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
March 22, 2013
Gibbous Moon
Tonight’s gibbous moon appears high in the southeastern sky after sunset. The moon is on the western end of the zodiacal constellation Leo. For the next two nights the moon is near Regulus, the principal star in Leo. The moon moves through Leo and into the zodiacal constellation Virgo mid-week. The moon is full in…
100 Plum Bush Point Road, West Tisbury
100 Plum Bush Point Road in West Tisbury sold for $2,250,000 on March 14.
36 Black Brook Crossing, West Tisbury
36 Black Brook Crossing in West Tisbury sold for $942,500 on March 14.
72 Vineyard Meadow Farms Road, West Tisbury
72 Vineyard Meadow Farms Road in West Tisbury sold for $489,200 on March 11.
114 Main Street, Vineyard Haven
114 Main Street in Vineyard Haven sold for $1,450,000 on March 14.
38 Plain Field Way, Edgartown
38 Plain Field Way in Edgartown sold for $610,000 on March 15.
43 and 44 Twelfth street South, Edgartown
43 and 44 Twelfth street South in Edgartown sold for $136,675 on March 15.
18 Bold Meadow Lane, Edgartown
18 Bold Meadow Lane in Edgartown sold for $510,000 on March 15.
31 North Road, Chilmark
Barbara Stratton purchased 31 North Road in Chilmark from Taylor Wilcox, trustee of the Taylor Wilcox Revocable Trust, for $421,000 on March 15.
Featured Home: The Lookout Off Lighthouse Road
Offered By Conroy and Company Contemporary home with outstanding water views in Aquinnah. Newer construction, bright open concept with cathedral ceilings. Two living spaces to accommodate a large family.
Staying True to What Remains at Lucy Vincent Beach
Last Sunday afternoon, under wintery skies, there was yet another pilgrimage to Lucy Vincent Beach. For many it was a solemn moment as they stood and looked without saying a word. Pam Bunker, chairman of the Chilmark beach committee, was there taking stock of how nature had once again changed the landscape of the beach.…
Surprise $500,000 Surplus Catches County Off Guard
The Dukes County Advisory Board on County Expenditures was presented with an uncommon windfall during Wednesday afternoon’s meeting, learning from a preliminary audit of the fiscal year 2012 budget that the county had an overall surplus of $572,726. That figure includes a net income of $300,000 for FY2012, as well as additional funds from FY2010…
Have Host Will Travel, Ticks And Deer Thrive on Vineyard
Although frost still covers the ground some mornings, Island boards of health already have their focus turned towards summer and tick season. At last week’s All-Island Selectmen’s meeting, Tisbury health commissioner Michael Loberg and Edgartown health agent Matthew Poole presented their annual year-end report for the Tick-Borne Illness Reduction Initiative, a five-year study funded by…
Restored Mural Reveals Form And Function at Whaling Church
When artist Margot Datz begins a new project she finds it hard to stop. “Until someone rips me off the wall I’m there,” she said on Wednesday morning at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown. Although no one is coming to rip Ms. Datz off the wall, her brother Stephen Datz is on hand to…
Island Catholics Praise Pope as Down to Earth
Catholic communities from around the world were glued to televisions last week waiting for black or white smoke to pour from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The hopefulness that has taken hold since the white smoke rose up and the election of Pope Francis was announced is also evident here on Martha’s Vineyard.
Winter Winds Prompted More Ferry Cancellations, Especially for Island Home
A long winter of frequent storms, from October’s Hurricane Sandy to a three-day storm in early March, has been especially difficult for a group of frequent Island visitors: the Steamship Authority’s fleet of vessels, the hardy group that connects the Vineyard to the mainland. Rough seas have contributed to 94 ferry cancellations in the first…
New Permits Could Restore Lost Swordfishing Tradition
It was once a symbol of the Island and a principal fish landed on the docks. Swordfish weighing hundreds of pounds were hauled in from Menemsha, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. They lined the docks and fish markets; their tails nailed to the walls of fish shacks bore testament to the fishery’s success. As some…
Oak Bluffs Looks to Get into Business of Harbor Boat Fuel
Plans for a town-run fuel facility at the Oak Bluffs harbor met with some resistance at a Martha’s Vineyard Commission hearing last week, with some abutters to the potential facility questioning why the town needed to be involved, and voicing concerns that the fuel dock will lower property values and cause safety concerns. Oak Bluffs…
West Tisbury May Scrap Planned Solar Array for Local Alternative
West Tisbury selectmen will continue to explore options regarding development of the town’s planned solar array at the landfill. Town counsel Ronald Rappaport appeared at Wednesday’s board of selectmen meeting to discuss the matter, reporting that the Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC) had amended the contract he and associate Fain Hackney negotiated in December…
Land Bank Revenues: March 15
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $136,188 for the business week ending on Friday, March 15, 2013. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.
