Dylan Thomas
The birds of the winged trees flying my name Above the farms and the white horses I rose in rainy autumn And walked abroad in a shower of all my days. – Dylan Thomas
April 16, 2010
Edgartown Agrees to Fresh Start for a Library Expansion Plan
Edgartown voters knocked out 63 warrant articles in just over two hours at annual town meeting Tuesday night, passing every article with minimal discussion or debate.
Longtime moderator Philip J. Norton Jr. kept the meeting moving swiftly forward for a crowd of voters eager to settle on town spending for the coming year.…
Videography Fellows Share Work at Pathways
This weekend, Pathways Projects, now at the tail end of their winter residence at the Chilmark Tavern off South Road (next to the Chilmark Store), adds some movement to their current exhibition, Forms and Visions.
The premiere of videography by Pathways’ fellows Enid Haller, Diana Gilmore and Kathy Rose, focused on the theme…
Ballot Questions Sail Through
Edgartown voters elected Michael McCourt to a one-year term on the planning board in the lone contest in the annual town election yesterday. Mr. McCourt was running against Dudley Levick 3rd, and was elected with 284 votes. Mr. Levick received 191 votes. (Mr. McCourt has been serving as an interim member of the planning board…
Oak Bluffs Voters Bog Down Over Difficult Budget Choices
Tension and frustration marked the Oak Bluffs annual town meeting which ran for two nights this week but is still far from over, as voters struggle to come to terms with the fact that their town is on the ropes financially and facing a budget deficit for a third year running.
The annual…
Island Children’s School Promotes Early Education
As part of the national Week of the Young Child, the Island Children’s School has been taking field trips to the West Tisbury Library this week to promote early literacy. The school also honored teachers with a special lunch prepared by the parents and gifts of thankfulness from the children.
Lastly the children…
Young Island Poets’ Project Names Contest Winners
Martha’s Vineyard high schoolers Domonique Aaron, Lily Bick, Jess Dupon, Zen Hughes and Jordan Wallace have been named winners is the Promising Young Poets project, sponsored by Island Voices, the West Tisbury poet laureate, the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council and Pathways Projects Institute.
Honorable mention goes to Joe Aguilar, Annabelle Hackney, Chelsea Phaneuf,…
Pond Problems: Old-Fashioned Or Costly Relief
When Joan Ames of West Tisbury realized the workmen who had been fixing her house had been relieving themselves on her lawn, she was delighted.
She thinks the emerald green circles in the grass are beautiful, and the workmen’s al fresco un-drinking affirmed her in her creed of urinary utopianism. She wishes everyone…
Oak Bluffs Rejects Overrides; Gail Barmakian is Selectman
Sending the strongest message yet on the need to cut spending in this cash-strapped town, Oak Bluffs voters soundly rejected 11 of 12 Proposition 2 1/2 override questions yesterday and elected a new selectman. Gail Barmakian, an attorney, member of the town wastewater commission and former zoning board of appeals member who campaigned on a…
West Tisbury Finds Compromise on Mill Pond Dredging Dispute
Compromise and congeniality were the hallmarks of the West Tisbury annual town meeting this year, as 210 voters marched through a 48-article warrant in three hours flat, first pausing at the outset to hear the annual reading from the town poet laureate and shower the retiring police chief with accolades and long-stemmed red roses.
…
Tisbury Moderator Celebrates One Night Stand for Her Town
As athletes revel in personal bests, so do town moderators. And just after 9:30 on Tuesday night, Derorah Medders briefly broke from the business of Tisbury’s annual town meeting to revel in hers.
“In my tenure, this is a milestone,” she said. Not only was it the longest warrant, in terms of articles…
Former Selectman Returns
Cynthia Mitchell will return as a West Tisbury selectman after an eight-year hiatus. Mrs. Mitchell won her seat without contest in the annual town election yesterday with 172 votes. She will take the seat being vacated by Dianne Powers, who did not seek reelection to a second term.
Voter turnout was low in…
Bullying Feared in Teen Attack
A classroom assault in which a 16-year-old girl was struck in the head three times at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School last week led to assault and battery charges against an 18-year-old girl and her suspension from school.
