West Tisbury

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West Tisbury sparkled in the after-rain sunshine for a perfect Memorial Day weekend. The cemetery was freshly mowed. Graves were decorated with flowers, and flags were placed with precision by Brian Athearn and his sons, honoring our town’s veterans.

Symbolically, perhaps, the first orange poppy opened in our garden on Sunday morning. I noticed one amidst the daisies and blue lupine in the Humphreys field I wrote about last week.

Saturday afternoon a group of us met at the boat launch at the Lagoon to cheer the arrival of Kurt Freund and his new fishing boat. We set vehicles back-to-back to make a seagull-proof tailgate picnic. Blue balloons and a giant helium-filled shark festooned Blue Cullen’s Jeep. Horns sounded and cheers arose as Kurt appeared from under the drawbridge.

The boat is a Jones Brothers 26 Cape Fisherman with a 300 hp Yamaha outboard — pale blue, with Kurt’s Fishsticks Charters logo on the side. It was built in Morehead City, N.C. Kurt and his best friend, Craig Przysiecki, picked it up Saturday morning at Monahan’s Marine in Weymouth for the triumphant entry into Vineyard waters, stopping for a little fishing along the way. A big bluefish lay on the deck, to be filleted for supper.

I got a ride around the Lagoon with Clark, Teagan, and Hadley Myers. The boat felt great — solid and smelling salty new. Teagan went home with the shark balloon. We all feared that Hadley would sail upward with all the big balloons Blue tied off for her, but her mom, Lyndsay, held them and Hadley tight and into the car. A wonderful afternoon.

I saw Hasty Runner last week, beaming as she told me the story of her new cat, Binx, who had been at the shelter in Edgartown for some while. Some would say she was waiting for the right owner to arrive. Although Hasty said she wasn’t looking for a cat, she did go to the shelter, kept going back to visit the enchanting Binx, finally bringing her home to Runner Road. A happy ending, as Hasty swears Binx is the most perfect cat ever. I’m happy for both of them.

Mike and I had a reunion dinner Sunday evening with Mari Harman, from whom we adopted our darling Nanuk. Nanuk was thrilled to see Mari, kissing her, and sitting neatly by her feet as Mari commanded. She enjoyed the attention and the pieces of swordfish Mari fed after dinner to her and Talley. We feel we have been lucky to adopt Mari when we got Nanuk, enjoying her friendship. But we told her she can’t have Nanuk back.

Congratulations to Stephen Hammond, who graduated from Benjamin Franklin School of Technology in Boston. His parents, Rich and Suzanne, attended the ceremony. Stephen made the Dean’s List and has begun his apprenticeship as an electrical technician.

Tessa Wall graduated from UMass Amherst and has moved to Boston to begin a Fellowship to Merrimack College for her Masters in Education. Diane and Howard, and big sister Hilary, drove out to Amherst for the graduation. Congratulations, Tessa.

It’s been a busy May for the Walls, who also hosted family parties for Diane’s parents’ 65th wedding anniversary on May 17, Ben’s birthday on May 4, and Mother’s Day for Florence. Friends of Ben and Florence’s came from Connecticut to wish them well.

Happy birthday wishes to Angela Anderson on May 28 and Alan Brigish on May 29.

Two West Tisbury dancers are in the cast of “Annie,” the Martha’s Vineyard School of Ballet performance Sunday, June 3, 4 pm, at the MVRHS Performing Arts Center. They are Charlotte Sebastian and Amelia Kyburg-Abbott. Tickets are $10 at the door.

There will be a reception for photographer Alida O’Loughlin on Friday afternoon, June 1, 4 pm, as she opens her month-long exhibition at the West Tisbury Library.

The Monday Night Movie will be The Sixth Sense, 7 pm, at the library.

Our new Poet Laureate, Justen Ahren, will read with visiting poet, Rebecca Morgan Frank, at the library on Tuesday, June 5, at 5 pm.

I was up at Alley’s Sunday afternoon and ran into Cynthia Riggs and Lynn Christoffers, sun-tanned and smiling, just off the beach at Quansoo. Hard to remember with all the things to do this time of year that we live surrounded by beaches that are welcoming, relaxing, repairing of soul and spirit. Maybe in September.