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
November 24, 2017
Silicon Valley Documentary Film
The West Tisbury Library is hosting a screening of the documentary Brave New World — How Silicon Valley is Shaping our Future, and a discussion with the filmmaker Angela Andersen.
Hospital Citizen Survey Finds More Transparency Needed
More transparency, accountability, responsiveness: these are chief concerns from a recent survey about the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Fluoride Question Goes to Edgartown Voters
The decision about whether to add fluoride to Edgartown’s public water supply will now go before voters, following a successful petition effort by residents.
Shellfish Committee Eyes Cape Pogue Expansion
The Edgartown shellfish committee delayed a formal decision on a plan to open Cape Pogue Pond for oyster farms, with tension over protecting a pristine pond and competing interests.
Dunkl Siblings March to the Beat of Their Own Brass Band
On a clear November day, siblings Heidi, Peter and Frank Dunkl are getting organized. They have just returned from a five-week journey to check on their homes in Virginia and Florida.
Katherine A. Smith Graduates
Katherine A. Smith of Chilmark was on the spring 2017 dean’s list at Simmons College with a 4.0 GPA.
Real Estate Transactions: Nov. 13 to Nov. 19
Scott D. McCurley and Elizabeth K. McCurley purchased 19 Pulpit Lane in Edgartown from Barbara F. Pryor for $1,010,000 on Nov. 15.
In Vineyard Skies: Jupiter and Venus
The two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter, are separating after spending time close together.
Land Bank Revenues: Nov. 17
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $636,473.60 for the business week ending on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.
Edgartown Town Column: Nov. 24
This is just a reminder about the open house at the Edgartown Library for Debbie MacInnis, who is retiring from the library after 40 years. Please feel free to drop by Friday, Dec. 1 between 1 and 4 p.m.
On Chappy: Nov. 24
Remember the Holiday Pop-up at the Slip Away Farmstand on Saturday, Nov. 25, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Nov. 24
My annual tradition is to present my wish list to Santa by Thanksgiving weekend. Pull up a chair, get your coffee or wine, have your checkbooks and credit cards ready.
Aquinnah Town Column: Nov. 24
Another drizzly, cold, blustery week of weather. It is expected to be sunny toward the end of the week. Great for travel plans for many.
Chilmark Town Column: Nov. 24
Thanksgiving brings our summer friends, college kids and extended families to town by the bushel.
Thanksgiving 2017
Autumn has been more promise than reality this year, with warm days lingering well past the time when hard frost ordinarily lays claim to the land.
West Tisbury Town Column: Nov. 24
Friday is the traditional start of the Christmas season.
Quansoo Thanksgiving
Invisible to me, but not to Bill Austin, surveyor, who spies each little rill, And ridge and ditch and remnants of a fence
Family to Family Program Helps to Combat Hunger
The Vineyard Committee on Hunger’s Family to Family Thanksgiving food distribution took place on Friday, Nov. 17.
For Safety’s Sake Shut Down Pilgrim Nuclear Plant
The opposition is there and has been for a long time. It comes from elected officials on and off the Cape and Islands.
Radical and Unpopular
The following letter was sent to the Oak Bluffs land bank advisory board.
Lacking Common Sense
Opponents of the five-foot fence intended for the Trade Wind Park met recently with the Oak Bluffs land bank board.
No Respect
An online commenter to an article on the Trade Wind fence called dog walkers “the worst of the worst.”
Good Neighbors
The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard thanks the Black Dog for making the shelter the beneficiary of its Best Friends T-shirt program.
Gratitude
Mary and I would like to give a big thanks to the entire Oak Bluffs fire department, even if you weren’t at our fire at the Madison Inn on Tuesday, Nov. 14, for being firefighters.
Abandoned Boat Rescue
There is good reason to begin a small program to recycle and re-float abandoned hulls.
Up-Island Schools
On Oct. 26, the Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury selectmen met to discuss funding of the Up-Island regional school district.
Gazette Chronicle: Cranberry Time
Magnificent as a roasted turkey is, it would be nothing, possibly the entire day of Thanksgiving would be nothing, without the small, tart, shining red cranberry.