Meanwhile, the family of the victim is considering legal action against the school.
Announcing Erick
Announcing Erick
Heidi Vanderhoop and Alexander Moore of Aquinnah announce the birth of a son, Erick Angelo Moore, born on April 13, 2010, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Erick weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces at birth.
Lyla Arrives
Lyla Arrives
Rachel Dinning and Anthony BenDavid of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Lyla Katharine BenDavid, born on April 11, 2010, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Lyla weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces at birth. She is welcomed home by big sisters Belle and Lacey.
Chappy Shadow Walk
Chappy Shadow Walk
I took a stroll this morning, before the sun would shine,
down Cape Pogue Ave to Chappy Road, and met a good friend of mine.
Across Dike Bridge and to the beach, we stopped a while to rest,
and each time I turned to…
Attribution in the Information Age
I often tease my students that in writing for an English class, the writer can use language playfully — metaphor to create nuance and alliteration to draw images. History writing, I tell them, is intended to be as a dry as a bone: a recitation of the facts. Though now we know that history is…
Memories of a Young Menemsha Mariner
Editor’s Note: The following is an edited 1998 interview with Eric Cottle done by historian Linsey Lee; the complete interview appears in her book Vineyard Voices. Mr. Cottle died April 2 at the age of 92. Ms. Lee heads the oral history center for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Gazette Chronicle: Strange Days
From a 1967 Gazette column of reminiscences by Joseph Chase Allen:
The anecdotes of the early 1900s would constitute a volume second to none. Times and customs being far different from those of the present day, some of these are unique indeed.
Letters to the Editor
REASONS TO VOTE NO
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Two of the qualities of life in our community in Vineyard Haven will be affirmed by voting no on Article I to permit the sale of alcohol in the town of Tisbury on April 27: our grandchildren and “getting away from it all.”
Vineyard Bookshelf
“There is a Light to Starboard, Sir, right off our lee bow!”, A Medley of Lighthouse Sketches, by Tom Hale, 2010, Tisbury Printer, 60-pages, 28 illustrations. $19.95.
War Photos Wanted
War Photos Wanted
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is seeking photographs from World War II and of wartime activity on the Vineyard, for possible use in the gallery that will open Memorial Day to expand the current exhibit, Those Who Serve — Martha’s Vineyard and World War II.
Photos will be scanned…
Political Notebook
Political Notebook
Super Tuesday kicked off the Island political season this week, and the four annual town meetings in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury were notable for their themes of economy and tight purse strings in these financially straitened times.
Roses for the Chief
Roses for the Chief
She stepped into the job sixteen years ago, quietly making history as the first woman police chief on the Vineyard. And this week, just as quietly, Beth Toomey retired from the job.
Tavern Plans Expanded Menu and Services
Chilmark Tavern will introduce back door dinner sales of prepared foods as well as seafood, steaks and sauces for your home grill when the up-Island eatery reopens on May 6, serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday until Memorial Day.
When the restaurant begins seven days a week service at the end of May, through…
Tennis, Lacrosse and Softball Season Underway After Solid Start
The high school boys’ tennis team has jumped out to another strong start, winning four of its first five matches, while the softball team under new coach Donald Herman has also started strong with a 4-2 record.
Mussel Talk
Mussel Talk
New Zealand aquaculturist Kevin Heasman will discuss offshore mussel farming programs as they are run in the southern hemisphere, and the possibility of applying those techniques in Vineyard waters, at the Chilmark library on Wednesday, April 21 at 5:30 p.m.
Olivia the Pig
Olivia the Pig
Sustainable Book Club Returns to Felix Neck
The Sustainable Book Club, an Islandwide book group which reads and discusses books that examine our relationship with nature, began in 2008 and, after a hiatus in 2009, is back
The group is an opportunity to initiate community conversations and encourage participants to contemplate their impact on our Island and our planet.
