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
February 22, 2013
Island Artists Eligible for 2013 Grants
The Martha’s Vineyard Center for the Visual Arts is accepting applications for its 2013 grant program. Applicants must be at least 18 and have their primary residence on the Vineyard. Recently the center showcased its 2012 grant recipients at Featherstone Center for the Arts. Grants were awarded to Island artists for projects including documentaries, art…
On the Edge With No Alternative
The Chilmark conservation commission voted this week that a house perched precariously at the edge of a cliff overlooking Stonewall Beach cannot be moved again, and instead must come down. “We’re at the point where this house should be removed, not relocated,” commission chairman Pamela Goff said. “This [application] is just delaying the ultimate end.”…
Wampanoags Sever Land Pact, Deepening Tensions with Town
A six-year-old agreement between the town of Aquinnah and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) that spelled out a detailed process for government-to-government collaboration on land use projects has been severed by the tribe. In a Feb. 11 letter to the Aquinnah selectmen, the tribal chairman notified the board that the tribal council had…
Top Prices Fuel Island Drug Trafficking Economy
The same factors that drive up Vineyard prices for basic goods extend to illegal drugs, according to Island law enforcement, with heroin and cocaine selling for two to four times more on the Island than off. But while the Island might be a lucrative destination for drug sales, police said drug arrests are not on…
With Fashion as with Family, Stina Sayre Stitches All Pieces Together
The silver linen trousers aren’t right. Stina Sayre walks around her sales assistant Laura Entner, who at this moment is the living mannequin for the offending trousers. Stina, who is impeccably dressed in one of her chocolate brown long shearling vests draped over a navy tissue long-sleeved tee, pinches and pulls the fabric, fretting out…
Tribe Translates Oral Tradition for School Curriculum
In an attempt to establish consistency and accuracy in history classes, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) education committee and tribal historic preservation office are developing a curriculum on Wampanoag history and culture for the Island public schools. On Tuesday night, members of the tribal education committee joined the up-Island regional school committee for…
Adding a Pure Touch to Coffee Equation
Coming this spring, a place to get bubble tea along with a manicure, a latte to pair with your haircut. And perhaps most important, words that will be music to the ears of Islanders: another year-round coffee shop. Jay and Mindy Kirwin, who operate Pure Touch salon at the Harborside Inn on South Water street…
Island Pest Control Takes New Shape
The Dukes County manager appeared before the Tisbury selectmen this week to explain the countywide pest control program, whose cost and effectiveness have come under scrutiny in more than one Island town in recent weeks, as warrants are prepared for upcoming annual town meetings. The six towns share the bulk of the funding for the…
A Loner Who Plays Well With Others, Fennel Hails Pedestrian or Royal Depending on Style
A garden which grows true to its own laws is not a wilderness, yet not entirely artificial either. — From A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander.
Oak Bluffs Stays With Lean Budget
The Oak Bluffs annual town budget is set to increase by about 1.7 per cent in the coming fiscal year, with the town administrator calling the nearly $24.6 million budget “very lean.” At a budget presentation Wednesday night, finance advisory committee chairman Steve Auerbach outlined some goals of the fiscal year 2014 budget: there are…
Girls Basketball Takes Tourney
The girls’ basketball team finished off their season with a tournament win, defeating host team Marblehead 49-25 on Wednesday in the annual Brad Sheridan Memorial Tournament. Senior Maggie Riseborough scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds against the Magicians, while senior captain Katie Stewart notched 10 points. Stewart also earned the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award. On…
Land Bank Revenues: Feb. 15
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $33,381 for the business week ending on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.
Reality Rush
Pick us, pick us Mr. Reality TV producer. We can be happy, sad, single or very open (if you get the drift). Straight, gay, angry and poor, angry and rich, happy and rich, happy and poor (well, that would be a stretch and would cost extra). How about the hermit crab who comes out of…
Vineyard Notebook: Never Enough Votes to Elect, More Than Enough to Love
Few people will remember his plucky, colorful and completely hopeless campaigns for state senator and sheriff. The first one was in 1978. He designed great T-shirts for the campaign with a hand-silk-screened map of the Cape and Islands. We all wore them; we were youthful then and had a sense of fun and we knew…
Tales from Gosnold: Stuck in Reverse but Going Forward Anyway
The freight situation on the island got completely out of hand for a time awhile ago, but fortunately fate stepped in and prevented a possible lynching. Bung Ward has run the freight business for a long time, probably forever. The business consists of him meeting the mail boat with his 1968 Chevy pickup which got…
Dragging the Past, Fisherman’s Reflections Echo Loudly Today
E. Gale Huntington was a writer, folksinger and teacher who spent plenty of time on the waterfront. He was also the founding editor of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s publication the Intelligencer. In February of 1971, he published in it an article he had written in 1934 when he was in his early 30s about fishing…
Shifting Sands
See the cellar’s Copper bottom Turn the house Into a ship
Mill Pond Options
I thank the town of West Tisbury for the opportunity to hear about the different options related to the future of the Mill Pond. I was troubled by the insistence of the Mill Pond committee on dredging the pond, in particular the implication that natural sediments (referred to as black gold) be positioned as a…
Another Reality
I ask, when has any Reality Show ever been about reality? They are nothing more than exploitation, degradation of the human condition, false acting, and most of all, money!