Stonewall Beach House Removal Plan Begins
A month after the conservation commission ordered the removal of a Chilmark house perched on an eroding bluff, the commission Wednesday heard plans for the home’s removal: the guest house is slated to come down immediately, with the main house dismantled in phases depending on the rate of erosion. The 650-square-foot summer home on Stonewall…
Baseball at Night, Sharks See the Light
The future of the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks is looking bright — and a lot more comfortable, too. When the Sharks, who play in the wooden-bat Futures Collegiate Baseball League, begin their third season in June, they will do so at a much-improved home field, situated at the regional high school.
Selectman Lend Hand and Meals to Those in Need
Island selectmen joined volunteers Wednesday to deliver Meals on Wheels, part of an annual campaign to raise awareness of the program. Last year the Meals on Wheels program increased by almost 30 per cent, with 50 volunteers delivering almost 30,000 meals to home-bound seniors from Aquinnah to Chappaquiddick. Those interested in donating their time to…
No Mere Tipping Point
Walking west on East Chop Drive on a tranquil spring morning, the only indication of trouble is a short metal gate with a spray-painted detour sign. The pavement is remarkably free of potholes and the two-lane road appears intact as far as the eye can see.
Martha’s Vineyard March Madness
March madness is not just a college basketball tournament. It is also a season in flux. When spring wants to take center stage but winter refuses to go quietly. When the call of the pinkletink is interrupted by a late frost, when snowdrops rub shoulders with frozen pipes. And yet it is also the time…
Washashore Chronicles: May the Phoenix Never Rest in Peace
More than a year ago when the Gazette asked me to write a column, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, this is a writer’s paper and I am what’s known as an ink-stained wretch. Back in the day, I worked for another paper that promoted and showcased good writing. It was the Boston Phoenix,…
Going to See the Lambs at Arnie Fischer’s
long long long legs pink pulsating noses smooth hooves smelling of sweetness they were the embodiment of beauty in life
Teaching Is an Art and Science, Not Another Number to Crunch
I began my high school teaching career in 1992 following a stint in the Oak Bluffs School and an alternative school so I guess this year I come of age. I have 21 years of growing, struggling always to do better, of working and living with this community. It is time to reflect. There is…
An Island Has No Place to Hide When Confronting Sea Level Rise
In 2013 can any community on earth surrounded by the ocean remain passive in the face of unmistakable climate change? If you don’t trust your own memory and sense of the weather to tell you something’s changed, there’s more than enough accurate, trustworthy analysis and predictions out there. But there’s no substitute for direct experience…
Time to Sharpen the Harpoon, Swordfishing Proposal Takes Shape
On March 28 in Gloucester, a fisheries hearing will take place regarding perhaps the most iconic and traditional of all Vineyard fish: the magnificent Broadbill Swordfish. The federal government has recently proposed a new open-access permit that would allow small-boat fishermen to retain and sell swordfish caught by rod and reel or harpoon. By strictly…
VNA Cuts
I read with more than a passing interest the article, “Looming Federal Cuts May Impact Already-Strained Elder, Education Services” in the March 1 issue of the Vineyard Gazette. The Vineyard Nursing Association (VNA) is a critical health care provider for elders on Martha’s Vineyard and should be added to the list of providers impacted by…
Who Will Lead?
Have you noticed that the League of Women Voters Candidates’ Forums had to be canceled in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury due to lack of contested elections? We have just learned that there are no contests in Tisbury and Chilmark, either, so those forums have now been canceled. The filing deadline for Aquinnah has…
Benefit Dinner
We are holding a benefit chicken dinner for Liam McCarthy on March 23, 2013 at the P.A Club located off Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. Liam is in desperate need of a walk aide device that his insurance will not cover and it is very expensive. Liam and his four brothers and sisters are all…
Comcast Opt Out
As Chappaquiddick residents we have recently been sent a five page document entitled “Appeal to the Chappy Community” which asks that we support Comcast’s build-out of infrastructure for Chappaquiddick’s proposed high speed internet service. We are being asked to endorse the expenditure personally and through our taxes to subsidize Comcast’s costs for equipment that they…
Safety First
My family and I are following the high drama of the encroaching and angry Atlantic as it closes in on the Wasque property of the Schifters. As with so many other problems the world has experienced over the recent past, much could have been done to mitigate or eliminate the disaster if a more prudent…
Highest Honors for Student Magazine
For the past 10 years art teacher Janice Frame has met with students after school on Tuesday afternoon in the school library. She and the students meet to review poems, short stories and artwork for the Martha’s Vineyard high school student literary magazine Seabreezes. Ms. Frame, along with English teacher Bill McCarthy, acts as an…
All for One
From the Vineyard Gazette editions of March 1971: To most reasonable minds it appears that in the long run the interests of all-year residents and seasonal residents of the Vineyard are nearly identical.
