Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
October 5, 2007
Christopher Arrives
Christopher Arrives Christine and Paul Cardoza of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Christopher Paul Cardoza, born on Sept. 20 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Christopher weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.
Conservation Gift of Quansoo Farm Goes to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation
A longstanding and unprecedented gift of 156 acres at Quansoo Farm in Chilmark from the late Florence (Flipper) Harris to the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation is now complete, leaders at the foundation announced this week.
Donated to Sheriff’s Meadow by Mrs. Harris over a period of years beginning more than a quarter century…
Aquinnah Will Raise Parking Fines, Reviews Road Funding
Parking illegally will cost you more in Aquinnah next year, but the roads you use to get your ticket may be better. The selectmen Tuesday approved a $50 fine for most tickets, up from a range of $10 to $15, and maintained $100 fines for parking in handicapped spots and for parking on the beach…
Island Kids Stack Up Against Adult Champ of Speedy Sport
Imagine you have 12 juice-size cups in front of you. Carefully construct a six-cup pyramid in the middle and two three-cup stacks either side. Then, working from right to left, demolish these structures finishing with three perfect cup stacks, and punch the clock. You just mentally completed what stackers call a 3-6-3. How long did…
Welcome Wyatt
Welcome Wyatt Greer and Christian Thornton of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Wyatt Alexander Thornton, born on Sept. 19 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Wyatt weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.
Vineyard School Football Team Continues Its Undefeated Season
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team is having a good week. In addition to rolling over Littleton/Broomfield at home on Friday by a final of 29-14 to remain undefeated on the season, a news crew from NBC Sports is traveling with the team this week and taping a segment that will be aired…
Show Up, Winners
Show Up, Winners Martha Smith, major domo of the derby weigh-in stations, has issued a call to winners to show up at the weigh-in. “We need to remind daily and weekly winners to come in and pick up their prizes,” she said, noting that prizes are available immediately at the end of competition each week.
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip. Day Max. Min. Inches. Fº Fº Sept. 28 80 65 .27 Sept. 29 75 58 .00 Sept. 30 71 50 .00 Oct. 1 68 45 .00 Oct. 2 67 50 .00 Oct. 3 72 59 .00 Oct. 4 73 62 Trace
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 71º F.
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT 508-627-8894 (margaret02539@yahoo.com) These beautiful days of early fall begin to cool off sooner in the afternoon, with the sun setting noticeably earlier. The last flowers of the season are in bloom: the hardy seaside goldenrod, the purple and white asters in the fields and along the roads, and the groundsel, covered with their…
A Facelift for Two Old Lighthouses
Two of the Island’s century-old lighthouses are undergoing significant restoration. The East Chop Lighthouse in Oak Bluffs now shines with a fresh coat of white paint after having been refurbished inside and out at a cost of $140,000. The Edgartown Light is only weeks away from being completed at a cost of $250,000. The restoration…
Expired Legal Deadline Clears Way for New Homes
The legal battle over an affordable housing initiative on Chappaquddick ended quietly late last month when a group of abutters who want to block the housing allowed a deadline to pass for a final appeal to the state Supreme Judicial Court. No petition for further appellate review was filed, which means two young families may…
It’s the Great Pumpkin Festival at Morning Glory
It’s the great Pumpkin Festival! Anyone who ventures into the growing pumpkin patch at Morning Glory Farm next Saturday, Oct. 13, need only wait until 11 a.m. for sightings of — if not the Great Pumpkin — at least pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin squares and, well, you get the idea. Nonbelievers, too, can gobble…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER 508-645-3378 (slaterjn@comcast.net) Chilmark enjoyed another sunny and mild week with room on the roads for the fishermen who are still searching for the right spot to catch a winner. If you were looking up this past Monday in Menemsha you could have watched 10 turkey buzzards riding some thermals over the creek,…
West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs Fail MCAS Progress Report Card
The Edgartown School can rest easy for the moment. Numbers released by the state Department of Education last week show that the school passed its annual yearly progress (AYP) requirement on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test in both English language arts and mathematics. This means that the state will not be stepping in…
Vineyard Resident Set to Face Trial On Rape Charge
A Vineyard Haven man is scheduled to face trial in Dukes County Superior Court later this month for allegedly raping a New Hampshire woman in the summer of 2004. Richard J. Skrypczyk, 60 was indicted by a grand jury last April on a charge of rape following an incident that occurred after a wedding three…
Guts, Goals, Guzzling Coffee Keep Life Full
Janette Vanderhoop says she cannot function without caffeine. Her addiction is recent, but, she admits, chai tea in hand, she is worried. Halfway between Aquinnah and the Gazette office in Edgartown, she realized she had not had her morning cup and found herself veering to the other side of the road. She makes a beeline…
East Chop
RICK HERRICK 508-693-8065 herricklr@verizon.net Do you remember the old Johnny Paycheck song from the 1970s titled, Take This Job and Shove It? A lot of people took Paycheck’s advice and came to East Chop. I counted 35, and there may be many more.
