Linda Thompson

The Bank of Martha’s Vineyard at Beetlebung Corner in Chilmark will host a free opening reception today, Friday, August 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. for an exhibit of Vineyard landscapes by Chilmark artist Linda Thompson.

The oil paintings depict a range of Island views, from the stillness of a sunset on the rocky North Shore to the colorful clusters of mailboxes along Island roads.

The exhibit will be open during regular bank hours through August 21. All are welcome. For details, call 508-645-9095.

The Vineyard Haven Library Evening Lecture Series continues its summer author program on Tuesday, August 19, at 7 p.m. with Vineyard artist Edward (Ted) Hewett speaking about cartooning. He will discuss work from his new book, Extreme Birding, a collection of cartoons published in June by Westmeadow Press of Martha’s Vineyard.

Linsey Lee emerged from what was once the Vineyard’s first African American church last week peeling a respirator from her face. By her count, she had spent more than 150 hours in the Bradley Memorial Church in Oak Bluffs, and the mask stood as a shield between her and decades of dust.

Susan Wilson is a runner. She runs everywhere she goes — Egypt, France, Viet Nam, England, her home in Princeton, N.J. and Chilmark. They’re all good places to accelerate her body past a walk. In fact, at 78, she was the fastest female in her age category in Chilmark Road Race last Saturday. She has won that honor 11 times, in her 60s and her 70s.

By LYNNE IRONS

I was saddened this past week by the death of my Uncle Dan Boyle. I mentioned him in my Memorial Day column as having been wounded on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima for which he received the Purple Heart. He was a quiet man — patient and amused by life. I recall his driving a motor boat on the East Branch Dam of the Kinzua River. He hauled us children around water skiing hours on end. Thanks, Dan!

Island Resident Participates

In UNICEF Fundraiser

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF recently presented the Children’s Champion Award to Red Sox star David Ortiz at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston.

Vineyard resident Nancy Thomas Caraboolad and her husband Geoffrey Caraboolad served on the event committee and were generous sponsors of this year’s event.

Laura Campbell of Rainbow Farm asked with concern about her barn swallows. For years they have had numerous pairs of barn swallows nesting in their big barn haymow. In recent years Laura said the population has dwindled — why? I checked with a few folks and found that several things might be involved.

First, house sparrows have competed for barn swallow nesting sites and won. An increase in house sparrows in the barn might be part of the problem.

Just because it can be pink and frilly, don’t assume that this animal is female.

Instead, you might want to inquire what the moon jellyfish, which can have hues of pink, purple, orange, or red, had for dinner. It seems that the light shade of color that these gelatinous bodies take on is a result of their meal choice. Carnivorous moon jellyfish that eat certain types of crustaceans show more orange, while those that prefer shrimp tend to have shades of pink or lavender.

Island artists Jenifer Strachan and Steve Lohman will open the doors to their West Tisbury studios Tuesday August 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. This couple’s artwork, created from the unusual mediums of wire and broken shards, has become instantly recognizable and much loved by residents and visitors alike.

Steve Lohman has been a local fixture in the Vineyard art scene for over 25 years. He is internationally known for his lyrical steel and wire sculptures and whimsical carved wooden furniture; with recent projects in Barcelona, New York and California.

“Newfoundland is a beautiful, dangerous place,” laughs Great Big Sea’s Sean McMann, about the locale that forged his band’s sound. Part shanty reel, part chiming pop, part sweeping folk, ten albums in, the little band from the island that was a shipping and fishing outpost between Mother England and Canada has let its isolation protect their individuality.