2019 is a new year standing before us like 365 blank pages in a book just waiting to be filled with everything from the messy penmanship of daily life or the fancy calligraphy of well thought out plans. Your pages are just brimming with potential and possibility. I am hopeful you will write each of them with though, creativity, questions, answers and a whole lot of enjoyment.

I wrapped up 2018 with conversation, warmth, laughter and love. Thanks to the Keene Clan — Hillary, John, Adelaide, Thea, Ella and Lathrop — for providing a venue for me to catch up with friends I don’t see nearly often enough despite the few short miles that separates me from each.

I welcomed the warmth of 2019 with a sun-filled south shore beach walk. The Atlantic was loud and fierce yet completely captivating. Loud, fierce and captivating, now that I see those words in print, seem like a very good way to start a new year.

My year also began with a family gathering to break bread and toast in a year to be filled with good luck. Curly Carroll, when he moved here back in the 1940s, brought with him and shared a southern New Year’s tradition. Apparently, eating black-eyed peas has been considered good luck for some 1,500 years or so but common folklore, as I understand it, states the tradition spread after the Civil War. After General Sherman’s march, Union solders pillaged Confederate food supplies but left the peas and ham/pork believing they were poor folk foods not fit for human consumption. The Confederate soldiers felt lucky to have these food staples left for them to help get through the winter thus humbly consuming black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day allows you to eat fat the rest of the year. Do you have any family traditions and where do they come from?

Another commonplace tradition is the annual celebration of birthdays. Sometimes, birthdays, typically those ending in a zero, are cause for greater celebration. Three hundred seems like a noteworthy birthday to acknowledge even if the celebrant isn’t human. My neighbor, the Zephaniah Mayhew-West-Fenner-Copley-Balaban House was built in 1719. According to stewards of the home — Susan, Jason and Sophie Balaban — the home was built by Zephaniah and Bethiah Mayhew after their first home built on Quansoo Road c.1714 burned. The Chilmark reverend kept a diary and in it he wrote about a fire that destroyed their first house. “On Monday last, the house of Zephaniah Mayhew was burnt to the ground by an accidental fire and much of his household stuff and wearing cloths were consumed in the flames.”

Susan was kind enough to share that it is one of the first houses on the Island that had more “fancy” features: high ceilings, Georgian panelling and two large front rooms of equal size. During its lifetime it was a horse and riding farm, bed and breakfast in the mid-20th century, tea house and served as Red Cross headquarters during the World Wars.

As an aside, Zephaniah Mayhew filed a court case against the town of Chilmark to force the town to educate his servant girl. On July 21, 1732, he won the court case, 16 shillings and the right for her to be educated at the school in Chilmark.

Another fun fact is based on events a bit more recent. In 1977, John Armstrong was stationed in Menemsha while serving in the Coast Guard. He was assigned the task of traveling to Baltimore to pick up their brand new 41’ search and rescue vessel numbered 41418. After serving Station Menemsha well, some years later the vessel called Station Woods Hole home. A few years ago, while dining in the Captain Kidd Restaurant, John spotted the life ring of the 41418 hanging on the wall which, of course, prompted a wonderful storytelling session for his wife Barbara who was dining with him. The ring hung there for years, but after a remodeling it did not return. Barbara inquired about the ring with restaurant owner Bill Murray. After an exhaustive search he managed to find the item, which was thought to have been lost, and get it to Barbara for what would make a truly memorable Christmas gift for John.

Westley Wlodyka, and mom Jen, traveled to Steamboat Springs, Colo. over the holidays to get in a little skiing and a visit with the West Tisbury DiBiaso family —Lila, Scottie, Owen and Ethan — who have taken up Steamboat as their winter residence. Of course visiting with the Keefes- — Lori, Craig, Quinn, Allie and Grady — was a must.

Steamboat was, apparently, the place to be for many Vineyarders as Cali, Lauren and Frank Giglio ventured that way for a little snow action as well.

Keep filling the pages in your 2019 book with good stories and be sure to share them. I would love to read all of them.

Send Chilmark news to squidrow@vineyard.net.