Until a week ago the waters off of Race Point in Provincetown were a pageant of marine life, with divebombing gannets, 80-foot fin whales slicing the surface, dolphins and porpoises circling like gnats and docile North Atlantic right whales skimming blithely by, mouths agape.

A juror in the Cessna plane crash case said Thursday that the case was “a toss-up” and might have resulted in a verdict for either side had it not settled on the eve of jury deliberations.

The female Edgartown resident, who did not want to be identified by name, said the panel bonded during the monthlong trial but abided by the judge’s instructions to refrain from discussing the case or drawing any conclusions until all the evidence had been presented.

The legal saga of Alec Naiman, Jeffrey Willoughby and Jessica Willoughby vs. Cessna Aircraft Company ended abruptly this week, after the three 2005 plane crash victims accepted settlement offers.

Coltsfoot is a horse of a different color. This early spring flower resembles a dandelion, but don’t be fooled. Its resemblance is superficial. The round yellow blossom is at first glance a look-alike, but upon inspection you can see some obvious differences.

Flip Harrington and I always plan an escape from March madness and find a good birding area to visit. This year we were glad not to be on-Island after reading the Gazette issues we missed, madness hit the Vineyard with a vengeance this March.

I managed to kill quite a few broccoli transplants. It was super hot in the greenhouse two weeks back when we had that lovely, unseasonably warm spell. I hauled out all the perennials, cole crops, and snapdragons. Then we had two extremely cold and windy days. Oddly enough, the snapdragons were the only ones showing no effect. The foxgloves look completely burned, while it will take a miracle to revive the broccoli. Oh well! Live and rarely learn.

New Polly Hill Members

The Polly Hill Arboretum is pleased to welcome two new members to the Arboretum team. Ian Jochems joins as a new full-time horticulturist, and Jaime Morin begins her nine-month collections management internship.

On Sunday, April 1, Ann Smith put the finishing touches on Featherstone’s exhibit — The Art of Intaglio which featured the work of Washington Ledesma, Beldan K. Radcliffe and Nick Thayer. Sharry and Dave Grunden walked to the exhibit through the Southern Woodlands from their home in Oak Bluffs.

Last Wednesday night was a holiday special for fans of the novel Moby-Dick, or any other maritime tale. Nathaniel Philbrick, the Nantucket author of a number of best-selling maritime history books, including In the Heart of the Sea, talked to an audience at the Black Dog Tavern about his most recent work, a 132-page book called Why Read Moby-Dick?, published by Penguin Group.

The night couldn’t have been more appropriate for anyone who has either experienced the epic novel as a reader or watched it on the movie screen.