Through the windows of the mud room in her house in Summerfield, N.C., Janelle Robinson can see her farm: miniature cows, chickens, turkeys. The mud room doubles as her office, […]
Visual Stories
CROSSWORD #55
Renaissance x REvolution
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
The Naked Moon
How to get to know our satellite more intimately
The Moon is the biggest, brightest object in the night sky, the most recognizable and familiar — and the most underappreciated. Over years of observing the stars with friends and […]
PAN-MASS CHALLENGE
Spreading Happiness at a Wellfleet Water Stop
Affected by losses to cancer, volunteers are inspired to help
The volunteers at the Wellfleet rest stop, one of three on Cape Cod for last weekend’s Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), had just one job: keep the thousands of cyclists who pass […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Summer Ups and Downs
Eels, pogies, bluefish, and giant tuna
Fishing remained good on the Outer Cape this past week, with August rolling in on a quiet note weatherwise. Striped-bass fishing was again solid from Race Point all the way […]
ON THE BALL
Beach Volleyballers Mourn Loss of Longnook
Relocated to Ballston after decades at their regular court, they hope the move is temporary
TRURO — The sun beats down on an 81-degree Sunday at Ballston Beach. The southwest wind whips, and the net writhes. It’s a battle against the elements at beach volleyball […]
SAILOR’S DELIGHT
Midsummer’s Sweet Scent
It has been written that upon approaching our shores shipmen of old would take great pleasure in the sweet perfume of Clethra alnifolia that traveled over the waves to welcome […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, August 6 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
Let Mercury Give You a Cosmic Do-Over
Own your flaws; don’t let them own you
Retrograde season is in full swing with Mercury joining the ranks of Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. This time around, things should start off fairly smoothly, as Mercury retrogrades in its […]
WEST END DISPATCH
Secret Plots of Lilies and Foxgloves
A writer joins PAAM’s 25th annual annual garden tour
PROVINCETOWN — Realizing there might be a limit to what can be done and learned in this world, I have taken to asking, when getting to know someone, “What are […]
FROM THE LARDER
Low and Slow Is the Way to Go With a Bumper Crop of Beans
Sweet and luscious green beans, braised the way a Louisiana grandmother made them
I had a lot of things for the first time in college. Sex, for example — that was a keeper. And bagels. We didn’t have bagels where I grew up. […]
FORAGING
Where the Wild Things Grow
Sarah Naciri carefully ‘wildcrafts’ a way into the local economy
Across much of the Outer Cape, along wooded trails, the sides of roads, the edges of marshes, and the mouths of rivers, those who pay close attention to the land […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Windless Week Makes for Good Fishing
What’s to worry about? Depredation and invasive species.
It’s been another good week for catching striped bass and some bluefish. Provincetown charter and party boats all reported excellent catches, and we’re very grateful we’ve had a windless week […]
CAMPCRAFT
How to Build a Beach Fire
Permits, kindling, and other rules for safeguarding the beauty of a summer ritual
Building a campfire is a rite of passage. The first one I built on my own was one that kept me warm on a cool night in Vermont. It seemed […]
RUSH HOUR
Walking Wags the Dog in Truro
A report from Corn Hill Beach
TRURO — It’s eight o’clock in the morning, and the traffic at Corn Hill Beach is heavy. This strip of sand on the bay side is a downtown of sorts […]
