PETER WELLS

508-627-1577

(peter@chappyferry.net)

By the time you read this the Schifter’s house will be hovering in its new location. All that remains is to fill the space between the ground and the house with concrete blocks, then remove all of the steel beams and wheels that provided the levitation. Then the dirt goes back around the house and by Christmas you won’t know anything ever happened there.

Don’t miss the book signing at Slip Away Farm on Sunday, July 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. for Melinda Fager’s new book Living Off the Sea on the Island of Chappaquiddick. With this book, Melinda has answered all of your gift-giving problems. This book has it all with recipes, photos, sketches and essays all by and about Chappaquiddickers. My reviewers love it! Stop by for refreshments and oysters.

The Chappaquiddick Island Association now has a website. It’s a complicated address so just Google it. The first of the CIA summer meetings is Saturday, July 6. Gather for coffee and pastries starting at 8 a.m. You can pay your dues and visit with friends on the porch before the meeting is called to order at 9 a.m. sharp. Along with the usual reports we will be wrangling over the Comcast cabling effort. Chappy WISP will also be represented.

The Chappy Store is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Save a trip into town; they may have just what you need.

Take the kids to Mytoi for the annual goldfish release. There will be games and activities from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 5.

The opening at Wasque changes almost daily and looks very different depending on the state of the tides. The TTOR reminds people to be aware of the strong currents. This past Wednesday, South Beach was closed to swimming because of Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish stings.

The ice cream social season has begun. Every other Wednesday starting July 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. you can get sticky at the CCC with your friends and family. Hosts are needed to set up, serve and cleanup. It will actually be a lot of fun serving up sundaes to all of those eager folks. You can practice guessing whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs. Call the center at 508-627-8222 to volunteer.

As of Saturday, July 7, Margaret Rodney Mullen will have been married to Jim for 40 years! I’m sending in her application for sainthood on the 8th. Their daughters Sydney and Whitney, along with grandchildren Bridger and Norah, join them in the celebration.

Occasionally a plane will noisily zoom low over Chappy, disturbing the tranquil atmosphere and someone will remark, “That’s probably Bill Brine.” Once Bill himself heard someone say that because Bill was actually standing just a few feet away. Next time a plane goes streaking by overhead take a good look at its shape. It probably looks very streamlined with its wheels retracted out of sight and it’s aerodynamic low-slung wings. Let’s not place undue blame for this intrusion where it’s not due. That wasn’t Bill.

Bill’s plane is more like a Disney character with its oversize tires and smiling face paint job. The wing is perched atop the body of the plane and the wheels are always sticking out below. For those of you who want the technical description, it’s a high wing tail dragger with swamp tires. When Bill flies over he isn’t in any hurry. Most of the time he’s taking pictures, which works best when going slowly. This Aviat Husky A-1B can fly along at as little as 60 mph, which when viewed from the ground makes the plane appear to be just barely moving. Even when he’s speeding he’s still only going about half as fast as a Cape Air Cessna 402.

This has been a busy springtime at the ferry and looks to be a busy summer. You might want to consider doing your shopping either early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the long ferry lines. As the guys at the highway department say, “Once July 4th rolls around it’s time to start getting the town Christmas tree stands together.”