Summer has managed to string itself along through this third week of September with its warm breezes, fish jumping, sailboats skimming along the water, toes in the sand and bodies in the surf. There is, however, a hint of fall. Leaves are slowly beginning to change from bright green to gold, orange and crimson as the Menemsha sunset creeps back to setting over land. This past weekend brought bare feet, pink cheeks and a first time visit from nine-month-old Reno McDowell. Reno had his parents Sophia Guymer and Ross readily available to tote him around. Ross’s folks Scott McDowell and Shakti Reynolds were tickled pink to have their grandson back east for a visit. Southern California is where Reno rests his head for most of the year. Although I didn’t catch a glimpse of her, Reno’s aunt Lauren (McDowell) Sheppard was also in town for a visit traveling from her home in Hawaii.

Bill Shanok strolls around Menemsha on a regular basis with pup Beau out in front of him tethered by a retractable leash. They often arrive just after dark as crowds are a little thinner and it’s easier to get a good walkabout in without quite so many folks for the curious pup to say hello to. On their last visit, Bill proudly shared news of a new family member. Bill and Susan’s daughter, Tovah, is now the proud mother to Gabriel Albert Shanok born on Sept. 19. He was born with the love and care of all in attendance in Magdeburg, Germany weighing in at a perfect 7lbs. 5 oz.

Bella Thorpe and her horse Bella Ymas spent the weekend at the New England Dressage Association Fall Festival Region 8 Championships in Saugerties, N.Y., returning home the Second Level Jr/Yr Champion. Her Woodbe Farm support system and teammates all had a memorable weekend, and came back to the Island with great stories and plenty of ribbons. Congratulations.

After a one-year hiatus, the American Heroes Saltwater Challenge has returned for a 10th year. Wounded warriors and their families arrived Monday for a three-night fishing and exploring adventure based out of the Beach Plum Inn. Founders and coordinators of the event are members of the Nixon family with a team of assistants, including local charter captains, Derby committee members and more. Margaret Maida has been a stellar volunteer since 2008 doing more than her fair share of shuttling folks from point A to B. As an aside, Margaret celebrated her 80th birthday a few short weeks ago.

Carl and Audrey Leaf celebrated their 66th anniversary just a few days prior to Ted and Judy Mayhew’s 58th. It’s a beautiful time of year to celebrate love. Well, it’s always nice to celebrate love but fall is especially pretty.

Congratulations to Jeff Day who was promoted to Sergeant with the Tisbury Police Department. He has been a dedicated member of their team for a number of years now. I had the pleasure of chatting with him and son Matthew who was the first to weigh in a junior boat striped bass at derby headquarters last week. Get outside. Enjoy friends, family, sunshine boating, fishing, strolling shorelines and anything else that brings you pleasure. Seize the day, capture the moment and hold it dear.

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