Now, as August is upon us, it is apparent that the days are drawing in. Dawn is more grudging with its earliest light, and evening shadows grow long before we are quite ready for darkness to come. The headlong skitter through the days accelerates. Illumination Night is Wednesday, the Agricultural Fair will open Thursday, and the fireworks in Oak Bluffs will draw thousands on Friday.

In other words, it is summer on Martha's Vineyard, the weather is flashing its usual perfection and so far visitors have seemed to enjoy themselves hugely while harried Islanders grumble quietly about how nice it will be when September arrives. It will, it will.