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
August 31, 2012
103 Naushon Road, West Tisbury
103 Naushon Road in West Tisbury sold for $2,500,000 on August 23.
80 Oak Lane, West Tisbury
80 Oak Lane in West Tisbury sold for $300,000 on August 21.
409 Lambert’s Cove Road, West Tisbury
409 Lambert’s Cove Road in West Tisbury sold for $785,000 on August 20.
116 Stonegate Lane, Vineyard Haven
116 Stonegate Lane in Vineyard Haven sold for $955,000 on August 23.
6 Forest Circle, Edgartown
6 Forest Circle in Edgartown sold for $580,000 on August 21.
25 Bold Meadow Road, Edgartown
25 Bold Meadow Road in Edgartown sold for $1,000,000 on August 20.
Life Jackets For All
We see too many boating accidents happening nationwide involving drowning, and the results could have been different if life jackets were worn. The U.S. Coast Guard boating statistics in the United States for 2011 counted 4,588 accidents resulting in 758 deaths. Alcohol was the leading contributor to the fatalities.
West Nile Threat
Recently there have been alarming reports of outbreaks of West Nile fever in Dallas and Chicago. The cases now number in the hundreds, with several deaths, and more cases expected.
We should not forget that this disease, as well as an even more deadly disease, eastern equine encephalitis, exists just five miles from our shores,…
House Divided
I had a dream last night that our democracy today looked like our forefathers intended — a government run for the people, by the people. In my dream, it was a time where our elected officials were selfless, hardworking individuals who (due to the new voting rules) were able to work together as one cohesive…
Bi-plane Intrusion
We have been coming to the Vineyard for 36 summers without a break. Like many people, we treasure the peace and tranquility the Vineyard is known for. We are lucky to live in a wonderful part of Edgartown near the Harbor View Hotel. Recently we have been bombarded by incessant airplane noise. When I was…
No CO2 in Wind
The August 17 edition of the Gazette featured a front page story on the negative effects of CO2 on the ocean. Let’s remember that wind power emits no carbon dioxide but was and is roundly opposed by many Islanders. What hope is there for a solution to increased carbon dioxide production when clean alternatives are…
Half Truths
In her August 24 letter to the Gazette, Barbara B. Rivers quotes Thomas Sowell in describing what she sees as the negative aspects of re-electing President Obama. She ends her letter with a suggestion to think about Mr. Sowell’s words. So let us, indeed, think — specifically let’s think about the man who is the…
Outrage Missing
The Oak Bluffs selectmen have decided to take away our right to vote. The roundabout was not allowed on the ballot. The rest of the Island voted against the roundabout and I believe Oak Bluffs would have, had they the opportunity.
Davis Challenge
In your article about Angela Davis, you mistakenly describe her as an advocate of rights and liberties. She is anything but that. As a longtime leader of the American Communist Party, she has adamantly refused to speak up on behalf of the civil rights or civil liberties of those oppressed by Soviet Communism and others…
Land Bank Revenues: August 24
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $110,114 for the business week ending on Friday, August 24, 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 West Tisbury, where three…
Liam Arrives
Hilary Mathews and Matthew Kavanagh of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania announce the birth of a son, Liam Makonikey Mathews-Kavanagh, born on August 26, 2012 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Liam weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces at birth.
As Primary Election Nears, Four Seek Seat in New Ninth District
As the 2012 presidential race heats up — from the GOP convention in Tampa to much ado about a campaign video scuffle on the Vineyard — the new ninth congressional district will have its own excitement in next week’s state primary, with an incumbent congressman facing a primary challenger and two Republicans vying for a…
Bylaw Gets Down to Details in Chilmark Large-House Debate
As the Chilmark planning board continues to work on crafting a bylaw to regulate large houses, the town zoning board of appeals sounded off this week about the proposed bylaw, saying among other things that the planning, not zoning board, is the proper committee to review large houses under any new rules that the town…
Cab Driver Responds to Controversy
A Martha’s Vineyard cab driver found himself at the center of national attention this week after a confrontation Sunday with a Republican videographer, eventually holding a press conference Wednesday evening to address the incident, saying he meant to shield his young daughter from the camera.
