To say it has been hot would be an understatement. Plus, there was a lot of humidity. I am glad we are here because in a city, when you add tall buildings with no air circulation, I could not imagine the heat. Thank goodness for our sea breezes.
Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Ana de Paulo and Liam Hickey, who celebrated August 9; Isabella Pachico, August 10; Cameron Lavigne, August 11; and to Izabella da Silva and Judson Schaeffer, who celebrated August 13.
A very special birthday wish goes out to Jerry Wyner, who celebrated his 101st birthday on August 8. Hope your day was a special one.
Helen and Dennis Gibson had a special guest. Their great granddaughter Clara, who is 12 years old, flew all by herself from Munster, Germany. Her grandmother, Helen and Dennys’s daughter Pamela, brought her down to the Vineyard for a visit. Clara is happy to be here, and she is fluent in both German and English. What a special time having all those generations together; great memories for all.
My boss Patty and I were talking to a young Island landscaper and we started talking about the fair. Patty was a horse person from Sweetened Water Farm, and I was at the farm at Featherstone, so we were telling him how we had to wash the horses the night before and then get up on the show morning and walk from our respective farms to the old fair grounds. Sandy Grant was almost the only one who trailered horses then, and only a couple of farms had trailers. It took us two hours or more to walk to the show, then we rode all day, and then rode back to the farms after the show was over. With three or four farms all leaving together, the West Tisbury police always met us at Mill Pond to guide us all across the street safely. It was an exhausting day, but we had fun and we made so many friends and lots of great memories so we could share the story with the younger generation.
Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.
This article appears in August 14, 2026.