One thing about the soon-to-be-here holidays is the free time we look forward to, especially the part between Christmas and the New Year when the world is on pause.

Wayne Coutinho was the first person I ever saw dive headfirst off of the old pier at the Pay Beach. That doesn’t sound like too big of a deal until you realize that the pier was about eight or nine feet above about six or seven feet of water, depending on the tide. And he didn’t just dive; Wayne ran half the length of the pier laughing enthusiastically and leaping with abandon — just like he lived, loving the water above all else.

The irony and incongruity of Oak Bluffs is simply delicious, not just today but over the years. It’s ironic to live in a town where the Polar Bears are black, for example. I’ve made a reasonable effort to discover the name of the person who coined the title of one of the Island’s most newsworthy beach groups via telephone, email and social media to no avail.

In 1641 when the Great Harbor Township founding Martha’s Vineyard was granted by King Charles, Edgartown’s East Chop neighborhood was included and remained part of that town until 1880 when consternation over taxation led to our secession and incorporation as Cottage City.