Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
October 26, 2012
Island Grown Initiative Unveils Plan to Build Slaughterhouse
The Island Grown Initiative, the nonprofit farm and sustainability network, announced an $800,000 capital campaign this week to build the Vineyard’s first U.S. Department of Agriculture permitted slaughterhouse. In an interview with the Gazette this week, IGI president Sarah McKay and Island Grown Meat coordinator Richard Andre said the organization is considering two locations for…
29 South Vine Lane, West Tisbury
29 South Vine Lane in West Tisbury sold for $720,000 on Oct. 17.
160 Fairfield Avenue, Vineyard Haven
160 Fairfield avenue in Vineyard Haven from Ian Maclachlan for $252,000 on Oct. 19.
108 Washington Avenue, Oak Bluffs
108 Washington Avenue in Oak Bluffs for $217,000 on Oct. 19.
7 Mill Street Unit #36, Edgartown
7 Mill Street Unit #36 in Edgartown sold for $105,000 on Oct. 20.
76 The Boulevard, Edgartown
76 The Boulevard in Edgartown sold for $650,000 on Oct. 18.
Island Politics Cross Party Lines
What was once a conservative enclave has given way to a reliable liberal stronghold. And the place where Franklin D. Roosevelt reportedly earned the respect of Islanders (if not their votes) by caring more for his boat than he did for electioneering is now known as the summer vacation spot for presidents whose ice cream…
Zoning Board Backs Building Inspector on Zoia House
At a meeting marked by emotional exchanges between neighbors, the Chilmark zoning board of appeals voted unanimously this week to uphold the town building inspector’s decision to allow a large house compound on Nashaquitsa Pond.
Chilmark Considers Bylaw to Regulate Large Houses
The Chilmark planning board has the authority to regulate large houses through a special permitting process, but cannot simply place a cap on house size, the town attorney advised this week. At the planning board meeting on Monday, town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport presented a legal framework for the planning board…
Everything’s Coming up Dahlias For Tea Lane’s Flower Farmer
Her flower studio looks more like a temporary movie or stage set than a place of business. Filled with silver vases, vintage glass bottles, ribbons and buckets of fall blooms — among them stunning red, magenta and saffron-colored dahlias — this is the front office for Krishana Collins, flower farmer. The building is an old…
Youth Task Force Says No to Marijuana
With Massachusetts voters being asked in November to decide whether to legalize medical marijuana, the Dukes County Youth Task Force has come out against the proposal, saying it would exacerbate existing marijuana use by Island teens. “The Youth Task Force feels committed to opposing ballot question three, primarily based on the fact we don’t want…
Warm Winter, Plenty of Food Lead to Rise in Skunk Population
The Vineyard is getting skunked! They are in high abundance this fall, ruling the night and leaving telltale tracks to be discovered during the day. “They’ve come out in very unusually large numbers this year,” said Walter Wlodyka of Chilmark, who is particularly busy this fall, trapping skunks for clients all over the Island. “It…
Final Draft
For the past nine months the Chilmark planning board has been working diligently on the question of how and whether to regulate very large houses in town. In-depth research, listening and open dialogue have marked the work of the subcommittee assigned to the task. Much information has been collected, and drafts and re-drafts of sample…
World Class Pursuits
As Islanders late this week kept a close eye on Hurricane Sandy moving up the East Coast with a possible fury, a small group of world-class speed sailors patiently waited out the news. While everyone else was making mental lists for battening down hatches, the sailors were excited at the prospect of gale-force winds, perfectly…
In Unexpected Twist, Love Came Late in Life Yet Right on Time
It had been 62 years since Cynthia Riggs had heard from Howard Attebery. The two had worked together during the summer of 1950 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, sorting and counting plankton at the San Diego laboratory. At 18 years old, Ms. Riggs was a long way from her home in West Tisbury. It…
Washashore Chronicles: Gizmo Love Leads to Looking Lost
You’d think with all the technology taking over our lives we would understand more about our surroundings and stumble over them less. But since we are all looking down at some device most of the time, with earbuds keeping out all distracting sounds of humanity, it’s little wonder we don’t crash a tea party or…
