JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
Old Jack Frost paid us a brief visit last Saturday and Sunday nights with temperatures in some places dipping into the low twenties. He may return again this weekend with a few more calling cards. The leaves, what was left of them from the storm, peaked earlier this week and after last Sunday’s frost are falling to the ground by the thousands each day.
Alan Healy repositioned his herd of sheep into the Square field late last month. He has been moving them about and they have responded by neatly mowing the field. As you may have noticed, the deer have been moving around lately, primarily to the hunting season, and you are apt to see them in strangest places. One was spotted wandering in the brush behind the post office in North Tisbury on Tuesday. Speculation has it that she might have been planning to mail a package before the rush begins.
Thanksgiving will find quite a few families gathering in town and a fair amount of us going off Island. Boat and air traffic will be quite busy starting tomorrow and all next week.
Martha and Carl Tack of London, England, arrived yesterday. Their children will come from around the country in this weekend to spend a family Thanksgiving at their home.
Dudley Eppel and his wife Nancy of Vero Beach, Fla., arrive tomorrow to prepare the house for family who will be arriving to spend a long Thanksgiving weekend at their home on Pond View Road.
Sam Alley of State Road came home for the long weekend from his studies at Framingham State College to visit his parents and friends. He returned to college on Monday. Also Justin Kelleher of South Vine came home to visit his parents. Justin is a sophomore at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Stephanie Brothers of Sweet William Way went up to Attleboro to attend her 20th high school reunion last weekend. She was delighted to see so many old friends and classmates.
Mike and Donna Diaz of Old Courthouse Road returned home last week from reunion with his family on Treasure Island, Fla., where they all stayed at the beach house of Mike’s brother and sister in law, Eddie and Tricia Diaz. Donna’s brother Pierce will be arriving shortly from Moscow, Russia, for Thanksgiving with two friends from London, England. Everyone will celebrate Thanksgiving at her Aunt Rosalie’s. Rosalie’s son Ted and daughter in law Susan Powell are also coming down from their homein Canton. However, for the first time her daughter Christina will not be home for Thanksgiving, because she is going to England to visit her boyfriend Sean James. He spent the summer with our family. His mother called for recipesand a description of our American holiday because she will be hosting a “proper” American Thanksgiving for Christina in England for 17 people.
Old friend and former classmate Roger Andrews died last week. Our condolences to his children.
Cherilla Brown reports that the charter school rowing team will be competing in the Ice Breaker race tomorrow in Hull. Everyone wishes them good luck.
The First Congregational Church will be holding a family Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m. Sunday. All are welcome.
This year marks the 105th anniversary of the first electric Christmas ornament, and it is well worth your while to drive by the Gatchell residence on County Road in Oak Bluffs to view their superb display of Christmas lights. They will be turning them on Thanksgiving night and every night till New Year’s Day. Bob reports that they have been hard at work decorating their yard, hanging almost 25,000 lights for the past few weeks. He plans to unveil a new surprise or two that he has been working on for several months that will make it an even more fantastic display of Christmas lighting than last season.
Marian Irving reports that the First Congregational Church will hold its annual Christmas Faire on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Faire will be selling holiday greens, homemade crafts Christmas and baked goods. For more information, call the church office at 508-693-2842.
Ron Gamba, our favorite Armenian rug merchant, will be holding his final estate sale of the year at the Grange Hall next weekend. Ron reports that this is the final flea market event of the season. The hall will close up for the season Dec. 1.
Karen Achille asks that you mark your holiday calendars for this event. Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard will host its annual holiday fund-raising event, Handmade from the Heart, on Dec. 8 during Christmas in Edgartown. Once again the Dr. Daniel Fisher House will be the setting for their gala display of handmade garments, specialty items, crafts, decorations and delicious baked goods. As always this is the perfect place to shop for those treasures with an Island flair. This showcase of gifts will dazzle you with the creativity of its donated items, all for sale to benefit Hospice. If you are interested in donating something, please get in touch with the Hospice office at 508-693-0189.
Colleen over at the library reports that activities are in full swing as we approach the holiday season. This afternoon at 4 p.m., the JC Trio will perform live jazz music and the crafts group tomorrow will be making Thanksgiving napkin rings. On Monday night, the adult knitting group In Stitches will be working from 7 till 9.
On the morning before Thanksgiving Day in 1939, Mrs. Bradlee Martin of Tiah’s Cove set out to bake a custard pie. The ingredients were 18 turkey eggs from the nest out in the barn, fresh milk and cream from the famous Martin Jersey cows, granulated sugar and Sumatra spices. The mixture was beaten, whipped and blended. Mrs. Martin placed the dish in the oven and in due time it would emerge as a beautiful browned custard pie. At the appointed time she went back to the oven, opened the door to remove her culinary delight but to her amazement the crust was on top and the custard was on the bottom of the pie. Her husband Bradlee immediately suspected it was the pure vanilla extract that she had used to flavor the pie. Why, that stuff is 40 per cent alcohol, and enough to turn anything upside down.
Happy birthday to Paul Adler and Wendy Forest today; Chole Maley and Chelsea McCarthy tomorrow; Rusty Hitchings, Sammi Chaves, Jennifer Reekie and Terri Mello on Sunday; John Athearn, Koren Boyd and Sandra Ingela Welbrock on Monday; Carlo D’Antonio, Craig Dripps, Sam Hopkins and Sam Hart on Tuesday; Bernice Kirby, Stephanie Russell and Dan Metell on Wednesday; Dan Cabot, Linda Millett and Nancy Dole on Wednesday; and Bob Julier, Paddy Moore, Matthew Merry and Anne Reekie on Thursday.
Well, that is all of the social news for this week’s column. If you have any news, please call or e-mail me. Go Vineyarders, beat Nantucket in the Island Cup game tomorrow. As we approach the holiday season, be reminded of what the late Will Rogers said about making your money last longer: fold it in half. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
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