You do not need a degree in natural science to become familiar with the different ways that birds use camouflage to either evade the notice of predators or the notice of prey, or both of these. Some birds have the advantage of plumage designs that mask the outline of their bodies, disrupt recognition of their shape or even disguise which direction they are looking or heading.

As a painter, Pablo Picasso had nothing on me. Sure, he had a Blue Period, but it lasted only three years. My Blue Period has lasted almost 25 years. Every time I’ve had a painting project it’s made me blue, which is the color of the master bedroom and the adjoining bathroom.

Many remember the last time the small (west) entrance to Vineyard Haven harbor closed in 1997, and you could smell the decay far and wide. The small entrance is nearly closed again and in desperate need of dredging. The entrance is environmentally vital to water circulation and a clean harbor. It is also imperative to keep open for safety, so small boats and children can use this back channel entrance and avoid the commercial ferry channel.

The recent article by Sara Brown (Vineyard Gazette, March 22) illustrates clearly a few problems apparent in our boat line service. In their effort to provide “a little more capacity,” the addition of the vessel Island Home (second vessel of this name) has shown the fallacy of attempting to use a west coast design in Atlantic waters

I am a captain of a boat that participates in the shark tournament. We have been fishing this tournament for a long time. I first will say I really do enjoy the town of Oak Bluffs and usually things seemed to go off without a hitch. I frequent the town as well with my family and friends for dinner and drinks and shopping multiple times during the summer season.

The Chilmark planning board proposes 3,500 square feet as a reasonable house size maximum since it is 60 per cent higher than the Chilmark average of 2,200 square feet. This might make sense if the 2,200 square foot average is reasonable. But it is not reasonable because 2,200 presumably includes all kinds of homes, home sizes and home uses built over many decades which may not be relevant now.

The new Martha’s Vineyard Toastmasters Club appreciates the community response to our kickoff meeting at the Vineyard Haven American Legion on March 27. Twenty-one members of the Island community attended a sample Toastmasters meeting presented by Gov. Stefano McGhee and Lieut. Govs. Doug Sheadel and YS Kim of District 31 Toastmasters

I had to write and let you know what getting older must feel like. I’m standing at my kitchen sink, looking out the window on Manchester avenue, when the Oak Bluffs sweeper machine was going by. The birds were chirping at their bird feeders and the little blue flowers were all coming up blooming and then came our Oak Bluffs cleaner-uppers, which put the light on everything.

From the Vineyard Gazette edition of May 1948: Martha’s Vineyard, virtually free of billboards and signs for many years, can breathe freely again, since the eagle eye of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, noting encroachments upon the obstructed state of their Island domain, transferred its reproachful gaze to the companies responsible for the erection of new signs in the past year or two. The garden club has conducted an aggressive and successful campaign against roadside signs since its founding.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters was established in 1898. There are 250 members in the organization, never more or less. To be inducted into the Academy, one of its members must die. In other words, it is very selective. It is also rather mind-boggling to think of the backlog of talent to choose from when an opening does arise.