On both sides of his family, as far back as he can trace, Charlie Dodge descends from commercial fishermen. Some roots go to Norway and England, and then there is Tristam Dodge, of Newfoundland, hired by the settlers of Block Island in 1616 to teach them how to fish so they wouldn’t starve. Charlie Dodge was born on that small island 350 years later. His parents tried to buck centuries of tradition and insiste...

All through the natural year there are reasons to love being outdoors. There are all the living things, animals and plants, that fill our senses with color and light as well as scents both wild and wonderful. There are the textures of the seasons, from soft and lush to brittle and stark. There is the ever-changing night sky and the ongoing symphonies that fill our heads and hearts with an amazing variety of sound...

“Who wants to ski alone?”asks Nancy Bradford of Harwich. That's part of the reason she joined the Cape Cod Ski Club over 20 years ago. “I love meeting like-minded people, chatting about our upcoming ski trips at the early meetings, and laughing about the past ones in spring.” She lists Vermont's Killington as her favorite New England ski area and especially praises both the on-mountain grooming and the good resta...

HARWICH — Royal Apartments, LLC is proposing to convert the former Royal of Harwich Village assisted living facility at the corner of Bank and Parallel streets into 26 apartments. The conversion from the former assisted living facility to multifamily use proposes no exterior changes to the building and minimal reconfiguration to the interior of the existing structure. In plans filed with the planning board, th...

HARWICH – This winter, the Harwich Conservation Trust will sponsor a series of presentations at the community center. There is no cost to attend, but a suggested donation of $5 will be accepted.  On Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. learn about “Fishers: Biology and Behavior” with Jason E. Zimmer, District Supervisor of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Southeast Wildlife District. The fisher (Mart...

CHATHAM – There might be Legos scattered about the Monomoy Regional Middle School room that houses the Robotics Club, but don't be fooled. These aren't your grandparents,' or even your parents' colorful bricks. They, and the students that use them to create working robots, are building the future one connection at a time. Kenny Watts makes adjustmen...

As I settle in to write about the end of one year and the beginning of the new one, a flock of robins is busily stripping the holly tree I can see through the window of its berries. They are gorging themselves on this frigid but sunny afternoon and I can hear them chuckling back and forth as they work. The berries we may see simply as pretty winter decorations are life saving food for birds like robins, cardin...

CHATHAM – A guardian angel with a sense of humor was looking out for Kim Roderiques last Thursday evening when it came time for her sell-out fundraising event “Pirouettes, Pliés and Pets” to begin at the Chatham Orpheum Theater. The successful event took in $40,000, but at the last minute it nearly didn’t happen. Roderiques, a photographer, had devoted one year to planning the evening to raise money for three ...

There’s a beach not far from me that is a tiny beach, but it separates a bay and harbor from Nantucket Sound. One side is quiet, almost pastoral, if a beach could be pastoral. The other side can be quite wild, even on the same day the other is calm and peaceful. It is pretty much the literal and physical definition of a barrier beach and as such, it is under constant stress. I grew up on this beach. I took swi...

EAST HARWICH – Students at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School played host to country singer Jessie Chris last week as part of a school-wide celebration focused on raising awareness about bullying. “Hi. I’m from Massachusetts and grew up coming to Cape Cod for vacations,” Chris said to the cheering sixth, seventh and eighth graders, many of whom wore hand-knit blue hats in celebration of “Hats not Hate” day...

Need a holiday pick-me-up? A jolt of holiday fun? The Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre’s “Elf, the Musical” to the rescue! What a joyful show! I challenge you to see this show and not leave with a smile. A huge cast of children and adults literally fill the stage with pure joy. The dynamic duo of Robert Wilder, director and musical director, and Suzette Hutchinson, choreographer, have done it...

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra will hold a holiday season benefit concert, “A Mostly English Holiday,” on Sunday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m, at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port.  Proceeds from the performance benefit in part the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod.  A pre-concert talk by conductor and founding artistic director Matthew Scinto will be held at 2:15 p.m. The concert features English music...