Last week was exciting. On Sunday (August 23) Lyn and I went to the opening of Sarah Moore’s art show at Homes on Martha’s Vineyard located in Post Office Square in Edgartown. The show featured two dramatic paintings of the ocean and six pen and ink drawings of trees. The show is on display through Columbus Day so there’s plenty of time to see it, but don’t delay too long because you won’t want to miss it.

On Tuesday I watched a 74-year-old man come close to winning the men’s singles finals at the East Chop Tennis Club. Jim Guest lost in three sets to Ken Blacklow. Both men played well. Jim made few mistakes, and Ken won many points. In the end, Ken won not because Jim tired but because Ken’s more aggressive play finally made the difference.

On Thursday Lyn and I went to the Martha’s Vineyard Model Yacht Regatta held in Owen Park in Vineyard Haven harbor. The regatta combined the Martha’s Vineyard club and one from Tiverton, R.I. There were 14 boats, and Bill Dennehy was the winner hands down. In 10 races, he won nine and placed second in the other. Successfully navigating those boats is a tremendous achievement. I tried racing one Sunday and failed miserably. Nice going Bill!

The examples above provide three reasons why I enjoy writing this column. There are so many interesting and creative people to write about in our community. This summer I praised the art work of Piret Meisner, reviewed Mark Berzins’s touching and no-nonsense book providing dating advice for his daughter and single women in general, and listened in awe as Anne Lemenager talked about her broadcasting work for MVTV. I was inspired by Chesca Potter’s single minded pursuit in meeting Taylor Swift, and proud to report on Jim Wooster’s new job as executive director of Club Passim.

As always, I reported on the members of our community that are no longer with us: Bart Skeen, Louise Horton, Leigh Ivison, Emma Carmichael, and Jean Kay. Each one contributed to our community in a unique way. We will surely miss them. They provide us with a stark reminder that things change, and yet in many important ways things on the Chop have remained the same. Our three clubs, old family houses, and wonderful vistas scattered around the Chop are seemingly timeless. They provide us with an anchor for the fast and changing lives we lead in other places.

As I people-watch from a rocking chair on our porch overlooking Vineyard Sound, I am reminded time and time again that we have our differences. Fraternities are filled with like-minded, similar people. Communities are not like that. They thrive from a wide variety of people who make an effort to find a way to live and work together. East Chop is such a community. I prefer a community to a fraternity.

For those of you who are leaving after another East Chop summer, I know you will think about and appreciate your anchor here throughout the winter months. For those of us who have East Chop as a full-time residence, we will enjoy your absence for the first few months as we drive up Circuit avenue and find several parking places from which to choose. However, it won’t be long before we start missing you because communities are first and foremost places where people care about their neighbors and friends. I look forward to getting back to reporting on this splendid community next June.

Contact Rick Herrick at herricklr@verizon.net.