This Photo Captures Provincetown's Amazing Sand Dunes at Their Finest

At Dune Shacks Trail, by Mark Anthony Lynett, Provincetown Photography Page, Facebook.

This stunning photo is among the most remarkable images of Provincetown's spectacular dunes that I have ever seen. It was taken by Mark Anthony Lynett as he was hiking over a windswept hill, the first to make the trek since the blowing sands had last erased the evidence of any other beings who had walked this way.
He was kind enough to share it on Facebook, on the Provincetown Photography Page, where amazing photos of the harbor beaches, wildlife in the forests, the sun rising and setting, or a thousand other splendid, poignant images routinely appear, reminding us of the many reasons we live here, or visit when we can.
The Provincetown Photography Page is a public group with more than 12,000 members who range from amateurs to hobbyists to professional photographers who, together, have posted more than 106,000 photos of this place we all love. It is well worth looking up.
Warning - bring a cup of coffee or drinking water with you when you visit this page, and you may even want to pack a lunch, because you'll be here much longer than you can imagine, unable to stop looking at "just one more..."

PTown Winter Breakfast Spots?

Breakfast can be hard to find in Provincetown in the wintertime, especially mid-week, and parking has been quite a challenge during this unprecedented snowfall we've endured since 2015 began. At this time of the year, and with the consistently snowy weekends and bone-chilling winds and storms that have kept visitors at home rather than here this winter, you'll only find a real, full breakfast being served in just a handful of PTown restaurants, and mostly just on the weekends, when a few hardy travelers still make the frosty trek to the tip of the Cape.

Slow-cooked pork, green chilies and tomatillos, with cheese and sour cream,
make a great omelet choice on Chach's menu. I added a side of black beans.

But you can find yourself a tasty, hearty breakfast any day of the week, if you just know where to look, so here's the scoop. Let's start with spots offering a full meal...




 
   • Chach, at 73 Shank Painter Road, is making her famous breakfast, with eggs, hash browns, omelets, breakfast burritos, a killer French toast, muffins and, of course, her stellar blueberry pancakes, all from scratch, available Friday through Sunday. A Townie Favorite and a current Best Bite. Free parking, too, in their small lot.
   • Governor Bradford, at 312 Commercial Street, does breakfast Saturday and Sunday at this time of year, with their central location, at Commercial and Standish streets, being their primary appeal. Parking is free right now half a block away at the town's main parking lot, near MacMillan Pier, or sometimes found on Commercial Street.
   • Napi's, tucked away at 7 Freeman Street, does a couple of brunchy sort of egg dishes, like an eggs Benedict, but only on Sundays, and not till 11:30 AM when they open for lunch. The artwork and decor enhance the meal, and you'll find there's plenty of free parking in their lot.
   • Bayside Betsy's, at 177 Commercial Street, is open this winter Thursday through Monday, beginning at 9 AM for breakfast. Lots of selections, like steak and eggs, pancakes or choice of three french toasts; frittatas, omelets or seven Benedicts, including a veggie version with grilled Portabellos, roasted reds and sautéed baby spinach. On my last breakfast visit there, the homemade Hollandaise seemed not to be their forte, but that was before the new owners took over, so I will try them again. The splendid view out over Provincetown Harbor to Long Point, from any table in the dining room, is perhaps reason enough for a visit. Parking might be found on Commercial Street.
   • Fanizzi's, at 539 Commercial Street, offers their all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch Buffet from 10 AM till 2 PM, with over a dozen dishes like French toast, scrambled eggs, frittata, Benedict, corned beef hash, bacon, sausage, chicken wings, steamed mussels, pasta of the day, assorted pastries, fresh fruit, green salad, yogurt and granola, with a full bar available. The panoramic view of Provincetown Harbor is superb. There is limited parking on-site, and perhaps on Commercial Street.

Angel Foods' generous, overstuffed breakfast sandwich
is probably the best in Provincetown.

If you can do with a breakfast sandwich, you'll find three spots that serve them every day, and one just on Sundays...





