A Favorite Corner of John's House

One very wet weekend when the whole of New England felt as if it were heading out to sea, my friend John invited me, my daughter Maren, her husband Nathan, the two grandkids Bae and Reeve plus the collection of pugs (Dino, Lulu and Moss) to his amazing and wonderful house in Provincetown.  It was the day after Wally’s death…my choice was to sit and sob at home or to wander off to P.Town with this delicious cast of characters and be caught up in great food, wonderful friends, lovely ambiance…do I need to tell you what I chose!

One of Many Cabinets in John's House

The whole of John’s place is akin to a Cabinet of Curiosity. Around each corner is something that surprises or delights.  The bedrooms with their peeled wallpaper, exposed raw plaster and furnishings of antiques make you want to stay forever.  I had the front bedroom on the second floor and from my bed, if I leaned in just the perfect way over to the left, I could see the beach and watch the waves whip over the hull of several small boats moored out there off shore.  The storm raged for three days…water collected in puddles the size of wading pools down Commercial Street.  We ate fine meals, played a game or two and read books by candlelight.

Front Parlor

Detail of a Favorite Stoneware Bowl

Bae with Lulu and Dino

Beech Forest Trail

Before the rain began in earnest, we went to the Beech Forest Trail which was a pure Mary Oliver experience.  Mary Oliver is  one of my all-time favorite poets; she lives in P.Town and has written of this trail and the surrounding dunes.  There were birds of all kinds in the bare trees, many of which swooped down and ate seeds from our open hands.  We saw a  small nuthatch, the plain titmouse and a number of chickadees with an occasional cardinal.  The sky was a threatening grey, the wind was just beginning to perk up but in our little corner of the path all was right with world.