Mother Nature has been very busy lately. Along with an intensive all-Island tree pruning project, the sands at Wasque Point have been redistributed once again. The last snow storm caused widespread power outages on both Chappaquiddick and the Vineyard. The storm combined heavy sticky snow with high winds to reveal the weak spots in tree branches and electric wires.

A crew from Eversource spent several hours on Chappy at the height of the storm to isolate the damage from a big pine that took down overhead wires in the Enos lots. They got power back on for the rest of Chappy and then had to head back into town to deal with even bigger messes. The next morning they returned to finish putting things back together. You have to hand it to those guys for working throughout the storm to make repairs. It would seem more sensible to wait until the weather cleared to start working but they are a determined and dedicated bunch. The mixed blessing about that kind of storm is that when we experience hurricane force winds during the summer, most everything that would break is already broken.

The high winds from that storm and the next narrowed and lowered the beach at Wasque Point to the degree that even at half tide every other wave washes over. At the very southeast corner, the beach is so narrow at the base of the bluff that even if you were on foot you would have to hustle to get by before the next wave came. It may be a while before that section is drivable. The constant wash-overs have filled the depression between the bluff in front of Shifter’s house and the berm at the ocean’s edge creating a nice big swan pond. It will mostly drain out as the tide falls. The whole barrier beach connecting Chappaquiddick to the Vineyard is narrow and steep as it usually is during the stormy winter months. The vitality of the forces of nature concentrated at Wasque are the very reason that it is the location at which Norton Point reattaches to Chappy. It’s also the reason that it all washes away overnight occasionally. The most fascinating aspect of the whole process for me is that the waves pile the sand back up nearly a dozen feet above sea level.

Last Sunday it was my granddaughter Erin’s turn to accompany me to a concert in Boston. We listened to a couple of the program pieces on the way up so that we would have a better appreciation when hearing them played live and getting to see which instruments were creating the sounds.

It’s a lot of driving for a couple of hours of music that Erin is mostly unfamiliar with but I know that it’s a valuable experience. This performance was in Jordan Hall which is just one of several within the New England Conservatory school building. Being in that space is in itself an enlightening experience. The acoustics are of course fabulous and the space is so compact that somebody who knows how to play a violin would be able to discern the notes by the finger positions. I really enjoy hearing the notes as I see them played. We got there nice and early so we helped ourselves to a tour through the practice room hallways. It happened to be audition weekend. I supposed that it must be part of the student application process. There were lots of parents with a child. A few gave us a startled second glance. I got a chuckle out of the idea that maybe they thought that their kid was competing for a spot in the school with a nine year old. I’m thinking that I should get a base fiddle case to take with us next time just to make it more intriguing for the parents of the other prospective students.

There may not be a lot of activity at the Chappy Community Center this time of year but there is plenty of planning and preparation going on in anticipation of the coming season. Chase away the winter blues by filling out an application for tennis lessons or sign the kids up for sailing or a TTOR program. Both a head sailing instructor and an assistant are still needed. All the information to qualify and apply can be found on the CCC website. It’s not too late to order a 2017 calendar. Sign up to host a potluck, either by putting your name in the potluck book or by calling 508-627-8222. We have received a donation of various sailboat gear and paraphernalia. The items useful for the CCC programs have been culled out and the remaining items are up for grabs on the porch of the center.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.