Have you seen any otters galumphing around town? Twice this summer our town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells reported seeing otter families afoot, probably moving from one pond to another. Most recently, one early morning, Tara noticed a family lumbering along the fence line between her horses’ playground and our back yard, a scant 20 yards from our house. I am sorry that I slept through it.

Back when we had a frisky dog and my in-laws had a pond that sometimes housed otters, the dog would tear into the water in a splashy pursuit, trying to catch one of the critters. The otters, however, played an impudent game of Whac-A-Mole, heads popping up here and there, always two laps ahead of the dog. We humans thought it was hilarious, the dog, not so much.

Jerry and Margaret Gallagher traveled to Seattle earlier this summer to see their grandson Merrick Gallagher, 17, compete in the national track cycling competition. Merrick, with his proud grandparents cheering from the stands, took home five gold and one silver medal in the junior championships. Last week, Matthew Gallagher, the boy’s father, received his visa for China just in time to see Merrick compete in the world championships in Luoyang, China, southwest of Beijing. More than 300 cyclists from all corners took part in the world competition.

Meanwhile, Merrick’s older brother Grant left the Vineyard Friday after a fishing, boating, swimming and touristy vacation. Grant and his girlfriend Cate Blaes were guests of his grandparents. Grant had spent the summer of 2023 working on board the Alabama and this year he’s a sophomore studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. Cate is at the same campus studying bio-resource engineering.

Joan Arp and David Smith have returned to the Island after a visit with their son Alex, his wife Kelli Bird and their son Desmond, who have just completed a year’s sabbatical in Barcelona. Alex teaches economics at West Point.

Vicky Bijur and Ed Levine have enjoyed visits from Ed’s sisters-in-law Carol and Sophie and their sons.

Happy birthday to Gigi DeBlase.

John and Katie Hough have recovered from this summer’s nasty bouts of Covid.

After much discussion and community involvement earlier this year about the future of the Up-Island Senior Center, the Friends of the Center need more friends. If you care about the center’s future­and presumably your own­—the Friends would love to have you join them. The mission of the Friends is to raise and spend money, just like life at home. Contact Bethany at 508-693-2896, if you are interested.

More notes on the fair. Some have suggested adding another age category to the women’s skillet throw: 80 and older. Right now, this feat of strength and talent includes all those 65 and up. But one competitor this month took home a ribbon at age 82, against all those spring chickens in their 60s and 70s.

Another idea for a fair competition: folding a fitted sheet. Points for the demonstration, as well as the neatness of the finished, folded, little pile. I practice the speedy roll-up method myself.