   • East End Market, at 212 Bradford Street, makes breakfast sandwiches on their grill from 8 AM daily (9 on Sundays) till 11:30 AM, despite what their website says.  Freshly baked muffins, too, and other pastries. They've recently reopened after remodeling, offer seating, limited parking is usually sufficient.
   • Far Land Provisions, at 150 Bradford Street, makes a great breakfast sandwich every day, with lots of choices, including the options of cage-free or organic eggs, and a lighter turkey sausage. Some days they offer a pancake special, with real Vermont maple syrup as an option, and fresh baked goods are always available. They open daily at 7 AM, 8 on Sundays, and serve breakfast only till 11:30 AM, when they switch into lunch mode. Homey seating, free wi-fi, great music, friendly service, ample parking make this spot another Townie Favorite.
   • Angel Foods, at 467 Commercial Street, serves a very generous breakfast sandwich, and probably the best in Provincetown. Eggs beaten with a little milk make a sort of big, fluffy omelet folded around lots of ham, bacon or homemade sausage, with a choice of 4 cheeses, on a Portuguese muffin. Open daily at 8 AM, with seating only on outdoor benches, or walk 40 feet down onto the beach on one of those warmer days we're starting to get. Limited on-site parking is usually enough, or park on Commercial Street at this time of year.
   • 141 Bradford Natural Market is doing a breakfast sandwich, but only on Sundays, from 9 AM till 1 PM. You can get 2 organic eggs with cheese, avocado and chipotle mayo on a fresh roll, for example, or have it with other ingredients that might be in the kitchen on any given Sunday. They're quite flexible. They also offer a sort of Sunday Brunch Buffet from their hot bar, ready by 11 AM, with varying choices, like last Sunday's brioche French toast bake, sweet potato hash, egg in a cup, maple vegan sausage, broccolini with shallot and dill, or roasted zucchini.  Choose what, and how much, you'd like, and pay for it by weight. Fresh baked goods daily. Seating, limited on-site parking.
 

Art is served in a cup at the Wired Puppy.  Photo from their website.

If you've got to eat and get moving early, or if all you need to get you going in the morning is a cup of coffee and a muffin, or if you want a designer latte or cappuccino made by a talented barista, there's a choice for you, too...



   • The Wired Puppy, at 369 Commercial Street, is open daily from 6:30 AM till 6:30 PM in the winter, with a wide variety of fancy coffees and teas, and depending on the day, perhaps a muffin or scone of one variety or another, baked in their oven. A favorite with early morning caffeine junkies as well as those who want a certain sophistication in their cup, and a light, continental breakfast. Free wi-fi, and even a couple of computers for the public to use. Seating, parking may be found on Commercial Street.

You'll also find early morning coffee, breakfast sandwiches, muffins or donuts, yogurt and so on, available all day, at three local convenience stores over the winter months...

   • Highland Farm (The Gulf Station) at 130 Bradford Street, open at 5:30 AM daily, usually till midnight, but occasionally closing about 15 minutes early, so don't push the clock. This is a small, local business, not a corporate chain. No seating, but friends gather in front to shoot the breeze and sip their coffee, even on a cold winter morning. Limited parking is usually adequate.
   • The Tedeschi Station, at 137 Bradford Street, 6 AM till 11 PM daily. Seating only on an outdoor bench, with parking sufficient for a grab-and-go.
   • Cumberland Farms, at 100 Shank Painter Road, open 24 hours every day. Read the label if you want to know about the long list of ingredients in their "egg patty" or other items inside that pre-assembled muffin or croissant. No seating, plenty of parking.

So there you have it. As always, there are more choices in the off-season than you might think of right away. Call a friend, get out of the house, and go try someplace you might not have visited before, or return to an old favorite. Support these local businesses that have stayed open for us during a very lean, tough winter.

2014 Provincetown Year-rounders Festival Celebrates PTown's Off-season March 8th

Celebrate PTown's quiet season with community exhibits, pet events, food and drink,
raffle prizes and entertainment at Town Hall this Saturday, March 8th, 2014.