Shoe Leather and a Smile, Getting Out the Vote, One Door at a Time
This past Saturday my wife Joyce and I flew to Ohio to spend a few days campaigning for President Obama. Our friends Tom and Lynn King had agreed to house, feed and provide us with a car. The campaign prepared an aggressive work schedule for us in the town of Bryan, Ohio, located in the…
In Politics, Like Life, Every Voice Counts
As I write this from afar, I can picture the long tables in the Chilmark Community Center, the town clerk’s volunteers overseeing voter check-in and the old oak box where voters deposit their ballots. It’s a long way from where I sit now, in a bustling, fluorescent-lit campaign office in Seattle where we are working…
Identity Fraud Charged
An Edgartown man facing charges of illegally practicing law and taking money from clients was arraigned this month on charges of identity fraud. John C. McBride, 63, of Edgartown, was arraigned Oct. 12 in Edgartown district court on two counts of identity fraud on June 19 in Edgartown. According to police reports filed in court,…
These Walls Can Talk, Chilmark Home Reveals Ancient Drawings
Every once in a while, a trap door opens and another world of knowledge and experience disappears forever. Or almost. We’ve all seen it happen with the passing of a friend — particularly those friends who have been so curious about their surroundings that they unearthed wonders and made their patch of ground seem as…
Ode to Soo
The call went out, there’s been a sighting, A world class bird, her name, Soo Whiting. From near and far, like a grand migration, Friends flocked together in celebration. To honor a friend who’s tried and true, And shares with all a world-wide view. She’s winged about for seventy years, And earned respect from all…
Urgent Repairs Needed
The Friends of Sengekontacket (FOS), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Sengekontacket Pond and the barrier beach, wish to thank both the Edgartown and Oak Bluffs selectmen for giving us and the joint committee for Sengekontacket the opportunity to present a summary of the Massachusetts Estuaries report for Sengekontacket.
History, Modernity
Driving over the bridge between North Tisbury and West Tisbury village, I keep thinking of the olden days when all vehicles, whether gasoline or horse driven, simply forded Mill Brook. Those were the days! But we must travel fast and don’t have the time (and luxury?) of the old-fashioned pleasure of fording, to say nothing…
Library History Corrected
A slight correction to your article on the history of the West Tisbury Library. When Professor Shaler proposed the idea of a public library in the fall of 1890, the Rev. Caleb Rotch canvassed the area residents for financial support. By December the Dukes County Library Association formed, Caleb Rotch as president, and until July…
Fox Track
In October 2012 the United States faces economic collapse and radical religious attacks. Instead of a cooperative search by all our best minds to find the wisest solutions, we have an election, with partisan politicians contending for power. In a political battle as in war, “truth is the first casualty.” It would help voters if…
Democracy Amendment
We may still believe we live in a democracy. We may still believe that the people we elect are chosen democratically. Most of us still have the right to vote. But money is buying this election.
Punched Out
When the Twin Towers fell to a bunch of Saudi Arabian terrorists piloting American passenger planes, our Republican administration, with the wisdom of a crazed hawk, decided to attack Iraq (not Saudi Arabia). Isn’t that like: you’re sitting at the a friendly bar and the guy to the right pours beer on your head, so…
Disquieting
The current televised debates have given anyone concerned much to consider. In the debate between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren, this was certainly true, as it was in the debate between Paul Ryan and vice president Joe Biden and those between Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Principles Held Dear
The real controversy regarding 9/11 is not who did it and why but how the 9/11 Commission reached its conclusions, having admitted to coerced confessions and not looking at all the scientific and forensic evidence made available to it. To this day the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been unwilling to make public…
Old Movies
The swordfish hunt — what an enthralling segment, so redolent of the Islands. What a pity that This is Our Island, the film made by Katharine Cornell in 1971, is run so infrequently. Perhaps this Thanksgiving?