In the most recent development, Sen. Scott Brown…
Still Overflowing with Treasure, Toy Box Celebrates 25 Years in Business
The Lego set was nowhere to be found.
No More Sand, Sleeping Late When School Reopens Next Week
Next Thursday morning, familiar yellow school buses will roll across Island roads carrying students from kindergarten through 12th grade to their first day of school.
Total school enrollment is expected to be just over 2,000 in five public elementary schools and the regional high school, according to Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James…
No Fore Is Forever: Chappy Golf Course Goes on the Market
This could be you: Owner of a majestic summer island home with a sweeping vista of Edgartown Harbor, Nantucket Sound and Cape Poge gut; Steward of 18 acres of marsh, cliffs and wooded hills on Chappaquiddick’s North Neck area; and, not least, head of the Royal & Ancient Chappaquiddick Links, a nine-hole golf course cut…
Gold Medal Vet
Last week, Dr. Michelle Gerhard Jasny gave out her annual Labor Day awards: gold, silver, bronze. I would like to hand out a big, shiny gold medal to her — my veterinarian. I don’t like changes, and when I moved back to the Vineyard after having been away for 15 years, wow, what changes!
World Class Island
My wife and I have had the pleasure of being able to spend almost the entire summer on-Island, rather than just a week or two here or there. The big advantage in spending a longer, concentrated period is that you can get to know some of the people who live here, who make the Island…
Lifejackets for All
We see too many boating accidents happening nationwide involving drowning, and the results could have been different if life jackets were worn. The U.S. Coast Guard boating statistics in the United States for 2011 counted 4,588 accidents resulting in 758 deaths. Alcohol was the leading contributor to the fatalities.
West Nile Threat
Recently there have been alarming reports of outbreaks of West Nile fever in Dallas and Chicago. The cases now number in the hundreds, with several deaths, and more cases expected. We should not forget that this disease, as well as an even more deadly disease, eastern equine encephalitis, exists just five miles from our shores,…
House Divided
I had a dream last night that our democracy today looked like our forefathers intended — a government run for the people, by the people. In my dream, it was a time where our elected officials were selfless, hardworking individuals who (due to the new voting rules) were able to work together as one cohesive…
Mount Filtertip
Carol Fligor (Gazette letter, August 28) defines a public problem accurately. Widespread cigarette butts deface the unique Vineyard landscape and make us look just like the unattractive mainland. Unfortunately she is up against the last of the sacred “smokers’ rights” championed by the cigarette companies, the right to litter.
Honoring Alice Rose
Friends, family and local dignitaries staged a luncheon and party at the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging Wednesday in honor of Alice Rose’s 102nd birthday. With this birthday, Ms. Rose is now the oldest person in the town of Oak Bluffs, a designation that earned her the Boston Post cane.
Dolphin Washes Up on Lucy Vincent Beach
An Atlantic common dolphin washed up on Lucy Vincent Beach Monday. Tony LaCasse, spokesman for the New England Aquarium, said the recently-deceased mammal showed no signs of external injuries. He estimated the dolphin measured 7 feet, 4 inches and weighed 250 pounds. The local marine mammal stranding team and New England Aquarium were notified of…
A Front Seat to the Universe Right in His Own Back Yard
In the night skies over the Vineyard, one can see the moon and planets move through the Milky Way. On one night, a man turns his telescope and scans beyond the Milky Way to a sister galaxy. He is Andrew A. Heyward, an avid amateur astronomer, but he is also a well-respected children’s cartoon writer,…
Hiring Hang-ups in West Tisbury, But Kitchen Nearly Complete
With the start of the new school year a little more than a week away, the Up-Island Regional School District committee on Monday heard a report on the nearly-completed West Tisbury School kitchen and discussed an array of fiscal issues.
