Family legend says I took my first steps on a beach. It was well documented with photos as I was a first child and grandchild. In all the pictures I am smiling and laughing. Obviously walking in wet sand and water was the best thing ever. I still feel that way, these few years later. OK, maybe it’s a few more years than a few. Even as a tiny tyke I collected pebbles and shells. I dug for mole crabs in the ...

EVERYWHERE – What do you do when a global pandemic wipes out everything you hold dear – your job, your home, your future prospects? Well, if you’re Scott Gerke, you sell off pretty much everything you own and hit the road. Gerke, from Key West, Fla., had been working as a professional DJ, event host, and YouTuber when the pandemic hit. By the end of March, every one of his future gigs was canceled. With no pro...

In a greenhouse off a long, sandy road in Dennis, concrete pools are filled every spring to offer millions and millions of oysters a swim. Before the budding bivalves took the plunge this year, about 4,000 mesh bags of mostly sea clam shells, originally from a processing facility in New Bedford, were placed inside two of the empty pools at A.R.C. Hatchery. “After we put the bags of shell in the tanks, we fi...

The Cape Playhouse stageremains empty this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in true theater tradition, the show must go on. The team at The Cape Cod Center For The Arts has created an outdoor stage on their 22-acre campus for a new initiative called Playhouse on the Green. Live entertainment and music will take place under the stars every Thursday and Friday evening in August, keeping the arts alive wh...

To those who are passionate about casting their vote and letting their voice be heard when election time rolls around, the numbers of registered voters who actually turn out to do their civic duty by casting a ballot can seem frustratingly and mystifyingly low. As November approaches, bringing with it an election which feels historic, a group of local women are applying their enthusiasm and artistic talent to ...

As parents, teachers, students, and communities grapple with the complexities of reopening schools, I find myself watching parents and their young out in nature. It’s easy to do right now. They’re all around us. Many people think young birds should be smaller than adults, but the truth is that they achieve adult size sooner than independence, just like my young adolescent grandsons. Birds especially...

Today is the one-year anniversary of the tornado that tore through a 2.8-mile stretch of town from just west of Harwich Center, following Route 39 into East Harwich and into Chatham. With winds churning at 110 miles per hour, trees posed no resistance, littering and blocking roadways, making vehicle passage nearly impossible. “It was probably the worst natural disaster the town has seen and I worked through Hu...

“Poetry’s medium is not merely light as air, it is air: vital and deep as ordinary breath.” – Robert Pinsky  We could all use more poetry and music in our lives during these strange days, and this week we’re in for a memorable treat. On Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m. Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre will sponsor the Voices of Poetry, hosted by VOP Founder/Director and host of Poet's Corner on r...

For many, the open-air farmers markets of Chatham, Harwich, and Orleans are synonymous with the bounty and vibrancy of summer days. The hum of greetings and conversations floats above crates of fresh eggs, buckets of lavender and garden flowers, and rows of bright carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes.  This summer, local farmers markets look a little different, with spaces reconfigured to align with COVID-19 rules a...

Despite Late Pandemic Opening, It's A Busy Summer At The Atwood Museum CHATHAM — At long last, the Atwood Museum, Home of the Chatham Historical Society (CHS), has opened its doors to visitors on a reservation basis with exhibitions on topics as varied as the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags, women’s suffrage and the end of World War II. “We’ve got quite a lot of new stuff coming out this year,” says CHS Executi...

My daily walks have taken me to places that are full of blooms this week. There are multitudes of tame and lovely roses and hydrangeas, lilies and geraniums alongside homes and businesses. Some gardens are so full and lush I have to stop and see how many flowers I can name, just to have an excuse to linger a bit longer. My own gardens are full of blossoms and my vegetable garden is bursting with things getting re...

HARWICH – We’ve all been spending quite a lot more time indoors than was once normal. It’s only natural that when we venture out of our homes for necessary errands, we tend to see the once familiar world around us with fresh eyes. Take a look at those flowers! Wow, those planted containers are just stunning. I wonder who has been taking care of these garden b eds during the quarantine? If you are asking ...