Cutting Floor
From the Gazette editions of October, 1908: “Did you ever hear about the fish that was cut in two, away back, and has been cut in two ever since?” asked the etymologist as he passed the fish market and saw the fishmonger pouring a barrelful of porgies into a tank of ice. “Those fish used…
School Lessons from Civil Rights Pioneer
The lessons at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High school last Friday were centered on 1960s diner sit-ins and dormitory riots. And the teacher was civil rights pioneer, author and journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault. At a schoolwide multicultural assembly hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative, Ms. Hunter-Gault told stories from her youth and read from…
Field Hockey Tops Nantucket, Soccer Secures Tournament Spot
Two early goals in Tuesday’s home game against the Barnstable Red Raiders proved all the Vineyarders would need to secure their spot in the postseason tournament. The team is the third Vineyard squad to advance to tournament play.
U-14 Girls Soccer Undefeated
The Martha’s Vineyard United Under-14 girls’ travel soccer team maintains a perfect 7-0 record after defeating Weymouth 3-2 at home last Saturday. Although Weymouth struck first — the first time Martha’s Vineyard has trailed all season — the purple-and-black roared back in the second half. Adelaide Keene scored the equalizing goal, which was followed by…
Charlotte Sails on Waterfront and in Print
Nat Benjamin and his 50-foot schooner Charlotte are featured in the November/December 2012 issue of WoodenBoat Magazine. Mr. Benjamin, who runs Gannon and Marine Railway with Ross Gannon and Brad Abbott, wrote the story, which is spread across 10 pages. His good friend and highly-regarded marine photographer Ben Mendlowitz produced a photo spread to accompany…
New Sharks Coach
Mike Miller, former assistant coach for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks, has been named head coach for next season. Mr. Miller takes over for Ernie May, who is working to add a new baseball team to the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. The Sharks have been part of the Futures League since its inception in 2011. Mr.…
Holmes Hole Racing Season Nears Finish Line
The Holmes Hole Sailing Association continued its fall racing series with a 3.25 mile harbor race on Thursday, Oct. 18. Six boats came to the 4:30 p.m. start. Phil Hale’s Wicked, a 30-foot Shields, won first place in moderate easterly wind. Mr. Hale was followed by Roger Becker in Gloria, Jerry Goodale in Stormalong, Geoff…
Chappy Town Column: Oct. 26
If you’ve been watching the British TV series, Call The Midwife, then you have an idea of what our own Judy Buss experienced during her training in the midwifery service. She bicycled between assignments in the same outfit worn by the actors including the hat, often in the company of her midwife mother.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Oct. 26
Of Oak Bluffs’s total area, 1.3 square miles is comprised of water. Our lakes and ponds account for 15 per cent of the town or, in a more digestible form, 832 acres — that’s 11 times the size of the Cottage City Historic District.
Edgartown Town Column: Oct. 26
This month has been great. We did get some rain, but the days have been beautiful and the nights nice and cool. The sky at night has been clear and a lot of people got to see the meteor showers. Let’s enjoy this weather while we can.
