What comes along with hazy, hot and humid August days seems virtually inescapable until you savor fresh berries straight from the bush or submerge yourself in the salty ocean. Wineberries, blueberries and blackberries glisten in the morning dew as if they are eager to be picked, rinsed and set atop cool fresh Mermaid Farm yogurt or simply consumed as is. The ocean temperature is a perfect 70 degrees and it makes me think of a quote from Jules Verne which reads, “The sea is everything. It covers seven-tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides.” August is stirring on all sides so take a moment to enjoy the simple things.

Chandra (Coleman) Pena, her husband Lawrence, their children Lucas, Ella and Colette will make their way from life in Florida to the Coleman family’s South Road home where Julie eagerly awaits their arrival. A memorial service will be held in honor of Bill, Julie’s husband, who died last August. All are welcome to attend and celebrate his life which was filled with adventures that revolved around boating, clamming, fishing, sitting on the porch at Alley’s and, of course, he’d shoot the breeze with folks on Squid Row when the mood suited him. His service will be held Friday August 17 at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury.

The Cooper family is at their home at the corner of North and Basin Roads in Menemsha. Purchased by Dan and Betty Cooper in 1977, the historic home, one of the older structures in Menemsha, a survivor of the 1938 hurricane, was known as the Wayside Camp and was home to the Cooper Gallery during the 1970s and 1980s where it displayed photographs by Life Magazine photographer and Menemsha Inn resident Alfred Eisenstadt and Ms. Cooper, an acclaimed watercolorist. Ellen Cooper of South Woodstock, Vt., their daughter, was here in July and Matthew Cooper of Washington, D.C. is here now and will be joined later by his brother Jonathan of Portland, Me. The home, sadly, is for sale through Flanders Real Estate.

When Russell Cleary stopped in not too long ago we had a great chat about author Everett Allen who was born in 1916 and, for a time, lived on the Vineyard and attended Tisbury High School. I managed to find a copy of Martha’s Vineyard: An Elegy which is described simply as a wry memoir of life on the Vineyard from the 1920s to the early 1980s. I also got my hands on a copy of A Wind to Shake the World which is a first-hand account of the devastating 1938 hurricane. I’ve skimmed both books and greatly look forward to actually reading both. I think I’ll keep an eye open for another Allen book, Black Ships: Rumrunners of Prohibition, to pick up next.

Aubrey Shipway, her husband Dave Miller and their young ones, Fiona and Malcolm, have joined the August crowd along with Aubrey’s dad Morgan and his wife Louise. Topping their list of favorite things to do are visiting with cousin Tyler Shipway and his folks Sarah and Charlie. Squid Row coffee, Dutcher Dock fishing and touch tank crab and fish inspection are pretty high on the list as well. This lucky family was in the right place at the right time and had the opportunity to take a ride aboard F/V Four Kids with Captain Stanley Larsen. I’m pretty sure moments like that are what dreams are made of.

The Keene clan has expanded to twenty-something this week. Lisa (Keene) Kerns and her boys Daniel, Erik and Ben are visiting along with Katy (Keene) Metell and a whole bunch of Danish relatives whose names I can’t even begin to recall. Sorry, at least I am honest.

Guess who I got to lay eyes on just a few days ago. Six-week-old August Weiss was reclining in his stroller while his mom, Madeline Furst and grandmother Amy Cody, took a walk around Menemsha. His 10 pound little self is just perfect.

For those of you who don’t know and might be utilizing Menemsha Water Company as a resource, the commissioners have ordered a voluntary water ban stating there will be no non-essential water use for the remainder of the summer in anticipation of drought conditions. The full posting is available through the water company, at the town hall and it’s tacked up at the Texaco if you’d like to read it.

Chilmark town news can be sent to [email protected].