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
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 […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Drinking in Provincetown
On the civic purpose of taverns
Roughly 80 percent of American adults drink alcohol. It is by far the most destructive drug in our society but also the most enjoyed, and many would agree its moderate […]
