JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

(slaterjn@comcast.net)

Chilmark is enduring the usual New England spring; cold and windy but with offerings of surprising green areas in the lee corners of yards and fields. Don’t you wonder why the same temperature in March seems so much colder than in January?

I forgot to tell you last week that we saw an osprey on the nest on Lobsterville Road on March 13! Now they are everywhere so it is not news but just a happy sign of the coming spring.

We send condolences to Emmett and Cathy Carroll and their family on the recent death of Cathy’s brother, Harvey Crocker, at his home in Peabody. Harvey was well known to his Chilmark family and had visited often. They remember him fondly and will miss him.

Larsen Lane welcomed two seasonal families back for early spring visits, Arne and Helen de Keijzer and Ellen Jacknain, both opening their homes this week.

Karen Flynn is home from Haiti where she traveled with Haitian OutReach/Fish Farm for Haiti to visit their sponsored children. They distributed school supplies to over 400 children. Their donations also provide tuition for a school year. She tells us that she saw very slow improvement in the situation there. She also tells us that the fourth annual Haiti PeaceQuilts benefit will be on April 2 at the Federated Church in Edgartown. It is a Celebrity Waiter Spaghetti Dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Please mark your calendars for this fun event. Children are welcome. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for families.

Tom and Barbara Rivers are at their Tea Lane home after an enjoyable winter cruise to Hawaii. They sailed from San Diego at the end of February and cruised to the Hawaiian Islands, stopping at four islands with land tours included. Tom was happy to see a rare albatross flying near their ship and he also enjoyed bird-watching throughout the trip. The Rivers had visited Hawaii 25 years ago and were amazed at the growth of civilization across the Islands. They reported lots more people and cars than they saw earlier! The warm weather and lovely scenery were welcome and the cruise experienced only one storm. We are happy they are back in Chilmark with stories to tell!

We send condolences to Betty Eddy and her family on the death last week of her husband, Will Ledgerwood. He had made many friends in Chilmark and across the Island in his years here and many will miss his good nature and pleasant personality.

Be sure and mark your calendars for town meeting, coming up on April 20, the Monday after Easter. As always, it will be at the Community Center at 7:30 p.m. and ably moderated by Everett Poole.

Herb and I are happy to be entertaining our daughter, Sarah, her husband, Aaron, and their sons, Jack, 4, and Scott, 3, for the weekend. The family lives in Attleboro.

Terry Meinelt is here from Topsfield for a weekend visit with his dad, Ted, and to open his home on Wade’s Cove. We send Terry best wishes for a speedy recovery from recent surgery.

David and Catha Carlson were at their Peaked Hill home with their son, Scott, last weekend. They came to attend the Film Festival as Catha serves on the board of that enjoyable and successful venture. They are off to a vacation in Puerto Rico this week.