Podcasts by A Cape Cod Notebook

Old Wharf Road from 2023-12-12T06:14

One of the most beautiful spots in Wellfleet, or for that matter, on the entire Lower Cape, is Old Wharf Road. It is one of those headlands that, along with Indian Neck and Lieutenant’s Island, thr...

Savery Avenue, a template for future transportation from 2023-12-05T07:59:48

Whenever I have occasion to go to Boston and don’t need to rush home, I often avoid the divided highways and take a different route back to the Cape. One of my favorite alternatives is to take Rout...

Reflecting on seasonal changes from 2023-11-21T06:21

Late Sunday afternoon — it isn’t all that late, but now that it’s dark at 4:30, late is all relative. Landmarks change in the winter light. The boarded-up Surfside snackbar where teenagers spent th...

A reliable old friend from 2023-11-14T08:24:48

It looked old. It looked like something that was ready for retirement, though it still worked, still functioned.

Embracing Halloween on Cape Cod from 2023-10-31T07:32:34

Cummiquid writer Susan Moeller talks about the thrill of trick or treating.

Owners unknown from 2023-10-24T05:57

Seth Rolbein, a journalist living in Wellfleet, talks about an 1820 fire that had a major impact on the Cape’s 20th-century development boom.

Revisiting Captain Jack’s Wharf in Provincetown from 2023-10-17T08:11:18

Nantucket Writer and Historian Mary revisits a place she wondered about as a child.

Death of a mimosa tree from 2023-10-03T07:36:32

Paying attention to our smaller neighbors from 2023-09-26T06:41

In the pale morning light I began to notice that the wooden wall of the shower was in motion: in fact, it was crawling! A closer look revealed dozens and dozens of pillbugs roaming about, exploring...

Patiently waiting on Nantucket from 2023-09-19T08:08

Right now, we are waiting to see what the impacts of Hurricane Lee will be. Caretakers are pulling boats out of the harbor, amateur forecasters weigh in on windspeed estimations.

Ellery from 2023-09-12T08:11:40

Over more than a half-century of observing Cape Cod’s Outer Beach, I have seen many things thrown up by or coming out of the surf: seals, seabirds, jellyfish, a dead humpback whale, even, once, a l...

Spiders on the lake from 2023-09-05T07:58

Bob has been spending a few days at one of his favorite vacation spots in Vermont. And he has a thing for spiders.

Poetry as part of the landscape from 2023-08-29T07:33:55

Cummiquid writer Susan Moeller takes in poetry in the landscape

How Stellwagen Bank came to be named from 2023-08-22T10:14

Have you ever wondered how Stellwagen Bank came to be named?Seth Rolbein did a little digging and brings us the answer.

The endless current from 2023-08-15T07:54:29

Nantucket Writer and Historian Mary Bergman ponders Nantucket’s endless current.

Tony Bennet at the Melody Tent from 2023-08-01T07:04:58

This week Bob dips into the archives to pay tribute to Tony Bennett, one of the master singers of The Great American Songbook, who died on July 21 at the age of 96.

Mia and Maura from 2023-07-25T06:56

Seth Rolbein, a journalist living in Wellfleet, thinks back to the day a young lady special to him met the Governor.

Nature has no shame from 2023-07-13T07:30:20

After some forty-odd years of observing the natural world, one of the few universal conclusions I have come to believe is this: Nature has no shame.

A gift from the woods from 2023-06-27T07:36:59

On a recent mild May morning, I received a gift from the woods. A real gift.

Strange Season from 2023-06-20T07:28:30

The other day, when the wind was coming out of the south, Becky and I set out for Coskata Woods. We left the car along the side of the road near the Trustees gatehouse, past the Wauwinet Hotel, one...

Autumn in the dunes, Part 2 from 2023-06-13T07:22:57

This week Bob concludes his recollections of time spent in the Provincelands dune shacks in the fall. Such experiences may no longer be allowed under new regulations recently promulgated by the Nat...

Autumn in the Dune Shack, a suggestion to the National Seashore from 2023-06-06T07:57:42

The Cape Cod National Seashore has been in the news recently after announcing a set of new criteria for leasing eight of the eighteen dune shacks that it owns in the Provincelands.

Signs of spring in St. Mary's garden from 2022-04-19T12:18:07

On the first day of spring, I went looking for it in the garden at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

Death of a saw-whet owl from 2022-04-19T12:16:24

The other day I stopped to see my friend Ralph. Ralph has an uncanny ability to find unusual things in unusual places.

