Brad Woodger>

508-627-4216

(ibwsgolf@aol.com)

This is my inaugural summer column as the Chappy correspondent. I follow a long line of accomplished ladies: Varian Cassat, Margaret Knight and Jo-Ann Tilghman, to name a few. Some pretty big shoes to fill, I might add. Not that any of those ladies had large feet. Not that there’s anything wrong with big feet. Or small feet.

On to business: Anne Heywood has returned to Chappy from a cruise amidst Greece and Turkey. For those of you out of earshot of Anne (West Tisbury and points north), she had a lovely time. Highlights included a trip to the Acropolis and a massage from a 32-year-old virgin Shabu. Not sure how the topic of Shabu’s celibacy came up, but good for you Shabu! The important thing is Anne has returned home safely. We may all breathe a sigh of relief that I suspect is exceeded only by the citizens of Turkey and Greece.

My mother and brother visited us at the Big Camp on North Neck this past week. My mother arrived with two new titanium knees while my brother was accompanied by his dog and best friend Murphy. My mother also brought her two Shelties, Peeka and Echo. Lovely dogs, with the exception of the barking and accidents on rugs. Kim quasi-affectionately refers to them as the mini-dragons, a description with which I’ve yet to hear anyone argue.

Matt Herndon and his wife, Kendall Geary, were down for a visit from Cohassett to their house on the tip of North Neck; we had the pleasure of dining with them at the original Chappy Camp. Matt’s great-granddad Dave Seager and my great-granddad Frank Marshall were best buds back in the day, and the Dave Seager Camp inspired the Frank Marshall family to build a similar dwelling. The rest is history (soon to be part of the canon for all elementary schools). Matt and I have become forced acquaintances over the years (after building a raft together back in the early 1970s, we had a falling out born of creative differences on raft design). In truth, they are lively people and good friends and members of the O.C. (Old Chappy — no A.C., lots of mice and killer marinades). Jimmer Hartell (Matt’s uncle) and wife Lynn joined us for the post-dinner festivities: a 10-twig bonfire on the beach. Uncle Jimmer told us of the days when my great uncle Bob would lead the group around the bonfire in song. A favorite of the time was apparently The Wind Whistled Through His Beard as He Walked Through Jeruselam. Now Uncle Jimmer has never given me cause to doubt his word before, but a thorough search of Google failed to uncover any mention of that song. Hmm. Well played, Uncle Jimmer. Kendall and I attempted to inspire the crowd with a rousing and poignant version of Journey’s Open Arms, but the assembled thought it not worthy of campfire music. The evening ended as the wafted odor of nearby decaying seal overwhelmed the joy of camaraderie, but failed to extinguish the flame of friendship.

Kim and I attended Edo Potter’s book signing for her new book about the history of Pimpneymouse Farm. It was a very nice event to celebrate a poignant retelling of a genuine slice of Chappy history. We are grateful to the Edos of the Island for writing down memories otherwise lost. Like the memorized grocery list, the intention to remember is true, but little is ever retained without being written down.

The weather, of course, is always news. Both Kim and I are sporting tans from our work on the golf course under an unusually bright June sun (pardon our indignant responses when said tans were attributed to our “vacation” in Florida). The swallows have begun nesting in our porch rafters, adding a lovely patina to the porch furniture below. The June bugs can’t be far behind with their adorable sticky mitts and screen-clinging tenacity. Please remember, everyone, to mention the weather to each ferry captain. Ask them for their forecast or simply look at a cloud and ponder the likelihood of rain. It matters not if you are the 200th person to comment on the weather that day; the captains simply cannot get enough weather talk. Ferry chat makes small talk look positively large.

Before delving into Community Center news, I would like to let everyone know that our little nine-hole golf course will be closed again in 2010. The reasons for this are mostly related to grass maturity, but suffice it to say, Kim and I feel like the parents of fledgling seagulls — proud, protective and secure in our choices.

In CCC news, Latin dance exercise classes will be held at the Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. starting June 15. Jo-Ann Tilghman will be teaching the class, and donating the $10 admission to the Community Center tennis court fund. Come and dance for tennis!

Also, Mahjong games will be played at CCC on Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m. Beginners are welcome. For information call Shirlee Miller at 508-627-6706. Games start this Monday, June 14 and will run through the summer.

Please feel free to call Margaret or Jo-Ann with any news you may have. It won’t make the column, but Margaret and Jo-Ann will be in the know.

Thanks for indulging me. I will endeavour to include more Chappy-wide happenings as the season progresses and life is a bit less, how should I put this, “unhappenning” (come on summer people, bring the spice!).

As an added feature, I will be including a weekly horoscope.

Here is this week’s: Eat more leafy greens and whole grains rich in fiber. Good news will arrive on the wings of an owl. Scratch that — I’m thinking of Harry Potter or someone.