Town Column : Aquinnah
By Molly Purves
Published: February 5, 2009
I must say I'm disappointed that the Special Town Meeting that was to take place this week has been postponed until April. I was really excited for it, especially coming off the inauguration. I had a vision of 39 (or more) registered voters coming together and high on civic duty dispatching our business post haste with acute insights and compassion and no arguments. Then we would all head over to Julie's and get her to fire up some post-meeting pizza and we would all bask in the glow of finished business. Ah well, I guess we'll have to wait until April 7.
Lisa Vanderhoop and Robin Smith have an art show at the Chilmark branch of Bank of Martha's Vineyard. The show runs for a month and includes Robin's woodcuts, and scenic outdoor photos by Lisa. Some of Lisa's photos are new and some are much older - photos that she brought back from her Dad's house at Christmastime. It should be interesting to see the span of her work. Lisa is also making Valentine's Day cards with her famous Sea Dog pictures.
The first movie potluck night at the library was a roaring success. I know it seems like I'm always writing about the library, but folks, it's Aquinnah, in the winter, and it really is the only game in town right now. The library was pretty packed on Saturday night; the crowd ran the gamut of very young to, well, not so young anymore. People gathered early to share a dynamite dinner and chat and then the movie, Wall-E, started promptly at 6 pm. All the kids gathered down in front snacking on popcorn that Michelle and Jenny kept bringing out from the kitchen. Soon after the movie started, Waylon Sauer pointed at the screen and said, "That's a movie!" I can't tell you how delightful it was to drive less than five minutes to see a movie, and to not have to get a sitter was a bonus as well. It was a good night in Aquinnah.
The clear, cold nights have brought some beautiful night skies. The stars have been shining extra bright. Venus has been visible next to a sliver of a moon making the bitter cold a little more bearable. Of course, now it's warm again and then it's supposed to snow again. It just goes to show you never know what's going to happen with the weather around here. On Saturday morning I drove down-Island and discovered that it had snowed, whereas in Aquinnah it was dry as a bone with nothing on the ground. Well, it keeps things interesting and gives us all something to talk about.
