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
August 24, 2012
19 Yellow Brick Road, West Tisbury
19 Yellow Brick Road in West Tisbury sold for $395,000 on August 17.
55 Howard street, Vineyard Haven
55 Howard street in Vineyard Haven sold for $230,000 on August 16.
0 Spring Street Lot 1, Vineyard Haven
0 Spring Street Lot 1 in Vineyard Haven sold for $159,000 on August 15.
28 Dark Woods Road, Edgartown
28 Dark Woods Road in Edgartown sold for $810,000 on August 17, 2012
20 Pilgrim Road, Edgartown
20 Pilgrim Road in Edgartown sold for $240,438 on August 14.
Senate Campaign Visit Ends with Ocean Park Scuffle
A video showing a dispute between a Republican Party videographer and a cab driver for Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren made the rounds on the Internet Monday, with state Republicans calling the incident “unacceptable” and Ms. Warren’s campaign denouncing the confrontation and saying the driver was not affiliated with the campaign.
Monday Night Special
The final Monday Night Special of the summer season takes place tonight. The works-in-progress events is hosted by the Vineyard Playhouse and takes place at the Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. A recent Monday Night Special featured plays by Robert Brustein and starred Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams in the reading. Earlier in the summer…
Land Bank Revenues: August 17
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $26,310. for the business week ending on Friday, August 17, 2012. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions. Much of the land bank revenue last week came from the town of Edgartown, where four transactions…
Hello Hazel
Melissa and Max Hart announce the birth of a daughter, Hazel Jane Hart, born on July 25, 2012. Hazel weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. Hazel is the granddaughter of Pam Carelli of Vineyard Haven and Fred Carelli of Hannibal, Missouri and the late Stan Hart of Chilmark and Maria Look Hart of Woodbury,…
Caring Assistance
The family of Margaret McBride would like to thank all the wonderful people who assisted our Aunt Margaret during her difficult time. To everyone at Hospice, Elder Services and especially the visiting nurses and home health care aides, along with many caring friends and neighbors, we give a deeply heartfelt thank you.
November Test
In reading all the recent letters to the editor about the upcoming election, I found the following quote by economist Thomas Sowell, writing in realclearpolitics.com on August 14 and published in the Wall Street Journal, to be right to the point.
Game Changer
As the aunt of one of the varsity girls basketball players on the Vineyard, I was appalled to learn about the behavior of the head coach and lack of responsiveness to parents’ complaints by the school administration.
Ailing Oceans
Responding to the Gazette story about ocean acidification. In the book Sea Sick by Alana Mitchell, the topic of ocean acidification is discussed at length. Some researchers say that at 450 parts per million, phytoplankton in the southern ocean will die as a result of acidification. The southern ocean is more susceptible but all oceans…
Missed Call
Last Thursday morning a doctor called my office from a 645 telephone exchange and left an urgent message on my answering machine. He sought to arrange a flight to transport a little girl to Cleveland for medical treatment. Shortly afterward, I made repeated calls to the phone number but the line was continuously busy.
North Bluff Hazard
On August 1 the Oak Bluffs roads and byways committee voted unanimously, over the protests of neighborhood residents, to recommend that the town selectmen retroactively approve new parking spaces and signs that weeks earlier had been installed on the residential end of Seaview avenue.
Pitch In
Paris and the Vineyard have something in common. In a recent New York Times international edition article, the headline in large bold type read: “Paris Wants Smokers to Kick a Bad Habit: Tossing Butts in the Street.” The story went on to say “A stroll through parts of Paris on weekend mornings is a little…
Wind Siting Critical
Barbara Schlesinger’s letter on wind turbines, in the August 21 Gazette, deserves special consideration. After years of researching wind energy, including being certified to install them, and after listening to continuous stories of neighbors being antagonized living near these turbines, my views have changed.
