The inconsistent weather has continued to affect fishing at the tip of the Cape, making it very difficult to get a handle on where the fish are and what they’re […]
Visual Stories
NAVIGATING BY THE STARS
The New Moon in Virgo Makes Fresh Starts Possible
A time to analyze, but also to accept the messiness of the moment
Here in the first few days of Virgo season, the new Moon in the sign of the Virgin gives birth to new beginnings. New Moons are times for reimagining — […]
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, […]
FROM THE LARDER
Stalking the Elusive Red Currant
A once-forbidden fruit becomes a sparkling jelly
I got this text in mid-July: “Dani says to tell you that she has ripe currants if you’re interested.” Currant cultivation was, I had thought, forbidden in Massachusetts. But legal […]
D.I.Y.
Saying It With a Sign
How hand-painted signs bring character and color to the local landscape
Handwritten signs are part of the visual memory of most any American road trip, each one a piece of artwork conveying the maker’s touch and earnest intention. Like most handmade […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Swimming in the Rain
A storm washes away a dusty tiredness, the raindrops awakening the universe’s workings
The air feels suddenly heavy. There’s more energy and weight in it than there was only moments ago. My eyes strain their tiny radial muscles to adjust to the sudden […]
STREET VIEW
Bulgarians Miss Their Cheese
Young Eastern European summer workers adapt to a strange new land
The State Department’s Summer Work Travel program brings tens of thousands of college students to the U.S. every year for a season of work, usually in tourism. The program allows […]
HOT WHEELS
2,950 Cyclists Finish the Pan Mass Challenge in Provincetown
PROVINCETOWN — The Pan Mass Challenge, which took place during a heat wave on the weekend of Aug. 6 and 7 this year, calls itself a fundraiser first and a […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Fish Flee the Cool Front
After a thunderstorm, runoff heads for the harbor
Fishing had a major reversal this week, as a fall-like weather pattern with stiff north and northeast winds and cooler temperatures took hold. This followed the mother of all thunderstorms, […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 16 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
SOCCER
Breakers Fall to Harwich in Tourney Semifinal
Four former Nauset players are nucleus for the future
EASTHAM — The Wellfleet Breakers Soccer Club concluded their 12th season on Aug. 3 with a loss to the Harwich Blues in the Cape Cod Amateur Soccer League’s Davis Cup […]
OUT AND ABOUT
Dykes Study the Demise (and Plot the Return) of the Lesbian Bar
What’s needed more than safe spaces are places for pride and connection
PROVINCETOWN — Of all the places where one might expect to find a lesbian bar, Provincetown is surely near the top of the list. But residents and tourists say they […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
All About August’s Incandescence
Be patient and the Perseids will offer their summer show
The Earth is plunging through the debris trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle right now. It happens every August. The debris consists mostly of rocks about half an inch across, tumbling through […]
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Conifers Are the Heart of the Year-Round Garden
The conifer bed is an exercise in the appreciation of subtlety
Flowers get a lot of attention, and for good reason. They are wondrous, wild, living bursts of color. They are also fleeting, with some blossoms lasting only a day. Deciduous […]
RUNNING
Athletes Prepare for Half Marathon on the Beach
The annual Cape Cod Outer Beach Run, Relay, and Walk is this Sunday
WELLFLEET — The Cape Cod Outer Beach Half Marathon, scheduled for this Sunday, Aug. 14 at 7 a.m., is not for the faint of heart. It’s 13.1 miles on sand, […]