Mill Pond Dredging Will Move Ahead
A straw vote in West Tisbury on Wednesday night saw overwhelming approval for restoration of the Mill Pond, following a public forum hosted by the town selectmen. Residents who attended the forum also suggested that a restoration plan include an ongoing maintenance component. Eighteen of the 24 residents in attendance raised their hands in support…
A Chocolate in the Mouth Is Worth Two on the Plate, So Taste Generously
There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles. You therefore can count on a square meal (of the chocolate box sort) when the fourth annual Chocolate Festival opens tonight, October 5, with a preview party at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Barnes Road in Oak Bluffs.
Summer Person: Address Book
Vineyard summer, with all its last-minute social scramble, is over, and I’m back in New York. I decide it is finally, finally time, after 25 years, to create a new address book. As a member of the pre-computer generation, I had kept my addresses and phone numbers in a black leather notebook on small sheets…
Welcome Isabelle
Welcome Isabelle Tina Humber-Floyd and Colin Floyd of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Isabelle Cooper Floyd, born on Sept. 24 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Isabelle weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. She is also welcomed by brother Drew Moreis and sister Matti-Lyn.
Chain Saws and Shattered Faith
Chain Saws and Shattered Faith
Film Illuminates Portrait Artist Alice Neel
The film Alice Neel, Portrait Painter, a documentary about one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, will screen on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven.
Moon and Planets
A thin crescent moon appears tomorrow morning right above two planets. The moon is right above Venus, the brightest “star” in the East. The ringed-planet Saturn appears underneath Venus. The assembly of three celestial objects will be an impressive sight.
Announcing Guilherme
Announcing Guilherme Silvia and Mauricio Maciel of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Guilherme Henrique da Silva Maciel, born at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. He weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Fit to Fight Fires
Fit to Fight Fires Age, conditioning and skill do not necessarily run in tandem. In that light, the Tisbury selectmen should reconsider their decision to enforce a mandatory retirement age of sixty five for members of the town’s volunteer fire department. State law mandates that uniformed members of paid fire departments retire in the month…
Free Yoga
M.J. Bindu Delekta’s sacred Circle of Yoga studio in Vineyard Haven begins its fall season with free classes. Chair yoga, which uses the support of a chair and stretches the entire body, is appropriate for seniors and anyone with physical limitations. This class will meet on Monday, Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. Yoga on the…
Double Dip
Double Dip The ice cream cone is soon to become an endangered species on the Vineyard after a long, hot, delicious summer. From Columbus Day to May, ice cream cones are simply not to be found up-Island or down. Occasionally, one surfaces in a convenience store ice cream freezer, but those are hardly the same.…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE 508-627-5349 (kcase1@verizon.net) What a bonus month this has been so far. The sun is shining and we are still in shorts. The fishermen are happy with the good weather and calm seas. It doesn’t seem possible that it is almost Halloween and the pumpkin carving should get started. And the sure sign that…
Letters to the Editor
BYWAY JUDGE AND JURY Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Join Beach Hike-a-thon To Honor Young Men
On Saturday, Oct. 6, everyone is invited to join the fourth annual Justin Coleman Memorial Hike-a-thon. The 10-mile hike begins at the Coleman’s house on 150 South Road in Chilmark. This year, the hike also will be in memory of Alex Cohen, a friend of Justin’s who died in an automobile accident driving from Martha’s…
Island Commission Votes to Protect Ancient Ways
After less than 30 minutes of deliberation, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last night unanimously and decisively agreed to add five Edgartown pathways dating back to colonial times into a special protection zone that will prevent them from being clear cut or widened in the future.
Gazette Chronicle: An Editor’ Musings
An Editor’s Musings From the Vineyard Gazette editions of September, 1982:
Vineyard Gazette Launches New Web Site Today; Complete Electronic Edition Online
The Vineyard Gazette announces the launch of a new Web site today. The newspaper’s Web site has been redesigned and reconfigured, and beginning today the site will feature all the editorial content that appears in the Gazette print edition, from front page stories to town columns to letters to the editor.
Tale Told With Wit and Daggers, Just Like the Lives of the Wives
GOOD LITTLE WIVES. By Abby Drake. HarperCollins. August 2007. 304 pages. $13.95 softcover.