West Tisbury School principal Michael Halt said the kitchen project represents the end…
West Tisbury Bus Stop May Be Relocated
The bus stop across the road from Alley’s General Store will be slightly relocated for safety reasons, the West Tisbury selectmen agreed this week.
At their meeting Wednesday, the selectmen voted to move the stop about one bus length south on State Road from its present location near the front of Howes House.…
Steering New Course for Captain’s Cottages
The polished hardwood floors, outdoor showers, stone countertops and crisp white paneled walls would be unrecognizable to Captains Bradley, Luce, Collins, Morse, Osborne, Rowley and Huxford, the whaling captains for whom the cottages at the Harbor View Hotel are named. Nor would the hotel employees who rented rooms in the cottages in the 1960s recognize…
Rentals, Parking, Pride Top Oak Bluffs Goals for Future
The Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday sketched a broad set of goals for the coming year ranging from civic pride to better communication between town officials and residents.
This Is How He Rolls, And the Ladies Love It
I have doubts about my dog’s truthfulness. Or should I say his sincerity? Or maybe both.
Rudy (he’s named after the diminutive, underdog Notre Dame football player) has been partially paralyzed for about a half dozen years.
Or so he claims.
Story Telling Is Work of the Heart
Last month The Moth landed on Martha’s Vineyard offering a night of stories in Union Chapel. And as Sam Low’s letter to the editor and Paul Karasik’s cartoon have shown, if you missed the Island’s own Cynthia Riggs, you missed a story of inspiration and love for any age. I moved to Martha’s Vineyard seven…
Summertime Is Learning Experience
Every teacher knows the value of summer. It’s a time when children build shelters on the beach, create grandiose castles, sell lemonade and, as they get older, gather golf clubs, sell ice cream, bus tables or direct summer traffic. All those months of sitting at a desk suddenly translate into hands-on activity, putting into practice…
As Families Grow Larger, So Too The Joy of Vineyard Gatherings
The last of the four children have taken their wives, husbands and darling offspring home off-Island until next summer. It took the usual two days to get the house straightened up before any real cleaning could be done. Miraculously it does not look like anyone left something important behind this year that would require a…
Coin Toss
From the Vineyard Gazette editions of August, 1933:
A relic of times when Edgartown was a port under the jurisdiction of the British king came to light last week in the form of an old coin found by an employee of James Lineaweaver, a summer resident of Edgartown. The Lineaweaver summer home at…
Roger Fisher’s Legacy
At a moment when the gulf separating our two dominant political parties seems never to have been wider, we are particularly saddened by the death of longtime West Tisbury seasonal resident Roger D. Fisher.
Even people who have never heard of the distinguished Harvard Law professor will nonetheless recognize the name of his…
Sand in My Shoes: Adieu to Visitors; Your Kids Were, Um, Cute
Who doesn’t love families?
Or Mom or apple pie, for that matter?
Aquinnah Town Column: August 30
Mark your calendars for the eighth annual Aquinnah Pow Wow on Sept. 8 and 9 at Aquinnah Circle. Gates open at 10 a.m. with grand entry at noon. Tickets are available at the gate, $10 for adults and $5 for elders over 65. Tribal members are admitted free with their tribal ID. The pow wow…
Labor Day 2012
Signs that summer is coming to an end:
Milkweed pods have burst in meadows and at marshy edges around the Island, scattering their seed-strewn silky puffs.
Tiny wild purple and white asters have begun to bloom.
The light has changed, casting shadows at different angles now late in the…
Harvey Burrell Awarded Creative Enterprise Scholarship
Harvey Burrell was recently selected to receive a Curb Scholarship in Creative Enterprise and Public Leadership at Vanderbilt University, highlighting his strong record of creative achievement, leadership and public service.
