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
January 4, 2013
59 Capawock Road, West Tisbury
Klaus D. Vogt and Gesa B. Vogt purchased 59 Capawock Road in West Tisbury from Falcon Properties LLC for $2,215,000 on Dec. 28.
64 Island Farm Road, West Tisbury
Natasha Huffam and Richard R. Huffam III purchased 64 Island Farm Road in West Tisbury from Kevin J. Downey, trustee of Anthony F. Dinitto Trust, for $560,000 on Dec. 28.
32 Plum Bush Point, West Tisbury
David Torrence and Lisa Torrence purchased 32 Plum Bush Point in West Tisbury from PNL New Era LLC for $1,850,000 on Dec. 24.
123 Golf Club Road, Tisbury
Bernadine A. Prygrosky, Gertrude A. Prygrosky and Carol B. Prygrosky purchased 123 Golf Club Road in Tisbury from Raymond Maciel Jr. and Patricia Maciel for $1,220,000 on Dec. 28.
45 Mitchell Road, Tisbury
Timothy F. Smith and Felicia H. Ellsworth, trustees of 45 Mitchell Road Realty Trust, purchased 45 Mitchell Road in Tisbury from Christopher E. Smith and Diana M. Smith, trustees of Scrub Oaks Realty Trust, for $976,912 on Dec. 28.
41 Dunham Road, Edgartown
Tower Hill Properties LLC purchased 41 Dunham Road in Edgartown from D. Warren Vose Jr., trustee of Dunham Road Nominee Trust, for $12,500,000 on Dec. 28.
118 Third Street North, Edgartown
Ronald Minkin purchased 118 Third street North in Edgartown from Elizabeth Page Rogers for $344,000 on Dec. 27.
1 Acorn Circle, Edgartown
Todd Stirrup and Stephanie Stirrup purchased 1 Acorn Circle in Edgartown from Guastave A. Anglin Jr. and Mildred W. Anglin for $349,000 on Dec. 28.
13 Saddle Club Drive, Edgartown
James A. Papachristos purchased 13 Saddle Club Drive in Edgartown from Gary D. Friedman for $529,000 on Dec. 28.
9 South Street, Edgartown
9 South Street in Edgartown sold for $1,730,000 on Dec. 28.
11 Atlantic Drive, Edgartown
Neil A. Augustine and Kimberly C. Augustine purchased 11 Atlantic Drive in Edgartown from Robert N. Cohen and Karen E. Cohen for $3,400,000 on Dec. 28.
282 Upper Main Street, Edgartown
Robert M. McCarron, trustee of Shanz Realty Trust, purchased 282 Upper Main street in Edgartown from Arthur D. Smith, trustee of Scrooge McDuck Trust, for $935,000 on Dec. 28.
46 Main Street, Edgartown
New Moon Property II, LLC. purchased 46 Main street in Edgartown from Robert M. McCarron, trustee of 46 Main Street Trust, for $845,000 on Dec. 27.
155 Litchfield Road, Edgartown
Alex Miceli purchased 155 Litchfield Road in Edgartown from Eric A. Ropke and Sonya A. Ropke for $470,000 on Dec. 27.
87 Cooke Street, Edgartown
Pamela S. Schaenen and Michael Schaenen purchased 87 Cooke street in Edgartown from Kathleen H. Flynn for $125,000 on Dec. 26.
4 Golden Road Way, Chilmark
Alan Dershowitz purchased 4 Golden Rod Way in CHilmark from James Goodman for $385,000 on Dec. 28.
Community College Launches RN Degree Program on Island
With the new year come new opportunities on the Vineyard: Cape Cod Community College announced this week that it will begin offering a nursing program on the Island in 2013. Responding to a need on the Island for more and better-trained health care professionals, the college will offer a program starting in the fall aimed…
Uncertain Fiscal Climate Fuels Year-End Frenzy in Real Estate Sales
The fiscal uncertainty playing out in Congress last month played out closer to home on Martha’s Vineyard with a flurry of year-end real estate sales and estate transfers. Spurred by potential changes to capital gains and estate taxes, dozens of Island properties were gifted within family estates and an array of homes were sold on…
Class Offers Help for Families Coping With Mental Illness
Fear, anger, loneliness and confusion are all emotions often associated with people with mental illness. But those emotions can run just as strongly in loved ones and caregivers. An educational course beginning next week aims to give family members the tools and support to cope with the challenges of caring for those with mental illness.…
Ted Box’s Hand-Built Wooden Scow Nearly Set to Prowl
Ted Box of Vineyard Haven hopes to launch his 70-plus-foot schooner, a scow, in June. The building of the wooden boat in full view on a vacant lot of the Boch property off Beach Road is visually arresting. The boat building project began over a year ago and is picking up pace.