Good Little Wives is a good little chick-lit read. I read it in a day. Granted, there were no distractions because it was one of those rare I-don’t-feel-very-good-I-think-I’ll-stay-in-bed-all-day days. And Good Little Wives, by Abby Drake, was just what I…
Controversy Over Heavy Bass Roils Derby
One of the top striped bass caught in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby this past week had a rough journey off and back onto the derby leader board. On Sunday evening, Lev Wlodyka, 28, of Chilmark weighed in a 57.56 pound striped bass. But the fish, it turns out, had ingested 1.68…
Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS I use a typewriter to write this column. I really like the sound and feel of the old-fashioned typewriter. People make fun of me endlessly but that has never stopped me in any other of my pursuits. Granted I use gallons of white correction fluid and the reliable Webster’s for spell-check.
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER 508-693-3880 (sunporch@vineyard.net) Last week during a conjunction of the full moon, the fall equinox, and certain astrological forces at play (maybe Saturn was wobbling and Jupiter was tired of doing all the heavy lifting?), ninth-generation Vineyarder Gary Hathaway and his friend (and Island summer resident) Alaina Rastelli, both massage therapists in their mid-twenties,…
Hear New Voices as Museum Expands African American and Civil Rights Exhibit
The oral history exhibit African American and Civil Rights Voices in the Gangway Gallery at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is continually adding new voices. The exhibit, which opened in March of 2007, features photographic portraits and excerpts from interviews conducted by oral historian Linsey Lee with members of the Vineyard’s African American community and individuals…
Stock Up on Alison Shaw At Holiday Weekend Sale
Alison Shaw Gallery is opening up again for a Columbus Day weekend sale. On Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. posters are 15 per cent off, cards are one-third off, selected prints are 25 per cent or more off regular prices. After this weekend, the gallery will be available only by appointment, so…
Documentary on the Derby Premieres Today on MVTV
New Hampshire advertising agency executive David Flood has produced a documentary on Vineyard life and the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. The hour-long color film, Feeding the Water, will premiere today at 7 p.m. on MVTV and will run on the station through the remainder of the derby. Mr. Flood filmed for five…
Spreading the Bird News
About three weeks ago I received an e-mail inquiry from a Maine naturalist named Norm Famous, whom I met through a mutual friend when I was birding this last Spring up in Lubec, Me., just this side of the New Brunswick border.
Hello, Ronan
Hello, Ronan Siobhan and Patrick Mullin of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Ronan Thomas, born Sept. 25 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Ronan, also welcomed by brothers Ruairi and Padraic, weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces at birth.
Calling All Brides
Calling All Brides
Buddhist Bestseller Takes Writer To Cushions in Brazil, Beyond
Buddhism is on the rise in Brazil, and West Tisbury journalist Perry Garfinkel has some ideas on why. He’s the author of the 2006 national bestseller Buddha or Bust: In Search of Truth, Meaning, Happiness, and the Man Who Found Them All. When the Portuguese edition of the book was released in June, Mr. Garfinkel…
Remembering a Pal Named Happy
You were wandering around looking lost and lonely. When we looked at each other, I immediately could see you wanted me to help rescue you. Your eyes said: “Please take me home with you — I promise to be good.” For the next five years we were best friends. On Sept. 11 I lost Happy…
Gold of the Fields
Don’t spare the rod. While I am not an advocate of corporal punishment, I am an admirer of the plentiful goldenrod blooming all over the Island. Goldenrod has gotten a pretty bad rap from those who think that they are allergic to it, and from advertisers who try to convince us that we are all…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA 508-693-3308 (vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com) Back from Iraq: West Tisbury school principal Mike Halt has returned to the Island. Another marine, Duncan MacMullen, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Class of 2004, got off the boat last Monday morning and was greeted by a color guard, fire trucks, the Tisbury police chief, and many friends and well-wishers.…
School Committee Reluctantly Accepts Principal’s Resignation
With extreme regret and “hoping she’ll change her mind,” the regional high school committee accepted principal Margaret (Peg) Regan’s resignation on Monday night and made some decisions on how to proceed with the search process for a new principal for Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
Open Account, Hang Art Show: You Can Take That to the Bank
Even on Martha’s Vineyard, where art gallery openings are reliably free of suits and swanky dresses, it is still uncommon for an opening to draw a sizeable crowd clad in bathing suits — sunbathers literally on the way home from the beach. And rarer still for a bank to open its lawn on a Friday…
Fish Controversy Dampens Derby Spirit
Fordie would have grinned and shaken his head over the derby fish flap. He was a good guy who grew up in a tough place. He worked hard jobs and learned early that life isn’t always fair. So when the cancer doctors told him to put his affairs in order late in 1994, he knew…
Sept. 28: Rain in the Morning
Friday, Sept. 28: Rain in the morning. Warm damp tropical air. Dark clouds break in the early afternoon. Skies clear at 4 o’clock. Edgartown harbor is serene. Fishing boats are adrift near Memorial Wharf. Sailboat heads out of the harbor. Starry skies at night.
Adam Arrives
Adam Arrives Sarah Rubick and Jody Mendez of West Tisbury announce the birth of a son, Adam Joseph Mendez, born on Sept. 27 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Adam weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces at birth.
