Along with our daughter Chloe and her caregiver, Stephanie Brothers, Tim and I toured Island Autism’s newly completed day programming center. It is a striking accomplishment.
The Vineyard’s autistic community (Chloe included) will benefit in these spacious rooms, the commercial kitchen, the quality of the details, the sprawling comfortable couches, muted colors and the promise of substantial and stable timelessness in its design. This sense of solidity — from what I have read — will surely be a sanctuary for people whose six senses are often wobbly.
The next step — housing for adults who need full-time care — is now under construction.
Buckets of kudos to Kate DeVane and her crew for all they have accomplished so far with this project, and the commitments they have pledged in completing the campus.
Looking for a good book? You know, of course, that the West Tisbury Library has them all, and if the one you want is not in stock, they will fetch it for you.
There are other places around town where you may find something good to read. The dumptique (at the dump) has a nook with floor to ceiling bookshelves, plus more shelves on the back sides of the cubbyhole. Lots of choices, especially lots of recycled cookbooks.
And of course, the dumptique is where you may also enrich your wardrobe, your shoe closet, children’s clothes and toys, your home décor and it is all free, basically usable stuff. I have even found clothing with fancy labels and, one time earlier this year, a pair of wide, pleated pants with a note in the pocket saying the pants had been dry-cleaned in 1997, and were so neatly pressed. I doubt they had been worn since then.
The volunteers at this recycling haven are grateful for your financial contribution, as the service is not an official entity, not under the aegis of the town and they must pay to dispose of the real garbage that bad people sometimes leave behind masking as ‘donations.’
Back to books. A modest crate of books, free for the taking, is stationed next to the piano, free for anyone to play, outside on the porch of Cronig’s Up-Island store. Happiness is arriving at Cronig’s when somebody is banging out a tune at the piano.
There is also a cupboard of books at the Lambert’s Cove beach parking lot, though it may not be accessible this late in the season.
Someone installed a little cupboard on Old County Road with jigsaw puzzles and hopes that others will bring in more puzzles to swap. It’s about halfway along the road, on the east side. There may be others in town, tucked away. Let me know; I’m always up for a good read.
On the subject of freebees, fish caught in the derby, so fresh it is still wet, is being given away at the senior center Mondays throughout the derby.
Birthday greetings go out this week to Trip Barnes on Saturday, Sept. 21, to Daisy Kimberly Sunday, Sept. 22, to Nikki Patton on Monday, Sept. 23 and — not least — to Roan Bettencourt on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Happy anniversary wishes to Chris Alley and Kate Feiffer on Sept. 21 and to Jenn Watts and Ken Pillsworth on Monday, Sept. 23.
After 21 years as West Tisbury’s treasurer, Kathy Logue has told town officials she plans to retire in January, and will be starting a nice long stretch of seven-day weekends.
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