West Tisbury Town Column: March 22
Well, last weekend the weather was bright but on the cold side. It rained a lot on Monday, though that still was better than the seven inches of snow that fell in Boston. Winter is having a hard time leaving us this year. The flowers are budding out most everywhere and spring began on Wednesday,…
Chilmark Town Column: March 22
Chilmark is snow-less under bright sunshine as I write. We know it is still winter in spite of the date . . . beginning of spring. It is still cold! The hearty spring flowers are encouraging us all to think of spring as they continue to come into bud. The cold weather has made us…
Aquinnah Town Column: March 22
Spring has arrived. The forsythia are starting to bloom, there are pinkletinks practicing their chorus at night, skunk cabbage is in full attire, the crocus and daffodils are sprouting, and DQ has opened. I was beginning to believe that we would never seen the warmth and sunshine again.
Chappy Town Column: March 22
Despite all the cold, rainy, windy weather, we’ve crossed the line, first, into Daylight Saving Time and now, with the vernal equinox on Wednesday, into spring. Neither has made us feel particularly spring-like. Sometimes I feel as if the only harbinger of spring is the fact that I’m looking for one, as in the way…
Oak Bluffs Town Column: March 22
Longer daylight hours allow more of our favorite town to be seen and lovely as it remains; winter has been harsh. The highway department is on its’ game, efficiently patching and filling many mini-potholes caused by plowed snowfall, water runoff and mostly commercial traffic, since our seasonal guests have not yet arrived.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: March 22
What wacky weather! I always find the switch between winter and spring trying. The added light in evenings is a big plus, however. As far as cheerful spring flowers go, I hope you all picked up your daffodil bouquets to benefit cancer research and have them displayed on your desks and tables.
Skip Finley Honored
Skip Finley, director of sales and marketing for the Vineyard Gazette, has been named one of six recipients of the Broadcasters Foundation of America’s 2013 Ward L. Quaal Leadership Awards. Mr. Finley, a veteran radio executive, served as managing partner in Noepe Communications prior to joining the Gazette staff earlier this year.
Please Adopt Us
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard reports that their cages are almost empty, but they will begin to fill up as soon as the spring kittens arrive. Up for adoption is a six-month-old orange tiger kitten named Lucy. Lucy is shy and needs a lot of compassion. She would make a wonderful barn cat, after…
Best of the Vineyard Voting Ends Soon
Best of the Vineyard. The words convey prestige and pride for the many Island businesses who vie for the honor. But ultimately it’s the public that decides which Island businesses and organizations are the very best at what they do.
Tough Nut
I’ve got “nutting” bad to say about hickory trees.
Local Knowledge
Three cheers for local knowledge! Although Arizona is a birder’s paradise, it is a challenge to find birds you want to see even if there is a guide to show you the way. So we rediscovered the importance of chatting with birders in the areas where we hoped to observe birds we had never seen…
Small Business Grants
Are you a small business owner seeking to improve or grow an existing business, or start a new business on the Island? The Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network is offering a $2,500 grant to further your goals. The grant is open to both men and women, regardless of membership in the Women’s Network. Grant applications must…
Crocus Pocus
The girls in Violet’s dance carpool have been pestering me for a camp-out. I finally relented. We spent the night in the big unheated greenhouse in the middle of my vegetable garden. Unheated is the key word here. Once the sun sets and the campfire stops blazing, you can imagine how quickly the temperature plummets.…
Educomp Is Apple of Eye
Educomp in Vineyard Haven has been awarded a two-year contract as the exclusive Apple certified sales and service provider on Martha’s Vineyard. Following the closing of Mac Sales and Service, Educomp is now the only business on Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket that has this designation. Educomp was founded in 1982.
On Pointe
You are never too old or young to soar. That is the message one gets from watching the dancers perform in What’s Written Within. The show takes place this Sunday, March 24, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. The story of the dance troupe begins six years ago when a…
Lend Me Your Ears
Vineyard Toastmasters wants to teach you how to give a toast, speak in public or just climb up on your soap box and hold forth with style. They are holding an open house on Wednesday, March 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 257, 47 Martin Road, Vineyard Haven.
