Fieldwork Week Eleven: Ponds

    Herring Pond   How do you write about a place that your neighbors don’t want you to talk about? That’s always a conundrum — the balance between preserving the fragility and specialness of the outer cape while also sharing its beauty. I mean, I’ve seen the Snail Road trail get trashed by overuse since the pandemic. And that feels like an alarm. Still, the New York Times reported on the Wellfleet ponds, so the cat’s out of the bag. Judging from the traffic we encountered on our walk, it’s clear that out-of-towners have already found it. Does that relieve me of responsibility?    I’ve written about the ponds before, especially in relation to my preoccupation with Henry Thoreau’s time there. So I won’t repeat myself.        The Breuer House   The community around them is legendary and the number of Modern houses is absolutely breathtaking. We creeped on the newly renovated Breuer House. The Cape Cod Modern House Trust has outdone itself.       Horseleech Pond   …   Fieldwork Saturdays in Wellfleet: Organized by Pete Hocking & AMZehnder Gallery   This summer, we’re inviting creative people — including visual artists, photographers, writers, and others — to join us for community fieldwork sessions in Wellfleet on Saturday afternoons from 2:30 – 5 PM. This is not a workshop and there will be no instructor. Spending time in a place, looking deeply, taking notes, and allowing the place to soak into memory allows one to bring meaningful experience into the studio — and to ultimately work more intuitively.  The sessions are also designed to strike up conversation and relationships among Outer Cape artists. You’re invited to look, to draw, to paint, to photograph, to take notes, to write — and especially to connect with other creative people in our incredible community. These sessions are free and you’re welcome to join us as your schedule permits. Come for one session or all sessions!    We’ll meet at AMZehnder Gallery at 25 Bank Street at 2:30 PM on Saturday and we’ll conclude the start of Gallery Night at 5 PM.    Questions? Contact phocking@gmail.com