Provincetown

This is Provincetown. I could make a compelling argument that it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It has a year round population of 4000 people and a summer population of 20,000. It lies at the very tip of Massachusetts in an area called Cape Cod. Its residents are primarily artists, Portuguese families with strong ties to the sea, and gay and lesbian folks who have found their way to the land's end to live and be themselves.

Commercial Street runs about 3 miles along the ocean. This is how you reach the harbor and the fishing fleets and the whalewatch boats. In the summer months, the center of Commercial Street is quaint and festive with restaurants. shops, art houses, and galleries, all majestically amidst the back drop of the bay and ocean. In the winter, it is desolate, just right for a writer or artist or contemplative soul to nestle into winter.

You can walk from one end of town to the other in about an hour. Every house and every sight is breathtaking in its own way. The sea is everywhere: you can see it and smell it and hear it and feel it.

The beach and provincelands are just beyond the downtown area, an easy bike ride or walk for most. These are photos of the dunes, where they surround the pristine beaches and incredible waves of the Atlantic ocean. The water temperature does not reach 80 degrees until early August, and even then a plunge in is chillingly stimulating, but it's worth it. I've bobbed in that salt water sometimes and I've solved all my problems and then some simply by bobbing with the sun on my face.

P-town is all about fun. Folks come from all over the world for a day or a season because this is a place that pushes its creative and expressive freedom to the limit. My friend Marilyn painted this mermaid cutout a few years back when I was involved in developing some businesses in town. The angels and little dolls sitting around a pond is a typical example of what you might see in someone's yard. And these two fine gentlemen are the Hat Sisters: brothers, really, they've been around for 25 years or more, participating in parades and town events with their classic whimsy and heterosexual take on life in Provincetown.

The light on the outer Cape is like no other. Artists come from everywhere to capture it. Sometimes you only have 30 seconds to mix your paints before the sky changes color. I've seen the sky brillant pink and unbelievable purple. These photos can't do it justice, but this is really truly what it looks like sometimes when you walk along Commercial Street, the bay, or the beach.

In the photos below, to the left is a dune shack. With no electricity or running water, for years artists and writers have holed up in the dune shacks, often with their dogs, to make their art through solitude and ocean inspiration. Food is brought in once a week or so. Now-a-ways, the town has a lottery every year for these coveted dune shack spots.

The middle photo is the strip of beach jb and I have walked along for years, often once or twice a day. Here we individually and together weighed and thought about our hopes, dreams, inspirations, and practical matters. We planned our restaurant, talked about the day that eventually came when we could move to Provincetown full time, accepted life simply as it was and is, and watched our beloved dog Rosie swim non-stop for hours.

The sign on the right is just a reminder that there is no room for hate anywhere. Provincetown has its own problems with that, although on a much smaller scale, but for a hundred years and to this day it remains a community where expression matters and it is ok to be different.

jb and I have always spent part of our summers in P-town. We have a 3 room place a block from the ocean, now rented out, that has always been a sanctuary. Almost two years ago we moved away after spending two years living there full time. It was not an easy time but my memories are driven by the sheer beauty and my deep love of the town. What more can I say? I hope I've done some justice with this tribute. The place is in my blood, my memories, my roots, my heart. It's a terrific spot. I recommend you put it on your list of "someday".

P.S. I can't tell you why, but you'll have to scroll down a bit to click on "comments". And please do: I love them!