Jane Kenyon
I am the stone step, the latch, and the working hinge. I am the heart contracted by joy, the longest hair, white before the rest.-Jane Kenyon
May 20, 2011
Breaking News: Thursday, May 26 – Voters Reject Oak Bluffs Spending
Oak Bluffs residents rejected both proposition 2 and 1/2 override questions on Thursday’s special election ballot.
A total of 559 residents turned out to reject one override that would have restored $230,000 in cuts to the town’s road paving program, and another that would have to restored $254,000 in cuts to hire a…
News Update: Wednesday, May 25 – Oak Bluffs Election Thursday
Oak Bluffs voters go to the polls on Thursday for special override election that will decide whether the cash-strapped town can afford to pave streets, hire a finance director, keep teaching aides at the town school and hire an animal control officer.
Voters will be asked to approve two Proposition 2 1/2 override…
News Update: Tuesday, May 24 – Beach Closed to Protect Plover Nest
Tashmoo Beach will be closed for about a month after a piping plover nest was found Monday on Herring Creek Road.
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary director Suzan Bellincampi said the nest contains four eggs and is located along the side of Herring Creek Road just before the parking area. Federal and state laws…
News Update: Tuesday, May 24 – Goodale’s Needs No MVC Review
Goodale’s Pit, the longtime family-owned earth mining business in Oak Bluffs, does not need to be reviewed by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission as a development of regional impact, a key commission subcommittee decided Monday.
Brazilians Speak Out, In Their Own Words
In every community there are people who have different experiences, who are unique and yet similar. We live side by side with each other, but how much do we know about our neighbors? Most of the people I spoke to for this piece are well known to me, and yet I did not know their…
The Making of Fire and Rain
In the end, it came down to a shoe box full of microcassettes, 75 interviews, two years of research and a lifetime of listening to Let It Be, Déjà Vu, Bridge Over Troubled Water and Sweet Baby James.
Ocean Club Expanding Pending No Sound Waves
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission has approved a proposed expansion of the Ocean Club restaurant in downtown Oak Bluffs. Owners Mark and Mike Wallace plan to expand the restaurant to include a second floor function hall capable of holding 500 people.
The restaurant plan was referred to the commission as a development of regional…
Slight Shake as Vineyard Area Experiences Minor Earthquakes
There were two small earthquakes near and under Nashawena Island on Sunday night, about halfway between Martha’s Vineyard and New Bedford. The first earthquake, a magnitude 2.1, barely perceptible quake, took place at 8:39 p.m. The second occurred seven minutes later and was recorded at 1.3 in magnitude.
Nashawena is one of the…
Babysitting Class
Babysitting Class
The American Red Cross will hold a babysitting class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 at the YMCA on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road.
The course is designed for sixth to ninth graders, ages 11 to 15. Participants will learn babysitting responsibilities, characteristics of children, supervising…
Family Planning Gala
Family Planning Gala
Memorial Day Weekend is almost here, and with it comes the annual Friends of Family Planning Art Show benefit, an event that supports the Family Planning of Martha’s Vineyard clinic. All are invited to admire and purchase artwork — paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, and more — at next weekend’s show…
Flexible Zoning Bylaw Invoked In Housing Development Plan
Two Oak Bluffs families are in the early stages of planning a housing development that would see 61 houses built on 68 acres on two adjoining lots off Barnes Road, if they can win approval from the town and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Oraibi Voumard and Davio Danielson, whose families own the two lots, appeared…
Chilmark Shellfish Rules See Overhaul
Chilmark selectmen this week approved new shellfish regulations to include stricter penalties for violations and clearly-stated restrictions on family permits.
It was the first time in 20 years the regulations were revised, and the selectmen were happy with the changes.
“It looks good,” selectman Jonathan Mayhew said.
Patagonia to Help Rescue Red Knot Bird
The Global Conservation Alliance, founded in 2008 by West Tisbury avian photographer Lanny McDowell, Norman Famous and Porter Turnbull to address the red knot’s declines, has won support from outdoor clothing and gear retailer Patagonia.
Students Earn Places on Honor Roll
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School principal Stephen Nixon announces the honor roll for the second quarter of the 2010-2011 academic year.
Grade 12 high honors go to: Celeste Ewing, Jesse Fogg, Sarah Johnson, Jill McHugh, Amelia Pennington, Kira Shipway and Anastasia Thibodeau.
Grade 11 high honors go to: Riley Donegan, William…
No Longer Pawns, Chess Club Crowned
Check that! The champion chess team at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School has had its most successful season in three years, finishing the Southeastern Interscholastic Chess League regular season in first place.
The first-place finish gave the team the top seed in the league championship finals against Fairhaven High School. The…
Spring Sports Near End of Season , Variety of Teams Still Surging
The high school teams move into the last days of regular-season play this week, so be sure to come out and support the Vineyarders on their home turf! With the exception of track and field, each team has at least one home game.