…
Hospital Has Its Grand Opening
By MEGAN DOOLEY
Armed with windbreakers and sunglasses — and plenty of coffee in paper cups, a modest group of Islanders rose Sunday morning, following an opening gala the night before that crept into the wee hours, to witness the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Menemsha Fisherman is Charged With Assault
A memorial service for Tom Osmers at the Chilmark Community Center on Saturday ended with the arrest of well-known Menemsha fisherman Karsten D. Larsen, amid allegations that he groped a 15-year-old girl and punched a teenage boy.
Mr. Larsen, 43, of Flanders Lane, Menemsha, was charged with three counts of threat to commit…
Lone Scalloper Ticketed for Unregistered Boat
Oak Bluffs police and emergency management personnel were dispatched to a possible boater in distress near the Little Bridge Monday afternoon, but instead found a man scalloping in a small, unregistered wooden skiff.
Instead of being rescued he was issued a ticket for operating an unregistered motor vessel.
Police were first…
Police Arrest Vineyard Man, Find Heroin Hidden in Truck
The Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force arrested an Island man on Monday as he was driving off the ferry in Vineyard Haven with 50 grams of uncut heroin hidden in the brake light of his pickup truck.
Police said the heroin has an estimated street value of $10,000.
Tribe Signals Court Fight Ahead As Cape Wind Decision Nears
The Martha’s Vineyard’s Wampanoag tribe is preparing to mount a legal challenge to the Cape Wind project.
In a press release this week, the tribe announced it had retained counsel and gave as its reason the fact that the federal Interior Department had declined their latest request for a meeting to discuss the…
Island Veterinarian Wins National Recognition
Island veterinarian Steven W. Atwood of Animal Health Care Associates in West Tisbury has been elected as a distinguished practitioner-member of the National Academies of Practice. Dr. Atwood was installed at a gala membership banquet on March 20 in Arlington, Va., at which the academies inducted new members from 10 health care professions.
Sharing Song, Dance and Dinner, Vineyarders Remember a Friend
When Tom Osmers, the Island fisherman, advocate, radio personality and documentarian whose kind wisdom touched Islanders from Chappy to Aquinnah, died on March 12, the depth of his effect on the Island was evidenced by the letters and thoughts shared in the newspapers and on the Vineyard’s little corner of the Internet. But to get…
Voices Join to Tell Stories of America
When she first came to the United States, Uruguay-born Maribel Umpierrez Adams sank into a quiet depression for months. An educated, intelligent, well-spoken woman in her home country, she came to the states knowing no English, which she feared meant that her entire personality was lost in her new home. Struggling to grasp a foreign…
Dean’s List
Dean’s List
Hilary Dreyer, daughter of William and Stephanie Dreyer of West Tisbury, has been placed on the fall 2009 dean’s list at William Smith College.
Hello Mabel
Hello Mabel
Joanne Cassidy DeRoche and Joel DeRoche of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Mabel Jeanne DeRoche, born on April 9 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Mabel weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces at birth. She is welcomed home by big sister Georgia Marie.
Announcing Iyla
Announcing Iyla
Christine Ferrone and Chip Story of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Iyla Ferrone Story, born on April 8 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Iyla weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce at birth. She is welcomed home by big brother Nate.
Yoga Workshop
Yoga Workshop
Megan Grennan and Josh Montoya together are teaching two yoga immersions, a format allowing more space and time to unwind the body and experience a deep state of centered relaxation. The first class is next Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with another on Saturday, May 22. Both…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
April 9 64 51 Trace
April 10 57 39 .21
April 11 56 45 .00
April 12 63 41 .00
April 13 63 33 .00
April 14 58 33 .00
April 15 62 44 .00
…
Stargazing at Sassafras
Stargazing at Sassafras
Sassafras will host an evening of stargazing with Barbara Caseau on Monday, April 19, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. with constellations, stories and nighttime games for the children. Donations are appreciated.
In the event of overcast, our “cloud date” will be Wednesday the April 21.
