Outer Cape Afternoon

Twelve years ago this week, I traveled from the Adirondacks to Provincetown, where I spent ten fantastic days exploring the wilds of the Outer Cape, both in the narrow streets and the dunes.

When the days turn a little cool, I always remember that trip and what fun it was. That trip marked the first real vacation for me as a so-called grown-up, and I remember what a joy it was to spend the week in a place where being gay was the norm, not the exception...and by the end of the week, I recall my face actually hurt a little from all the grinning I was doing.

Also, by this time in September, frost has usually put the gardens of the Adirondacks to bed for the winter...but arriving in PTown, I discovered gardens still blooming their little heads off, if looking a little bedraggled for the recent passing of Hurricane Eduardo.

It was this week that made me fall in love with Cape Cod as a place to make a life and by the end of the week, not only was I a grinning fool, but I realized after leaving for home that I was homesick for the place and I began to lay my plans to move out here. The rest, as they say, is history.

Yesterday was one of those pretty fall days. It started that way, anyway. We were still enjoying the warmer temperatures that Wednesday had featured...but while I was doing laundry in the morning, we had some dark skies and the temperature managed to drop ten degrees...a Canadian cold front, someone who was watching the TV told me.

I was back at the eye Doc, to check up on things, as my eye is taking just a little longer to heal than anticipated, but we were able to see improvement since Tuesday, so I will resume being patient with myself, since it was probably hurrying that caused the injury in the first place.

Meanwhile, it was a late September day and I had a hair appointment in Provincetown, so after the laundry, I spent some time in the office and then hit the road for the Outer Cape.


This bit of wild phlox caught my good eye, growing as well as it was in a tiny little bit of earth between two sections of macadam outside the salon. I moved some of this stuff to Harwich last fall, but it never managed to bloom for me during the summer. I wonder if its doing so now...

I've always been impressed with the gardens and plants of Provincetown. The quality of the light is amazing there and so that must encourage plants to do their best, as it also does for painters and other artists. Some of the gardens are narrow little patches in narrow little back or side or front yards...and the results never fail to amaze me.

It's always fun to ramble around town a bit, enjoying the seaside views and the scent of the sea air and such.





Of course, there's always a few interesting people and or dogs to be seen in Provincetown.

With cooler temperatures coming to bear, there weren't any scantily clad beautiful people to enjoy (they have probably headed south for Key West now...as flannel becomes a more popular seasonal choice...), but I enjoyed this dog, who was sharing a bench with its people out on MacMillan Pier.

There wasn't much in the way of boating activity this time of year, but it was still kind of cool to walk out along the dock and enjoy the sky and the seabirds who were filling it.


Plus, from out at the end of the wharf, you get the most enjoyable views of the town itself.

One of the things I had hoped to do while I was in town was to replace a bit of stained glass I had purchased on that long ago trip, which had recently broken. It was a very simple stained glass rainbow flag, but it always made my heart sing a little as it caught the sun.

I was sad to discover that they no longer make this particular bit of stained glass, though after twelve years (and with PTown becoming a little more exclusive as resorts go, the whole rainbow flag culture has faded a little...as you may recall from my hunt for the sight of one of the flags back in June...)...but as I walked away, I was a little surprised at just how sad I felt about it...

...which is when I remember that this was actually my second day without a nicotine patch (62 days altogether since the last cigarette...), and so as I go through this final stage of withdrawal, I suppose its not unreasonable that I should be an emotional mess. This, too, shall pass. Of course, the Nicodemon isn't entirely to blame: it was on that long-ago vacation that I also first met Owen, too.




I enjoyed this large frog outside one of the stores on Commercial Street. He's actually a large vase for the flowers held in his left hand. Pretty cool, huh?

I wandered through some of the shops at the Whalers Wharf complex...just one more representation of the way in which the town has changed in ten years.

Of course, WW used to be a big open area indoors, with a sort of disorganized array of vendors and their relatively inexpensive wares. It was that sort of set-up, I imagine, that allowed the fire that destroyed the place the winter I moved here to take hold and spread so crazily.

While the floors in this new place appear wood-like, they are actually some kind of composite flooring cast to look like wood. I did enjoy the way the hanging gardens looked from the second story, though.

And these steel flowers added a nice counterpart to the cosmos I found blooming a little further down Commercial Street, as I made my way back to the car.

A few weeks back, I made a big deal out of all the things I'd done in the Harwich garden which probably encouraged my sunflowers to "be all they could be", but I couldn't live Provincetown without showing you these guys. In just a few scant inches of earth between the street curb and the foundation of this house, these tenacious little fellows are putting on a nice show all their own.