Verizon Outage Frustrates Businesses
Verizon customers on the Vineyard continue to experience high-speed internet outages across the Island due to damaged equipment in Falmouth, the phone company confirmed Thursday. Phil Santoro said the outage is due to a “weather-related roof collapse” at a Verizon facility in Falmouth on Saturday. The total number of affected customers is still unknown, he…
Land Bank Revenues: Dec. 28
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $682,318 for the business week ending on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.
Tisbury Ponders Pests, Pizza and Temporary Tavern Closure
Unconvinced that the town is getting its money’s worth from the county integrated pest management program, one Tisbury resident proposed this week that the town establish its own program. “I think we can do it for cheaper and also want to add skunks,” said Joe Tierney, who is chairman of the town emergency services facility…
Committee Formed to Address Gay Head Lighthouse Move
How, when and where to move the Gay Head Light, along with the money to pay for it: these are all active topics for discussion by a newly-formed committee charged with developing a plan to relocate the historic brick tower. The lighthouse now stands 50 feet from an eroding cliff at the westernmost edge of…
Walking in a Vineyard Wonderland
Winter has always been my favorite season, so I was delighted when snow fell on Saturday just in time to welcome in the New Year. Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a snowfall, but enough to brighten the dead brown grass on fields and bejewel the trees for an hour or two that morning. It was…
Real Estate Baby Boom
The end of the year is often an occasion for quiet time and contemplation, when many Islanders redirect their lives and energies to family gatherings either at home or away. But late December this year was far from tranquil for real estate brokers, attorneys, appraisers, land surveyors, bankers and other professionals who handle the many…
Closed for Winter
The Vineyard is shuttered against the cold these days, Islanders wrapped in layers of fleece and wool as they go about their daily lives, with one eye on the heating bills, the other on the ice skates hanging in the shed. The bay scallop fleet is grounded until the thermometer climbs above 28 degrees. Farms…
Facing the Digital Divide No Easy Ride
Back in the early years of the new millennium, Facebook was something we old, crunchy boomers only heard about dimly. It was some Internet something or other that had to do with lord knows what. It was as alien to us as love-ins, The Jefferson Airplane and peyote simmering on the stove were to our…
Never the Road, Give Me Hearth and Home
I really can’t stay. But baby, it’s cold outside! I’ve got to go ‘way. But baby, it’s cold outside! So goes Frank Loesser’s famous duet of fireplace seduction. But some New Englanders feel they really can’t stay and have to go ’way precisely because, baby, it’s cold outside.
Mental Health Education
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Cape Cod and The Islands is once again offering its Family to Family Education course, a free 12-week course all about the various mental illnesses including bipolar disorder, OCD, anxiety disorders, major depression and others. Medications, communication skills and self care are also covered. Taught by trained…
Help for Families in Need
What a grand holiday it has been for the Family-to-Family holiday distribution program. For nearly a decade, this volunteer-run operation has provided the ingredients for healthy holiday meals three times a year — Thanksgiving, Christmas, and in the spring — to families in need. This year, however, it looked like this young tradition might come…
Sloop It Up
The first exports from New England to Europe were two cargoes of sassafras, gathered by Martin Pring and his company on Martha’s Vineyard and the neighboring islands, and taken by Pring to England in sloop Speedwell and bark Discoverer, two small vessels. They came over in 1603, setting sail from Milford Haven, April 10th. With…
Watercolor Artists Never Grow Old
Joseph Palermo remembers his mother saying he was “born with a paintbrush in his hand.” If this is the case then Mr. Palermo has been holding a brush for 91 years. This weekend will mark the beginning of a month-long show of Mr. Palermo’s watercolors at the Chilmark Library and he plans to be there…
Hut, Hut, Harp? Island Teen Takes Versatility to New Level
The curly-headed cherub strumming away on a harp is a time-honored icon. Try and consider Valentine’s Day without the sight of Cupid, his bow and arrows at rest for the moment, offering up a musical interlude. But what if Cupid had been allowed to grow up, pack on layers of muscle and play lacrosse and…
Chappy Town Column: Jan. 4
When was the last time we saw ice in the harbor? It might have been the winter that Norton Point breached. There hasn’t been any real ice since then. Last year Caleb’s Pond and Cape Pogue Bay were frozen over for awhile. When the ice broke up, it flushed away on a single tide. The…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Jan. 4