For Capt. Joe Cressy
Regarding “Always at the Helm, Joe Cressy’s Legacy Unites May 27, 2011.” I could never take Joe Cressy’s place, but I can offer what I am. Not the hail fellow well met Joe sounded from his memorial article but an honest environmentalist and dreamer who believes in what is right and will love Chappaquidick like…
Cold Fronts
From the Vineyard Gazette editions of February, 1968: The prospect of a 40 per cent reduction in weekend seats and of a 20 per cent reduction in daily seats on Northeast Airlines flights between the Vineyard and New York next summer has been the cause of concern to the Island officials in recent weeks. The…
Snow Moon
We will have a full moon in the coming week. The Snow Moon, as the Old Farmer’s Almanac calls it, arrives on Monday night. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Leo and it is near the constellation’s principle star Regulus. Regulus is a star we more often associate with spring and early summer. There…
Rare Right Whales Move into Area, Mariner Restrictions in Place
Eight North Atlantic right whales have been spotted near Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in the past week, including six sighted from the air on Feb. 15 swimming between the two islands. The other two were seen south of Nantucket.
West Tisbury Town Column: Feb. 22
Last Sunday we were slammed again by another coastal snowstorm. The SSA cancelled boats on Sunday and Monday and the Congregational Church was forced to cancel worship services for the second week in a row. The annual church meeting was postponed until Sunday. This is the first time in my memory that church was postponed…
Chilmark Town Column: Feb. 22
Chilmark survived the winds, rains and snows of the past week with no serious outcomes. Some trees are gone, some birds didn’t make it thru the hard winds and cold temperatures, and some locals headed south for their vacations but, all in all, we made it mostly through another February with no more than the…
Aquinnah Town Column: Feb. 22
Spring is less than a month away. We are now awaiting another snow storm this weekend. That will make it three weekends in a row with snow. Then we have a day or two of rain which then turns to ice. Mid-week it tends to tease us by warming up to a comfortable temperature only…
Chappy Town Column: Feb. 22
The peacocks are back at Pimpneymouse Farm after a long winter of wandering the wilds of Chappaquiddick. The pair of birds, known as the Peabodys, arrived at the farm last June via a friend of the Potters from upstate New York. All went well until the fall when the Potters let the birds out of…
Edgartown Town Column: Feb. 22
The only thing I can say about the weather is that we have been lucky to have snow for the kids to play in, and then the rain to wash it away in a few days. Unfortunately, there has been a little shoveling to go along with it. Happy birthday to all who celebrated their…
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Feb. 22
If you like to play golf and you were very lucky, you had a chance to play with Hazel Nelson (our longtime summer resident from Baltimore) over the decades. She was a renowned and friendly member of Mink Meadows golf course. Hazel was known for her wonderful spirit, congeniality and attitude.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Feb. 22
Oak Bluffs black history makers created great expectations and were role models for many of us. My childhood friend Carroll Allston’s grandfather, Phillip J. Allston (1860-1915), was a chemist at the Potter Drug and Chemical Company.
YMCA Triple Give Back
The YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard is hosting its second annual Live Love event which combines fitness with giving back to the Island. The first Live Love Ride took place last year as a spin-a-thon. The event raised $10,160 for the Y financial assistance program.
Mediation Training
The Martha’s Vineyard Mediation Program will conduct basic skill mediation training during the first two weekends of March. The 32-hour course costs $400. Interested parties may obtain more information by calling 508-693-2999.
Chronic Disease Help
The Vineyard Nursing Association, Vineyard Health Care Access Program and Island Health are collaborating on a pilot program for people who are living with or are at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and COPD. Called The Martha’s Vineyard Partnership for Health, the free program aims to help people connect with…
NYC Stage for Local Author
Kate Feiffer is headed off-Broadway. Ms. Feiffer’s book My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life was adapted for stage and first appeared at the Vineyard Playhouse. Last weekend the play had its New York city premiere at the Workshop Theatre at 312 West 36th street. The play continues through Sunday March 10.