Cape Cod Light, aka, Highland Light, has always been one of my favorite things about the outer Cape and I used to enjoy the way its beam would sweep across the Provincetown night sky.

It was actually a story about the moving of the lighthouse away from the crumbling cliffs above the ocean in Truro that gave me the idea to come to Provincetown on vacation that year long ago...and I've always considered this lighthouse a sort of beacon for me.






A nice sunset capped the day.

With forecasts predicting a low of forty degrees possible overnight, I was happy to head home and close some windows in the apartment, and to spend a little time snuggling with my buddy, Badum, who is pretty good at throwing the heat on a cool evening.

Colors of the Rainbow

So, being late June, it was sort of past time for me to get my locks shorn. I sort of hated to do it, since the curl was coming out pretty nicely and I do enjoy the "I live on Cape Cod and as far as you know I just came from the beach." look. But I suppose it was getting a little unruly...and really, I wanted to make the trip to Provincetown before the tourism season "blossoms" all around us come Fourth of July.

Plus, I've been thinking of those long ago years when I attended pride celebrations and there really isn't much of that around here, so I was looking forward to a walk along Commercial Street afterwards, as I have always enjoyed the site of rainbow flags billowing on ocean breezes.

The weather turned out not to be too fabulous for photos, as I might've hoped for some of that classic late afternoon sunlight. But clouds loomed overhead and it was a hot and muggy day. I took some pleasure in feeling the temperature drop a bunch as I drove down the hill from Truro...ahhh.

After the haircut (thanks, Barry!) I headed down to Commercial Street for a bit of a stroll. The whole street is festooned with nautical flags, as this weekend the town celebrates the annual Portuguese Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet.

The street was definitely a-buzz with visitors to town, strolling and shopping. I wanted to visit Marine Specialties for a couple of new flags to add to those on the fence in the garden, so that was my goal, but I also just wanted to wander a little, do a little people watching, see old places, revisit a few memories...that sort of thing.

And of course, there's always plenty of wonderful flowers in tiny gardens and containers here and there.

Now, I don't usually blog on this sort of topic...the consensus is such things are more the bailiwick of our friend Tornwordo...but hey, I'll sneak it in amongst the flower pictures and see if you notice.

After leaving the salon, I realized that there was a certain call of nature that needed to be answered. Anyone who's been a tourist in Provincetown knows that there's a limited supply of public restrooms, unless you duck into a bar, have a cocktail and use their loo, but that sort of works counter to solving the whole primary issue. So, I planned a route that would take me to the facilities at Town Hall before anywhere else.

So I'm walking along Commercial and this guys stops me and asks if I'd mind answering a few questions for a survey. Feeling agreeable (and the other not being quite a pressing need yet), I answered his questions. It's for a study for UMass Medical regarding recreational drug use and HIV transmission, as it turns out...and after the first few questions, the guy told me he'd give me $20 if I provided an anonymous urine sample and answered a more detailed questionnaire.

So I agreed. He seemed a little surprised, but then I pointed out what a long walk it was going to be to Town Hall.

Of course, now (hours later) I'm having all kinds of fun with this...calling out from the bathroom, "I'm just pissing away money here!"...or using it to bargain: "Eef you tell me where you have hidden zee dog's leash, I will give to you a cup of my urine."

Heh...obviously, I crack me up.

Anyway...I resumed my walk through town, now relieved and free to take in the sights at a leisurely pace.

I enjoyed this store window display especially. Who doesn't love a fleet of rubber duckies? These guys look like they are ready for all weathers, which is just right for this end of the Cape.


There are plenty of fancy plants and special varieties, but sometimes, you just can't go wrong with that classic combo of marigolds, geraniums and dusty miller.

While the temperature in Provincetown was cooler than it had been further up-Cape, after a while, I realized that it wasn't any less humid and with the clouds pressing down overhead, I felt a little oppressed.

I also wasn't finding any rainbow flags to photograph, which surprised me. There were a few of the PEACE rainbow flags...and I kind of like that design(who doesn't like Peace?!), but I also think the white letters sort of dilute the rich colors of the original...and that's what I was looking for.

Plus, I have to say I was just a little annoyed at how many flags were completely tangled around their flagpoles. If you display a flag of any kind, you really ought to take the time to make sure it's flying free for passing photographers, 'cause it's all about us. Plus, it just looks better. That's what I think, anyway.


The tide was coming in during my stroll and every alley or driveway or street between buildings brought that wonderful pungent smell of the harbor, salty and rich.


One of the things I loved best about living and visiting there was the way the ocean was right there in town. The smells teased your nose, the sounds of storm surf or a foghorn lulling you off to sleep at night, ships' horns in the harbor waking you in the morning.




