Dear Cape Friends,
If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been along for the ride, welcome back.
Well, Cape Friends, it finally happened.
Yup, after 71 editions of this newsletter- and more than a few references to my still-pending Pulitzer Prize- the literary establishment could ignore me no longer.
I was published in both The New York Times. AND then Fox News picked it up. That’s right. Apparently, bipartisanship is still possible. But I digress... 😂
Now, was I technically “published”? Or was I merely “quoted” in an article? Some people may choose to make that distinction. Those people are joyless and off my Christmas-card list... As far as I’m concerned, I am now a New York Times-published author- and I assume the Pulitzer committee will be reaching out shortly.
To be serious for a moment, there is also a very personal piece to the timing. The digital article appeared last Saturday, August 29, the day we lost Nan, and the print edition followed over Labor Day weekend. During an incredibly difficult time, hearing from so many people who saw it gave me an “emotional lift” I badly needed. For sure, Nan would have gotten quite a kick out of the whole thing and would have absolutely added “you are NOT published!”
The article, written by Michael Harmon, explores how Cape Cod has learned to live with -and increasingly capitalize on - its growing population of Great White sharks. It also examines the effect sharks have had on tourism, beachgoing habits and, yes, Cape Cod real estate.
Which is how your humble, soon-to-be-Pulitzer-Prize-winning correspondent somehow wound up aboard the Oystercatcher with a reporter from The New York Times, cruising out of Chatham Harbor through the north cut in search of “one of the big boys.”
Michael ultimately quoted me as saying, “Sharks have changed behaviors and conversations more than they’ve changed demand.”
We also spoke about the increased appetite for swimming pools on the Cape, the growing popularity of heated pools and the broader movement toward creating backyard oases.
As for our pursuit of one of the big boys? We never actually saw one. A tagged white shark named Tarly pinged a nearby detector buoy- but apparently even he wasn’t interested in meeting a future Pulitzer Prize winner.
His loss..
One quick scheduling note: I will NOT be at Chatham Perk for our Fireside Chat this Friday, September 11. We will resume the following Friday, September 18, from 8:00–9:00aM.
I look forward to seeing everyone then.
And finally, thank you all for the extraordinary kindness and support you have shown my family and me during this time. It has meant more than I could possibly say.
Paul | 