One day several years ago, many of us on the Vineyard recognized a familiar Island landmark in a photograph on the top of page one of the New York Times. It was a wide shot of a traffic jam in Manhattan, an endless line of bumper-to-bumper cars frozen in their lanes. But we could see one taller box of a vehicle, poking up like a thumb from the center of the line. That taller van was clearly marked Barnes. We passed the paper around to friends and acquaintances, with a smile of familiarity. It was like seeing someone we know.
We knew that it was Trip Barnes or his hired help, en route to deliver a household of furniture or art or fish or commercial products to or from the Island. Even if we had never needed a moving van, we recognized Trip and his big trucks. Or we knew him from his many appearances as emcee or auctioneer or dog show judge at the fair. He helped raise a lot of money for Island causes, as well as transporting our household treasures. He was also known as a radical conservative free thinker with a heart of gold. We have lost another of the community’s authentic individuals. And each time we lose someone like Trip, we become a more plain vanilla society.
Maybe because we all went to school at one time, we seem to share the sense that September is a new year — here especially, with the traffic thinning and our sense of hectic hustle abating. But anywhere, there is a natural urge to get back to work, to be serious again, to tackle the to-do list.
The days are shorter, a few minutes less of natural light each day. On some days you can see the mainland. The daytime traffic is all trucks and work vans. The crickets are making more noise in the night.
I am digging in a drawer for a pair of socks, looking for a warm sweater. Should we put a heavier blanket on the bed? We menu-planners are thinking about roasts in the oven, stews in a pot on top. Soon enough we will want to light a fire in the wood stove. But with firewood prices on-Island this season at $758 for a kiln-dried cord, so we have been told, tis better, for now, to look for a bulkier sweater.
Happy birthday Saturday, Sept. 12, to Connie Berry. Geraldine Brooks celebrates her own special day on Monday, Sept. 14. Evan Fielder has the honor on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Congratulations and happy wedding anniversary to Sean Conley and Terry Mello on Saturday, Sept. 13 and to Geoff and Beth Fielder on the same day. It’s their anniversary day Sunday, Sept. 13 for Brendan O’Neill and Lindsey Lee. Rick and Pat Kelley celebrate that special occasion on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Still fresh in our minds are the nightmare pictures from the TV news of the terrorist strike in New York’s World Trade Center 25 years ago today. The impact of the losses do not fade easily. There were 2,753 people who died because of that attack. We on the Island may not have known anyone who died in that assault, but because our lives touch the lives of many New Yorkers who spend time here, we all knew someone who knew someone who did.
This article appears in September 11, 2026.