West Tisbury Town Column: Oct. 26
The weekend weather was mild. It allowed for plenty of outdoor work to get done. Our foliage is at the peak of color and leaves are beginning to fall rapidly. Scarecrows and pumpkins dot the landscape these days in all parts of town. Remember to avoid confusion — please be mindful that at two o’clock…
Chilmark Town Column: Oct. 26
Chilmark’s quiet time is about to become its dark time . . . the clocks get changed in a couple of weeks and life goes on. One wonders what it would be like if allowed to be just what it is. I suppose getting to school and work is what makes the difference. Anyway, fair…
Aquinnah Town Column: Oct. 26
Have you noticed the new look of the Vineyard Gazette online this past week? The town columnists have representative pages for their individual towns. You may submit photographs of your town or any notes specific to your town. The online website will be offered free of charge for the next few weeks but an annual…
At Rest But Alive With Vineyard’s History
When John Alley was a kid, his Uncle Fred would pay him to mow the lawn at the West Tisbury cemetery. One day, just as he was leaning over between two headstones, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Young John headed for the hills. “That was it! I lost the lawnmower and ran,” remembered…
Funny Bone Anchors Stories of the Heart
On Sunday, Oct. 28, Ann Randolph will perform her one-woman show Loveland at the Katharine Cornell Theatre. The show, like all her shows, is based on real life. “The tale came out of traveling back and forth from Loveland, Ohio to Los Angeles,” Ms. Randolph said. “My dad was dying and my mother had a…
Giving Girls a Natural Foundation
In 2003, Saskia and David Vanderhoop started Sassafras Earth Education in Aquinnah as a one-week summer camp. Since then it has grown into a year-round program with camps every week during the summer and programs throughout the year for both youth and adults. The intention is to teach participants a variety of outdoor skills while…
Big Finale for Festival of the Arts
Patrick Phillips wants you to think about the arts. The publisher and editor of Arts and Ideas Magazine has also contributed much of the energy behind Art Island, a festival of arts and ideas, taking place here on Martha’s Vineyard.
Halloween Heaven and Haven
On Halloween night, William street in Vineyard Haven will once again be a haven for goblins and ghouls of all sizes. From 6 to 9 p.m. the street will be blocked off for cars, beginning at Franklin street and extending to Woodlawn street. Main street will be accessible to cars but Centre and Church streets…
Touring Scarecrows
The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School 2012 Scarecrow Festival has arrived and more than 75 scarecrows are now living on the Island. The festival is a fundraiser for the school as each Island business that participates makes a donation to the school in return for a homemade scarecrow. The scarecrows stay up until Nov. 1.…
Connect to End Violence
On Saturday, Oct. 27, Connect will hold its fifth annual domestic and sexual violence awareness walk. The walk begins at the Edgartown Park and Ride and continues for approximately two miles through Edgartown, along the “parade route.” Registration for the event begins at 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 10:30 a.m.
Showing Some Leg
Ladies, hike those skirts up!That might just be the only way to avoid tangling with the house centipede high-tailing it for the shelter under your frock. In a newsletter dated 1902, C.L. Marlatt, a US Department of Agriculture entomologist, described this despised insect this way.
Lost and Found
It is all Bob Shriber’s fault and boy, am I glad! Bob lives in Aquinnah and is usually the first of the Vineyard birders to “hit the Head” (arrive at the Gay Head Cliffs) to look for migrating birds in the fall. Tuesday, Oct. 23, Bob called me at around 9 a.m. and he was…
Cutting Back
It’s been a busy week on the job sites. I’ve been pruning some of the shrubs. The hydrangeas, although they still look wonderful, are in need of some clipping. I’ve cut back those branches which are rubbing on the house. A word to the wise about foundation plantings. Plant them farther from the house to…
Halloween Night Sky
On Wednesday night everyone will be thinking of tricks and treats. On that night a one-day-old full Pumpkin Moon will grace the skies. This moon will be bright enough to cast shadows and contribute to the mystery and magic of the evening. The moon will be in the zodiacal constellation Taurus, which means it is…
Emergency Plan Approved for Chappy Home Threatened by Erosion
With the failure of a previous plan to try to stem the erosion that threatens a Chappaquiddick house and a severe tropical storm headed up the East Coast early next week, the Edgartown conservation commission Wednesday approved a new emergency plan of action for the property. In late September, the commission approved a plan for…
Tisbury Unveils Ambitious Plan for Lagoon Pond Park Walkway
The Tisbury department of public works last week unveiled an ambitious plan to build a public walkway along a both sides of a section of Beach Road spanning the town harbor and the Lagoon Pond. At a joint meeting with the planning board and the DPW, architect James Weisman of Terrain Associates Architects, presented a…
Commission Approves Wind Energy Plan
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission last week approved a wind energy plan that will regulate wind turbine development on Island land and waters. The commission will use the plan as guidance when reviewing turbines. The commission plans to review the plan again in five years, though members emphasized that the plan could be changed at any…
Edgartown Warned of Threat to Sengekontacket Health
In a repeat of a presentation given to the Oak Bluffs selectmen last month, the Edgartown selectmen Monday heard serious warnings about reducing nitrogen levels in Sengekontacket Pond. With members of the Joint Committee on Sengekontacket in attendance, the selectmen heard that based on a thorough review of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project study on the…
SSA Approves Automobile Fare Increase
Steamship Authority governors this week approved an operating budget for the coming year that includes slight fare increases for automobiles to and from the Vineyard. Meeting Tuesday in Woods Hole, the board approved a budget with operating expenses of more than $83 million, a 4.1 per cent increase over estimated total operating costs for 2012.