There's also secret nooks and gardens and patios hidden all over town, their margins just packed with beautiful plants, creating little oasises everywhere.



I remember being impressed to learn that ships used to use soil from different ports as ballast and would offload it as heavy cargo loads dictated. Thus, the dirt in the tiny yards and gardens of Provincetown had come from many different places far away.

I'm not familiar with this yellow flower, but just loved the puffy quality of the flowerheads. Can anyone tell me what it is? I'd love an introduction.

Of course I recognize this clematis, which was tangled on a fence across the street from where my apartment was. That building is just one of many which has been completely renovated over the years. It's kind of amazing how things change. What was a restaurant one year is a gallery another year, and former galleries become bars, or gift shops. Many houses seem to be completely renovated each time the property changes hands.

I was amused when I first washed ashore at that thing where people refer to a place by what it used to be called, which is, of course, no help at all when directing someone newly arrived. I guess people do that everywhere, but here on the Cape things change so quickly that I hear myself doing it all the time now, and can only grin.

I did get the flags I was looking for at Marine Specialties and you'll see them added to the fence in the garden in the next day or so. But I had just about resigned myself to not seeing any true rainbow flags in a town that used to sparkle and flap with them...when I spotted this one as I made my way back to the car.

Mission accomplished.

Provincetown Morning

It had been two months since I'd last been shorn, so off to Provincetown I went this morning...and I must say, what a lovely day for the trip!

The last week has really been pretty dismal and rainy. I heard someone suggest today that it was as though New England itself was mourning the unfortunate outcome of the recent Superbowl.

This photographer likes morning light best for taking pictures, and in February, any light will do...so today was a little like winning the lottery. Since the trip is a little longer now from Harwich, I left a little extra time for the trip and ended up having some free time before my appointment to capture the gorgeous light of a Provincetown winter morning.

The harbor was still, the tide hanging in the balance between ebb and flow. The quiet was as delicious as light tang of salt in the air. Long Point and it's lighthouse seem to be floating in the sky.

Coming down Commercial Street, I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the former Heritage Museum restored to the town skyline. As part of a great renovation project that transforms it into the new home of the Provincetown Public Library, the building's upper components were sort of dismantled for a few years; here's a little more on that.

It's nice to see it looking so great again.

As I enjoy the beautiful morning, for a moment I regret not having had a digital camera for the eleven months I was a PTown resident. Of course they were brand new then and in no way afforable, but it would be fun to have a more complete photographic memoir of that time: The streets in different seasons, the gardens, the bike trails, the guys after tea dance, gallery openings, whales in the harbor, the nightly mardi gras of summer.

And I would certainly have taken many pictures of the Whalers Wharf Fire, so large out my bedroom window it appeared the whole town was ablaze. It's hard to believe that particular February night was ten years ago tomorrow.

(EDIT, 2/10: Here's another remembrance, with a link to some images of that night.)

How time has flown here by the sea.

Greeting the Season, Outer Cape Style

Sunset on Blackfish Creek, Wellfleet, MA.

We all know that Christmas and the other December holidays are coming fast upon us, but when the calendar page still says November, it can be hard to get into the spirit. Already, I'm tired of alternate versions of "Christmastime is Here", which I'm hearing all too often at work, as I deck the halls there.

With the rest of my time lately spent packing boxes or wondering where the things in those boxes will fit in the new house...and a hundred other things, my feelings of festivity come and go.

So when I needed a haircut and a fresh infusion of holiday cheer, I scheduled one for late afternoon...knowing that Provincetown would not fail to perk me up.

Every year on Thanksgiving, in a ceremony celebrating the visit by the Pilgrims on their way to Plimoth, the monument named for them in Provincetown is illuminated for the holiday season.

Down in Lopes Square, they've fashioned a tree from carefully-stacked and decorated lobster pots and buoys which is pretty cool. I hear they had to rebuild it after an unfortunate motorist incident. I think it looks great.

Unfortu
nately, some places have already closed up for the winter, but there are still plenty of [mostly] year -round favorites offering festive window displays to enjoy as you walk along Commercial Street...as well as additional views of the monument.

Provincetown Town Hall, Commercial Street.



If you're free this weekend (I'm not), local businesses will be hosting their annual Holly Folly festivities, which always sounds like great fun to me.

Don't forget to bundle up (it's cold in PTown this time of year!), bring plenty of cash and wear practical shoes!!

As you can see, few but me were out along Commercial Street tonight, but that made situating the tripod an easier business.

And I was glad I had a hat, since there was a bit of a wind blowing.







Man, you can just hear the sleigh bells now, can't you?

Well, everyone says there's still plenty of time. ; )

In Truro, the vineyard is getting into the holiday act, as well.