What was there before from 2022-04-19T12:15:13

I keep having dreams where I am standing in the School Street parking lot. There is nothing particularly special, certainly nothing beautiful, about the parking lot, located between Mechanic and Sc...

Clamming on the far bar in Wellfleet from 2022-04-08T11:40:43

I went out on the tidal flats yesterday about 3 p.m. on a new moon low tide, wearing hip boots and my new red suspenders.

Imagining the Punkhorn from 2022-03-11T11:37:22

We tend to associate imagination with poets, artists, composers, theoretical physicists, and other creative types. But the ability to imagine new things or ideas can play a part in more prosaic end...

Paper roads from 2022-02-15T05:40

Not every public way is marked out here. I don’t worry about that too much. If you aren’t supposed to be someplace, there will most certainly be a sign warning you to keep off.

A swarm of finches from 2022-02-11T10:58:31

I have always taken a certain pleasure in the knowledge that a flock of finches (whose name I share with them) is traditionally known as a “charm.” “A charm of finches.”

Where are the snows of yesteryear? from 2022-01-10T22:08:58

“Where are the snows of yesteryear?” is the often-quoted opening line of a poem by the 15th century French poet Francois Villon.

My old fogey list from 2022-01-07T12:09:25

I’ve always disliked the expression “bucket list,’ the phrase popularly used to describe those things one would like to do before one, well, “kicks the bucket.”

A trip to Truro for self-reflection from 2021-12-23T11:18:14

O Tannenbaum from 2021-12-17T10:54:26

My wife Kathy is Jewish, and yet with few exceptions we have had a Christmas tree every year. Well, not explicitly a “Christmas” tree; rather, a Tannenbaum.

Rick Cockrell then and now from 2021-11-30T11:04:38

He was walking across the cracked road that military wheels rolled over for decades, alone, a Vietnam War Veteran hat worn with obvious pride.

Seasons from 2021-11-30T11:04:04

It is just November. A few crickets still “sing” their nightly serenades. What they are chirping about, drawing wing over wing, is impulse and desire, although in a mechanistic, formalized mode, mu...

Thinking about spring and hoping for a green thumb from 2021-11-30T11:03:29

There’s a friend of mine who is always chiding me about my failed garden: “You’ve got to do something with all that land,” she says. She has transformed the hemline of her little house with wildflo...

I'm still here from 2021-11-30T11:02:48

The afternoon is overcast but dry. It is already beginning to get dark at 3 o’clock as I take a walk along one of the dirt roads bordering the Herring River.

One way to pass the time on the Cape and Islands from 2021-11-30T11:01:59

On a crisp, sunny, calm afternoon in late October, the Wellfleet Harbor parking lot is one-third full, this despite the fact that Mac’s Restaurant and Seafood on the Pier have been closed for weeks.

The local dog park has a big secret from 2021-10-26T10:51:53

The pandemic got me to explore new places on Cape Cod.Trails. Roadways. The dog park.

The spaces away from the beach from 2021-10-22T10:00:29

They say Windswept Cranberry Bog is retired, as if all the little insects, ferns, frogs, and grasses have simply moved south. Now, the bog is on its way to becoming a wetland after a century of cra...

Pining for an Endless Summer from 2021-09-24T11:39:11

Can you remember a winter where you were sorry to see it go? A fall where you wished you had carved more pumpkins or taken more hayrides?

Final Plans from 2021-09-16T13:43:14

Yesterday morning, without any preliminaries, my wife suddenly asked me if I had thought about “final plans,” that is, how and where would I want to be buried? I don’t know where this came from.

Great Blue Heron, Inspector of Docks from 2021-09-09T13:07:27

Today, Robert Finch talks about a recent encounter with a silent, elegant bird that commanded his attention.

Old Exits from 2021-08-19T07:40:25

Nantucket Writer and Historian Mary Bergman grew up in Provincetown and recently paid a visit to her old hometown.

Light Grass of the Mid-Summer Woods from 2021-08-11T09:25:37

For the past week or so I’ve become aware of the tall grass growing in the woods, which now has reached its maximum height of about three feet. It is the common forest grass hereabouts, growing mos...

Straight Talk from an Old Guy from 2021-07-30T08:34:43

Nelson Sigelman of Martha’s Vineyard tells us sometimes it’s tough to ignore those drivers who seem to be in a such a hurry.

Beach People from 2021-07-21T11:14:33

Nantucket writer and historian Mary Bergman has some thoughts about beach people and how different things are at the beach on today's A Cape Cod Notebook.

The Sound of the Rain from 2021-07-13T21:26:25

This week Robert Finch tells us why there is nothing more soothing than the sound of rain.