Same Turbine, Different View
I wish to respond to the points raised in what I will call Schlesinger’s Lament on the editorial page of the August 21 issue of the Gazette. I live across the street from the “Ominous, Omnipresent” Allen farm wind turbine. I think the turbine is actually quite beautiful.
Dean’s List
Solvig Sayre of Vineyard Haven has been named to the dean’s list at Eckerd College for the spring 2012 semester. Ms. Sayre is majoring in international relations/global affairs.
Marijuana Delivery Leads To Arrest in Menemsha
A Chilmark summer employee was arraigned in Edgartown district court Thursday after allegedly having a package of marijuana mailed to the harbor master’s Menemsha office.
Emmett L. Ross, 19, was arraigned on August 21 charges in Chilmark of a drug violation near a school or park, possessing to distribute class D drug (marijuana)…
School Staffing Changes
West Tisbury fourth grade teacher Mary Boyd has been selected to take the post of interim assistant principal at the West Tisbury School this fall.
In announcing the appointment this week, Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss singled out Ms. Boyd for her skills as a responsive classroom trainer, a member of…
A Day With Juli Vanderhoop – In Aquinnah, Baking, Breaking of Bread Feeds Community Spirit
It’s 6 a.m., but the energy feels more like noon at the Orange Peel Bakery in Aquinnah. Music is blaring, the sinks are full of dirty pots and bowls, the mixer is going and the counters are covered with vats of bread dough and pre-ferments (wild yeast) that are so active they are pushing the…
Erosion on Chilmark Beaches Prompts Restoration Study
As drastic erosion continues to eat away at Chilmark’s south shore, town officials this week expressed grave concern for public safety and impeded access to Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket beaches. The Chilmark board of selectmen also approved a study for the extreme Upper Chilmark Pond, known as Upper Upper Chilmark Pond to some, for a…
These Kids Are Quite A-Maze-ing
The Guinness Book of World Records has a category called biggest zit, and one for the most people blowing their nose at the same time. But while a category exists for largest temporary maze, and largest permanent maze, there is no category for a portable maze — yet. That day may come, though, if you…
Decline in Water Quality Puts Island Ponds In Jeopardy
A pair of quahauggers stood waist-deep in Sengekontacket Pond early Thursday morning, the late August sun glinting off the calm water as they raked hardshell clams, perhaps a basketful for their dinner. The pond has been open to summer shellfishing this year for the first time since 2007.
On and Off the Screen, His Star Is Rising
Wendell Pierce finds the Vineyard’s frenetic August scene to his liking. In a way, it resembles the pace of the actor’s professional life since his star turn in the acclaimed HBO series, The Wire.
Mr. Pierce arrived on the Island with four other cast members of The Wire to headline a campaign fundraiser…
Mr. Maciel Promoted
Corey T. Maciel was promoted to the rank of sergeant with the San Antonio, Texas Sheriff’s Department on July 23.
Corey is a 1990 graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He is the youngest son of former Vineyard residents Gerald F. Maciel…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
August 17 82 65 Trace
August 18 84 67 .85
August 19 72 61 .08
August 20 76 62 .00
August 21 75 61 .00
August 22 82 62 .00
…
Tisbury ESF: Ambulance Moves In
The ambulance is in at the Tisbury emergency services facility on West Spring street; fire trucks will be next.
“The fire [department’s] move will be imminent,” building committee chairman Joe Tierney told the Tisbury selectmen this week. He said repaving should be completed in about two weeks; after that, the fire department can…
Planets
Sunrise Sunset
Fri., August 24 5:58 7:28
Sat., August 25 5:59 7:26
Sun., August 26 6:00 7:25
Mon., August 27 6:01 7:23
Tues., August 28 6:02 7:22
Wed., August 29 6:03 7:20
Thurs., August 30 6:05 7:18
Fri., August…
Resolution May Be Near for Long-Awaited Veterans Contract
After years without a contract for on-Island medical care for veterans, officials are reporting that “considerable progress” has been made, news that was met with skepticism by the Island veterans agent.
