One thing I liked about Chilmark when I moved here 30 years ago was the sense of true community connection. Neighbors knew when someone was home sick and would drop off soup, crackers, ginger ale and vitamin C on the front porch. Neighbors knew when there was a new baby in town and would drop by with a hand-knit sweater and a full cooked meal for the whole family.

Friends and neighbors just knew these things because we were a community. I feel less of that these days and struggle to find that true small town bond -- that bond that was here three decades ago.

There was one day last week that Squid Row was a revolving door of babies and toddlers. Small children see the joy in small things like drawing with chalk, watching sparrows nibble on crumbs or boats steaming in the channel after a day out fishing. The way they see the world in front of them should be a reminder to us adults to slow down and revel in the little things and, for me, it always is.

Lucky me had the opportunity to visit with both Finley and Oscar Wilbur. Finley has become a regular chatterbox and Oscar is crawling all over the place. Their parents Becca and Nick are doing a bang-up job.

As Ida Mayhew quickly approaches her first birthday, she adds words to her vocabulary. Kitty is a very popular one, according to her parents Molly and Matt who shared their joys of parenthood.

Ila Diamond stopped by with her parents Will and Jacquie. Her year and one-quarter life has been filled with so much growth. Smiling, laughing, walking and talking are all amazing accomplishments that she is quickly mastering.

Beth Mayhew is making great strides with her sprained ankle. She’s progressed from using a walker to a cane and is steps away from ditching the cane. I think sunny afternoons on Squid Row watching the action on the harbor and shooting the breeze with good friends is terrific medicine.

Some of those friends who have sat a spell to chat include Bob and Linae Schroeder. They traveled from their home in Connecticut to fish the derby and will confine from here to South Africa to visit their daughter Sam and her family. Linae stashed enough t-shirts to wrap a Menemsha hug around each of her grandchildren. Sam was a Texaco employee back in the 1990s.

Larsen’s Fish Market has closed for the season a bit early and for good reason. If you haven’t heard, they plan to demo their current building and start fresh with new materials that, hopefully, will withstand the wet atmosphere that comes along with a fish market. Betsy, Kristine, Scott and the crew are excited, nervous and, most of all, thankful for the community support as they undergo this monumental overhaul.

The biggest news along the waterfront is, drum roll please, Denny Jason got an iPhone. It really has been a long time coming, but after 21 years he has embraced the technology of the 21st century.