The Curb Scholars program prepares students to imagine, invent, develop and implement innovations, and to critically engage the way innovation shapes the public…
Chilmark Town Column: August 31
As I write, Chilmark is sharing another beautiful sunset with what sometimes seems to be most of the civilized world . . . or at least as many of them as can fit into Menemsha. We have had lots of nice sunsets this season and lots of people have been here to appreciate them. This…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: August 31
What a great pleasure to finally try the Little House Cafe on State Road just past Surveyors Lane. I had no idea this adorable restaurant had already been opened for three years, year-round, before I had a chance to try it for lunch yesterday. Everything is prepared fresh, dinners are served from Wednesday through Saturday…
West Tisbury Town Column: August 31
Today is the start of the long holiday weekend. Labor Day is on Monday and the end of the high summer season. All municipal buildings and the post office will be closed. The VTA buses begin their fall schedule on Tuesday and the SSA schedule changes on Thursday. We have had excellent weather, but, sadly,…
Penelope Wong Is Named Grace Preschool Director
Grace Episcopal Church has named Penelope Wong of Vineyard Haven as the interim director of Grace Preschool, effective Sept. 1. The staff change was necessitated by the resignation of Deborah Jernegan as the Grace Preschool director.
Ms. Wong is well-known on Martha’s Vineyard for her work with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Learning Center,…
East Chop
RICK HERRICK
508-693-8065
(herricklr@verizon.net)
I recently sat down with Liz Durkee, the Oak Bluffs town conservation agent, for an update on environmental concerns that relate to East Chop. She mentioned two of immediate interest.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: August 31
The Tabernacle and Cottage City Historical District are the jewels of Martha’s Vineyard. Recognizing that wholly chauvinistic comment — even from the writer of said town’s column, an elementary historical review illustrates how they helped to make the Island so popular. Some came to pray, some came to play — and many chose to stay.…
Announcing Anna
Silvania and Paulo Rodrigues of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Anna Luiza Rodrigues, born on August 24, 2012 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Anna weighed 6 pounds, 4.5 ounces at birth. Anna joins big brother Marcos and big sister Gleyzi.
Bianca Arrives
Emilly and Thiago Chaves of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Bianca Alves Chaves, born on August 27 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Bianca weighed 6 pounds, 6.5 ounces at birth.
Edgartown Town Column: August 31
The sun is still shining and it is warm. One day has humidity and the other has a nice cool breeze. Fall is coming, and I think we all love the Vineyard in September and October.
Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Samuel Rollins and…
Chappy Town Column: August 31
The first potluck supper at the Chappy Community Center is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19, hosted by new CCC board member Nancy Slate and Dennis Goldin. I’ve had the good fortune to taste Nancy’s cooking, so I’m certain that the appetizers will be out of this world. Gossip starts at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30.…
Welcome Ella
Lisa and Jason Gruner of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Ella Sea Gruner, born on August 23, 2012 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Ella weighed 5 pounds, 15.5 ounces at birth.
Planets
Welcome to the skies of September. Our nights begin with two viewable planets. Night ends with two planets to view.
Mars and Saturn are low in the southwestern sky after sunset, with Saturn being closer to the horizon. Mars, the red planet, has moved away from Saturn and appears slightly higher and more southerly in…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
August 24 82 64
August 25 82 64
August 26 80 64
August 27 78 55
August 28 78 71 .01
August 29 82 64 .03
August 30 76…
Keeping Track of the Sound, Trip Number 1,500 and Counting
Last Wednesday, under bright sunny skies and light seas, Dan Farren completed his 1,500th crossing of Nantucket Sound for the Falmouth-Edgartown ferry service. Captain Farren, 63, began working the run in 2001. For the crew and many passengers on the ferry Sanderling, it was a routine trip. But for the captain, it was a special…
School Is Tough, But This Week Is . . .