Deadline Is Close for Special Fair Classes
Ready for the 150th Agricultural Fair? A reminder that this year there is an early deadline for some special entries. Forms are available at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury; there is a box of them on the porch, with all the information about special entries and entering the special parade set for Tuesday, August…
Team Sailing a Tactical Maneuver
Unlike other spring sports at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, sailing can’t move indoors in inclement weather.
The team is on the water most afternoons, after catching the bus from school to Sailing Camp Park (parent organization Sail MV provides the facilities and equipment for the team). When it rains, they rig up…
Edo Potter to Be Honored
Edo Potter to Be Honored
Chappaquiddick author and conservationist Edo Potter will be presented a Lifetime Achievement award at the Edgartown Library Foundation’s annual Legacy of Learning summer brunch on Sunday, July 10 at noon at the Boathouse Field Club.
A former Edgartown selectman, Mrs. Potter has championed many causes and…
The Island’s Got Talent Down to the Fine Arts
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boasts one of the most robust arts department seen outside of a college or graduate arts program. Paul Brissette, chairman of the art, design and technology department, is proud that, at this school, “arts are on an equal par to sports.”
Fish for Thought: Restaurants To Recycle Shells for Oyster Beds
Oyster shells just saw their stock go up on the Vineyard. A former employee of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group is in the early stages of a project to recycle oyster shells from seafood restaurants on the Island. The idea is to put the oyster shells back in the pond to boost oyster futures.
…
Polly Hill Director Emeritus Honored by Magnolia Society
The Magnolia Society International members recently toured the Polly Hill Arboretum and held a special dinner to honor the arboretum’s director emeritus, Stephen A. Spongberg. He was presented the Todd D. Gresham award by the board of the society. The award was established in 1981 to recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the…
Five Cloud Pile-Up Leads to Wet Spring
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
Persistent wet, foggy, rainy weather of the last week will come to an end early in the coming week. A more positive trend is around the corner, according to Benjamin Sipprell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
New Chapter Unfolds in Blessed Life
Derrill Bazzy walked around the Vanderhoop Homestead in Aquinnah on a recent spring afternoon, unable to conceal his enormous pride in the place that he had a hand in saving. As the wind howled off the Atlantic in this outpost setting at the extreme western end of the Vineyard, Mr. Bazzy took out the keys.…
Essayists Young in Age, Experienced in Insight
In recognition of national Teach Children to Save Day last month April 12, the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank sponsored its 10th annual essay contest for fifth, sixth and seventh graders. The topic for this year’s essay was: In our world where financial differences have wide gaps, explain what the differences are between “wants” and “needs.”
…
No Single Era Owns Bad News, Tyranny Marks Age Old Truth
The news in my morning newspa per was not good. Indeed, it was frightful and depressive. But why should it be otherwise when agendas seeded and fertilized by politicians and statesmen run amok. No matter what ensign they wave from No. 10 Downing Street, the White House, the Houses of Parliament, Capitol Hill, the Kremlin…
Joe Cressy
Joe Cressy
Salty and scholarly
Haltingly clear
What Joe Cressy spoke
You wanted to hear
Scottish and kilted
Malt in his hand
Reciting keenly
So Scots understand
Heeling on Halcyon
Bound for the sky
…
Letters to the Editor
PRAISE RUPERT
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
The following letter was sent to the Tisbury selectmen reacting to complaints about a rooster in the neighborhood:
Rejecting Violence Takes Constant Vigilance
I have no answers to the world’s big problems. I’m no guru,” wrote artist, teacher and peace-promoter Winslow Myers in a recent e-mail. Although he lives high up in Vermont in Stowe, he’ll be speaking here this weekend. He’s the author of Living Beyond War: A Citizen’s Guide (Orbis Books, $16) and director of a…
May Days
May Days
Perhaps encouraged by the drenching rains this month, Vineyard woods and meadows are blanketed with wildflowers of every description. Bright yellow buttercups and dandelions, white starflowers and fragrant wild lilies of the valley dance along roadsides. Trailing arbutus adorns rutted old roads, wild strawberry flowers are blooming and soon tiny bluets…
Our Changing Island
Our Changing Island
Assessors to Inspect Property In Islandwide Value Update
Real estate and personal property values are currently being updated in all Island towns in order that each town’s assessments can be certified by the Department of Revenue later this year for fiscal year 2012.
Attorney Vincent Arraigned on Criminal Charges
Facing criminal charges of larceny by embezzlement over $250 and fiduciary embezzlement, Edgartown attorney Edward W. (Peter) Vincent Jr. was arraigned in Edgartown district court yesterday. His lawyer, Robert Jubinville, entered not guilty pleas to both charges. District court Judge H. Gregory Williams presided.
