Aquinnah

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All right, we made it through Memorial Day. The Island felt packed and I saw lots of people who came to open their houses for the weekend and then will return in a few weeks.

Dottie and Barry Sullivan were here, Louise Petersiel was here to help her daughter, Jenna, open up the Chilmark Tavern and Paula and David Eisenberg were also here. While Paula was at Zack’s Cliffs with Michael Stutz and his friend Christina, they saw about 20 whales leaping up out of the water for half an hour. Luckily Michael had binoculars and they could all get a closer look. When Paula described it to me, she looked like she still didn’t quite believe what she saw. Michael said that in 50 years here he had never seen anything like it. Buddy Vanderhoop said that the whales were herding sand eels, of which he had seen many, to eat.

The Outermost Inn has welcomed a new chef this year: Scott Cummings, husband of Jennifer Cummings, who has been the chef there for the past couple of years. Owner Hugh Taylor said that Scott has raised the bar for them. They are open Thursday through Sunday for the next few weeks and then around the 4th of July will go to Tuesday through Sunday. Call 508-645-3511 for a reservation.

Please remember that next Saturday, June 9, from 6-10 pm is the benefit for Rick Vanderhoop. It will be held at the Aquinnah Shop, and tickets are $50.

The next blood pressure clinic in Aquinnah will be held on June 14, from 2 to 3 pm in the Aquinnah Town Hall. Free and open to all. If you have questions, call Mary E. McLaughlin, RN at 781-534-2543.

If you haven’t been to 7a yet to try their new ice cream from SoCo Creamery, you have to go now. Yes, right now. I have tried the mint chip (refreshing) and the salted caramel (perhaps one of the best tasting things I have eaten — ever).

The library will spend June gearing up for the summer, and offering some children’s programming. The next speaker in their speaker series will be on Thursday, July 12, from 5 to 6:15 pm at the Old Town Hall. Author, Nicole Galland, will speak about her novel, “I, Iago,” which has been called “Wicked” for Shakespeare or Othello from the villain’s point of view. Nicki is also the co-creator of the immensely popular Shakespeare for the Masses at the Vineyard Playhouse.

Watch out, because of the mild winter, the ticks have been out full force. My husband and I have both been bitten already and gone through one round each of the prophylactic antibiotics. I joked with a co-worker who spent three hours in the emergency room after his girlfriend was bitten by a tick that they should just hand out the doxicyclin when you get off the boat. Which is actually not funny, but it would be helpful.