I admit it: I am a tree-hugger. I have hugged a tree or two in my life — usually when no one was looking. I confess: I love trees, not […]
The Year-Rounder
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
We Might as Well Be Kind
Thoughts on visiting an emergency room for wild animals
A woman carries her old dog down to the beach in her arms. He can no longer make the trip on his own. She places him gently on the sand, […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Reasons to Be Positive
This is a good time to think deeply about why we are here
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 […]
