Real Bass Boats for Real Bass

Most Americans outside the "coffee milk belt" mistakenly confuse a "Bass Boat"  with those logo-sticker-encrusted, disco-glitter-bedazzled plastic speedboats best known from basic cable fishing shows.  In Non-Rhotic American English the word "Bass" refers to the Striper (Roccus Saxatilis) and a "Bass Boat" is a rugged, deep water inboard like the beautiful MacKenzie Cuttyhunk pictured above. Designed for the steep chop and swift currents of the Northeastern coast of the U.S., these chunky, no-nonsense boats are the precursors of the now ubiquitous deep-vee center console fishing boats.  Like the Striper, these boats were seemingly everywhere at one point and then very nearly vanished completely in the 70's and 80's.  Thankfully, both are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence now and several new companies have started making updated versions of this venerable design, both in fiberglass and wood.  It's easy to see why, In addition to the rugged, good looks of the Bass Boat, the design is much more flexible, economical and family friendly than the center console.

The Dennis Drive-In

Unfortunately it's now long gone, but I have some extremely fond memories of the Dennis Drive-In.  In the early summer, the sun goes down late on the Cape, real late, 9-9:30 late, so a trip to the drive in when we were little almost always involved jammies and sleeping bags.  When we had a wagon or truck, we would park facing backwards and open the tailgate.  The three of us kids would lie down facing out the back with our pillows on the tailgate.  Since the speaker (pictured right) was invariably shitty and hung on one of the front windows, there was considerable debate among us siblings as to what exactly was being said at any one time.  This was how I experienced both Jaws and Star Wars, the two seminal movies of my childhood.  Needless to say Jaws scared the living crap out of me, to the point where I couldn't go in the water for like a year, I shit you not.  Star Wars on the other hand topped up an imagination originally filled with Star Trek and Forbidden Planet.  In high school I also saw The World According to Garp while parked with a girlfriend in an adjacent development's cul-de-sac.  By that time (~1982) the speakers had been replaced with a system that broadcast radio over FM.  One of the things I remember most is the peculiar experience of climbing out of your cozy sleeping bag, putting your sneakers on and walking to the snack bar to get some popcorn or go to the pot (most likely the pot as I am pretty sure we brought our own refreshments), it's a weird feeling walking around in what is essentially a huge dark parking lot in your pajamas trying to watch the screen and where you are going at the same time, stopping from time to time as something exciting happened in the movie.  Finding your way back was a bitch, in the dark cars look remarkably alike and it was easy to get turned around, especially when you were focused on the movie.  I hope we can find a drive-in this summer, our Van has a bed in the back and rear facing seats, it is the ultimate drive-in mobile

Henry Beston's Outermost House

In 1927 Henry Beston from Quincy, MA moved into this little (20x16) cottage way out on the spit at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod.  What had originally just been a vacation stay turned into a full year on the beach, documented in his book, "The Outermost House".  The Nauset beach spit for those who have not been there is an extremely narrow barrier beach peninsula formed by sand washing down from the north.  Below we see the house looking towards the mainland over the great marsh, what we cannot see is the open Atlantic on the other side of the dunes.  The unique location, between the tranquil marsh and the open ocean really comes through in Beston's beautiful narrative.  Beston's patient and thoughtful descriptions of the weather, wildlife, people and place really capture the essence of this dramatic setting, it is one of my favorite books.  The house unfortunately is no more, having been swept out to see along with much of Coast Guard beach during the blizzard of '78

Thompson's Clam Bar - Wychmere Harbor Harwichport, MA

This place was a real Cape institution, a real shame when it closed in 1990 to make way for

a private club.  The location on the water was unbelievable.  The the Clam Bar theme that

played ad nauseum for years on the Cape radio stations would make you crazy stuck in 

summer tourist traffic snarls.  To be transported back to 1970's Cape Cod, click the

postcard to hear the song