For those left behind, the beauty of the Island this week was somehow magnified by the quiet corners and empty places. Coffee in the morning at Mocha Mott's or Rose Water is a simple affair. Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown belongs to the gulls. Farther west, the Gay Head Light is a lonely sentinel on a cliff swept by wind and fog, backlit by sun at the end of the day.

For adventuresome winter walkers, this is the best week for tramping unattended, the best week, perhaps, for a little harmless trespassing in some of those beautiful places that were once open to all. It is the best week to pause, look around and drink in the unfettered space of a quiet Island.