We are saddened to hear of the passing of T. Curry Jones of Wasque Farm. He was quite a character. He had the good fortune to marry one of the Turnbull sisters, which made him a member of a vast group of summertime Chappaquiddickers. Like many of his in-laws he eventually made Chappy his year-round home.

The moon was full last Sunday and has made for a whole week of no flashlights needed at midnight. The moon was also in perigee. Which means that it was at its closest point of approach in its cock-eyed orbit around the earth.

During the month of August The Trustees of Reservations on a day to day and tide by tide basis have had to close off Norton Point to traffic “going by the beach” between Chappy and town for short periods of time. Ocean waves occasionally washed over the narrow part of the beach during the higher of the high tides.

Seems to me like summer is already winding down. Odd, with a full half of August still to be used up. But August always has been the strangest month for me on the Island. I compare this month to a four-course meal in which the entree is hurried to the table, gobbled up with vigor, and then everything that comes after is only vaguely considered on the periphery of one’s overstuffed self.

I’ve been dreaming a lot lately — mostly clouded scenarios of chores unfinished, but peppered amongst the drudgery of my dreamscape have been a few gems. One such jewel was my dream of a Chappy populated by canals.

The newest batch of young terns and plovers growing up on Norton Point have managed to assure the cautious staff of The Trustees of Reservations that they are now capable of getting out of the way of our partially-deflated tires. So as of last Monday you could “go by the beach” to town. Of course you will need the requisite over-sand vehicle permits and a tire pressure gauge. The tide was exceptionally high that first day and with the southerly breeze the ocean waves were occasionally washing over the narrow part of the beach.

I knew a girl named July. She was 12. I was 10. She wore paisley bell bottoms. She had chain link bracelets. Her eyes hinted at some events that I had yet to witness. She rode motorbikes. She was so cool. This July, our July, is nothing like her. Chill out seventh month!

The Chappy Community Center has been the real hub of activity on Chappy for the past weeks. I drop my granddaughters off there two mornings a week for sailing. I have to bribe them with boxes of little tiny explosive “party snaps.” When I was a kid these were sold by the Curio Shop on Circuit avenue under the name of “pearl bombs.”

There haven’t been many rainy days on Chappy this summer. Some sprinkles, but frugally distributed like a greedy ice cream vendor. I suspect most are okay with this paltry precipitation, and I like the sunshine as much as the next guy, but I need my rainy days. Firstly, my grass children tend to thrive when their home is wet, and I love my green kids, so I am happy when they’re happy. Secondly, and moreover, I need the excuse to go dark, to hunker down with a book — held captive by the forbidding closeness of nature.

 The Chappy Community Center will host the first lobster roll dinner of the season on Wednesday, July 15. Place your order by noon on Tuesday and pick up between 5 and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The $17 price includes a lobster roll made according to Marion Harding’s original recipe plus a bag of chips and a drink of choice. Eat in or take home. Stop in at Slip Away for veggies to counteract the chips.