Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
September 30, 2008
Whine-in at the Weigh-in, Ted Collins Goes Kayak Fishing
There are two things fishermen like to complain about: the lack of fish and the weather. There has certainly been plenty of complaining going on inside and outside the derby weigh station at the foot of Main street in Edgartown.
The fish are out there but they are not available to all anglers.
Lev Wlodyka Leads By a Sliver
There is a new boat leader in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby: Lev C. Wlodyka came in with a 46.82-pound striped bass he had caught earlier in the day. There was drama at the weigh station, according to the officials. It wasn’t just Mr. Wlodyka’s fish that drew the crowds — it…
Tell Your Story: Susan Klein Offers Memoir Workshop
The Spice of Life, a memoir organization and writing course taught by Susan Klein, will once more be hosted by the Tisbury Senior Center this fall. The class has been enormously popular; 60 Islanders already have completed the eight-week workshop. Would-be memoirists interested in working on their life stories for their own pleasure, as a…
Hockney, Van Gogh, Meet Marcia Smilack
There are landmarks in an artist’s career. First there’s the initial sale of a piece of work. Then comes inclusion in a group show and, with any luck (and, of course, talent), the solo show. But the crowning glory arrives — often, alas, posthumously — when the artist’s work is presented in the hallowed halls…
Adult Education Classes Begin in October
The Adult and Community Education Program of the Vineyard is announcing fall classes and seminars. Classes begin Tuesday, Oct. 21 and run for five weeks on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights at the high school until Dec. 4. In partnership with the Island public schools, the program is dedicated to offering classes that bridge generations…
Library Airs Debate
Library Airs Debate On Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. the Vineyard Haven library will be showing the Vice Presidential debate. Broadcast from Washington University in St. Louis with moderator Gwen Ifill, the debate will cover both foreign and domestic policy questions to Democratic nominee Sen. Joseph Biden and Republican nominee Gov. Sarah Palin.
Remembering a Cape Air Pilot
What follows are a collection of reader comments posted on the Gazette Web site following the Friday night plane crash that killed Capt. David D. Willey. • My heart aches for Dave’s wonderful wife and children. Dave was a wonderful human being and will be terribly missed by many. Deborah Mayhew West Tisbury •
Letters to the Editor
CLOSE CALL Editors, Vineyard Gazette: I’m sitting in my room on this Friday night relaxing, listening to the rain outside. Next thing I know, I hear a sound of a loud revving engine right next to my house, possibly over it. Following the revving sound was a huge bang. I knew for sure that something…
Which Free Market Did You Mean?
The current financial crisis reminds me of a discussion I had recently with a conservative friend of mine. We’ll call him Harry. Harry believes that the free market is a serene clean money machine that benefits everyone — unless you mess with it — in which case it coughs and sputters and is likely to…
Tuesdays Will be Different
Tuesdays Will be Different The fall equinox arrived last week; today September ends. The weather has been changeable with buckets of rain and intermittent sun. The warmth of summer lingers. Tropical storms from the south have brushed across the Island with their remnants, bringing heavy seas and plenty of seaweed to put on the garden…
Capt. David D. Willey: 1947-2008
Capt. David D. Willey: 1947-2008 He was the favorite pilot, the one we all knew. Truthfully we only knew him by his first name — Dave. But he was the one we hoped would be in the cockpit whenever we climbed aboard one of those little nine-seater Cape Air planes. When he was there, we…
Vineyarders Improve Record, Trouncing Bishop Connolly 43-0
In a game that was decided by the end of the first half, the Vineyard football team dominated Bishop Connolly 43-0 in their home opener on Friday to gain an early share of the division lead in the Mayflower League large. For coach Donald Herman the rout was the perfect antidote to the bitter pill…
Free Soup, Vineyard Brass: It’s Time for Fall Festival
COMSOG, the Community Solar Greenhouse of Martha’s Vineyard, is continuing a 20-year tradition, celebrating the arrival of the fall season by welcoming local residents and their families to its Fall Harvest Festival on Sunday, Oct. 5 from noon to 3 p.m. at the greenhouse off of New York avenue in Oak Bluffs. Just look for…
Mason Jar Confessions
Although today’s is the last Farm and Field column for the year, the farming season is far from over. Fall brings fields full of squash and pumpkins, late summer corn, green and red tomatoes. Farm stands will stay open on through October and November. Come December, many Island farms will shut down and farmers will…
Wanted: Island Performers For Wintertime Coffeehouse
Planning a weekly coffeehouse at the Trinity Church Parish House in Oak Bluffs, organizers are seeking performers from the Island or beyond. The coffeehouse, to start in late November, suggests patrons bring the great conversation, and organizers will provide refreshments, taking up a free-will offering to help offset the cost. Performers would perform free in…
Wet Weather Slows Weigh Station Work
Fishing slowed to a trickle this past weekend for the participants in the 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. And the rainy, windy weather didn’t help. Some of the 2,000 anglers may have been out there, but few came home with dinner. Weighmaster Roy Langley said he weighed in half a dozen…
Wampanoag Tribe Gets Grant for Elders Exhibit
The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has awarded matching grants totaling $48,645 in support of eight humanities projects in communities across the state. Five of the grants, totaling $33,645, were made under the theme Liberty and Justice for All for projects that explore these fundamental principles in American political life and their interplay, past and…
More Drug, Alcohol Help Here Within Year
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services on Wednesday unveiled a strategic plan to grow in services, size and funding over the next five years, but within a year the organization expects to have better services in place for Islanders with drug and alcohol problems. Talks already are underway between community services and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, with…
Painters Color Each Others’ Lives in Perfectly Different Brush Strokes
They are artists and painters of the plein air variety, and of course friends and nearly neighbors. Hermine Hull and Leslie Baker both live in West Tisbury. They paint together often, sometimes several times a week. Never at a loss for words, Hermine is chatty and outgoing, while Leslie is quiet and introspective. But, like…
Heavy Rains Force Pond Closures
All Martha’s Vineyard ponds have been closed to most shellfishing and could remain so for a week or more, as a result of the heavy rainfalls of the past few days. A mandatory statewide closure was ordered on Sunday by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), out of concern that oysters, quahaugs and softshell clams…
Hundreds Turn Out for Harvest Festival
It was the Vineyard’s wettest weekend with gutters overflowing, but the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury was overflowing with people for Saturday’s Living Local Harvest Festival. The two-day event began on Friday night with a panel discussion at the Chilmark Community Center and continued all day on Saturday with workshops, demonstrations and plenty…
Tisbury Special Town Meeting Tonight
The proponents of a new emergency services building for Tisbury have decided to drop one article from the warrant for tonight’s special town meeting, hoping it will increase the chances of acceptance of the rest of the plan. The meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Tisbury School gymnasium, will first seek approval for…
Island, Cape Air Mourn Death of Pilot in Crash
David D. Willey, the Cape Air pilot who died in a plane crash in the woods of West Tisbury Friday night, was remembered by family, friends and colleagues yesterday as an expert pilot, an avid learner and a family man with a wry sense of humor. He was 61. “He was a great pilot, an…
