A Brief Comment by Doug Draper
This late November week, before joining more than 30 of my American friends for a traditional American Thanksgiving feast at a warm and wonderful Cape Cod inn called Old Sea Pines, I ventured out to the very tip of the Cape – about as far east as you can go in these parts before falling into the Atlantic Ocean.
It was here, on this fragile finger of sand dunes and evergreens curling out to sea , at a place called Race Point off Provincetown, that the legendary 19th century essayist Henry David Thoreau once said; “A man may stand there and put all America behind him.”
That’s what my wife and I decided to do for a precious few days, put all America, along with my native Niagara and Canada, behind us, and enjoy some time with friends, walking a beach, sitting near the fireplace with a book about all the famous authors and actors who lived here, and strumming a few tunes on the guitar.
I am an incurable news junkie. You have to be in my line of work, but it is great to get away from it for a little while. I’ll be back to all of the jobless statistics, the high cost of Harper’s unnecessary crime bill, the gridlock at our municipal councils over almost anything to do with amalgamating services, the puff pieces over the new west St. Catharines/super hospital for the region, and all of the other craziness before I know it. But right now, I am enjoying the escape and can almost understand why so many of my fellow citizens would rather watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and hockey and football games than follow the news.
I can almost understand but I will be back to the news before my footprints wash off the sand flats along Cape Cod Bay. Like I say, I am hopelessly addicted to the news and eternally grateful that enough of you are to make Niagara At Large a success over the past two years. Thank you for supporting this independent news and commentary site, and for encouraging your friends and associates to visit ad contributing to it too.
Niagara At Large 
I felt the same way at Race Point. I love P-town. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend. Our problems here will still be here when you return.
LikeLike
Doug, A great place to purge ones mind for a while, of all of the nonsense going on in the world, what better place than the coast where in 1620 a little ship brought Miles Standish and the new immigrants from the old world to the new for a fresh start and escape the contrictions of the class system of the old world of Europe,.enjoy, and enjoy while you are able, your pal George. PS, keep a look out for whales.
LikeLike
Sounds as close to Heaven as you can get. My hubby and I went there for our honeymoon in 1956 and stayed in a cottage in Provincetown. We went to bed with the sound of waves lapping the shore and woke up and couldn’t see the water. The tide had gone out. This was before it became so artsy and you felt like you had discovered this Paradise. I get nostalgic thinking about it. Is there anything that smells better than an ocean breeze.
LikeLike
I loved your piece on Cape Cod and “putting the world behind you”.
In this busy and very chaotic world, I think we all need, at times, to slow down and look around !
Thank you Doug, for this lovely sentiment !
LikeLike
Really enjoyed your article….. you deserve a break…. thanks for the work you do & the stands you take….. you’re appreciated!!! anne
LikeLike