My Chappy column partner Brad and his family have headed west nearly halfway around the world to spend the winter in the warmer climes of the Philippine Sea. Arlene has island roots of her own. They will be away for about four months so Brad is entrusting me with the honor of keeping our readership enthralled until his return.
For a little over a month the ferryboat On Time III has been hauled out of the water in Vineyard Haven for maintenance and Coast Guard inspection. If the weather cooperates, she will be relaunched by the end of this week and she will make the voyage back to Edgartown over the weekend and return to service on Monday.
Chappaquiddick island is still firmly attached to Martha’s Vineyard. The Trustees Of Reservations staff has determined that Norton Point is sufficiently stable to accommodate vehicle traffic. I have spoken to a few folks who “went by the beach.”
As I write this, it is possible to drive a vehicle between Chappaquiddick island and Martha’s Vineyard island via dry land. By the time that you read this, that may not be true. Mother Nature seems indecisive about that stretch of beach.
The next potluck at the Chappy Community Center is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4. Dorothy and John Dropick will be the hosts, with appetizers beginning at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. All are welcome. Please bring a dish for six.
The next potluck at the Chappy Community Center is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21. Judy Buss and Paul Cardello will be the hosts with appetizers beginning at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. All are welcome. Bring a dish for six.
Beatrix Haven Houghton took her first breath of air at 8:13 p.m. on Sept. 14. Very considerate of her to not keep her parents up all night. She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and measured 19.75 inches long. Her mom Jocelyn Filley and dad Graham Houghton welcome her into a large extended family of many aunts, uncles and cousins. Haven is an ancestral name.
The newest batch of young terns and plovers growing up on Norton Point have managed to assure the cautious staff of The Trustees of Reservations that they are now capable of getting out of the way of our partially-deflated tires. So as of last Monday you could “go by the beach” to town. Of course you will need the requisite over-sand vehicle permits and a tire pressure gauge. The tide was exceptionally high that first day and with the southerly breeze the ocean waves were occasionally washing over the narrow part of the beach.
The Chappy Community Center will host the first lobster roll dinner of the season on Wednesday, July 15. Place your order by noon on Tuesday and pick up between 5 and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The $17 price includes a lobster roll made according to Marion Harding’s original recipe plus a bag of chips and a drink of choice. Eat in or take home. Stop in at Slip Away for veggies to counteract the chips.
The shadbush bloomed suddenly late last week. The foggy days seem to be an essential factor. You get up one morning and realize that there are small clouds of white blossoms hovering in the woods and you are pretty sure that they weren’t there yesterday. If they were, wouldn’t you have noticed them?
