It is the end of the day and the sun hangs low and red over Sengekontacket Pond. The waters of Nantucket Sound are relatively flat due to a southerly shift in the wind earlier in the afternoon, but a few small waves break on the shoreline. Schools of bluefish surface about a quarter mile offshore. Terns follow the schools as they erratically move along.

Why stop to smell the roses when you can get a lungful of lilacs?

The monitoring of Vineyard fish hawks, or ospreys, is an ongoing project. Although osprey comings and goings have been recorded since 1913 on-Island, the study of the osprey population did not start until the 1970s by Gus Ben David. Osprey nests had been documented in Lambert’s Cove, Chappaquiddick and on the Takemmy Trail (the road between West Tisbury and Edgartown) in the 1950s. Then came the 1960s and the uncontrolled use of the pesticide DDT. The Vineyard’s osprey population dropped to two or three pair.

I have several young women who work for me at various job sites. Several have traveled around working at organic farms here and abroad. As we were settling down to enjoy our lunch one day last week, Angela George commented, “I wish I could weed with my mind.” Don’t we all wish? There must be a way.

The Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force will expand its services into career counseling for young adults thanks to a three-year grant totaling $212,800 from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. The funds will be used to facilitate Project Next, which will provide support to the young adults population on Martha’s Vineyard through a variety of programs and initiatives. The project will begin with a series of focus groups and assessments as well as open office hours to provide financial and career counseling.

In a home known for fostering literary talent and housing traveling artists, conversation at the Cleaveland House has been consumed lately with talk about place settings, tablecloths, decorations and flowers. A how-to book on marrying at an older age lies on the entry table amongst works of great authors.

Sailors for the Sea, an ocean conservation nonprofit focused on the sailing and boating community, announced that Sail Martha’s Vineyard and Tisbury Waterways have taken the Clean Regattas Pledge for gold level Clean Regattas certification of the 2013 Vineyard Cup. Clean Regattas certification provides independent, third-party verification that a yacht club, sailing program, or regatta is environmentally responsible and is protecting and restoring the waters.

Friday, May 17: Bright, sunny. The Point Way Inn is a quiet step away from the bustle of Main street. Wisteria join the chorus of blossoming flowers. Memorial Park lawn is lush. Bicyclists take a break and sit on benches, look at their maps and iPhones and appear to have a leisurely afternoon.

Kathleen Solecki and Michael Solecki purchased 117 Herring Creek Road for $1,775,000 on May 17.

Michael A. Howland purchased 495 Katama Road Unit F-8 for $695,000 on May 16.