It’s a little after noon on a wintry Wednesday, and Alex’s Place is hopping. The YMCA teen center, made possible by a gift from the Gagnon Foundation, is a growing hub for Island adolescents.

Salted lamb, Hanukkah prayers, scary jello rings — many holiday traditions are handed down through generations but for some young Island families, new ones take their place.

We are the visited, the indigenous Islanders. We own mansions, castles, thatched huts (there must be at least one somewhere up-Island), garage apartments, condos, converted barns, Spider Shacks (maybe just me), bungalows and bodegas. And they know it. And they are coming.

The last stretch, that last tenth of a 3.1-mile race, can be the best part. At Katama it’s when you make the turn down the dirt road back to the Farm Institute. With any luck you’ve got a killer song with a strong beat helping to propel you to the finish line.

The one-story building stands at the corner of County Road and Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. An American flag flaps in the breeze. Beneath it is the Portuguese flag.