I need to point out some contradictions that exist on the Island regarding dogs. A letter to the editor on July 19 about dogs on the beach generalized dog owners as “idiots” and “irresponsible.” This I take issue with as I would never act in the way the Walkers describe their beach and dog situation. Right underneath this exhortation is a sensitive story written by Peter Robb about his love for his dog, Lucca, and the kind loving act of adopting dogs. Quite a contrast.

One of the reasons I love living on the Vineyard is that almost every Sunday morning, I get up at dawn and go walk on the beach.

We have such a variety of different beaches on this Island, and I think they are all beautiful.

From a 1995 column by Arthur Railton: Nothing good is happening. The sky is falling in. Run for your lives, the dam has burst. Family values have taken flight. We abuse our children, kill our parents, rape our neighbors, murder our ex-wives. Nowhere is the sun shining.

With the school year nearing and many personnel out on vacation, there are still three major regional administrative positions to be filled.

The Cape Cod Collaborative conducted a search for assistant superintendent of schools beginning two weeks ago that has yielded five candidates, including three off-Island and two local applicants. None of the candidates are currently employed by the school district, Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said.

Seven players from the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks represented Team Massachusetts in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game, held Thursday in Pittsfield. Pitchers Trevor Breton (Western New England University), Matt Calomoneri (University of Scranton) and Bob Carbaugh (Seton Hill) were named to the squad, as were infielders Dylan Tice (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Nick Sell (University of Massachusetts - Amherst) and Nik Campero (Seton Hill). Outfielder Ryan Siegel (Mercyhurst) rounded out the Sharks roster.

Fifty windsurfers representing four different countries competed in three classes of racing Friday and Saturday at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club. Races were cancelled Sunday due to no wind, but wind conditions for the first two days were gusty, challenging all levels of racers.

There are some persisting myths about the Vineyard — such as the notion that this is an easy place to ride a bicycle, that all Islanders know a ketch from a yawl, grow their own tomatoes, think nothing of picking up hitchhikers or picking off ticks, and most important, own at the very least one dog. Maybe two.
And that last one is the truest. Island dogs are omnipresent — and that doesn’t include the little pups that get carried around in summer purses like fluffy accessories.

In that critically short moment of dawn, an hour before sunrise, the planets Jupiter and Mars appear as a pair. They aren’t as close as they were a week ago, but still a sight. Jupiter is significantly brighter than Mars. If you can find Jupiter, you’ll see the red planet Mars under and to the left.

Then look below the two planets for a third, Mercury.

Mercury is hard to see. The planet is only a short distance above the horizon. Give yourself a tap on your shoulder if you see it.

Chilmark hosted a near perfect summer vacation week just past. The beaches were popular and being out on the water was a good choice. The fish were biting, the sun was hot and it was definitely July. We also hosted an unwelcome bug that someone told me is called the one-day virus. I hope it missed you all and that you will dismiss last week’s column as fall-out from my day with the virus. It is quickly gone but no fun on deadline day.

The 35th annual Art Buchwald Possible Dreams Auction will be held on Sunday, July 28 at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown. Tickets are only $25 per person and benefit the largest social services organization on Martha’s Vineyard, serving more than 6,000 people every year.