The original contract between the Providence VA Medical Center and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital lapsed several years ago, and in the meantime,…
Memories of My Vineyard Summers, Fifty and Counting
I received the omen in the Catskill Mountains. It was made manifest on a postcard that arrived at summer camp. A little plastic lobster was chained to the corner: Dear Shelley, We’re having a wonderful time in Martha’s Vineyard. You would love it here. Next summer, we’ll bring you. Words to that effect. Why were…
After the Riptide, Fear Still Lingers
Last Sunday, while chasing waves in the Atlantic Ocean at Philbin Beach with my 11-year old granddaughter, I noticed the surf, which had been crashing in, had suddenly disappeared. The ocean I was standing in up to my waist seemed eerily calm. The sandy shore behind me lay perfectly flat, like a sheet of paper.…
Choices In the Health Care Spectrum
I spent the first 12 years of my medical career taking care of poor people in a teaching hospital in Providence, R.I. In the early 1990s health care was rather different than it is now. If a person had private insurance, they generally had ready access to both primary care doctors and specialists. For my…
Summer Scrapbook
Not enough swimming. Too little time with summer friends. Clamming, kayaking, sailing: see swimming.
Summer’s on the wane, outgoing ferries are full, incoming ferries less so, and the sun sets earlier these days. It’s time to look around and say where did the summer go? It went the way all summers do, too…
Island as Classroom
Imagine a fully-accredited environmental studies program where as many as two hundred college students, faculty and graduate students would spend the academic year using the Island as a science laboratory and boosting the off-season economy with a meal plan supported by local restaurants.
A pilot project with those estimable objectives is now on…
Arts in Bloom
On Wednesday night at the Cinema Circus, one of the short films shown was an animated adaptation of the book Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, written by Mo Willems. In the words and artistry of Mr. Willems, Edwina the dinosaur is very much alive.
Washashore Chronicle: Finding Peace in August Takes Super Sleuth
A generation ago, Angela Lansbury spent 264 television episodes as Jessica Fletcher, an Agatha Christie-style detective who solved murders for the most part right in her own backyard, the sleepy rural town of Cabot Cove, Me. Two observations occurred to me: why would anyone hang out with Jessica once you realize that wherever she is…
Summer Treasures
From the Vineyard Gazette editions of August, 1983:
West Tisbury salvager and treasure hunter Barry Clifford says he’s found proof, at least to his own satisfaction, that he’s discovered the pirate ship Whidah, sunk with its vast treasure, off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717.
Players Safe at Home on the Vineyard
When the Sharks come for the summer, they need a place to stay.
“Host families are our backbone,” general manager Jerry Murphy said. “Without them, we don’t have a team.”
Breaks Went Against Sharks, But Season Had Its Highlights
On Tuesday afternoon, Vineyard Field was quiet; a breeze tinged with fall kicked up some dust next to the batting cages. The bounce houses were deflated, the food stands empty and there were just two people on the field, tossing a ball back and forth.
Martha’s Vineyard Sharks general manager Jerry Murphy loaded…
Ink Dries on New Tea Lane Farm Chapter
With bouquets all around, the ownership of historic Tea Lane Farm in Chilmark was formally handed to flower farmer Krishana Collins this week.
Ms. Collins attended the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday to sign a long-term lease with the town for the farmhouse.
“Let’s make it happen,” said selectman Warren Doty. “Let’s give…
Philbin Beach Parking Lot May Be Expanded
The Aquinnah selectmen agreed this week to explore a possible expansion of the Philbin Beach parking lot after a spokesman for a group of families that owns abutting property offered to gift a small parcel of land to the town for the purpose of expansion.
Correction
Correction
A recent article about the planned roundabout reported that the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank had granted a temporary easement for upcoming construction. The land bank does not have authority to grant easements; instead, it signed a right of entry, akin to a permissive license to enter. The Gazette regrets the error.
