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
July 17, 2012
News Update: Thursday, July 19 – At Second Oldest Home on Vineyard, a Rare Discovery for Sheriff’s Meadow
Rare nautical charts from the late 1700s signed by a Vineyard sea captain and depicting the coast of Portugal and the Orkney Islands are among the treasures that have been recovered from what is believed to be the second oldest house on the Island, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation executive director Adam Moore said this week.
Family Planning’s Friends
On Thursday, May 24, Friends of Family Planning of Martha’s Vineyard Inc. hosted our annual art show benefit gala preview party. Each year we are overwhelmed by the generosity of our Island community. This year, our gala event (relying almost solely on donations) was one of the best and most successful ever, due to the…
Summer of Sharks
Jawsfest: The Tribute has received numerous questions regarding our Summer for the Sharks conservation initiative, with people wondering if we are against the Boston Big Game Monster Shark Tournament that begins this week. The answer to this question is no; however, we would like to see that tournament convert to a catch-and-release event, as is…
Paine’s Common Sense
I read with a great deal of interest Prof. David Morris’s column on Thomas Paine (“The Long-Lasting Influence of Common Sense”). Readers should understand that Paine did not stop with the most cogent and perhaps first-published arguments on why the Americans should separate from the British Empire. He also wrote, just a few years later,…
News Update: Tuesday, July 17 – Second Victim Dies Following Car Crash
The tragedy surrounding the Fourth of July car crash on the Vineyard deepened when a second victim died at a Boston hospital Tuesday night.
According to a family friend, Seth Jones, 26, of Dummer, N.H., died early Tuesday evening. His death was confirmed by a spokesman at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
…
News Update: Tuesday, July 17 – Steamship Governors Consider Sending Refuse to New Bedford
The possibility of sending solid waste off-Island via barge was discussed Tuesday at the monthly Steamship Authority governor’s meeting, held in the library conference room at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, who together form one of Martha’s Vineyard’s two refuse districts, are evaluating the feasibility of transporting solid…
West Tisbury Native Heads to World Series of Poker
Islander Jesse Sylvia has secured his spot at the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. The 26-year-old West Tisbury native, now a professional poker player living in Las Vegas, beat out nearly 7,000 others for one of the seats at the final table in the October competition. He will compete against eight others for…
Poem: Sun Stand
I build stone circles To watch The sweep Of year The fan of rises The arc Of settings
Edgartown Hosts 200 Boats in Regatta
It was a sailor’s weekend in Edgartown. Over 200 one-design sailboats of all sizes competed in the Edgartown Yacht Club 89th annual regatta. The boats measured as short as eight feet to as long as 30 feet. The sailors and their sailboats came from all around Southeastern Massachusetts.
Bill Roman, manager of the…
Vineyard Cup Brings Sailors of Every Stripe
They came from as near as Oak Bluffs and as far as Denver to compete in the annual Vineyard Cup Regatta, held last weekend on Vineyard and Nantucket Sound and in Menemsha Pond.
Ninety-five boats and 485 sailors participated in three days of racing and three nights of revelry, all in the name…
One-Year Pilot at Edgartown School Will Test Advanced Math Program
The Edgartown School will begin a pilot enrichment program next year aimed at students working at advanced levels in math — a program that, if successful, could be adopted by other Island schools.
The local school committee voted last week in favor of a one-year trial of a fifth through eighth grade enrichment…
MVC Allows Two-Year Extension for State to Build Fishing Pier
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday approved a two-year extension to complete a long-planned Oak Bluffs fishing pier.
According to a letter to the MVC from Douglas H. Cameron, assistant director and deputy chief engineer from the state Department of Fish and Game, all necessary local, state and federal permits for the state-funded pier…
Poem: Roots Of Old Trees
I found the tendrils of your fingers
wound around mine like prayers
woven into the clothing of prayer.
and fled with you in my arms
along the highway of snakes,
concealing you from streetlights
and stars, from dogs barking in alleys.
…
Poem (Song): Summer
(song lyrics)
Every year has only one July.
Careful! It may find a way to pass you by.