Each year Provincetown holds its annual Year-rounders Festival at Town Hall, just when we think we can't stand another minute of winter. We gather for a bit of camaraderie, enjoying food and entertainment, and we visit with friends we haven't seen all winter.
A lot of us haven't been out of the house much lately, with the frequent snow storms, bitter temperatures and howling winds we've suffered keeping many indoors much more than usual, especially during these last few exceptionally cold and snowy weeks.
Besides all that, we generally just need to blow off a little steam at this time of year, so we do it together in this celebration at Town Hall, in the company of remarkable friends, community "characters" and the altogether eccentric group of people who make up Provincetown's year-round community.
This year's date is this Saturday, March 8th. Events are scheduled at Town Hall all day and into the night. From 11 AM till 7 PM there will be a silent auction for over 100 gift certificates and items donated by local businesses, community members, restaurants, artists and more, and raffle tickets will be sold as well.
And  although I couldn't find it listed anywhere, supper usually starts around 5 PM, once the volunteers have had a chance to transform the auditorium from an exhibition hall into a banquet room, with a lineup of chowder, pasta, chicken wings, pizza and lots of other favorites donated by local restaurants.

Here's the entertainment schedule, and don't forget the pet events at 2 PM.  

There will be a variety of entertainment onstage from 6PM till roughly 11 PM, and people will definitely be up on their feet and dancing to local band The Daggers, who will play from 9:30 on. Raffle winners will be drawn and announced throughout the evening. You don't have to be present to win, just buy your raffle tickets before 7 PM. I'm told there will be a cash bar as well. Last year, for instance, Cape Cod Beer was kind enough to bring libations. I hope to see all of you there for a fun day and evening.

Public Art Abounds in Provincetown, With Photo Ops Wherever You Look

It's one of the most photographed spots in PTown, for those who have found it. The garden at Ronny Hazel's house is just slightly off the beaten path, and it's been written up in guide books, but not everyone coming to town finds this local treasure trove of public art. Well, "public" in the sense that a good bit of it is visible from the street, easily seen by people walking by this PTown landmark. At 4 Center Street, right across from the side door of the Public Library, is a charming old victorian house with a mansard roof that will get your attention as you walk by, but the really striking thing about this spot is the garden full of artwork you'll find behind the rock wall, pictured above.
Ronny came to Provincetown back in 1975, eventually starting three successful shops on Commercial Street, and in 1990 he bought an abandoned guest house on Center Street, between Commercial and Bradford Streets. He hauled away an old rust bucket of a truck and the mounds of trash that filled the grounds, and he spoke to local stone cutter Peter Annese about building a wall around the yard. As Columbus Stone Masonry began the project both men got new ideas for the design, each finding stones and other objects they wanted to include in the wall. Soon a patio was sketched out. Various sculptures began finding their way into the garden. Stone arches and gateways began appearing, leading from one part of the yard tho another. San Francisco sculptor Pierre Riche had created two large figures from odd bits and pieces of recycled metal. The Wizard and the Griffin, as they are now known, became sentinels overlooking the growing garden, perched on pedestals built to show them off.

Crystals had become popular sellers in Ronny's store Shop Therapy, and as new ones had come in from South America Ronny had picked a few to add to the wall, sort of like big colorful geodes sliced down the middle to expose the sparkling treasures inside. The "peace, love and tie-dye" theme of the shop is also reflected in the yin-yang symbol and the peace sign that were worked into the patio. Shrubs and plant life were added, with footpaths between, and the garden creation was well on its way, though it will probably never be completed. I swear that every time I stop to look, I see something I've never seen before, partly because there's just so much to see, and because this remarkable garden continues to grow and change.
Click this link to see Ronny's Garden in a You Tube video shot from the street. When you are nearby, stop to look for yourself, and then go back again for another look. I guarantee you'll see something different the next time, and the next. When the lights come on in the evening, things you may have missed in the daylight are highlighted, and new things still appear from time to time. Exotic statuary from many foreign lands now ranges from spiritual figures like Buddha and Ganesh to headhunters from Borneo, along with more domestic pieces as well. A visitor who had become enthralled with the garden contributed a pair of cemetery gates dating to the 1800s, which now open onto the arbor.
Look for the enormous snake studded with jewels, winding along the flower bed and up the wall next to the front door, and little details like the breeching whale in the front gate. Of course, we're not invited into the garden, as it is a private home, but from the outside you'll see art in many, many forms, lovely plant life, and, of course, the rock walls are works of art as well. Ronny loves nothing more than overhearing the comments of groups of people as they gather to admire his yard, and you're welcome to shoot all the photos and video you want. So even though this is private property, I'm still going to call it a wonderful piece of public art in Provincetown.

