They came bearing shovels and spades, clad in their swimsuits to participate in the Sand Sculpture Contest at South Beach on Wednesday. The annual event is sponsored by the Edgartown Board of Trade, and bestows upon participants prizes for the best sand sculptures in both junior and adult categories.

Upstairs in Polly Hill’s former home last week, Tim Boland pulled a manilla folder out of a cabinet labeled Flora of Dukes County, placed it on a table by the window and opened it up. Inside lay pages with delicately pressed plants and flowers. Notes marked the corners of each page, written on bright post-it notes.

The farm stand at Whippoorwill Farm is now open for business on Old County Road in West Tisbury.

It’s been nearly 15 years since farm owner Andrew Woodruff could say that. Between a booming CSA membership, a move to Thimble Farm in Oak Bluffs, and a move back again to Old County Road, the farm stand has been empty.

“It’s nice to see this farm get active again,” Mr. Woodruff said this week, his John Deere hat shading his face from the August sun.

Friday, August 2: Bright sunny morning. Light southwest wind picks up in mid-afternoon. Increasing clouds over Nantucket Sound. By late afternoon, there are white caps and high surf.

August is the month of opportunity when it comes to fishing. You can fish early or late under the stars. You can go by boat many miles out to sea or do it the easy way offshore. The water around the Island is warm enough for one to stand knee deep in the water and cast for hours without getting cold. There is no need for waders.

We’ve seen bluefish chasing bait close to shore, so when heading to the beach bring a rod and a small bag of tackle. It is all about seizing the opportunity.

“Life was simpler when apples and blackberries were only fruit.”

In a standoff with the state ethics commission, state senator and gubernatorial candidate Dan Wolf is publicly disputing a commission opinion that his role as owner of Cape Air is a conflict of interest. The ethics commission is standing behind its opinion and strongly refuted a statement posted by Senator Wolf online this week.

Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, represents the Cape and Islands in the state senate. He founded Cape Air 25 years ago and now has a 23 per cent stake in the company.

Tim Simmons, a restoration ecologist with the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife of the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, asked Flip Harrington and me if we could take him and Paul Goldstein, an entomologist with Smithsonian Institute, over to Muskegat Island so they could do a survey of the insects on that island. Muskegat is about seven miles east of Cape Poge and is surrounded by moving shoals and is just to the west of Tuckernuk and Nantucket.

As is my custom, I will continue repeating myself. I know I’ve said this many times but here goes . . . an aspirin, moistened and taped to a bee sting will immediately stop the pain. I guess it is the anti-inflammatory property of the medicine. Aspirin is, and always has been, my pain-relieving medication of choice. I trust it, it’s been around forever. Originally a plant extract from the bark of a willow tree, the powder made from said bark dates back to Hippocrates.

Pamela and Abrahoe Alves of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Isabella Araujo Alves, born on August 5 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Isabella weighed 6 pounds, 12.8 ounces at birth.