NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

Once more with feeling: you snow birds who are in Florida for the season, do not call us and leave messages of what temperature you are enjoying and how sunny it is! My good friend and fair weather neighbor, Jim Hart, is guilty as charged. Jim and Trude are enjoying a wonderful winter in their Royal Palm getaway. As you know, Jim has written a column for the Condo News for over 10 years. He wanted to send me his latest report, called to get my mailing address, and left a message that it was 75 degrees and sunny.

Back from another island, a world away, is Dolly Campbell who met her new grandson in his home in New Zealand. Silas McLeod Campbell was born on Dec. 28, 2008, at 12:35 p.m. at the same hospital in Wellington, New Zealand where his mother was born. Silas weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. His parents are Seth and Jacquline Campbell. Dolly says her son’s in laws, Carey and Denyce Adamson, are delightful, so they all had a fine time holding the baby and passing him around. Granddad Bruce Campbell stayed here to keep the home fires burning while Dolly spent Jan. 12 through Jan. 29 bonding with her new baby. Welcome to the world, Silas!

I attended a magical party last Sunday, so many things to celebrate. It was my dear friend Ana Maria Cecilio’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, and a new citizenship party all rolled into one, the latter being the most important thing to her. Ana passed her citizenship test last November, five years to the day after she arrived in the states. Her swearing in ceremony was, quite appropriately, Thursday, Feb. 12, Lincoln’s birthday. Four hundred people raised their hands and became new citizens in Boston that day. The party was filled with good company and friends, Ana’s delightful daughter Keissila dancing around and enjoying her buddies. Ana made all the delicious Brazilian dishes, from meat to salad to pudding. It was her first birthday as an American citizen. Congratulations, Ana!

Jay and Janet Sigler have a great show and talk for you on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. at our library. The subject is Travels in Panama. The program is free and refreshments will follow.

The youngsters will enjoy story hour next Tuesday at 10 a.m. for infants to two years and at 11 a.m. for three to five years. The topic is Mardi Gras! Since it’s vacation week and you want to keep them occupied, have ages four and up enjoy a movie and popcorn on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. in the program room.

The ever-active Betsy Burmeister of the recreation department of Windemere tells me the students at the Chilmark School who participated in the intergenerational program with Windemere residents have a show of their photographs on display at the Chilmark Sovereign Bank, beginning today and showing through March 6. Don’t miss it.

The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society is running After the Wedding tonight at the Katharine Cornell Theatre at 7:30 p.m. This film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for best foreign language film. The film is in Danish, Swedish, and Hindi with English subtitles.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Warren West, Laura Artru, Margery Benjamin, Michael Dowling, and Benjamin Davey today. Saturday is a party for Michael Cecilio, James Holenko, Marie Boas, and Nisa Kontje. Feb. 22 honors George Washington. Feb. 23 is shared by David Gardella and Reid MacPherson. Feb. 25 is claimed by Rosie Piccione. And on Feb. 26 Natalia Oliveira takes the cake. Many happy returns.