Provincetown Year-Rounders Festival Helps to Beat the Winter Blues

During most Provincetown winters the season begins to feel a little long and oppressive around the first part of March. Around this time of year we're usually being teased with the sounds of cardinals and other birds in the trees, and the sight of crocuses sprouting up, sometimes right through the snow on the ground, along with a rather warm day or two scattered among the snow storms. This year it's been howling winds up to 40 and 50 miles an hour that have sometimes kept us cooped up indoors as the wind chill factor makes it feel like 20 degrees out there.
As usual, we've gone from the non-stop frenzy of streets crowded with summer visitors and thousands walking in the road every day to the wintertime dearth of people on the streets. In the summer there's an endless variety of entertainment to engage us and dozens upon dozens of restaurants to tempt us, and money in our pockets to enjoy both. At this time of the year many of us who work seasonally are getting eager to get back to making a living, having spent the winter pinching our pennies in order to survive the off-season with little, or no, money coming in. It's easy to begin to feel a bit isolated in these long PTown winters.
The Year-Rounders Festival comes just in time, bringing a day-long celebration of Provincetown and its people, and this year it is bigger and better than ever, with more events and activities than in past years, as well as the usual wonderful presentations by local service organizations, terrific food, and entertainment of all sorts. It all begins at noon on Saturday, March 9th, at Provincetown Town Hall.
From noon till 4 PM the Town Hall auditorium will be filled with tables set up by local community organizations who provide a variety of services and information for the public. Helping Our Women, for example, serves women from Provincetown to Eastham who are living with chronic, disabling or life-threatening illness. HOW provides medical referrals, support groups, transportation to medical appointments both on the Cape and in Boston, as well as many other service and support systems, and they will have staff on hand at the festival to tell you about their organization.
PTV will have volunteers present to get you involved with community television in Provincetown, and the Visiting Nurse Association will be happy to tell you how they can help with information on medical screenings, home healthcare issues and a variety of services and information they offer. Many other community groups will be in attendance, and new this year will be the crafts fair which will share the hall all afternoon, bringing you a variety of crafts made by local people, such as glass mermaids and other decorative objects, knit sweaters for dogs,, unique post cards, handmade aromatic sachets and many other types of arts and crafts.
There will be a pet parade and costume contest at 2 PM, with prizes for costumes in the following Provincetown-related categories:

• Fishing
• Pilgrim
• Artist
• Portuguese
• Bear
• Showgirl
• A Best of Show award will also be given

Any type of pet may be entered. Dogs wishing to compete are required to wear a collar with a current license and have vaccine info on hand. Pre-registration is not required, so there's still time for you and your snake to work up a bear costume and win a prize. All entrants receive a free raffle ticket (more about that in a minute) and winners in each category receive 5 free tickets.
All day long, and into the evening, there will be a silent auction of items ranging in value from $10 to $1,000, and a raffle as well, with items donated by local residents, artists, shopkeepers, guesthouses, restaurants, Cape Air and others. Ongoing raffle drawings will begin at 6 PM, with the auction closing at 8 PM, and you need not be present to win your bid or raffle prize. Any winners not present will be notified of their prize or successful bid.
At 5 PM local DJ Johnny Mark will begin spinning tunes as folks line up for the free dinner buffet provided by 16 local restaurants, markets and delis. We thank:

• 141 Bradford Natural Market
• Bayside Betsy's
• Ciro and Sal's
• Crown and Anchor
• East End Marketplace
• FarLand Provisions
• Fanizzi's
• George's Pizza
• Governor Bradford
• Hot L Bar and Grille
• The Mews Restaurant and Café
• Montano's
• Napi's
• Provincetown Fudge Factory
• The Squealing Pig
• Wired Puppy