Homeowner on Sengekontacket Fined for Violating Health Code
The fine equated to only about $1.35 per day for each day Francis M. Palma’s house posed a health threat in Ocean Heights. Even so, over 12 years that adds up to a hefty sum. And the $6,000 he was ordered to pay by the Edgartown board of health last Thursday is only a small…
Building or Golfing, Skip the Manicure
Never have a manicure before beginning a major carpentry project. That’s the first of many lessons Chris Rasmussen learned last week while installing the foundation deck on her new home in Vineyard Haven made possible by Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Rasmussen’s enterprise is the fifth Habitat home to be built. Ms. Rasmussen, a Montessori school…
More Clues to Man-Overboard Puzzle: Note Was Left Before Boarding the Ferry
Mainland police this week said a Fairhaven man who disappeared from a Vineyard-bound voyage of the New England Fast Ferry late last month left a note for his family; as a result police now believe the man did not fall off the boat by accident. On Sept. 24 Walter P. Tyler, 28, of Fairhaven, reportedly…
Plante — LeBlanc
Plante — LeBlanc Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Plante of West Tisbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristen Plante, to Brandon LeBlanc, son of Mr. and Mrs. Armond LeBlanc of Nantucket. A 2009 summer wedding is planned.
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY 508-693-2950 (alleys@vineyard.net) The weather was delightful last Saturday and Sunday, allowing folks to finish many outdoor chores started during the week. A lot of people attended the harvest potluck dinner at the agricultural hall last Saturday night. Many people came to the Antique Power Show and the other events that preceeded the…
Island Home Suffers Dent on Her Fender In Minor Mishap With Powerless Governor
An electrical failure was blamed for Monday’s collision between the freight ferry Governor and the new passenger vessel Island Home in the Woods Hole slips. Carl Walker, director of maintenance and engineering for the Steamship Authority, said a circuit board blew, causing the Governor to lose its bow motor and steerage.
Diocese Set to Ordain Karl Buder to Diaconate
Karl G. Buder of Vineyard Haven, a member of Good Shepherd Parish on the Vineyard, is one of 13 men scheduled for ordination to the permanent diaconate for service in the Fall River Diocese on Oct. 8. The service is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church in East Sandwich. Mr. Buder and his…
Screening Committee Rejects County Manager Candidates
The search for a new manager for Dukes County hit a roadblock last week. On Sept. 27, the screening committee appointed to review applications and recommend three finalists to the county commissioners recommended the commissioners re-advertise the position and said it would not continue the screening process with the applications received to date. The recommendation…
The Fishermen
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL Already this fall one Island angler has won a brand-new pickup truck for a huge striped bass he caught and the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby isn’t over yet. That’s because he caught it in a different contest. Morgan Taylor, 24, of Edgartown last week won the Angler of…
Tree Cutting on Byways Angers Town, Neighbors
The latest round in a dispute pitting a landowner’s right of access against conservation values played out like a game of cat and mouse in town hall, the courts and the woods of Edgartown last week. It began a little before 10 a.m. on Friday morning, when Paul Elliott, the president of the Edgartown Meadows…
State House Hearing Airs Alcohol Sales in Tisbury
The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection will hold a public hearing in Boston next week on the town of Tisbury’s home rule petition to license the sale of beer and wine. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. in room B1 at the State House. The public is…
With Edgartown Buffs
By KATE J. CONDE
Aquinnah
JUNE MANNING 508-645-2574 (lthslnks@gis.net) Frank E. Andrade Jr. and his youngest brother Edward F. were the guests of Sylvia Thomas while on a Vineyard tour. It was the first time Frank had been home in more than 50 years. We reminisced about my Manning family members who were once neighbors of his in Edgartown. What…
Correction
Correction A caption in the Friday, Sept. 28 Gazette that appeared beneath a photograph of a charter fishing group aboard the Tomahawk II misidentified three people. The correct identification, left to right, is Charles Ogletree, Christine Dunn, Buddy Vanderhoop, Thomas Menino, Paul Foster and Cecily Foster. The Gazette regrets the error.
West Tisbury School Celebrates Principal Halt’s Return from Iraq
January tears were replaced by October smiles welcoming U.S. Marine Lieut. Col. Michael Halt back to West Tisbury on Monday. Better known as school principal Mr. Halt to 283 students at the school, Mr. Halt was welcomed home with simple heartfelt words by his peers and was serenaded by the student body and by the…
Island Garden Club Ponders Pruning
The lead foreman of Vineyard Gardens, Jeremiah Brown, doesn’t mince words about his expertise. “What I know is pruning,” he said. He shared his experience with members of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club at its September meeting by combining a talk and hands-on demonstration on the grounds of the Old Mill in West Tisbury. Mr.…