…
Rape Charged
A 21-year-old Pennsylvania man has been charged with rape after an alleged incident in Oak Bluffs.
Joseph D. Williams, 21, of Verona, Pa., was arraigned August 16 in Edgartown district court on charges of rape and selling/delivering alcohol to a person under 21.
Chappaquiddick Residents Raise Concerns Over Rental Units
A group of Chappaquiddick residents who believe a rental property on the small island runs afoul of town zoning bylaws brought their concerns before the Edgartown selectmen this week.
Earlier in the summer, Chappy residents came to the planning board and the board of health to express concern about rental homes owned by…
Aquinnah Town Column: August 25
Welcome to Sowanahsh William Spears Vanderhoop, son of William Durwood Vanderhoop and Jamie Sue Spears, who was born on August 16 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Sowanahsh weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. He is the newest tribal member and the grandson of Roxanne Ackerman and the late William Diamond Vanderhoop Sr. and the grandson…
Sowanahsh Arrives
Jamie Spears Vanderhoop and William Durwood Vanderhoop of Aquinnah announce the birth of a son, Sowanahsh William Spears Vanderhoop, born on August 16 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Sowanahsh weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.
Chilmark Town Column: August 24
Chilmark is in the last throes of August and doing nicely, thank you. In spite of the small but plentiful visitors . . . mosquitoes, and lots of them. No one seems to know how to avoid them but everyone has some plan in place to chase them, so life goes on. Otherwise, everyone appears…
West Tisbury Town Column: August 24
Well, signs of fall are beginning to appear each day. Canada geese are headed south each morning with time out for a last-of-the-summer dip in the Mill Pond. The berries are early this year and folks have been out picking quince, cherries, beach plums and other fruit to make into jelly. We had a sharp…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: August 24
Peter Simon is my hero! Nonna doesn’t get out for many excursions anymore, but last Sunday we planned a big day. It involves the walker, the wheelchair and the handicapped sticker for the truck. We began with the always entertaining Chicken Alley Art Show. Cheyenne, Monique, Nonna and I went and enjoyed meeting all our…
Edgartown Town Column: August 24
Cool nights — that’s what we live for after hot summer nights. Cool sheets and pillow cases and a good night’s sleep. We have had some great nights and very nice days. Who could ask for more? Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Brandon Steigelman,…
East Chop
RICK HERRICK
508-693-8065
(herricklr@verizon.net)
Havenside is a four-building complex of 28 apartments in Vineyard Haven. It was the dream of Margaret Love and her brother, Robert Love, to provide affordable housing for the elderly living full-time at the Vineyard. The complex of buildings was constructed in 1966. The Loves…
Oak Bluffs Town Column: August 24
The lack of spring rain may be causing Oak Bluffs oak tree leaves to brown early — portending an end to a colorful and busy season. I say season, not summer, because that, like beauty, is difficult to define. Some say summer ends Labor Day, 10 days hence, some may say Tivoli Day in 21…
Tracks In the Sand Lend Clues To Island Wildlife After Hours
State Beach, 7 a.m. on a Friday morning. The beach is empty and calm as the tide laps the shoreline, slowly waking up before summer beachgoers arrive. The sun shines brightly on white sand, silhouetting the few early risers.
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has four adorable 12-week-old kittens, one male and three females, gray-and-white, short-haired. Call the shelter or drop by to see them.
Where the Personal Meets the Political
When Tanya Augoustinos and Maria Westby opened A Gallery in July, they set out to bring contemporary art to the Vineyard. This goal was evident last Sunday at an opening for Cindy Kane’s show Inheritance, her first on the Island since 2008. Ms. Kane’s work is provocative, yet unobtrusive. She creates visually-pleasing assemblages that subtly…
Pickling Tips
The drop in humidity last weekend was a much-needed and welcome change. It made me long for the crisp air of fall.
Very Cherry
It’s late summer and I am finally getting into the spirit. My inspiration is a bumper crop of wild cherries.
