By LYNNE IRONS

I use a typewriter to write this column. I really like the sound and feel of the old-fashioned typewriter. People make fun of me endlessly but that has never stopped me in any other of my pursuits. Granted I use gallons of white correction fluid and the reliable Webster’s for spell-check.

About three weeks ago I received an e-mail inquiry from a Maine naturalist named Norm Famous, whom I met through a mutual friend when I was birding this last Spring up in Lubec, Me., just this side of the New Brunswick border.

Don’t spare the rod.

While I am not an advocate of corporal punishment, I am an admirer of the plentiful goldenrod blooming all over the Island.

Goldenrod has gotten a pretty bad rap from those who think that they are allergic to it, and from advertisers who try to convince us that we are all allergic to it; but in reality goldenrod deserves credit and not blame. It is in fact windborne ragweed that is responsible for most allergies and not insect-pollinated goldenrod.

Friday, Sept. 28: Rain in the morning. Warm damp tropical air. Dark clouds break in the early afternoon. Skies clear at 4 o’clock. Edgartown harbor is serene. Fishing boats are adrift near Memorial Wharf. Sailboat heads out of the harbor. Starry skies at night.

Plante — LeBlanc

Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Plante of West Tisbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristen Plante, to Brandon LeBlanc, son of Mr. and Mrs. Armond LeBlanc of Nantucket. A 2009 summer wedding is planned.

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

Already this fall one Island angler has won a brand-new pickup truck for a huge striped bass he caught and the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby isn’t over yet.

That’s because he caught it in a different contest.

Morgan Taylor, 24, of Edgartown last week won the Angler of the Year Award in the annual Striper Cup, sponsored and run by the monthly publication On the Water. Mr. Taylor won the award for a 52-pound striped bass he caught from the shore way back in June.

JUNE MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

Frank E. Andrade Jr. and his youngest brother Edward F. were the guests of Sylvia Thomas while on a Vineyard tour. It was the first time Frank had been home in more than 50 years. We reminisced about my Manning family members who were once neighbors of his in Edgartown. What a treasure to be able to spend some time talking with all three.

Christopher Arrives

Christine and Paul Cardoza of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Christopher Paul Cardoza, born on Sept. 20 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Christopher weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.

Welcome Wyatt

Greer and Christian Thornton of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Wyatt Alexander Thornton, born on Sept. 19 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Wyatt weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.

MARGARET KNIGHT

508-627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

These beautiful days of early fall begin to cool off sooner in the afternoon, with the sun setting noticeably earlier. The last flowers of the season are in bloom: the hardy seaside goldenrod, the purple and white asters in the fields and along the roads, and the groundsel, covered with their clouds of white fluff, at the edge of the marshes. The bounty of edible wild fruits is coming to an end, with only the Russian olive berries left to ripen.