When I tell people I prefer to walk in the woods or down the beach alone, they shake their heads and tell me it isn’t safe. I don’t even take the dog on my long walks, and I’ve never had a problem. My dog’s a dawdler and a sniffer and he loves to bark at anything that moves, including leaves, so he and I do our walking at other times, in other places. I especially like to ramble alone in the early morning or jus...

This year, the Family Pantry of Cape Cod expects to serve 10,000 clients and distribute 100,000 bags of groceries valued at $4.2 million. “We call ourselves a sustaining pantry,” said Christine Menard, the director of the Harwich facility, meaning that the pantry’s clients do not fit a stereotype of people in total collapse. “They are landscapers, fishermen, nursing assistants. You’ll recognize people here fro...

In the early 17th century, English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold gave Cape Cod its name due to the abundant cod fish he saw in its waters. Throughout history, the cod has played a crucial role in feeding various peoples, from explorers on ships such as the Vikings, to Basques, to Europeans, to early settlers of the Cape. They all lived on cod, whether it was fresh, salted or frozen. Author Mark Kurlansky, in hi...

Step into the Chatham Historical Society's Atwood House and Museum this weekend and you will hear the musical soundtrack that would have been performed live to accompany a black and white silent film at the original Orpheum Theater on Main Street, Chatham. A padded bench has been set up so you can watch the silent film; old theater posters and a movie projector are displayed nearby. This is a part of the new “...

A powerful show of religious paintings called “Violent Grace” has just opened in the Gallery at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Chatham. Artist Edward Knippers was on hand last week to help his friend of about 40 years, curator Sandra Bowden, hang the 30 or so paintings, linocuts and monotypes. All but one takes as its subject a New Testament story, with many depicting an aspect of the crucifixion and resu...

A native of Chatham and Orleans who now lives in Oregon has written an intriguing and creative book, “Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities” (Skaket Books and Art, 2019), that can be used with students in grades four through 12. “Most people know nothing about the USLSS but then become so inspired by all these men achieved,” author Rebecca Fadely Locklear said ...

Do you love the 1940s? The music, the dresses and hats, the pay phones and jukeboxes? The idea of a local watering hole where regulars come on a rainy night not just to drink but to dance romantically and to share their stories and get a little support from one another?  And do you also embrace that the wonderful trappings of that decade also included the never-changing human condition: violence in the home wi...

There’s magic in the air! And the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre is on the receiving end!  The creative team at the theater on Division Street in Harwich should take a bow along with the fantastic troupe of players in this razzle-dazzle trip called “Pippin.” The Tony Award-winning show is a campy hodgepodge that’s part circus, part “puppet show,” part musical with nearly 20 spell-binding song ...

A few nights ago I met some extraordinary people. We are introduced to Catherine as she sits on the porch of her childhood home seemingly celebrating her 25 th birthday with her dad. She’s pensive, eloquent and maybe a bit tense but moves so elegantly. Robert is a complex individual. His every word is heavy with meaning, and he demands attention. He must be tough to live with, you think. And just as you think tha...

There aren’t many days that I can spend the whole day outdoors with the birds, flowers and trees. Like most people I have work, chores and other things to attend to that demand my time and attention. I generally get outdoors every day for at least an hour or two, but long, lazy days to spend just meandering are rare and wonderful days that I save up for like some people save up for fancy things. This past w...

Spring is such a busy time. Everywhere I go, I am reminded that much of our local nature is on the move. Some are leaving, some are arriving, and some are just moving about cleaning up, clearing out and settling in.  Most notable are the migrating birds and fish, but we, being part of nature, are also on the move. Snowbirds have been returning in droves, filling our roads and shops once again. The quiet days o...

Bestselling author Anne D. LeClaire’s new novel “The Orchid Sister” (Lake Union Publishing, 2019) explores, in part, how things go wrong when people defy nature and seek the fountain of youth. “What kind of a culture have we become that we pursue anti-aging in such a fear-filled way?” LeClaire asked during a recent interview in her South Chatham home. Yet “the desire for eternal youth is eternal.” The germ ...