Peace Valley Memories
To the editor:
The report by Christine Legere on the old house at 177 Peace Valley Road in Wellfleet [“A Once Grand Property, Now Condemned, May Finally Get a Cleanup,” Jan. 25, page A7] brought back a flood of memories.
I lived in that house from 1973 to 1978. At the time, it had begun to grow old but still retained some of its past glory. Surrounded by wisteria, wild asparagus, roses, and daffodils, it was a peaceful refuge for my partner, Pat, and our two young children, Jesse and Adrienne. With a marsh on one side and the home of Helena Wilson on the other, we felt we had gone back in time and become part of the history of the Wellfleet community.
In 1978, we moved to Orleans to be closer to our work, but I could never get that grand old house out of my mind and heart. As the years passed, I would drive down the long driveway and watch it slowly decay.
Sometime around 2022, I parked my car and cautiously entered the house. I stood among the rubble and felt a wave of sadness as the memories returned. The house was lost, but my vision of its storied past remained. Standing there, I shed a tear and let myself recall some of the happiest years of my life.
Here’s hoping that others can find the joy that this house gave to my family 50 years ago.
Bob Jones
Orleans
Protecting Democracy
To the editor:
Robert Kuttner’s political memo “Dysfunctional Democracy” in the Jan. 18 issue [page A3] is right on target. It brings to mind the dangers of false narratives that have been spewed into the Outer Cape community by people who want you to vote their way on controversial local issues. The constant repetition of falsehoods, exaggerations, and skewed facts about the Walsh property or the proposal for a new Truro DPW facility do not make such claims true.
We need to be very careful when information arrives in our mailboxes. The materials may be professionally written and beautifully printed, but these are PR pieces, and should not be the only basis on which to form your opinion. Ask questions! Check the veracity of the statements, investigate claims, and look for a variety of opinions. It is up to each of us to understand controversial issues and find out the facts.
Mr. Kuttner is right when he says, “We either invest time in making sure that the democratic process yields decent government, or we all pay the price. And when local democracy fails, national democracy is not far behind.” It remains to be seen how much hard work and effort each of us will put into protecting our local democracy.
Lisbeth Wiley Chapman
North Truro
Otis’s Tag, Found
To the editor:
Thank you for Elias Duncan’s Snapshot “Michael Costa Combs the Shore” in the Jan. 25 issue [page A13]. I happen to be a recipient of one of Michael’s finds, in the sweetest way possible.
In December, I got a ping on my phone. A friend wanted to know if I had seen a Facebook post. I said I was no longer on Facebook. Then I got another ping, then an email, then another ping, and another — it seemed the whole town was looking for me to say that Michael Costa had found a dog tag belonging to my beloved golden retriever, Otis, who passed away in 2017. He had posted a photo of it on the Community Space page asking if anyone knew me, in case I wanted it.
My heart grew 13 dog years in size (the age Otis was), and I said, “Yes, please, I would so love to have it back.” Within 24 hours, a dear friend who loved Otis retrieved it and delivered it to my door with a tearful hug, telling me that Michael had found it down on the bay near Bangs Street, where Otis and I had spent so many years frolicking together — a place I haven’t been able to visit since his passing.
This is the very best this little town has to offer, by which I mean to say, a lovely community.
Myra Slotnick
Provincetown
Closing the Chapel
To the editor:
Re “Jamaican Congregation Told to Leave Truro Chapel” [Jan. 18, front page]: It seems that Bob and Kathy Valleau, owners of the Chapel on the Pond, should have been more transparent about their plans.
The article raises the question of where the congregation’s offerings actually go. To this reader, the answer seems obvious. The money tithed by parishioners appears to go directly to the Valleaus to support their extravagant lifestyle, despite their denial.
If they intended that the money fund the church and its programs, as they claim, they would not be acting as a middleman for contributions. Why would that be necessary?
People who say, “God is at the center of our lives,” as Kathy Valleau says, would not want to pull the rug from under a growing and thriving congregation that is doing exactly what the Valleaus claim they are all about: spreading the word. If they are sincere, why would they shut the word down?
Mitchell Baker
Provincetown
Margaret Mayo’s Story
To the editor:
Thank you to David Mayo, the son of Margaret Mayo, and to Provincetown Independent writer Aden Choate for a wonderful story about the life of Margaret Mayo [“Notes From a Native Daughter,” Jan. 25, page C2].
How is it that Provincetown, way out in the ocean, nurtured and continues to nurture citizens who are thoughtful and forward-thinking and brave and could be heroes in the best novels or plays or movies? How is it that the Independent, a scrappy and fairly new local newspaper, brings all this amazing and inspiring writing to its readers all the time?
I feel lucky to be a subscriber.
Mary Moniz
Eastham
Wellfleet Stories
To the editor:
We are pleased that the archives of the Wellfleet Historical Society could be of use to your reporters in writing two recent well-researched articles, “Clare Leighton’s Wellfleet Legacy” by Abraham Storer [Jan. 11, page C1] and “When the Finns Brought the Heat” by Sam Pollak [Dec. 28, page B5]. We hope that others will make use of our resources to bring to life the story of Wellfleet.
Eric Winslow
Wellfleet
The writer is president of the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum.
