It bounds down the alleyways off Commercial Street, its black cloak trailing in the wind, dark laughter bubbling from behind its horrible metal mask. Children dash home in terror the […]
Visual Stories
ROAD TRIP
To Edward Gorey, Everything Was a Gem
The Yarmouth Port home of the artist known for his sense of Edwardian macabre is anything but scary
I have an image flaming in my head, and it’s glorious. Edward Gorey (or Ogred Weary, for he often used anagrams) drives up to his house in Yarmouth Port. He has […]
POLISHING UP
Letting Gravestones Speak
Robert Sweetman teaches the careful cleaning of historic markers
“Her toils are past, her apricots down, her scurvy and her love,” Robert Sweetman reads. “No, that can’t be right.” He kneels before the lichen-covered grave in Provincetown’s Old Alden […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Chesapeake Bay Results Are In, and They’re Not Good
Striper spawning success is low for sixth year in a row
The results are in from the annual seine in the Chesapeake Bay to determine the status of the juvenile striped bass population, and the news isn’t good. Samples of fish […]
ANTIFOGMATIC
A Punch From the Past
Uneasy times call for a strong beverage that can be made by the batch
This Halloween, the threat of ghouls, goblins, or ax murderers pales in comparison to the terror of the following week’s presidential election. For me, the key to sustaining, and hopefully […]
ON THE BEACH
The Emotional Comfort of a Go-To Lure
Even scruffy and worn, favorite lures create the confidence necessary for fishing success
Halfway through the upswing of my cast, I heard a snap and watched my silvery popper fly lazily overhead and plop in the fast-moving water a few dozen yards in […]
HOCUS POCUS
The Witch of the Wood
When certain shrubs are in the vicinity of fir trees, they can become infected with Pucciniastrum goeppertianum, a rust fungus that needs two different species to complete its life cycle. On […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 29 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
WARRIORS WATCH
Field Hockey Seniors Prepare to Pass Baton
Warriors finish regular season 7-8-3, qualifying for postseason play
EASTHAM — It was a bittersweet evening for Nauset’s field hockey players when eight seniors bid a tearful goodbye to their teammates before heading home on Thursday, Oct. 24. While […]
ROAD TRIP
Playing With Fire
At the Sandwich Glass Museum, the rise and fall of an industry and the enduring sparkle of a craft
Honestly, the word “Afro-Cuban” was not top of mind when I walked into the Sandwich Glass Museum. But as I looked in wonder at David McDermott’s huge glass sculpture hanging […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Bird-Watching From a Different Cape
Huge numbers of birds fly by Cape May on their fall migrations
By late October, migration is winding down on Cape Cod. Many of our summer visitors are gone, our warblers are filing out to be replaced by sparrows, and our winter […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
May the Stars Guide You
Let the light in on these darkening days
This week should be interesting, as the New Moon falls on Halloween evening. This could be a moment of renewal if we’re willing to accept the changes this season has […]
ROAD TRIP
Playing With Fire
At the Sandwich Glass Museum, the rise and fall of an industry and the enduring sparkle of a craft
Honestly, the word “Afro-Cuban” was not top of mind when I walked into the Sandwich Glass Museum. But as I looked in wonder at David McDermott’s huge glass sculpture hanging […]
MALAGA DISPATCH
A Souvenir From Southern Spain
In a seaside city, a recipe for meatballs is the favorite
It’s because of Málaga’s market that we are in southern Spain right now, eating meatballs, instead of in Truro, watching the northern lights. Even though we only briefly passed through […]
SEASIDE GARDENER
Ending on a High Note
Don’t give up on your garden at the end of summer. That’s when the best is yet to come.
In contrast to its slow, gray springs, the Outer Cape is famous for its benevolent autumns. Just as the earliest crocuses and daffodils give me hope during what one friend […]