Please Adopt Us
The cages at the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard are still filled with the most adorable kittens you have ever seen. Most are black or black and white, all from three to 10 months in age. Drop by the shelter to see them. Other cats who need homes are: Rex, a senior citizen whose adoption…
Cynthia Riggs, Dr. Howard Attebery Announce Nuptials
Cynthia Riggs of Martha’s Vineyard and Dr. Howard R. Attebery of San Diego are delighted to announce their engagement to be married this coming spring, 2013. The couple met 62 years ago in San Diego where Ms. Riggs had a college job sorting plankton at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Point Loma Lab. Dr. Attebery…
Welcome Tillie
Noli and Isaac Taylor of Aquinnah announce the birth of a daughter, Tillie Arrow Taylor, born on Oct. 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Tillie weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces at birth.
Elizabeth Canha, Timothy Merriman To Wed
Joseph and Susan Canha of Vineyard Haven are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Nancy Elizabeth Canha, to Timothy Merriman. Timothy is the son of Robert Merriman of Vineyard Haven and Maryann Merriman of Ansonia, Conn. A summer 2013 wedding on the Vineyard is planned.
Abel Arrives
Tnisha Chandler and Charles Rotkowski of Aquinnah announce the birth of a son, Abel Joseph Rotkowski, born on Oct. 18 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Abel weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces at birth.
Announcing Lucas
Whitney Fulp and Bruno Rodrigues of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Lucas Rockwell Rodrigues, born on Oct. 21 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Lucas weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces at birth.
Dean’s List
Zachary Bressler Rabin of Edgartown was named a recipient of the Dean’s Award for academic excellence during the 2012 spring term at Colgate University. Mr. Rabin, a member of the class of 2013, is studying computer science. He is a graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
Announcing Twins Natalie and Vivian
Katie and Nicholas Persons of Niskayuna, N.Y. announce the birth of twin daughters, Natalie Rose and Vivian Vincent Persons. Natalie and Vivian were born July 26, 2012 at Bellevue Hospital in Niskayuna, N.Y. Natalie, first born at 10:19 a.m., weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and was 18 1/2 inches long. Vivian, born second at 10:20…
Author Jacqueline Woodson Enchants Oak Bluffs Students
Jacqueline Woodson, 49, stood in front of the seated crowd of Oak Bluffs School eighth graders last Friday morning, holding a copy of her 2005 young adult novel, Behind You. The book was a mere prop, though. Ms. Woodson never glanced at its pages as she pulled the book’s first vignette from memory.
Land Bank Revenues: Oct. 19
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $49,661 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 19, 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 Tisbury, where six transactions…
Four Years Probation for Man Involved in Safe Heist
An Oak Bluffs man was sentenced to four years of probation, and ordered along with his codefendant to pay full restitution, after pleading guilty Monday for his part in the 2011 theft of $85,000 from an elderly Oak Bluffs man. Daniel Ben David, 49, pleaded guilty to charges of unarmed robbery and larceny over $250…
