After a lot of rescheduling because of various obstacles including weather, illness and just plain poor timing, Marshall and Bob Hungerford road-tripped to West Cornwall, Conn. I know you are perched on the edge of your seat wondering what might draw them to the northwest corner of The Constitution State and, lucky you, I’m going to tell you.

A few years back, Sandra and David Dolinsky downsized. They sold their summer escape on Trail’s End and opted to retain West Cornwall as home base, living up to the Connecticut state motto Qui Transtulit Sustinet (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains). After 50-ish summers in Chilmark, West Cornwall would be a their one jumping-off spot for a simpler life of travels to see their children, grandchildren and a few sites along the open road.

Not only had they decided to pack up a house but they decided to part with some of their multi-decades worth of collecting. Lucky us: we were the recipients of their incredible generosity. After years in the fuel business, Dave had quite a collection of memorabilia and amidst the collection sat a vintage Tokheim Texaco clock face gas pump. This wonderful piece of art will soon take up some space at Menemsha Texaco. We feel a bit like the lighthouse keepers of days gone by and are honored to be the new keepers of this piece of history.

There’s this really great guy who drives around town nearly every day of the year because it’s his mission. As he drives, he recites the motto “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” over and over in his head. Some days are easier and some days prove to be quite challenging for Michael Manfredi, husband to Susannah Buck and stellar dad to toddling Everett. But every day he gets our mail to us neatly and efficiently.

What? You don’t have the pleasure of knowing Michael? Well, goodness, you must not have a rural route mailbox and should certainly consider putting one in. It’s as simple as filling out a form, installing a box — one that meets the guidelines on the USPS website, of course — and then strolling to check said box in the afternoon. If you are lucky, you’ll then have the opportunity to open a dialogue with Michael and soon realize he’s not just your letter carrier: he’s your friend.

What really seals the deal, however, is all of those postal service packages that get bounced around because they are labeled with your street address, but all you have is a P.O. box. Your packages delivered to a box at home will more efficiently make their way to you without that extra shuffle. By installing a roadside mailbox you can easily avoid that dreaded black Sharpie “X” mark noting the package as undeliverable as addressed. If you have a box at the post office, you can keep that, too.

April 9, 1973 was a Monday and Merrily and Frank Fenner likely remember it vividly. The number one song on the music chart was The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence and Paper Moon, the film starring Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum, premiered in Hollywood.

But for Merrily and Frank, there was something happening a little closer to home and dearer to their hearts. Keith Morison Fenner made his way into the world that day, welcomed by not only his parents but big sister Alicia.

Keith, I am pleased to know you and call you friend. Thank you for being an honorary extra dad to Brooks as he and Tegan continue to pal around side by side after nearly two decades of friendship.

If you haven’t done the math, let’s clearly make note that it’s not just any ol’ birthday, it’s the big 5-0. Happy half-century, Keith, and happy day to revel in your bundle of joy, Merrily and Frank. May the day feel like Christmas; merry, bright and filled with love and laughter.