Flies come through the door;
Come November, watch it pour.
Summer, don’t you love me any more?
Looking for a wishbone on your plate,
…
Conversations – When Words Are Tools of the Trade
Last Friday afternoon, three poets laureate of the Vineyard gathered around a table at the Gazette office to reflect on their growth as poets, from a solitary practice to reaching beyond those boundaries in their respective communities. Steve Ewing traveled from Chappaquiddick where he was working at his day job as a dock builder, and…
Not Exactly How F. Scott Wrote It, This Is Gatsby With a Twist
The stage was set with its characteristic flare of color. The cabin was packed, as always, with kids and adults pouring off the seats and onto the floor. Everyone knew what to expect from Camp Jabberwocky’s annual play — an uplifting spectacle well worth a hardwood seat. This year the Camp put on The Great…
Former Celtic Speaks of Addiction, Recovery
It should have been the best moment of Chris Herren’s life when he signed a contract to live out the dream of every boy who grew up playing basketball in Boston. But as Mr. Herren spoke in his thick Boston accent about what an honor it was to be a hometown kid coming back to…
Trust the Kid Critic on Cinema Circus Shorts
Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets under way.
An advanced screening of the…
Gladys Widdiss Built Bridges From Nation to Nation
I was moved by news of the death of Gladys Widdiss. She has long been one of my Island heroes, starting with her becoming valedictorian of her senior class at the Tisbury High School in 1932. More recently I admired her for her determination and success in her dealing with the Bureau of Indian Affairs…
Electric Island
From a July 1, 1960 column by Joseph Chase Allen:
Looking backward, the most astonishing thing to contemplate is the realization of how brief the span of years there is between the electrified present and the primitive colonial age, a span which my personal memory cannot cover of course, yet it can visualize…
In Polly’s Garden: Native Plants Are a Natural
There are many good reasons for growing native plants. Native plants are adapted to local growing conditions, they promote biodiversity and support local wildlife, and in general they need less maintenance. Besides, native plants are Vineyard vernacular — they just look right in our gardens and landscapes.
Ms. Warren Visits the Vineyard Again
Congressional candidate Elizabeth Warren made a quick swing through Martha’s Vineyard this weekend.
Ms. Warren, a Democrat who is looking to unseat incumbent Sen. Scott Brown, was on the Island from Friday night through Saturday, campaign spokesman Matthew Cournoyer said. She attended the July meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Democrats Saturday morning in…
Steamship Authority Will Meet Today on Vineyard
Steamship Authority governors will hold their monthly meeting on the Vineyard this morning. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the library conference room at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
The agenda for the meeting includes a monthly business summary for the public boat line, an update on the SSA website project…
One-Day Beer and Wine Permit Granted
West Tisbury selectmen approved the town’s first one-day beer and wine license last Wednesday, granting permission to the Vineyard Nursing Association to serve alcohol at its annual clambake and auction, which will be held August 1 at the Field Gallery. VNA chief executive officer Bob Tonti said he expects approximately 225 people to attend the…
Wind Energy Meeting
The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) are holding a public information meeting in New Bedford today, July 17, about proposed offshore wind energy projects in the Massachusetts-Rhode Island wind energy area.
Tisbury Will Conduct Air Quality Tests at Town Hall
Air quality tests will be done in the Tisbury town hall following a painting and renovation project that caused complaints among town workers about fumes inside the building.
At their meeting last week, the Tisbury selectmen voted to spend $900 on the testing. “After the painting and all the work that revolved around…
Lyme Disease Rides Heavy on the Hoof
Check yourself, check the children, check the cats and dogs. And when it comes to checking for ticks, don’t forget about horses. Equestrians on the Vineyard and throughout New England are now constantly on the lookout for Lyme disease symptoms in horses.
Corrections
Corrections
A story about the Lyme disease support group on the Vineyard in the Friday Gazette contained errors. Sue Hruby’s name was spelled incorrectly, and in one photograph that accompanied the story, the person identified as Enid Haller was in fact Phoenix Becker.
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The West Tisbury column last week carried…
