Most of the time when I head out for a day of exploring outdoors I pack a small bag with a sketchbook, some drawing pens, sunscreen, bug spray and my camera. I also bring my binoculars and water bottle. In the car I keep an assortment of field guides and something to nibble on. These simple things prepare me for a day of observation, wandering and simple enjoyment. I rarely have a plan but rather let the d...

Mission Paved The Way For Moon Landing CHATHAM – “It was 0430 when the helicopter pilots and Navy SEALSs gathered in the ready room of the USS Essex to be briefed for their mission. By 0630 four helicopters lifted off the aircraft carrier. The CSM splashed down at 0711. At 0820 its three astronauts landed back on the Essex.” In the den of his home in the Riverbay section of town, Don J. Broderick recalled t...

It was a “light bulb moment,” an “aha!” thought that sparked Bill Wilson to take the first step to create a program that would save so many people, relationships and even entire families. That spark was so simple yet so innovative: “Who knows how a drunk thinks more than another drunk?” He knew he needed to talk to another alcoholic to stay sober. The idea that in order to maintain sobriety if you are afflicte...

It happens quietly while most of us are doing other things. In the spring we eagerly await the arrival of the first migrant birds, the first hesitant blooms of wildflowers. In the fall we are so giddy about the cooler air and the smaller crowds that we don’t notice the once heralded birds slipping away. Flowers fade but we have moved on to other things, like the changing of the leaves. One day the yard is ...

CHATHAM – How often does a woman get to wear someone else's bridal gown just for fun? If your answer is "never," then you might be surprised by Saturday's Bridal Fashion Show and High Tea from 2 to 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Chatham. Seventeen gowns, originally worn between 1908 and 2018, will be modeled by women of all ages in a historic church decorated for a wedding. The fashion show, whic...

From Oct. 11 to Nov. 11, Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre (CCT/HJT) will present a humorous, heartwarming play about two alcoholics who joined forces in 1935 to create Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the original 12-step organization which today helps some two million members in 180 countries worldwide. “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” written by Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey, has received international critica...

Editor's note: This week we debut a new weekly column, “Nature Connection,” by Mary Richmond, a writer, artist, educator and amateur naturalist who grew up in Hyannis. For more information about her work visit www.capecodartandnature.com. After a hectic morning filled with appointments and people I headed toward the beach. The day was cloudy and windy but also warm and humid. A few people sat in their cars w...

Atwood House And Museum Exhibit Looks Back At Iconic Chatham Artist One of the first sights that greets visitors to the Chatham Historical Society's Atwood House and Museum is a large oil painting of the Chatham Fish Pier. It's one of the town's most iconic scenes, and the painting was created by one of the community's most treasured artists, the late Marguerite “Peg” Falconer. ...

Chatham’s wonderfully-varied architecture, water views, gardens, home décor and collections of art and sculpture will be on view during St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church’s “Chatham Homes by the Sea” tour on Oct. 6. Five distinct houses — four of them with water views – will be open to the public for a self-guided tour. This is only the third time in 15 years St. Christopher’s has sponsored a house tour. “E...

On Saturday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m., local actors Larry Marsland and Karen McPherson will perform "Love Letters" by A.R. Gurney at the First Congregational Church in Chatham as a joint fundraiser for LCOC and the church. “Love Letters” tells the story of a 50-year correspondence between Melissa and Andrew, childhood friends who express a lifetime of feelings and share a lifetime of experiences through letters. In...

Longtime fisherman John Our knows some people who love calamari, but won’t eat squid. Doesn’t matter that they are same thing; calamari just sounds better. “Dogfish” seems to provoke a similar visceral reaction; people turn their noses up at the name. “I’ve always thought that if you changed the name you would make it more attractive,” Our said. “It would only help.” Our’s feeling is backed by research. ...

CHATHAM — The Chatham Orpheum Theater is known across the Cape for showing a selection of films focusing on famous artists, and this year the Sustainability Film Series. Now the theater is branching and introducing the New York Dog and Cat Film Festivals to Cape Cod on Sept. 29 and 30. “Every winter in January, there’s a conference in Utah,” said Kevin McClain, executive director of the Orpheum, “which is a ga...