With the July sun setting over the Katama Plains and a sliver crescent moon rising as cows grazed in the vast fields, the pastoral scene was set naturally for the Farm Institute’s annual Meals in the Meadow fundraiser Saturday night.

I woke up early the other morning to perfect conditions for kayaking. The brackish water of Stonewall, Quitsa and Menemsha ponds was so still it looked solid until, that is, I made that first push from shore. Below me I could see sidling crabs and the eelgrass yielding to the direction of the outgoing tide. The surface of the water reflected the detail of every wisp of cloud so I felt as if I was floating and flying. The top half of a boat mooring that rose above the water was reflected in an optical illusion suggesting a perfectly round ball sitting on top of the water.

Big, blue snowballs of hydrangeas backed by a white picket fence are a summer staple on the Vineyard. While the mophead flowers of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) are the most popular with tourists, there is a whole world of hydrangeas for gardeners to explore. On a seed-collecting expedition to Japan in 2005, I encountered three other hydrangea species that are valuable ornamentals: the panicle hydrangea, (Hydrangea paniculata), the mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata), and involucre hydrangea (Hydrangea involucrata).

State and federal environmental officials have formally designated the waters surrounding Martha’s Vineyard and south of Cape Cod off limits for the discharging of boat effluent. The designation means that nearly 95 per cent of state waters around Massachusetts are closed to effluent discharge. State Energy and Environmental Affairs and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials made the announcement on Friday at a gathering at Aselton Park in Hyannis.

The West Tisbury Library’s Tuesdays at Twilight concert series continues on June 24 with a 7:30 p.m. concert by the Flying Elbows string band, folk artist Jemima James, poet/songwriter Dan Waters and jazz guitarist Al Schackman at the Grange Hall. The series benefits the library’s much-needed expansion and renovation efforts. Doors open at 7. Admission is $15,

Controversy breeds questions, and an Island visitor has some answers.

Harvard Professor of Law and Chilmark summer resident Alan
Dershowitz presents Rights and Wrongs: How the Supreme Court and The
United Nations Have Hijacked Our Rights, at the Chilmark Library on
Thursday, July 26 at 5 p.m. He will address the issues facing individual
rights in today’s political climate.

The event is free but seating is limited, so arrive early. For more information, call 508-645-3360.

Singer, songwriter and activist Holly Near performs with pianist
John Buccino and guitarist Coleen Kittau at The Old Whaling Church on
Sunday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m.

Ms. Near has a long history of using music for social activism. She was a 2005 nominee for a Nobel Peace Prize as one of the 1000 Women for Peace. She has performed on Broadway in the show Hair and in film and on television.

For more information, visit hollynear.com.

On behalf of Adult and Community Education of Martha’s Vineyard, we would like to extend great thanks to the sponsors, supporters, organizations and community leaders for helping us with this year’s One Day University: Arts, Culture, Sustainability event.

On June 16, the Blitz Fitness karate students and their instructors held their annual kick-a-thon at the Martha’s Vineyard Boys’ and Girls’ Club. Every year the students attempt to outdo their previous record of kicks, typically numbering in the thousands.

A tragedy over the Independence Day holiday involving a 34-foot cabin cruiser in Oyster Bay, N.Y., brings to light a hazard that may not be at the top of every boater’s list of concerns: passenger and load limits.