It wasn’t that long ago that I was wondering about a dear old friend who would stop by the Texaco for a chat and the occasional dose of air in his car tires. Our conversations always made me chuckle and his positive attitude about the changes that come along with “getting up there in years” were inspiring. Just the other morning I checked my e-mail and up popped a message from the very man I’d been wondering about. In a month’s time, Robert Conway will be turning 95. These days, although he calls New Jersey home, he reflects on the 30-plus years spent in town fondly. Reflections include sailing in and out of Menemsha, Everett Poole, Chris Murphy and the Chilmark Flea Market while it was located at the church grounds. It was great to hear from you, Bob. I look forward to more updates.

Speaking of updates, I didn’t have to fake an illness to get some tidbits from Jane Slater. Rather than rework her story, I’ll simply quote her verbatim:

“Retirement has a way of stopping one’s clock. Days, weeks and months seem to remain current in my mind but I am reminded by our up-to-the-minute columnist that I have yet to report on my recent travels. Not long ago, Dianne Smith and I travelled with a group of like-minded folks from the New Bedford Whaling Museum to the Netherlands. We began our tour with a stay in The Hague, a beautiful city with much to see. We spent an afternoon in Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, and the Royal FloraHolland flower auction. Tulips were in full bloom everywhere we went and were growing in many different colors, shapes and sizes. We saw Rotterdam by boat and that gave us a spectacular view of Chilmark summer resident, Sir Norman Foster’s skyscraper along the waterfront. There were two days in Amsterdam, a trip to tour the full-sized replica of Henry Hudson’s Half Moon, a visit to Delft, many museums and everywhere, fields of tulips! The most memorable part of the tour for Dianne and me was the visit to the Hoge Veluwe National Park where we enjoyed the Kr ö ller-M ü ller Museum that had, among many other things, the largest van Gogh collection in the world. It was a gem of a museum and full of wonderful treats to the eye.”

June 3 was a very special day for Howard Harrison. It wasn’t quite his birthday, which falls on June 18, but it was a celebration facilitated by his dear wife Liz Burns. She manages to get the whole Harrison clan together to celebrate Howard’s 88th. Concord’s Colonial Inn was filled to the brim with Anne and Kevin Dunk with children Patrick, Jack, and Molly; Peter and Amy Harrison with children Elie, Hannah and Lucy; Rebecca and David Parker with children Sophie, Meghan, Isabel and Phoebe; and Kristin and Warren O’Brien. It sounds like he was tickled to have the whole gang together.

Phoebe and Isabel graduated from Concord-Carlisle High School. Congratulations to Gabe Ambulos who donned his cap and gown at Milton Academy. Purple and white were worn by Lowen Goodwin, Maggie Mayhew, Isabel Moore and Ned Smiley. Congratulations to you all.

The annual Children’s Fair hosted by the folks at the Chilmark Church is Saturday June 16 from 10 a.m. to noon. Face painting, pony rides, games and cupcakes will certainly be met with the approval of any small child.

There’s a new spot to get together and talk shop with fellow knitters. Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the library is the time and place. The first get together is June 19. Thanks to Talia Herman for getting the word out.

It’s time to gather in remembrance and celebration of a life well-lived. Flip Harrington, fisherman, hunter, storyteller and mentor may no longer be with us physically but he lives on in so many of us. Please bring your stories and a dish to share to 112 Quenames Road at 11 a.m. on June 16. Flip, you will long be remembered. Fair winds and a following sea.

Chilmark news can be sent to squidrow@vineyard.net.