The arraignment had been postponed from April 11.
…
Island Club Donations
Island Club Donations
Our Island Club, the consumer savings program that also raises money for local organizations, has distributed its annual donations, more than $43,000.
Included in the distribution are scholarships to the Vineyard Nursing Association, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School vocational programs and the Permanent Endowment Fund. It also donated…
In Their Own Words, Brazilians Speak Out
In every community there are people who have different experiences, who are unique and yet similar. We live side by side with each other, but how much do we know about our neighbors? Most of the people I spoke to for this piece are well known to me, and yet I did not know…
Sense of Community Draws Older Islanders
He plays the recorder. She plays the piano. They are both retired and inherited the house in which they now live. Fred H.C. Hotchkiss and his wife, Anita, are two members of the new majority: the rapidly growing elderly population on the Vineyard.
Rupert the Rooster To Crow No More
Residents of the Leonard Circle neighborhood in Vineyard Haven are lining up and picking sides: They’re either with the rooster or against it.
The itinerant rooster’s name is Rupert. And true to his nature as a rooster, Rupert has a penchant for predawn crowing sessions.
At a Tisbury zoning board of…
What, No Jumping off Big Bridge? Upgrade Turns Tradition to Danger
With summer fast approaching and the time-honored tradition of jumping off the big bridge at Sengekontacket set to resume, town and county officials are once again calling on the state to remedy what has become a dangerous situation along the rebuilt bridge walkway.
“If there’s a kid sitting down on that railing any…
More Islanders, A Little Older, More Diverse
Martha’s Vineyard is growing rapidly more populous, older and more diverse according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Overall, the population of Dukes County grew 10.3 per cent in the decade 2000-2010, well down on the 29 per cent growth of the previous decade, but still the highest by…
Middle Line Faults Have Building Firm Under Fire
With a list of 90 itemized faults in the construction of Chilmark’s first affordable housing development, frustrated town officials this week demanded that Seaver Construction president Scott Seaver take personal control of the project.
Venus, Mercury and Mars
These three planets appear close together in the early morning sky, if you are up at or before dawn and have a good view of the southeastern horizon. The bright planet Venus is the easiest to see. Mars is above and to the east of Venus. Mercury is below Venus.
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
May 13 57 48 .00
May 14 62 47 .00
May 15 58 48 Trace
May 16 68 51 .52
May 17 57 50 .50
May 18 59 53 .54
May 19 65 56 .43
…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Well, the weekend weather was reasonable with a few showers and the temperature was finally warming up. However, it has rained off and on all week long. The boat schedule changes on Tuesday and you can already feel from increased traffic on the roads…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
slaterjn@comcast.net
Chilmark will have many choices of eating places this week. The air should be full of the good smells of food! The Galley opened yesterday for the season; the Bite will open today at 11 a.m.; the Tavern will open May 23 and the…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has some very beautiful and unusual cats and kittens that are ready for adoption, and some kittens who will be ready in a couple of weeks that you just have to see to believe. Please stop by the shelter and put your name on…
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will sponsor the fifth in a series of cultural luncheons, with guest speaker Cynthia Riggs, on Saturday, May 21, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Grill on Main. Music will be provided by Phil Dietterich and Martha…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
“Rain rain go away, come again another day” is the song most people are singing right now. We have all been pretty patient but it is starting to get the best of people. However, it was said best by one of our customers the other…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
Some random thoughts on this 93rd straight day of rain:
Hello Broden
Hello Broden
Jade Hattingh and Flavio Couto of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Broden Kroy Couto, born on May 14, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Broden weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces at birth. He joins big sisters Belle and Braylin.
Mateo Arrives
Mateo Arrives
Justine and Paulo DeOliveira of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Mateo Shemeth DeOliveira, born on May 15, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Mateo weighed 8 pounds, 10.6 ounces at birth.
Announcing Amelia
Announcing Amelia
Judeen Bernard and Jerome Lloyd of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Amelia Kaylee Lloyd, born on May 16, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Amelia weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.
Dannie-Lynn Arrives
Dannie-Lynn Arrives
Cassandra Cook of Edgartow announces the birth of a daughter, Dannie-Lynn Lee Cook, born on April 12, 2011, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Dannie-Lynn weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.
When You’ve Got That Flowering Feeling
The Polly Hill Arboretum ushers in the new season with a busy week of programs.
On Tuesday, May 24 at 10 a.m. director Tim Boland takes a look at the wide assortment of small flowering trees that are great for foundation plantings or focal points in the home landscape. Learn about which trees…
Memorial Day Race
Memorial Day Race
The 18th annual Oak Bluffs Memorial Day Road Race and One Mile Fun Run will begin at the Wesley Hotel on Sunday, May 29. The five-kilometer road race and walk and the one-mile fun run all benefit Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.
