Due to the threat of heavy weather the first Chappy Community Center potluck of the season has been postponed until Wednesday, Sept. 27. Judy Buss and Paul Cardello will still be hosting the dinner between 6 and 8 p.m. Please bring a dish to serve six. Throughout the winter and spring potlucks are scheduled for the first and third Wednesdays of the month. All are welcome. You can sign up to be the host of a future potluck by calling Lynn at 508-627-8222 or putting your name in the little black book next time you are at a potluck.

I try to be observant of the wildlife around me. We are very fortunate to live right in the middle of the migratory route of many interesting birds. One day at the ferry point a skimmer swooped just over my head and then flew rapidly along the harbor shoreline with the tip of its long colorful beak in the water. It’s a really goofy-looking creature when standing on the beach but bewilderingly graceful when flying.

We are also very fortunate when it comes to hurricanes. Before hurricane Sandy performed a seeming meteorologically-impossible feat nearly exactly as predicted I was generally skeptical of

the forecast tracks of these monsters. Watching the center of hurricane Jose do curlicues before charging headlong at the Vineyard only to stop in its tracks now seems normal. Of course, we always prepare for the worst but continue to hope and expect to be spared. A false alarm can be a valuable exercise in preparing for the next storm that may actually have an impact on the Islands.

Set aside Saturday, Oct. 7 for a celebration of Annie Heywood’s life at 4 p.m. at the Chappy Community Center. All are welcome. She has been gone almost five months now and her silence is still noticeable. I admired her intensity and appreciation for life. It will be fun to get together to share our memories of such a notable person in the very room where her voice could often be heard above the hubbub.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.