John Milton and the Multiflora Rose from 2021-07-08T11:39:54

This week, writer Robert Finch talks about conflicting attitudes surrounding multiflora roses.

Pondering the Call of the Catbird from 2021-06-30T07:34:59

This week Dennis Minsky of Provincetown ponders the call of the catbird.

An Irrevocable Decision from 2021-06-08T17:18:57

In today's Cape Cod Notebook, writer Robert Finch reflects on decisions, and the road not taken.

A Moment in the Garden from 2021-06-01T07:20:23

Today Robert Finch talks about the immense satisfaction from working outside in the garden.

We Must All Feel Safe in This Life from 2021-05-29T09:09:54

This week naturalist Dennis Minsky of Provincetown reflects on his memories of hitchhiking many years ago, and how he now understands the privilege he had then and has now.

Rights of Way from 2021-05-29T09:09:10

Nantucket writer and historian Mary Bergman is noticing signs of seasonal change.

Two Different Shores, Two Different Lives from 2021-05-29T09:08:29

Today on A Cape Cod Notebook, Robert Finch writes about "Two Different Shores, Two Different Lives."

The World Is Illuminated from 2021-05-29T09:07:38

Today Robert Finch talks about the light of spring -- and how each day is brighter than the one before it.

Spring is Definitely Here from 2021-05-29T09:06:08

This week Naturalist Dennis Minsky of Provincetown turns his thoughts to spring and in particular – procreation.

Our Shifting Vision of a Post-pandemic Future from 2021-04-23T11:53:44

Maybe you saw that New York Times opinion piece about how we can be different people after the pandemic. “Our personalities are not set in stone,” Olga Kahzan wrote, “They are more like sand dunes.”

A Drive Up-Island on Martha's Vineyard from 2021-03-30T10:39:27

Nelson Sigelman looking for a bit of a change in scenery ventures up island from his home in Vineyard Haven.

Contemplating the Language of Gulls from 2021-03-23T10:06:17

This week Dennis Minsky of Provincetown contemplates the language of gulls.

Deer Dance on the Beach from 2021-03-17T09:28:15

This week on A Cape Cod Notebook Robert Finch shares an insight about activities of some of Cape Cod's wildlife when people aren't around.

Brush Valley from 2021-03-17T09:27:33

Today on A Cape Cod Notebook, Robert Finch talks about the rich -- and also notorious -- history of a secluded valley on the Outer Cape.

A Crowd on Main Street from 2021-03-16T06:27:48

As we look back on the year anniversary of the pandemic, writer and historian Mary Bergman remembers a crowd on Nantucket’s Main Street.

An Essential Worker from 2021-02-09T06:39

Last March, in the early days of the pandemic, we gave a couple of small donations to organizations aiding the poor and those particularly susceptible to the virus. We gave to certain early-on hard...

My Coal Childhood from 2021-02-02T21:17:05

There are things in our childhood that implant themselves so strongly that no amount of subsequent adult rational reconsideration can completely remove them. Let me give you an example:

What's in a Name? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The other evening, from the woods down below our house, came the distinctive, haunting call of the screech owl. I was particularly delighted to hear it, since it was the first time I’d done so sinc...

Off Season from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The other Friday night, we were driving around. With the heat on, windows down, and (new this year) masks on. I leaned my head out the window a bit, the sky turning from pink to yellow to blue. We ...

The Green Flash from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Today I’d like to talk to you a bit about the “green flash.” And no, by that I don’t mean the merging of two of my boyhood comic book heroes, the Green Arrow and The Flash. No, I mean the “green fl...

The Value of Ignorance from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Thoreau once wrote, “A man’s ignorance can be a useful, even a beautiful thing.” One day last summer I experienced the truth of this first-hand. For some time I had noticed a small new sign on the ...

The Sky Is Not Empty from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

In the wild world, birds are the most commonly seen vertebrate, and, at this time of year—September into October—the Tree Swallow is probably the most commonly seen bird. These tiny green-and-white...

A Different Kind of Summer from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Like many Cape Codders this summer, I had extra people at my house. Family who usually come for two weeks came for two months. Some days there were three adults working, from bedroom to basement. O...

Out to Sea from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

It is undeniable, this slipping away of summer. The sun, still tucked into ocean waves like blankets, rises later than I do. The electric symphony of insect sounds has been unplugged, or at least d...

Why Do We Need Nature - Part Two from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Over the years I have attempted to answer that question again and again: Why do we need nature in an essential but non-utilitarian way – the way we need music or art or literature – or love? Today ...

