The Chappy Community Center 2019 calendars have arrived. Print an order form from the CCC website or stop in to buy one in person any time that you see Lynn’s car there. Once again, the calendar is a great success. Wonderful photos of Chappy by the winners of the calendar photo contest. It will make a great holiday present.

The annual Ferry Captain and Crew appreciation potluck supper will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Chappaquiddick Community Center. Please bring a dish to serve at least six. Here is your chance to have a leisurely visit with the Chappy Ferry captains and crew.

Elizabeth Whelan will again be offering her Winter Art Workshops at the CCC starting on Thursday, Dec. 13 and thereafter every other Thursday. Bring you art supplies and join Elizabeth for a free evening of drawing and painting from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For each session, she will set up two different still life arrangements. This is not a class but she will give input to anyone who wants it. Come and sketch or paint or bring your own project to work on. You will be in good company. Coffee and tea will be provided. Call Elizabeth with questions at 508-560-0083.

There will be no second potluck in December. Rather there will be a Christmas Eve dinner on Monday, Dec. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Call the CCC office to sign up to bring main courses, side dishes and desserts. Call 508-627-8222.

A reminder so that nobody will be taken by surprise that on Christmas Day, the Chappy Ferry will run on the hour during the day and on the normal winter schedule that night. As always, if you have an emergency that requires an ambulance, the hospital emergency room, the fire department or the police, dial 911 or 508-693-1212.

I was in California for Thanksgiving week. Those folks have many natural disasters to deal with. Earthquakes, mudslides and now wildfires that burn not only thousands of acres but also destroy thousands of homes. An earthquake strikes with mere seconds of warning, mudslides announce their approach with the snapping of tree trunks and the wildfires spread faster than a person can run. Even the fires moving from structure to structure in densely built towns spread more quickly than people were able to flee.

Upon returning to Logan I saw the local news about a house in Boston being saved by firefighters. They spent a couple of minutes on the story. In Paradise, California, 14,000 buildings burned to the ground in a couple of days. That’s probably more than the total for a whole year between here and the Mississippi River. According to the census bureau, one eighth of the United States population lives in California, making it the most populous state in the union. That it’s the third largest state by area is part of the reason that it has the greatest number of citizens. When something bad happens in California, lots of people are affected.

I wonder if a fire on government land spreads onto private property and burns down your home wouldn’t the government that owns that land owe you a house? After all, it was their fire that destroyed your house.

As destructive as they can be, hurricanes are the basic disaster that we have to deal with around here. Lucky for us, with those, we have days, even weeks sometimes, of warning. Plenty of time to run away.