Great Gathering of Red-Throated Loons
It is really starting to feel a bit more like winter. It is the arrival of our winter resident waterfowl that confirms the seasonal shift.
Squibnocket, Menemsha Harbor Top Chilmark Special Town Meeting
Pay raises for town employees, improvements to Menemsha Harbor and a change in the land agreement tied to the Squibnocket Beach project are all on the docket when Chilmark voters convene for a special town meeting Monday evening.
At the Table
Honestly, what’s to be said about New England weather? A week ago it was 19 degrees in the morning and this Sunday a balmy 62 degrees.
Gazette Time Machine Adds Museum History
The history of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is the latest sponsored collection to be added to the Time Machine, the Vineyard Gazette’s online tour through Island history.
Oak Bluffs Tree Lighting Is Wednesday
Oak Bluffs gets the decorations rolling with its annual tree lighting on Wednesday, Nov. 29 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Pecan Pie, Please
Pecans are native to this country, historically found growing along the Mississippi River.
Chamber Music Thanksgiving Concert
The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society presents its Thanksgiving Concert on Saturday, Nov. 25, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown.
Festival of Wreaths
The Festival of Wreaths at the Federated Church in Edgartown takes place on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Dubliners Unbound
Philip Weinstein teaches Dubliners at the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 29, beginning at 7 p.m.
Building a History, Home by Home
Patrick Ahearn is the author of a new book called Timeless, to be published in December. The book chronicles the architect’s career, mostly centered around Edgartown where he has worked on 172 houses in the last 25 years.
Former Island Doctor Admits Facts in Assault Case
Peter J. Laursen, who no longer practices medicine, has admitted to sufficient facts on two counts of indecent assault and battery.
Prospective Developers Take a Tour at Yellow House
Potential bidders and other interested parties streamed through the old Yellow House in downtown Edgartown on Tuesday, getting an up-close look at the rundown property.
SSA Delays Opening for Temporary Woods Hole Terminal
The signs still say “Opening November 2017,” but the Steamship Authority’s temporary terminal in Woods Hole will not open its doors until next month.
Town Awards Bid for Squibnocket Beach Work
Chilmark selectmen have chosen West Tisbury contractor John Keene to create a new beach as part of the town’s portion of the Squibnocket Beach project.
Tradesman Is Winner in Edgartown Housing Lottery
Daniel Consoni, a 29-year-old Edgartown resident, won the right to buy a one-bedroom loft in downtown Edgartown in a lottery drawing Monday afternoon.
Rock and Roll Chronicler Embraces Stevie Nicks
A few years ago, after completing his biography of Carly Simon, author Stephen Davis was considering his next book. When he decided it would be a woman again, there was only one name that came to mind: Stevie Nicks.
Zimbabwe on My Mind, Where the Elephant in the Room is Literal
The recent upheaval around Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has reminded me of my 1996 visit to that southern African nation, formerly Rhodesia.
Final Briefs Are Filed in Casino Case
A final round of arguments was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this week before the justices decide whether to take up a challenge to the Aquinnah tribe’s right to conduct electronic bingo on the Island.
Hello, Daisy
Jill Zadeh-Crosson and Brendan Crosson announce the birth of a daughter, Daisy Zadeh Crosson, born Nov. 19 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Agricultural Society Votes in New Leadership
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society has a new president, new trustees and new officers following its annual meeting, marking a significant changing of the guard.
For High Schoolers, A Distant Era Brought to Life
In the first of a series on diversity at the regional high school, historian Patricia Sullivan explained the critical role college and high school students played in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Arc of Creativity Fuels a Long Life Well Lived
Ruth Epstein, 92, says she likes the challenge of learning something new, which is why every 10 years she switches art forms — completely. One decade was all about black and white photography, then came quilting, weaving, dollmaking. Currently, collage takes center stage.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Why Is Grandma’s Face Here at All?
The other day, standing in front of the mirror and wondering what I’ll look like in 10 years, I thought of my grandmothers. What did they look like at my age?
