Maritime Art Show

Sail Martha’s Vineyard’s Maritime Art Show is receiving an enthusiastic response from the community. The open house reception this past Sunday night welcomed more than 60 guests to the Sail MV building on Main street in Vineyard Haven, where gifts and work produced by 21 artists are on display.

More than 14 pieces have been sold, raising funds for Sail MV to continue its sailing and rowing programs on the Island. The show will run through Dec. 22.

Katrina Volunteers

More than two years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, volunteers still are cleaning up and rebuilding areas ravaged by the hurricane.

Skip and Mary Ann Danforth of Chatham, through the United Methodist Committee of Relief, have been leading such groups of volunteers, returning to Louisiana four times. They will be leading another group from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2.

The overwhelming response to the Spice of Life Memoir Organization and Writing course taught by Susan Klein last spring has prompted the Tisbury Senior Center to host another in January and February of 2008.

Interested would-be memoirists who would like to work on their life stories for their own pleasure, as a legacy to family and friends, or for publication should call Susan Klein at 508-693-4140 as soon as possible to reserve a slot.

Classes will run Thursdays Jan. 3 through Feb. 21, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Tisbury Senior Center on Pine street.

The Chilmark Library will hold a big used books sale, just in time for holiday shopping. Great bargains — hardcovers, books on tape and videos are $1, paperbacks are 25 cents, from Dec. 15 to 19. Everything goes half price Dec. 20 to 24 and then it’s free Dec. 26 to 31. Open during normal library hours, as follows:

Saturday, Dec.15, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 17, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec 18, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

By LYNNE IRONS

I was happy to read Abigail Higgins’s column in the Martha’s Vineyard Times last week. She wrote about the National Animal Identification System. I wrote about it in my September column from information I gleaned from the Hightower Lowdown.

Apparently, the plot has thickened. Several Islanders have received letters from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources informing them that they are already enrolled in the program unless they “opt out” by mail on Dec. 14.

I guess I will call him lonesome George for want of something better. Last year Gus Ben David got a call from someone at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport saying they had a weird partridge-like bird hanging around. Gus identified the bird as a chukar.

While it is always good to endeavor to see the forest through the trees, sometimes you just see the trees in the forest.

And that is okay if you are seeing and appreciating the beauty of the trees in winter. Without all of the trees’ green finery, you are left with sculptures in the woods.

Shapes, textures and bits of color stand out in the winter. Some trees become harder to identify, while other practically shout their identity.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

Dec. 7 32 17 .00

Dec. 8 43 30 .28

Dec. 9 45 29 .00

Dec. 10 40 31 .47

Dec. 11 40 30 Trace

Dec. 12 50 31 .10

Dec. 13 50 31 Trace

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 43º F.

Divisiveness continues to plague attempts by Vineyard officials to reach consensus on a way to fund the Island’s regional high school.

On Monday, the high school assessment committee — a group established in July this year to find an answer to an unpopular, state-imposed school taxation formula — met at the school to address the issue.

Happy holidays to our readers. We are this week’s editors of Sophomores Speak Out, and we have an interesting range of topics for you. We worked on a unit in class about Israeli and Palestinian peace, and you will be able to read the opinions of a few selected sophomores about that situation. We also have pieces written about teenage drama, history, the meaning of history and the crucial budget issue at the high school. We hope you can read over and appreciate the voices of the sophomores of Dr. W’s global history class at the high school. Peace on earth to all.