NAACP Awards Dinner Honors Island Women
The Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the NAACP held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Membership and Awards dinner, which was postponed a day due to weather, on Monday, Feb. 18, at The Grill on Main in Edgartown. Awards went to three members of the Vineyard community for their outstanding commitment to public service. Rabbi…
ACE MV Registration
Registration for the spring programs of Adult and Community Education (ACE MV) is open. This spring ACE MV offers over 30 classes and seminars from arts and communication to cooking and healthcare.
Film Festival Announces Lineup
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival has announced its lineup of films for this year’s festival beginning Friday, March 15, and running through Sunday, March 17.
Decoy Painting for Kids
Next Wednesday, Feb. 27, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is hosting a decoy painting workshop for kids. The class begins at 1 p.m. and is a perfect accompaniment to its ongoing exhibit, The Art of the Hunt: Martha’s Vineyard Decoys. While at the museum, kids and adults can check out the latest spotlight exhibit featuring portraits…
Meat Ball Dance Party
The Agricultural Society is celebrating the art of meat, both in the kitchen and on the dance floor.On Saturday, Feb. 23, Jefferson Munroe of the Good Farm will host a sausage making workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sage Advice
“We are happier in many ways when we are old than when we were young. The young sow wild oats. The old grow sage.” – Winston Churchill Whether you cultivate wisdom or herbs, make sure you grow sage. Sage has been elemental in my kitchen of late: two snowstorms and many big pots of soups…
Bird Buggy
It was early November when we received an invitation to participate in an American Birding Association rally in Albuquerque, N.M. What a great adventure I thought. Take the RV (aka the Bird Buggy) across country, birding as we went, and end up trying to find a group of rare finches in New Mexico. So we…
Digging Indoors
Here it is the end of another snow-bound weekend. I’m happy to report that I have never experienced “cabin fever.” It was such a relief to be prohibited from going out. For starters, my car door was frozen shut and the main road looked a bit treacherous anyway. Hurray! I spent an entire day puttering…
Please Adopt Us
What a pleasure it is to tell all the loyal readers of the column that the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is down to just one dog and three cats. The one little dog waiting for a new home is Jerry, a good, brown chihuahua. His buddy Millie was adopted and Jerry is lonesome!
Dean’s List
Cody Coutinho of Chilmark was named to the fall 2012 dean’s list at Merrimack College in North Andover.
Hello, Harper
Amy and Asil Cash of Chilmark announce the birth of a daughter, Harper Lisa DeLorme Cash, born on Feb. 15, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Harper weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
129 Old Farm Road Lot 33, Chilmark
129 Old Farm Road, Lot 33 in Chilmark sold for $1,300,000 on Feb. 14.
Island Family Makes It Big as Family of the Year
Sebastian Keefe’s favorite job, possibly ever, was working at Poole’s Fish Market in Menemsha. But being a rockstar isn’t a bad second. Last Tuesday, West Tisbury natives Sebastian and his brother Joe Keefe made their first late night show appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with their band Family of the Year. On Thursday, the band…
Edgartown Voters Will Weigh in on Marijuana Regulations
The Edgartown selectmen endorsed plans Monday to regulate medicinal marijuana, voting to place articles on the April special town meeting warrant that would regulate public consumption of the drug and establish a temporary moratorium on setting up dispensaries.
Answer to Unusually Low Weekend Tides Is Blowing in the Wind
Blame it on the moon, an asteroid that swooped close to Earth on Friday or an approaching tsunami, but unusually low tides seen across the Vineyard this weekend actually have a simpler explanation than some expected and feared.
Vineyard Author Hits Off-Broadway
Kate Feiffer lights up New York. Ms. Feiffer’s book My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life was adapted for stage and first appeared at the Vineyard Playhouse. Last weekend the play had its New York city premiere at the Workshop Theatre at 312 West 36th street. The play continues through Sunday March 10.
Getting Personal With Weather, Cloudmaker Washes Ashore
Just about everything washes up on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard at some point, from seaglass to messages in bottles. And last December, a few lucky beachcombers up-Island encountered a first: Pieces of a personal weather modification device. That’s the formal name. Informally, it’s simply a cloudmaker, a combination science experiment/art project created by Karolina…
Science Fair Winners Harness Power of Waves and Mind
After the regional high school science fair had ended on Saturday afternoon, two youngsters approached sophomore Eli Hanschka, who had just taken home the event’s top prize, grand overall winner, for his engineering entry, Wave Energy: Harnessing the Power of Waves.