Preseason practice awaits high school athletes regardless of what sport they play, but only the fall warrants its own moniker: Hell Week, which began this year on August 23. After the relatively lazy days of summer comes a fast-paced week of tryouts and tune-ups. Dawn workouts are considered the standard of Hell Week (some groups…
PeaceQuilts
PeaceQuilts for Haiti founder Jeanne Staples is seeking the Vineyard’s help to secure a $20,000 donation from More Magazine, which is sponsoring an online contest for female entrepreneurs.
Mrs. Staples started the nonprofit PeaceQuilts in 2007. Since then, she’s launched eight quilting cooperatives in Haiti that provide training, materials and mentoring to artisans…
Comedy, Stage Left
Political comedian Scott Blakeman is back to deliver laughs to Island crowds for his third summer this Saturday, Sept. 1.
Mr. Blakeman specializes in humor from a liberal Jewish point of view — his words. He has been featured on MSNBC’s live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner and also appears regularly…
Reap and Sow
How many ways can a person prepare and enjoy summer squash and zucchini? I don’t know the answer but am seriously working on it. Last night I sautéed some squash and onions and served it over red quinoa with Bragg’s liquid amines. I felt as if I’d been transported back to the sixties. There were…
Bird Migration
Sleeping is wonderful when there is a chill in the air. So is going to the post office and not being stuck in stop-and-go traffic. The weather is also a wake-up call to birders on the Island. Northerly winds bring birds from their nesting grounds toward their winter haunts. This is an exciting time for…
Spidey Sense
Portly, slow and trashy are only complimentary to a spider crab. Spider crabs, also called portly crabs, need little introduction.
Recent Island Real Estate Transactions
Edgartown
Thomas S. and Wendy N. Soldini, trustees of the Wendy Soldini Trust, purchased 25 Bold Meadow Road in Edgartown from Jon M. and Janet L. Pose for $1,000,000 on August 20.
David E. Bloom and Colleen Cooper purchased 6 Forest Circle in Edgartown from George D. and Jean M. Bakes…
Sixth Annual Car Show
The sixth annual Tisbury Firefighters Association Car Show roars into town this Sunday, Sept. 2. Hot rods, antiques, custom jobs and classics, plus motorcycles, too, will strut their stuff at the Tisbury wharf on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. Most of the vehicles that will be on display are owned and operated by Islanders.
…
When Art and Music Go Gardening
Enjoy the crisp August weather outdoors or stay indoors and visit one of the many art galleries on the Island? Thanks to Vineyard Gardens’ Gallery in the Garden events, held each Friday evening in August, the decision became a simple one: do both.
The Seasons
Friday, August 24: Edgartown harbor sparkles in the early morning sunshine. The Chappaquiddick ferries draw glittering lines of wake across the channel. Temperature reaches the mid-80s. Hotter in downtown Oak Bluffs, where pedestrians walk carrying ice cream cones. The smell of French fries and fresh-made popcorn is adrift at Farland Square. Late summer evening on…
Nautical Twilight
Capt. David Dutra, 67, of the 60-foot Eastern Rig dragger Richard & Arnold, fished for fluke for most of this summer out of Menemsha. His 88-year-old fishing boat is an unmistakable old black wooden dragger that smells and looks like something out of another era. It is a handsome boat, the last of its kind,…
Schedule of Film Festival Events
Schedule of Film Festival Events
Thursday, Sept. 6
Opening Night Reception and Film Premiere
2012 | Music, Opening Night | 120 min.
screens with … Searching for Sugar Man | Malik Bendjelloul 2010
Saltwater Restaurant 5:30 p.m.
Searching for Sugar Man
…
Gould Gallery Opening
Six artists will be featured in a new show at the Louisa Gould Gallery in Vineyard Haven, all of whom graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The show began on August 30 and continues through Sept. 10. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.…
Jonathan Edwards to Play at Tabernacle
Country and folk singer Jonathan Edwards first made a name for himself in 1971 with his protest song Sunshine, released on his debut album. Now, after a long musical career, Mr. Edwards will perform songs from his latest release, My Love Will Keep, when he appears at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs on Thursday, Sept.…
Labor Day Artisans Festival
This weekend the artisans of Martha’s Vineyard celebrate Labor Day by displaying not just the fruits of their labors but also how they labor, too.