Free soft drinks and a cash bar will be available, with beer for $2, courtesy of Cape Cod Beer, and Truro Vineyards will be on hand with wine for $3 a glass.
After dinner there will be entertainment on the stage, with Master of Ceremonies Rollie Skreezlet. Beginning around 6:30 PM we'll be treated to acoustic and slide guitar music by Penn Dixon Colbert. Around 7 PM rock and soul band YT will perform. 8 PM will find some of our favorite drag performers taking the stage, such as Jonathan Williams, Dana Danzel, Barbie Que, Thirsty Burlington and Anita Cocktail. The Daggers promise classy rock and roll beginning at 9 PM. Times are approximate, of course, but it may be a good idea to arrive ahead of time if you intend to come for a single event, or be prepared to wait a bit as bands set up, or as volunteers convert the auditorium form a crafts and information fair to a huge dining room. Don't forget, dinner and DJ are scheduled to start at 5PM and entertainment will follow dinner, till perhaps 11 PM.
Come and join us for this wonderful, free community event celebrating the best of Provincetown. As always in PTown, everyone is welcome.

Hot L Winter Menu Offers PTown Some Real Bargains and a Cozy Table by the Fire

Meatloaf at Hot L Bar and Grille, a $10 Provincetown winter dinner special!

If you haven't yet discovered Hot L Bar and Grill in the Far East End of PTown, now is the time to go and check it out. The friendly staff and relaxed pace of the off-season, the welcoming bar and the cozy atmosphere around the wood stove all invite you in from the cold, and the tasty, generous portions served with a bit of southern flair will make you glad you ventured out. And there are great dinner specials offered every night of the week during the winter.
Tonight is Monday, so this evening the special will be Hot L's homestyle meatloaf. This photo was taken at the beginning of the off-season, when zucchini and summer squash were at their peak. Now that we're into the winter season, fresh green beans will be the vegetable accompaniment to two thick slices of meatloaf, along with a generous serving of real mashed potatoes, with a luscious mushroom demi-glaze completing the dish. By the way, dinner starts off with hushpuppies with cranberry butter. These are the traditional southern favorite... tasty little balls of deep fried cornmeal dough, but dressed up a bit with a little Yankee flavor, a little New England accent. And this entire dinner is going to set you back a mere $10!
That's right, Sunday through Thursday nights in the off-season there's a different $10 dinner special each night, like Thursday's baked cod with basmati rice and seasonal vegetable, or Sunday night's BBQ chicken with baked beans, cranberry coleslaw and cornbread. Dinner specials start at 5 PM every night, and the kitchen is open till 9, but you'll want to come early in the evening on Saturdays for the Prime Rib au jus, with white truffle mashed potatoes and vegetable du jour, because it's only $20 and it's very popular, and likely to sell out before the night is over.
Friday nights you'll find Hot L's all-you-can-eat fish fry, with haddock, curly fries and cranberry coleslaw for $13. The lunch menu offers a dozen different burgers and sandwiches as well as daily specials, and breakfast is served every day from 8 AM till noon, with a special Sunday breakfast buffet served until 1PM. The social hour  Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 PM brings a lot of folks in for a drink and some of their favorite bar food as well as raw bar. And I haven't even begun to talk about the barbecue. The chef whips up about a dozen different BBQ sauces for various dishes, like the peach BBQ sauce for the ribs (delish!) and the Jack Daniels sauce for the pulled pork, which is my favorite sauce so far, but there are still more barbecues here that I need to try. There are also nine or ten seafood entrees I haven't yet gotten to.
Hot L Bar and Grille, with plenty of free parking, is found at 350 Bradford Street, near the split where Route 6A comes into town and divides into Commercial Street to the left and Bradford Street to the right. Call them at 508 413-9511. This is currently Provincetown's only restaurant open year round for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you probably know, I go out of my way to eat everywhere in town, but I hope to get back to Hot L for another great meal, soon!