Friday, August 31: Mostly sunny. High flying cirrus clouds. Ocean Park grass is green despite the recent drought. Waban Park grass is brown. Oak Bluffs beaches bustle with sunbathers. Sailboats move slowly across Nantucket Sound toward Edgartown. Starry night.

Saturday, Sept. 1: Fishermen begin to line Memorial Wharf, casting into the strong current in Edgartown harbor. Stiff northeast winds bring rollers onto State Beach in Edgartown. Light seas at South Beach. Breeze shakes the tall trees around Sheriff’s Meadow, but the walking paths are clear and calm. Eel Pond is choppy in the late afternoon.

Sunday, Sept. 2: Calm in downtown Edgartown. Roses drop their petals onto brick sidewalks. Small sailboats hover around Edgartown Yacht Club. Apples hang from trees in an orchard in West Tisbury. Long shadows at the dinner hour. Corn at Morning Glory Farm stands tall, tassles shining in the late afternoon sun.

Monday, Sept. 3: Labor Day. Five Corners in Vineyard Haven is the last busy intersection of summer. Cars line up at the Steamship Authority wharf under a warm summerlike sun. Poison ivy leaves turn red along a path at Waskosim’s Reservation.

Tuesday, Sept. 4: Last quarter moon hangs over the western sky at sunrise. Sunny and still over Lagoon Pond. Light mist over the still water. Beach grasses and phragmites are green and with yellow tips. Light northerly breeze in the morning. Afternoon air is light and variable. Watered wildflowers bloom along Cooke street in Edgartown.

Wednesday, Sept. 5: Light breeze from the north in the morning. Distinctly late summer day crossed with early autumn. The air is fragrant. Trees along Clevelandtown Road have changed colors early due to the dry weather conditions. Temperatures in the mid-70s. Deep blue autumnal skies. Breeze is from the east-southeast. Cool evening.

Thursday, Sept. 6: Cool, quiet and still morning in downtown Vineyard Haven. Early autumn visitors arrive at a Main street coffee shop. High school students stand at bus stops on Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road, awaiting their ride for the first day of school. Clear skies. Temperature rises quickly with the sun. Another beach day.

M.A.L.