 years ago this coming November, the good ship Mayflower sailed into Provincetown Harbor and anchored (a fact infuriatingly underreported in our national media). There were 102 souls on […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Confronted by Caring
Reminders of how Provincetown responded to earlier crises
“A man who carries a cat by the tail,” wrote Mark Twain, “learns something he can learn in no other way.” I have shelves and piles of books in our […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
This, Too, Shall Pass
After the pandemic, what will we have left?
I drove to the Evergreen Cemetery in Eastham the other day to try to see the rare clay-colored sparrow that has been reported there. I didn’t find it, but it […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Deep Time and This Day
What do we owe to the distant future?
I have been invited to participate in a (virtual) panel discussion at Ian Edwards’s Art-Science-Climate Broto conference scheduled for May 16-17 in Provincetown. The topic is “Deep Time and Climate […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Story Time for ‘Locals’
Gather round for a genuine feeling of connection
You are three years old. You’ve just had a good dinner and some milk and cookies, brushed your teeth, been tucked into bed, and now Mom or Dad pulls up […]
the year-rounder
‘How Slight a Shelter’
What would Thoreau have made of 2020 Cape Cod?
Henry David Thoreau’s residency, starting in 1845, in a 10-by-15-foot shack next to Walden Pond for two years, two months, and two days is generally considered by scholars as a […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Provincetown Identity
It’s about beauty, differentness, and openness — but mainly it’s the people
I have always loved Provincetown. From my very first day here, well over 50 years ago, I knew I belonged. I remember a long-ago conversation with the (late) cartoonist Howie […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Big Deal in Bird World
In winter MacMillan Wharf becomes a mecca
I have written about the centrality of MacMillan Wharf to Provincetown. I would get no argument in the summer, certainly, or even the shoulder seasons. Ferries first disgorge people, who […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Napi: An Appreciation
Back in 1969 we acquired a street dog named Napi. He was a real son of a bitch. I wanted to call him Walt (Whitman), but the name just wouldn’t […]
The Horrors and Hopes of Another Christmas
I am dreaming of a Commercial Christmas, just like the one we have every year. You are a hard one to shop for: you have everything, maybe two of everything. […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Shhhh: A Love Letter
The library is a place where we can just be ourselves
I love my library. It is a beautiful building in a beautiful town. A beautiful building that happens to be full of books — rooms and rooms of books, shelf […]
