Friday, July 13: Bright sunny. Hot. The brown grass on a lawn in downtown Oak Bluffs crunches underfoot. Surrounded by big and little boats, the ferry Island Queen arrives in the late afternoon and slips in and out of a bustling harbor, Sunset silhouettes masts, flag poles and the steeple atop the Tabernacle.

Saturday, July 14: Catboats and classic sailboats form a parade in the outer Vineyard Haven harbor. Topsail schooner Shenandoah, at her mooring, fires cannon. Light breeze in the morning picks up before noon. Sailors race under clear skies in Edgartown outer harbor. Dozens of little sailboats fly across their race course with an increasing afternoon breeze. Choppy waters off Edgartown Lighthouse, created by powerboat wake.

Sunday, July 15: Pretty sunrise in the morning over East Chop. Geraniums in a Vineyard Haven flowerbox perk up with a little watering from a bucket, under light gray skies.

Monday, July 16: Lightning after midnight. Thunderstorm overnight. The first significant rainfall in weeks soaks the ground in Tisbury. Streets and asphalt sidewalks are dry in time for the morning commute. The temperature recovers back to the high 80s at noon. Bright and sunny. Few clouds in late afternoon. Fog rolls in late. Fog horn.

Tuesday, July 17: Hazy sunshine. Temperature in the high 80s in downtown Edgartown. A child on Main street in Edgartown quickly eats a dripping ice cream cone. Pennants on top of masts in Edgartown are lifted by a change in the wind. Boats speed back into Edgartown harbor, past Memorial Wharf, amid a growing breeze.

Wednesday, July 18: Sunny and hot. Temperature rises to 91 in the shade in Edgartown. A breeze picks up over the water. Thunderstorms in the west, darken the sky over Cape Cod and eventually over the Island. Occasional lightning and thunder. Very little precipitation in Edgartown. Slightly more in Tisbury.

Thursday, July 19: Cool. Overcast. Temperature in the 70s in the morning. Light northeast breeze. Nantucket Sound is leaden gray, colored like the clouds overhead. Dog walkers prevail on the bicycle path in Oak Bluffs. Children wade in the water.

M.A.L.