Registration costs $15 in advance and will…
Kids with Violins
Kids with Violins
It is time for cute kids with violins to hit the stage again. But it’s not just about the look, although it’s tough to beat the sight of more than 200 elementary school students playing their stringed hearts out. The kids have musical talent too, thanks to the strings program…
You Spin Me Right Round, Baby
Whether playing to a boisterous crowd of hundreds in New York or to a more intimate crowd here on the Vineyard, deejay Josh Tucker knows how to show people a good time.
Green House
Green House
How to go green on a budget? Take the Oak Bluffs green building tour on Thursday, May 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to find out.
Ain’t Whistling Dixie, Irish Sensation Blows into Town
KCT Concerts is whistling an Irish tune to ring in Memorial Day Weekend.
Laurence Nugent, a flute and whistle playing demigod from Ireland, kicks off the summer season.
To the Sea, Marching
To the Sea, Marching
The Tisbury School’s annual Memorial Day celebration, the March to the Sea parade, will be on Friday, May 27. All are welcome to join for all or any part of the celebration. Students will leave the school at 12:30 p.m. and march to Owen Park via Spring street and…
Artist Invite
Artist Invite
New Bedford Open Studios is extending an invitation to artists of Martha’s Vineyard to participate in the 2011 open studios event. Island artists may join over 100 visual artists, galleries and museums showcasing their work to the public during the first weekend of October. Vineyard artists can be placed in one…
Living Beyond War Takes Entirely New Perspective
Author Winslow Myers will present Living Beyond War, sharing his beliefs and commitment to end war, on Sunday, May 22, at 5 p.m. at the Unitarian-Universalist Society Chapel at 238 Main street in Vineyard Haven.
The organization called Beyond War has been working for 25 years to change thinking about war. During the…
Musical Maestro to Give Biblical Oratorio Lecture
On Sunday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m., the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center will present Howard Frazin’s oratorio, The Voice of Isaac, as a retelling of the Abraham and Isaac story, from Isaac’s perspective.
Big Picnic, All Invited
Big Picnic, All Invited
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, from noon to 4 p.m., everyone on the Vineyard is invited to the Annual Memorial Day Picnic at the Tashmoo Spring Pumping Station located on West Spring street in Vineyard Haven.
Formerly known as the old Tisbury Water Works, the Tashmoo…
On the Prowl at Felix Neck
On the Prowl at Felix Neck
If it flies it will be there. If it crawls, scampers or hoots it will be there. If it be of wing, claw, fang, or suction-cupped feet it will be there. And you should be, too.
And where is there? The Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary,…
Always Thought That I’d See You Again
In the end, it came down to a shoe box full of microcassettes, 75 interviews, two years of research and a lifetime of listening to Let It Be, Déjà Vu, Bridge Over Troubled Water and Sweet Baby James.
Self-help
Alcoholics Anonymous
Information: 508-627-7084.
All meetings are nonsmoking.
Sunday, 6:45 a.m., open discussion meeting, First Baptist Church, William street, Vineyard Haven.
Sunday, 10 a.m., open discussion, State Beach, first bridge, Oak Bluffs, (weather permitting).
Sunday, 11 a.m., open discussion meeting at the Council on Aging…
Finding Happiness in the Least Likely Place
Debra Monk knows a thing or two about accomplishments. Ms. Monk is a star of film, television and theatre. She has a list of credits that if written on the body would march up one arm, down the other, include both legs and most probably the person standing next to her. She has appeared in…
Gallery Opening
Gallery Opening
Treehouse Studios is now open Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Paintings by Claudio Gasparini, an Italian artist and summer resident, are currently being featured. Also available are many other paintings as well as various antiques and collectibles.
Treehouse Studios is located at…
Great Scot at Dragonfly
Great Scot at Dragonfly
Dragonfly Fine Arts Gallery is beginning its 17th Anniversary Season with 28 new and returning artists, including a broad selection of work in various media.
Voted best of the Vineyard in 2010, 2009. 2007 and 2005, the Dragonfly Gallery opening reception is from 4 to 7 p.m.…
These Old Seeds
Wonders will never cease. I had some seeds kicking around from 2008. They were stored in less than ideal conditions.
Felix Neck Birdathon
Saturday, May 14 dawned a little differently. It was the morning of Felix Neck’s Birdathon and there was not a strong wind roaring out of the northeast. The woodlands were pretty quiet as the day started out overcast, but the sun shone through about 9 a.m. and seemingly brought the woodlands to life. The complete…
Horsing Around
Ben Franklin was chockful of advice; in one famous saying, he encouraged behavior that would make us healthy, wealthy and wise.
Early to bed and early to rise is not the only way to get there. One could alternately seek out the water-loving plant, horsetail, which fills the bill on all three counts.
