MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
With the cold temperatures, and less wind, island ponds were frozen this week. Most of Cape Pogue Pond was iced over. Because of the strong currents in the ferry channel, it’s been awhile since we had to worry about the ferry not running because of ice. It was usually when the ice broke up that was a problem, because the ice chunks were too thick for the ferry propellers or they clogged the slips. On Sunday when we came across, there were several lines of mini icebergs appearing from around the lighthouse point and flowing into the harbor. We couldn’t see where the ice originated, and there wasn’t much of it, but the steady stream of chunks delineated the main channel heading down harbor — and reminded us of past winters when both inner and outer harbors were frozen solid.
Tides were especially low this week, due in part to a full moon that was closer than usual to the earth. At a certain point, the ferry could only take one car at a time in order to keep the bumper from getting caught underneath the plywood that lines the slip.
Summer ferry captain Tara Whiting couldn’t make it to the captains’ appreciation potluck a few weeks ago, but she sent her regrets. In an e-mail posted at the ferry house on Chappy, she thanks us for the party and for recognizing the hard work that goes into the ferry, although she says most of the credit goes to those who work all winter. Gerry Jeffers evidently stopped by her office to tell her that the party was fun. Tara is town clerk in West Tisbury, a job she says she’ll be learning for the next 10 years.
Cold weather has been a problem in Florida, where Frank Partel writes from Vero Beach about the devastating effects on wildlife along Indian River. Over 30 manatees died, while others made their way to power plants where environmental rules had been waived so that heated water could be released into the local waters to ward off hypothermia. About a thousand leatherback turtles are believed to have died, as well as huge stocks of fish. Several hundred miles further south in the Keys, Sharon Purdy sent Frank a note saying the stocks of fish were substantially reduced by the cold, as the tropical species can’t tolerate the low temperatures.
Frank is at work on his second book, Black, with a Pinch of Salt, a U.S. Naval historical novel set in 1967. He says it’s a love story, and the love interest is studying the painter Caravaggio whose works were originally hung across Italy and in cities such as Syracuse, Naples, Messina, Palermo, and Valletta, Malta along the Mediterranean Sea, where the book takes place.
Valentine’s Day is coming up. The community center Valentine’s Day Tea is on Sunday, Feb. 14 from 3 to 5 p.m. Shirley Dewing reminds us about the Valentine Tea at the Federated Church Parish Hall in Edgartown on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. All women are invited, and the program includes Phil Dietterich on piano, Jan Hyer on cello, and Matt Pelikan on recorder.
Shirley is the new treasurer for The Center for Living Board. The board works with all the Councils on Aging, and is in charge of The 55 Plus news, the Senior Day program, surplus food, and the transportation program. She is on the subcommittee looking for a permanent home for the Day program.
Bob O’Rourke plays table tennis twice a week with the Martha’s Vineyard Table Tennis Club at the West Tisbury School. On Jan. 31, he traveled to Quincy to play in the Quincy Table Tennis Club open tournament, sanctioned by the national USA Table Tennis Association. In the final match, after defeating opponents in six previous matches (best three out of five games), he and Oak Bluffs resident Albert Lau faced off. Bob won the match and received the first place trophy! Lau won the second place trophy.
Annie Heywood has returned from Sarasota, Fla., where she goes each year to visit old friends and neighbors, the Waseys. Their Cape Pogue houses used to be next door to each other before they were removed when the land became part of the Hickory Cove land bank property. She said it was a happy reunion of old summer folks, talking about the good old days.
This past Wednesday, the Edgartown Public Library began a six-week informational series: Island Plan 101. This will be an arms-length examination of the plan, with panels of speakers including members of the work groups who wrote the document, as well as Islanders with expertise in the relevant fields. Programs start at 7 p.m. and last about an hour, but the library will stay open until 9 p.m. for Chappaquiddickers. The topic on Wednesday, Feb. 10 is Natural Environment. You can check the library Web site to see who the speakers will be.
To warm up for the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 7, the library is showing some of the past winning movies on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. The films are free, and refreshments will be served. Call the library desk at 508-627-4221 for more details.
Last weekend, Sidney and I were paid a visit by acclaimed storyteller Susan Klein, who came all the way from Oak Bluffs. She brought her friend and collaborator, photographer Alan Brigish, with whom she is working on a book, Martha’s Vineyard, Now & Zen, about community, traditions and change. Fourteen chapters of the book have been posted on Alan’s web site, brigish.com and can be viewed there. Those and more are being put into a book due out this summer, including a chapter on Chappy.
Susan has known Sidney and me for a long time, and since we’ve lived on Chappy for nearly 35 years (!!), she mentions us in the chapter. They came to get some pictures to go with it. After some inside shots, we went out, and Sidney let the two goats out of the pen. The big one, Magee, became intensely interested in Alan’s camera, and kept jumping up on him to see it. Meanwhile the chickens were pecking around his feet, and Susan was having a good chuckle. No doubt, Alan at least got a few close-ups of goat faces.
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