The straight stems and spherical inflorescences of Cephalanthus occidentalis are reminiscent of childhood craftwork, each cluster like a model molecule or solar system made from sticks and foam. The individual […]
Visual Stories
FROM THE MAGNETOSPHERE
Night Light
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Caution: Humpbacks in the Harbor
The commercial bass season comes to a close
This has been quite an interesting week on the waterfront. Pogies have invaded Provincetown Harbor by the thousands, and that usually attracts predators such as tuna, striped bass, and bluefish. […]
AQUACULTURE
Off the Tides, the Work Goes On for Oystermen
Culling, sorting, tumbling, tagging, and selling are unseen tasks of the trade
WELLFLEET — Jimmy Mulpeter stands under the shade of a patio umbrella on an August afternoon, holding oyster after oyster against a metal gauge before tossing them into one of […]
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. 20 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
Show Up for Virgo Season
It’s a time to look for progress, not perfection
The Sun shifts out of Leo this week, heralding the season of Virgo. May practicality and dependability reign supreme. Virgo season starts off strong with its ruling planet Mercury sextile […]
THE SEASON
The Bachelorettes Are Here
How to receive the summer’s glittery, raucous, safety-seeking visitors? It’s complicated.
PROVINCETOWN — Among the glitzy and glamorous denizens of this place in summer, a certain wig-wearing, sequin-bedazzled subset, one often displaying ostentation and flair, tends to be on the receiving […]
AQUACULTURE
Off the Tides, the Work Goes On for Oystermen
Culling, sorting, tumbling, tagging, and selling are unseen tasks of the trade
WELLFLEET — Jimmy Mulpeter stands under the shade of a patio umbrella on an August afternoon, holding oyster after oyster against a metal gauge before tossing them into one of […]
CHARACTER STUDIES
Finding Disco, Leather, and Love in 1970s Provincetown
Ardis Markarian has no claim to fame. She just loves it here.
Leading the way to her living room, Ardis Markarian adjusts a visitor’s view of Provincetown. “You don’t have to be a writer or artist to live here,” she says. “You […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Torn Between Two Currents
Colder water, fewer bluefish, and mola molas moving in
Fishing took a bit of a nosedive this past week. Striped bass really thinned out between Race Point and Peaked Hill Bar, and although some moved down toward Head of […]
MARKET REPORT
A Nectarine Torte, With Thanks to Marian Burros
After raspberries resist the calling, other fruits make the summer cake
I had to leave the Cape for a couple of weeks just as summer settled in. Aside from all the other inherent longings of homesickness — in this instance mostly […]
MORNING FLIGHT
For Birds, Summer Is Over
Following flocks for the first signs of fall’s progression
The more time I spend in nature, the clearer it becomes that the four seasons are a myth. At the very least, they are too simplistic: how can we look […]
BATHING BEAUTIES
What’s Up, Water-Lily?
Chancing upon a nymph in her freshwater abode could be the inciting incident in a mythological tale, an encounter leading to glory or ruin. Fortunately, the Nymphaea odorata bathing near Blackwater Pond seems […]
ON THE BEACH
The Secret of Tasty Blues
The art of the quick kill and bleeding brings out the best in bluefish and bonito
Everybody who owns a rod and reel enjoys catching bluefish. They are aggressive, hard-fighting, love to come close to shore, and will eagerly hit just about any lure cast their […]
ALTER EGOS
Oliver Egger and the Olive Eggers
A writer meets his namesake in a chicken coop in Eastham
EASTHAM — While trying to avoid typing practice during a sixth-grade computer lab, I typed my name into Google to discover if there were any other Oliver Eggers out there […]
