The View From The Top

Wow. Its beautiful. Once I caught my breath I knew it was worth it.

Every time my family visits Provincetown we park near the town hall facing the Pilgrim monument. The Mayflower was said to have stopped in what is now Provincetown before its arrival in Plymouth in 1620. It makes sense given the fact that this is the easternmost part of Massachusetts and the first land visible to the sea weary pilgrims. This is what that harbor looks like today, seen from the tio of the monument. 

When we visited in April my son Viterbo asked me if we could climb to the top. Last year we made it to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, just north of Boston. There wasn't time in April for us to do it but this time around I said sure, wondering if my cardiologist would kick me later. I paced myself to keep up with Viterbo and Violeta. Kathy wisely opted to shop at the Black Dog and Candy Store instead. Ten minutes and many turns, a pause to catch my breath and there we were...

I first visited Provincetown in 1979. I was a 20 year old environmental activist working for the Clamshell Alliance. I was the guest of Dr. Jay Critchley, who helped arrange for me to speak at the Community Center about the dangers of the nuclear power plant then under construction in Seabrook, New Hampshire. The weather did not cooperate that February evening. It was 8° with a windchill below zero. Less than a dozen people turned out to hear my talk but they were a very receptive audience.  It was a lovely town but as fate would have it I wouldn't return until after I married Kathy in 2000. T

Beautifu blue ocean and sky...

Looking eastward I saw this speedboat approaching the harbor...

I knew an old Gloucester fisherman who told me he and his crew once took refuge in Provincetown during a brutal northeast storm. It's a good harbor to seek shelter in

It's  a lovely beach but today we decided to love it from afar 

At the entrance to the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown Massachusetts  Old Glory flies atop a flag pole accompanied by the Rainbow Flag  and Municipal Banner. Provincetown, on the outer tip of Cape Cod has been a bohemian mecca celebrating diversity for decades. 

This is it. No easy climb, but well worth it.