At Pathways Project, Aim Is to Make Artistic Dreams Come True
During summer the Chilmark Tavern stays true to its name. It is a place to eat and imbibe — bring your own, of course. But for the past few years, each winter the tavern morphs into a completely different type of destination, one that defies a category or even a definition. Welcome to the Pathways…
Dinner Benefit for Liam
On Saturday, March 23, there will be a benefit chicken dinner for Liam McCarthy at the P.A. Club located off Vineyard avenue in Oak Bluffs. Liam was diagnosed with having a stroke in utero and has many physical deficits. The benefit is for a walk aide device that his insurance will not cover. Liam is…
Meditation Classes
The next session of meditation classes with Elliott Dacher, MD begins Wednesday, March 27. Classes run from 6 to 8:15 p.m., take place at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Medical Staff Library, and run for eight weeks. Over the last six years, more than 300 Islanders have participated in Dr. Dacher’s meditation and life skills training…
Sail MV Talk
Forget about the Boston Tea Party, on Wednesday, March 27 Adam Moore, executive director of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, will present a slide show and lecture on how the white pine tree contributed to the start of the American Revolution.
Announcing Juelian
Stephanie Devine Gentry and Donald Lee Gentry of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Juelian Peter Gentry, born on March 19, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Juelian weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces at birth. Juelian joins brother Christopher and sister Dejana Leigh.
Announcing Alex
Rita Souza Barbosa and Adevalde B. Freitas of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Alex Avelino Barbosa Freitas, born on March 13, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Alex weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces at birth.
Welcome Elias
Elaine and Joel Graves of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Elias Drew Graves, born on March 13, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Elias weighed 9 pounds at birth.
Announcing Esme
Chelsea Pennebaker and Alan Hedin of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Esme Pennebaker Hedin, born on March 10, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Esme weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. She joins brother Cyrus.
Hello, Luiz
Andressa Dias Magri and Gustavo Magri Lioncio of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Luiz Gustavo Dias Magri, born on March 7, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Luiz weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces at birth.
Hello, Elisa
Elizangela Martins and Eliandro Ribeiro Pinto of West Tisbury announce the birth of a daughter, Eliza Martins Riveiro, born on March 14, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Elisa weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce at birth.
Rowan Arrives
Dana Costanza Street and Marin Street of West Tisbury announce the birth of a son, Rowan Alfred William Street, born on March 12, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Rowan weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces at birth. He is welcomed by big sister, Mira.
Alyssa Arrives
Andreia and Jose Batista of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Alyssa Lopes Batista, born on March 16, 2013 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Alyssa weighed 6 pounds, 12.4 ounces at birth.
Drug Task Force Arrests Two Men in Connection with Heroin Distribution
Two Martha’s Vineyard men are facing drug charges after a Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force investigation into heroin distribution. Roan W. Elgart, 37, of West Tisbury, was arraigned on charges of possessing to distribute a class A drug (heroin), possessing to distribute a class E drug (Clonazepam), conspiracy to violate drug law, and possessing to…
Damaged By Erosion, Chappy Ferry Ramp Will Undergo Repairs
A winter full of storms has brought erosion to almost every corner of the Island — including the small Chappy ferry ramp, which will undergo repairs in April. The ferry will be closed to car traffic for part of the day April 6 for ramp repairs on the Edgartown side, ferry captain Peter Wells told…
Cruises Will Make Frequent Stops in Edgartown This Summer
Edgartown is slated to become a bustling cruise ship port this summer, with cruise ships scheduled to dock in town 22 times between May and September.On Monday the selectmen distributed the American Cruise Lines’ Vineyard schedule, which shows that the company’s three vessels — Independence, American Star and American Glory — will be docking in…
Town Gives Okay to Prepare for Schifter Guest House Move
After months of discussion, work is beginning on a multi-phase project to move a Chappaquiddick house threatened by erosion, with the Edgartown planning board this week approving the relocation of a guest house on the Wasque property.
Answer to Edgartown Traffic Woes Could Come from City Students
The worst of Edgartown’s traffic problems is still months away, but a group of Northeastern University students are spending the off-season looking for a solution.
Downtown Tisbury May Be Named Arts District
Over 30 local business owners braved a raw Thursday evening last week to meet at the Vineyard Haven Public Library and discuss plans for creating a designated cultural district in the town of Tisbury. The initiative is an outgrowth of the MV Arts collaborative to increase the presence of the Island’s creative economy.