Why Do We Need Nature - Part One from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Sometimes I think that almost everything I’ve written in my long career here as a writer on Cape Cod has been an attempt to answer one crucial underlying question, namely, “Why do we need nature?”

The Search for the Elusive Four-toed Salamander from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We share this planet with multiple uncounted millions of species. If we consider just those visible, there are still millions; and even if we limit our focus to just those with backbones—fish, bird...

The Search for Solitude During Summer from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

A couple of weeks ago, my phone buzzed with a message from Amanda. She’d sent a link to a boat for sale out in Polpis. She’s always sending me interesting items--a house on a Cliff, new to the mark...

Two Epidemics from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Recently I found myself thinking about Vermont, not because I’d rather be there than where I am, but because when I was nine I spent a week there in the middle of a polio epidemic.

Does the Fox Know Something We Don't? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The other day Kathy and I drove over to Ryder Beach Road and parked at the old railroad bed, planning to walk along it and up onto the hill that overlooks Bound Brook Marsh. Suddenly, our dog Sam w...

Living on a Spit of Sand from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

I am weeding my little four foot by four foot plot in our newly created meadow project at the Provincetown Community Garden. I am on my hands and knees playing God, tearing up foxtail grass, spurge...

The Ocean is More Important Than Ever from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

I think about it for a moment. And then I run my hand down the worn wooden railing that leads down a half-dozen rickety steps to the beach. Down at the far end of the narrow path, a family waits un...

You Can't Always Choose What Interests You from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Our mimosa tree has gained true stature this year. Some twelve years ago I hastily planted it in our back yard as a two-foot sprout, not really expecting it to live. Now its emerald canopy is over ...

Walt Whitman and the Hermit Thrush from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Our summer neighbors have not been able to get to the Cape this year, so the other day I walked over to check on their house. There, on the lower deck, I found the body of a small bird, perhaps six...

The Beautiful Little Bay Scallop from 2021-01-26T06:43

In the fading light of a raw December day, as the sun begins to set, I stoop to collect scallop shells on the beach. I am not here for that purpose, but I can’t help myself: they are so beautiful a...

What Are We Waiting for? from 2021-01-19T06:10

Years ago, I lived in Washington, DC. More years have passed between the day my one-way rental Town and Country minivan pulled away from the 1400 block of A Street, Southeast than the five years I ...

Natural Beauty and Darwinian Doubts from 2021-01-12T07:07:22

On a late afternoon earlier this month I walked out to one of the rip-rapped bluffs overlooking Wellfleet Harbor. I like this spot because it provides a particularly satisfying perspective.

A Word Is a Terrible Thing to Lose from 2021-01-05T06:56:30

I think I am starting to forget words; well, perhaps not so much forget as to have trouble retrieving them. I might be more worried about this but for the fact that my mother, her mind still otherw...

Year's End from 2020-12-29T06:09

The year is ending and it is a time for solemn contemplation. But what is a year? Our calendar years are artificial, human constructs. So, too, are our weeks and months—arbitrary divisions of time ...

Light It Up from 2020-12-22T07:37:33

Years ago, my husband, David, and his friend, Jack Braginton-Smith, then owner of Jack’s Outback in Yarmouthport, tackled what they considered a holiday heresy: displays of white Christmas lights a...

Eye of the Storm from 2020-12-15T07:07:21

There is something about waking up in the rain, the sky ripped open, asphalt shingles doing their best impression of a tin roof. The wind has been howling such that I now only notice the moments wh...

Sometimes You Figure Things Out from 2020-12-08T06:53

It’s this time of the year that people begin to get mice in their houses, and we have been no exception. I might not have done something about it immediately (after all, mice have the right to be w...

A Personal Seasonal Best from 2020-12-01T07:25:50

This is the time of year when friends and acquaintances boast about late-season swimming in the local ponds – or even occasionally the bay itself. Most of us go for a dip two or three times in Sept...

Finding Solace in an Early Morning Walk from 2020-11-24T06:02

I have officially crossed the Rubicon into old age.

A Morning Walk from 2020-11-17T06:16

I’ve been trying to break up the day with more walking, get moving as soon as my feet hit the floor in the mornings. These weird November days have been unsettling--both too warm and too dark. I’m ...

A Moonlit Walk from 2020-11-03T08:42:37

The moonlight pours through the skylight, banishing any thoughts of sleep. Slipping on my shoes and tucking my nightshirt into my pants, I go out into the night, walking down the steps and into the...

The Sounds of Night from 2020-10-27T08:53:48

Midnight, and I can’t sleep. The cat is curled beside me, having no problem at all. A cool breeze flows through the screened window; finally the hot nights of August and September have given up the...