No Country For Old Men

Sal Del Deo, a 94-year-old artist, restaurant owner, and legendary character, had been living and working in his Provincetown dune shack since he was seventeen. He was planning on ringing in his 95th birthday there next month. But the National Park Service had other plans. After serving Sal with eviction papers back in March, they finally came and boarded the place up last week.

 

The idea is to put Sal’s place, and the other dune shacks on the tip of the island, up to the highest bidder. Of course, most artists, including Sal, will never be able to afford them. Going back to the 1920s, the dune shacks have hosted artists including Jackson Pollock, Norman Mailer, Tennessee Williams, and Jack Kerouac. Great bragging rights for the rich people soon to be having cocktail parties for their phony cronies on the site. Park rangers are offering tours to prospective buyers already. The usual parade of Range Rovers and Escalades. 

Sal thought he’d spend the rest of his days in his flip-flops strolling the dunes. But even in artsy Provincetown, it’s all about the buck. There has been protest and pushback but it’s only delaying the inevitable. Best case scenario is some good-hearted millionaire buys Sal’s shack and lets him live there until he rides off into the sunset. But he probably wouldn't fit in with his new neighbors.

Keep your dukes up.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a34kIKVideI


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