There are many iconic skylines, but few as proud and cherished as the stabilizer arms that reach above the fish markets from Menemsha’s sister draggers, the Unicorn and the Quitsa Strider II.

Spring brings out the osprey lover in me. Some might even call it an obsession.

Okay, my wife and I have been living here full-time for more than three years. I know we can never lose the label of washashore, but is it conceivable we might be at least recognized with a label that advances our status?

It’s hard to imagine anyone who cares more about Tisbury than planning board co-chairman Henry Stephenson. He thinks deeply about the town and he has a nuanced and practical sense of design.

Old Vineyard boatmen have said that if any man can operate a craft of any sort around the Island of Martha’s Vineyard and keep out of trouble, he can get by as a boatman anywhere.

If the town is democratic, it hardly seems just to dismiss an agenda item with virtually no warning or explanation, no matter what the opinion of the chairman.

We are led to believe that we either have to live with the existing shabby Stop & Shop store, or accept a new building which most Vineyarders feel is inappropriate for that site.

I recall how much fun it was to see the sights at Five Corners with my grandmother. There was no congestion, just the slow pace, friendly laid-back people and a village setting.

What happens when the Martha’s Vineyard Commission orders of conditions are ignored by an approved applicant’s project? How are those conditions enforced?

In the next few weeks, almost a dozen families are being displaced. Kids out of college are finding nowhere to go; elderly people and adults alike are stumbling over the housing deficiency.