Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: October 9, 2008
The weather is definitely turning cooler. I have put the flannel sheets on our bed and we had our first fires in our woodstove this past week. There is definitely more color in the landscape. Make sure you look at the Mill Pond and Parsonage Pond as you drive by; both are beautiful, especially late afternoon around five and six o'clock.
If you noticed a lot of activity around Town Hall last Monday night, the fire department had a special drill. They filled the building with smoke, then conducted a rescue drill and practice with Scott air packs.
Jonah and Eli Saulnier were the hosts at breakfast last Sunday morning with their grandmother, Fran Saulnier. Fran has moved to West Tisbury following her retirement from the U.S. Customs Service. She is looking forward to settling in with Mike, Kerry, and the boys, and their new golden retriever puppy, Obi.
Nineteen works on paper, representing a 15-year span, will be exhibited by Marsha Winsryg at the Chilmark Library through the month of October. The images in pastel and egg tempera include landscapes and portraits done on Martha's Vineyard, in Africa, and in Italy. Marsha's work is colorful, evocative, and very much her own vision of the world. She will be at her opening reception this Saturday afternoon, Oct. 11, from 3 to 5 pm.
At our West Tisbury Library, Max Decker is the artist of the month, displaying oil paintings he has done of Vineyard landscapes. They convey not only a mood and appreciation of the landscape, but a confident use of his medium. Paint is thick or scraped thin, the color remarkably rich and varied, as Max told me he only uses about ten colors on his palette. We are lucky to have art so accessible in these two up-Island libraries. I hope you will have time to visit both.
Alley's General Store celebrates 150 years in business with a party this Sunday. From 4 pm on, join in on the festivities of food and good company.
Also this weekend, don't forget the "Artists for Obama" fundraiser at the Dragonfly Gallery in Oak Bluffs. The show is open Sunday, Oct. 12, from 3 to 7 pm and Monday, Oct. 13, from 2 to 6. So far, over 45 artists have donated work to help raise money for the Obama/Biden campaign. We hope to see you there.
A friend emailed this morning to tell me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was discovered during her annual mammogram. She asked me to remind all women how important it is to remember to have their mammograms. I will add to this recommendation another for the gentlemen: don't forget to have your PSA checked annually. Even if the number is low, a yearly check will show if there is any unusual change. I know several men who have had prostate cancer diagnosed because their PSA went up sharply in a year, even though the number was still low. As things are slowing down somewhat from the summer's craziness, this is a good time to schedule your annual physical and regular tests.
Photographer Ose Mannheim has been here at her home on the Edgartown Road. She will be joined Columbus Day weekend by her husband, Frank, and their young grandson, Liam Schwab. Highlighting the planned activities will be a tour of geological features across Martha's Vineyard.
Nelia and Chris Decker had guests for the weekend. All were perusing the goods for sale at Saturday's Farmers' Market. The market seemed particularly active for a weekend in October, so I'm guessing there were lots of visitors here with the locals. We are all stocking up on bread for the freezer and jam for our toast, wool for knitting projects, maybe last tomatoes for canning or freezing. I was surprised how much produce there still was, and some beautiful bouquets, despite the chilly nights.
Happy birthday and all good wishes to Penn Kimball, who will celebrate his birthday on October 15. Penn and Julie's daughter, Laura, has just left for three months in China. Laura will be working in an orphanage there.
The Polly Hill Arboretum is having a sale this weekend. Books in the visitors' center and all plants will be on sale. Hours are 9:30 am to 4 pm. The visitors' center closes after Columbus Day, but the grounds remain open year-round, sunrise to sunset. It's always a beautiful place to take a walk, and it's nice to learn something while you are walking. I was asking Nancy Weaver about what plants were in the sale, as I'm still (and probably always will be) working on my shrub border, and I realized how many plants I learned about from my walks around the Arboretum with Jean Wexler. It seems so long ago, especially when I look out our windows and see huge rhododendrons, laurels, and azaleas I planted from seedlings 25 years ago.