Crop Walk Planning
The 22nd annual Martha’s Vineyard CROP Walk will be held on Oct. 14, and advance planning takes place at Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven on Saturday, Sept. 8, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Mushrooms, Rich and Meaty, Are Popping Up on the Island
Mushrooms are the richest and meatiest food I know of outside the animal kingdom. In the past few weeks, following a number of torrential rainstorms, mushrooms have begun popping up everywhere on the Island. On a visit to a friend’s house off of Middle Road two weeks ago, friends and I stumbled upon a yard…
Church Pizza Benefit
Throughout the year, the Flatbread Company in Edgartown hosts fundraisers for Island organizations. This Tuesday, Sept. 4, pizza lovers Island-wide are invited to dine in support of The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury. From 4:30 to 9 p.m. a portion of all pizza sales will benefit the Church. There will also be a silent…
He Makes It Look Easy as Cupcakes
Max Moreis was baptized with cake batter.
“It was one of my earliest memories of making a birthday cake,” the 18-year-old regional high school graduate said this week on a short break from his job at State Road restaurant in West Tisbury. “When the cake was done I dumped the bowl and it…
Finding Peace Within Her Art, One Solid Brush Stroke at a Time
Two robins perch together on a dogwood branch, chests nearly touching. They appear to be conversing — one’s beak is cocked open, while the other looks on, comprehending, engaged. Situated slightly off center of the painting, the birds are framed by an abundance of delicate pink dogwood flowers, some just budding, others in full bloom.
Anne Martin’s Landscapes on Display at West Tisbury
The paintings of Anne Martin will be on display at the West Tisbury Library for the month of September.
Finding Connection Not Coincidence
SQuire Rushnell’s latest book, Divine Alignment (2012, Simon & Schuster Inc.), is the fifth book in his Godwink series, the term he coined to describe how life’s un-coincidental coincidences all come together to create a purpose in our lives. Once again he rejects the idea that we are all “twigs floating down a river to…
Please Adopt Us
For the first time in three years, the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has more dogs than cats available for adoption. One who may be gone by the time this makes it into print is Java, a two-year-old lhasa apso-beagle cross. Her mother, Sarah, is five years old and also available. Both are tan and…
Walking on the Water Is New Wave
As we paddle-boarded on the still waters of Menemsha Pond with Nicole Corbo, owner of Aloha Paddle MV, it was hard to imagine we had just mastered the strokes a few minutes earlier on shore. Standing on the water, one can see swans take flight. Crabs scuttle below. The repetitive paddling is relaxing, almost meditative.…
A Gallery Artists Embrace Inner Vision
Artist Billy Hoff isn’t one to dissect his painting process. “I push around paint and see what happens,” he said.
This seems to be an oversimplification of his process, especially considering his painting of Bobby Driscoll, one of the pieces featured in his new show at the A Gallery in Vineyard Haven. Mr.…
Slice of Heaven in Those Lobster Rolls
For Danielle Pappas, volunteer at Grace Church’s weekly summer lobster roll sale, three words best describe the event.
“It’s hectic, hectic, hectic,” she said last Friday, making sure to speak loudly across the small, packed kitchen. The room rang with laughter as 20 or so volunteers, wearing aprons reading “Have you hugged an…
Stage Is Set — Correction, Being Built for Film Festival
In 2004, Michael Collins read a letter that changed his life. It was signed by 35 witnesses and concerned a double murder trial in the Philippines. While most people might feel badly after reading about such an event but do little more to help, Mr. Collins was moved to act. The defendant, Paco Larrañaga, had…