For…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
Spring continues to make inroads into the winter landscape. All along the main road and elsewhere, the wild honeysuckle bushes are covered with little green leaves. At the edges of wet areas, the swamp maple branches are red with their spring flowers. The sassafras branches…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Chilmark has been a pretty place all week with the profusion of daffodils and now the blooming fruit trees . . . really joyful after the grey winter. The late-leafing oaks have a distinct red glow as their buds enlarge. Who would want to…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
The weekend weather was a bit more than seasonably warm, providing for lots of yard work. A new person is taking advantage of the Agricultural Hall field — not the golfer who practices his swing, but a man flying a model airplane. The town…
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Aquinnah Public Library will have coffee hour tomorrow morning from 10:30 to noon. Stop by for refreshments and great conversation. The staff will have several programs available for the children during their spring vacation.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
How lucky have we been these past couple of weeks? The sun has been shining and everyone is in a great mood. The cherry trees are in their glory, and all the trees are budding. It is supposed to get cold again but let’s hope…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
We have kittens! Two nine-week-old kittens, still unnamed, just arrived at the shelter looking for homes. One is an all-black male and the other is a female calico. Come see them quickly — they won`t be there long.
Crescent Moon
A thin crescent moon appears tonight low in the southwestern sky, near the bright planet Venus. The moon is above Venus, and underneath the star cluster Pleiades.
Island Community Chorus Spring Concert This Weekend
The 100 voices that make up the Island Community Chorus will fill the warming spring air of Edgartown with two performances this Saturday and Sunday, April 17 and 18, at the Old Whaling Church.
Food Yoga
Food Yoga
Talk on Perennials
Talk on Perennials
The Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 20, at 1 p.m. at the Wakeman Center off Lambert’s Cove Road in Vineyard Haven. The topic is Integrating Perennials Into Your Landscape by Peggy Schwier. A hospitality hour with refreshments will follow the talk. All are…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Every task seems to come with its own set of problems. I ordered a sling bag of Vermont composted manure from SBS. It is a huge plastic burlap bag filled with two yards of weed-free compost. I use a small amount in my garden rows and in the bottom of…
Grape Nut
“Who would have thought it possible that a tiny little flower could preoccupy a person so completely that there simply wasn’t room for any other thought?”
This quote was attributed to Sophie Scholl, a German woman whose public resistance to the Nazi occupation cost her life. The ability to focus on flowers during such…
Purple Martin
The bird of the week is a purple martin. The largest of North America’s swallows, this glossy blue black martin is a casual visitor to the Vineyard, and then only in very small numbers. The Vineyard has not been able to lure the purple martins into staying and breeding on the Vineyard for the past…
Gallery Closure
Gallery Closure
The Belushi Pisano Gallery, established in 2005, will be closing its doors. The gallery started in Vineyard Haven and was opened by Jessica Pisano, Judy Belushi Pisano and Victor Pisano. They represented over 35 talented local and regional artists. After more than four years and two different locations, they made the…
Alpaca Birthday Challenge
Alpaca Birthday Challenge
Island Alpaca has announced a Birthday Challenge, inviting the public to predict which female in the herd will be the first to give birth this season. Guess closest to the date and time of birth, as well as the gender of the newborn cria, and win a $100 gift certificate…
Writers Open Mike
Writers Open Mike
Every Tuesday night from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m., the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven hosts a Writer’s Open Mike night, a continuation of the popular gathering begun in March. The event is run and organized by Hannah Vanderlaske and Jess Dupon from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School.…
Food Magazine Celebrates Inaugural Year With Exhibit
This month, the Island’s premiere food magazine, Edible Vineyard, celebrates its one-year anniversary by teaming up with Featherstone Center for the Arts for an exhibition, titled The Art of Food. The show features work by over ten Island artists, ranging from photography to food-themed painted rocks by Cammie Naylor to Nina Carelli’s food-inspired etchings.
Slow Food Workshop Gets Friendly With Fermentation
The process of fermentation makes food more digestible and nutritious. When consumed on a regular basis, sauerkraut and fermented vegetables help maintain the acid-alkaline balance of the body, strengthen the immune and nervous systems and contribute to overall health.
Thrill, Baby, Thrill: Earth Day Wonders on Our Part of Planet
Earth Day, that boisterous, mass and grass roots celebration of the planet and how we can stop smutching it, began 40 years ago with millions of college students protesting, some wearing gas masks to show their concern about pollution. Now, some young singles are hoping to meet their eco-other in Earth Day Speed Dating (“Are…