Red Knots
Red knots are a not something you tie, but a type of shorebird that is causing quite a stir in the birding world. A bit of history: the red knot’s Latin name is Calidris canutus, a moniker which was given this sandpiper by Linnaeus to honor the Danish king, Canute or Knut. King Knut was…
Recent Island Real Estate Transactions
Edgartown
Edmund Cottle 2nd and Emily E. Cottle purchased 20 Pilgrim Road in Edgartown from Fannie Mae and the Federal National Mortgage Association for $240,437 on August 14.
Theresa A. and Andrew B. Donnellan Jr. purchased 28 Dark Woods Road in Edgartown from Emily Sue Klebanoff for $810,000 on August 17.…
Big Jazz
What would jazz, a musical art form, look like if it was sculpted into a concrete object? Jack Greene, painter and a sculptor, suggests an answer to that question in the form of JAZZ, a high relief sculpture made up of four pieces: Ear Listening, Seed, Ying and Yang and Wind Blowing Through. Mr. Greene…
Ms. Michelson’s Eclectic Musical Medley
Just two more Monday Night Specials left for the summer season. These works-in-progress events are hosted by the Vineyard Playhouse and take place at the Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. Last week featured plays by Robert Brustein and starred Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams in the reading. Earlier in the summer Joyce Carol Oates took…
Ellis Paul Plays the YMCA
The YMCA is harkening back to some distinct Island musical roots by opening the Wintertide Collective, a black box-styled performance and dance space. The name Wintertide is a name many Islanders remember fondly. The Wintertide Coffeehouse was a mainstray of the Vineyard music scene for many years. The YMCA’s teen program director, Tony Lombardi managed…
Vineyard Comedy Fest
Vineyard Comedy Fest
The stage is set this summer for the second annual Knock-Knock production’s Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest, a series of comedy shows performed at the Lampost in Oak Bluffs this week and next. The festival offers a full menu of humor, with comedians Torris Brown, Brian Babylon and Kevin Williams performing…
Art Show and Reception
This weekend, the A Gallery in Vineyard Haven introduces a pair of contemporary Island painters, Lily Morris and Billy Hoff, in new show featuring their recent work. Ms. Morris’ partly blurred but vibrant paintings depict dreamlike moments of transformation. Mr. Hoff’s landscapes and figurative paintings are inspired by illustrators like N. C. Wyeth and Howard…
Pottery, Soup and Music
Pottery, Soup and Music
This weekend Feathersone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs is holding its third annual Potters Bowl with guest curator Washington Ledesma.
The idea behind the event is both basic and beautiful. Visitors to the show are asked to buy a ceramic bowl for $25 and then…
The Seasons
Friday, August 17: Mostly sunny, a hot summer afternoon. High altitude clouds drift in from the west. A light breeze over the water. Late in the day thousands are seated at Ocean Park and enjoy first the Vineyard Haven Band. At dusk children dance around the bandstand. Spectacularfireworks over the Oak Bluffs outer harbor. Cloudy…
The Fishermen
Nelson C. Smith, 87, has had plenty of water pass under his keel. And observed many sharks off his bow. The retired Edgartown charter fishing captain, who has had many jobs on the waterfront, predicts an increase in shark sightings in Vineyard waters. As long as the seal population continues to rise around the Vineyard,…
Down Doggit! Yoga Festival Arrives.
The volume of yoga practitioners on Martha’s Vineyard is almost overwhelming, yoga teacher Mollie Doyle said this week. “We have an amazing yoga community here . . . there are nine or 10 classes practicing on a Tuesday morning, and they are all full,” she said.
“It’s kind of a yoga mecca.”
…
Dance Theatre of Harlem Returns
When the Dance Theatre of Harlem was created in 1969, its mission was straightforward: change the world through dance. Now, after an eight-year hiatus, the mission is evolving from its Civil Rights-era roots to embrace what ballet can mean today. And the evolution of this new company is beginning right here on the Vineyard. The…