Woody and Phyllis Williams are proud to announce that daughter Vanessa, now living in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., graduated from Pace University on Sept. 1 with a degree in law. Her significant other, Evan, has his mother Mary sitting as a supreme court judge in Westchester County. Vanessa, Evan and Mary had a delightful three-day visit…
West Tisbury Town Column: Jan. 4
It turned cold right after Christmas, rained hard last Saturday and then turned to wet snow that promptly froze like a rock. Then it warmed up a bit to assist us in removing the large amount of ice from around our houses and driveways. It is expected to turn colder this weekend. Dick Knabel was…
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Jan. 4
The Highland House Hotel opened on June 1, 1871. Built by the Vineyard Grove Company, it was established to compete with the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company in the event the Camp Ground would have to be moved farther away from the less-than-religious new Cottage City development. Of course, the Camp Ground Association refused…
Aquinnah Town Column: Jan. 4
Happy New Year one and all with hope of a more peaceful world. We had a slight dusting of snow over the weekend and temperatures have been bone-chilling. So much for the global warming we thought would remain after such a mild winter in 2012. Not so. Temperatures will drop to the single digits this…
Chilmark Town Column: Jan. 4
Chilmark begins another year. The town seems to take the advance of years without much trauma. It survived 2012’s abuse of a hurricane, northeasters, the end of world threats, cliffhangers and big houses and promises to be here to do it all again. As the times change the town itself seems to remain more the…
Gall Worthy
American entomologist William Harris Ashmead had an eye for detail and an infatuation with insects. He must have liked fruit, too. Living in Florida, he founded a publishing house to print agricultural tomes with a focus on bugs. His passion for pests was palpable, and in 1880 he penned a book called Orange Insects: A…
Annual Bird Count Breakdown
It could not have been a more perfect morning. There wasn’t a breath of wind and the temperature was well above freezing. A perfect scenario for very early morning owling! The dedicated few, Tim and Whit, were up well before O’dark-hundred. At two a.m. alarm clocks went off and, with Ipods and Iphones in hand,…
Sowing Seeds
Recognition trumps memory. I was organizing my greenhouse this week and came across several clumps of seemingly dead plants. I had no recollection of saving them for any reason. Luckily, I have an ability to search for some forensic evidence. After digging around for the roots and smelling some of the crispy foliage, I was…
Cold, Brilliant Sky
For those outdoors early Sunday morning, the crescent moon appears close to the ringed-planet Saturn. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Libra and rise at about 3 a.m. The sky in the east will be even prettier on Thursday when a thin crescent moon appears low in the southeastern sky near the bright planet…
On Island Tables: Eating Is Only the End of Long Journey
The lamb had been tethered in our yard for days in advance of Candice’s visit, peacefully keeping our grass down. A southerly breeze carried the fragrance of lanolin across the yard that drove my brother’s dog mad. Candice was a new friend about to graduate from college in Brooklyn, and the lamb would play an…
Hello, Charley
Hello, Charley Jennifer and Carlton Woods of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Charley Mae Woods, born on Dec. 23 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Charley weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Lighthouse Engagement
A surprise proposal occurred at the Gay Head Lighthouse recently when Anthony DiMartino proposed to Megan Szewczuk. Anthony chose that special spot from having spent many summer vacations on the Island. Anthony is the nephew of Sally Rizzo of Vineyard Haven. The couple will marry in September of 2014 and hope to spend many seasons…
Eagle Scout Honor
William J. Milton 3rd of Mount Pleasant S.C. and Oak Bluffs, was recognized in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Dec. 8 at in North Charleston, S.C. William will be the 33rd Eagle Scout in Troop-469. Only four per cent of scouts in the United States go on to achieve the rank of Eagle…
Please Adopt Us
The new year started off at the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard with a wonderful, heartwarming story about a stray cat. Early in November, a young yellow cat disappeared from its home in Oak Bluffs. The cat jumped into a truck and was gone. About a month later a yellow cat appeared at a home…
Island Welcomes First Baby of the New Year
Isaac James Dacunto, the first baby born on Martha’s Vineyard in the new year, was delivered at 12:35 p.m. on Jan. 2 to parents Sheryl and Christopher Dacunto of Oak Bluffs at Martha's Vineyard Hospital. Isaac weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 20 inches.
Christmas Bird Count Is Humming Along
Whit Manter and Tim Spahr drove beneath a full moon in the very early hours of Saturday morning, heading for the State Forest. It was 3 a.m. when they arrived at their destination. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they heard an unmistakable sound. Hoo. Hoo hoo hoo.
