Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: August 13, 2009
Three perfect summer days - Friday, Saturday, Sunday - with sunny blue skies, warm days for the beach, cool nights for sleeping, then Monday morning, heavy and gray. It's really too busy to pay much attention to the weather. The Come to the Fair sign appeared in front of the Ag Hall. I am already anticipating my first loaded hamburger, as firemen began setting up their booth last weekend. Everybody is planning exhibits, tweaking best recipes, or answering Kathy Lobb's requests for judging in their areas of expertise.
My favorite part of August is that my cousins and many of our dearest friends begin arriving from places near and distant. I love our annual rituals and reconnections, the fact that we all value them as such. There is the lobster dinner, always scheduled on a fire department drill night (Monday) because Mike wouldn't be caught dead in the vicinity of a lobster. Then the regular dinners of steak, chicken, swordfish - in which he is happy to be included.
Michael and Linda Dzuba's wedding anniversary, August 10, is always celebrated on the Vineyard. Tonight is their 40th. Michael plans to ride his bicycle 40 miles today, one mile for each year in honor of his wife. They bought a Leslie Baker painting from Shaw Cramer Gallery as their gift to one another. Dinner will be with us at State Road. Wednesday night they celebrate again, with Annie and Frank Piccione, at Lambert's Cove Inn.
Wednesday evening, Mike and I are having dinner with Dorothy Barthelmes and Bob Henry, our first of many. Dorothy always makes pork tenderloin, potato salad, and eclairs for our first dinner, a delicious tradition. Her son, Rob Stevens, will be with us. Rob is an incredible woodworker and boat builder, full of stories and technical details. There will be many more evenings ahead: lobster rolls or fried clams for Dorothy and me, walks and catching up, bridge and golf with Jim Kaplan and Brooks Robards, days at Long Point.
Dan Hull and Stephanie Haviland arrive with their families around August 20. They have planned a memorial service while here, for their mother, Janice Hull, who died in January. The service will be at the West Tisbury Church at 2 pm, Sunday, August 23. They hope everyone who is here and wishes to attend, will, to remember and honor a great lady.
David and Molly Finkelstein have had a busy two weeks with a houseful of company. David's father, Louis Finkelstein, arrived from Boynton Beach, Fla., with his friend, Rene Link. David's brother, Marty, and Julie Austin, came from Atlanta, Ga. With help from Ellie and Steve Wise and amusement of/by the grandchildren, everyone kept busy and had a great time. Julie, a musician, performed two concerts for children at the Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven libraries.
There is a changing cast manning Glenn and Linda Hearn's stand at the Farmer's Market. Paul, Laura, and Morgan Caruso started the summer. Tim and Susan Collins, Emily, Jessica, and Shaun followed. This past Saturday, Mark and Renee Hearn arrived with Devon and Blake. Linda picked them up at the boat and delivered them right to the market. Blake is famous for his artistically decorated bags to hold his grandparents' produce, so I look forward to this Wednesday's and Saturday's markets to admire the drawings along with the potatoes and beans.
During a brief hiatus from visitors, Glenn and Linda hosted a thank-you party for library and book sale volunteers last Wednesday evening. We all hoped it wouldn't rain and the weather obliged, allowing the party to spill out onto the deck and the lawn. The J.C. Trio, who perform at the library the third Friday of every month, volunteered to play at the party, which added greatly to the ambience. It was a lovely evening.
A belated happy birthday to Ezra Agnew. He and Kelly DeBettencourt celebrated with a special evening out on August 6.
Cousins Emma and Blakey Bessire arrived to stay with their grandparents, Henry and Louise, while the girls attend camp at The Farm Institute. Their parents and siblings will join them by week's end.
The four Murphy siblings have arrived for their August visit. Ted and Anne, Steve and Carolyn, Sarah and Greg, and David have filled the Music Street and Chilmark houses with their families and activities. By coincidence, Anne heard the name Ellen Bork announced in the Cape Air terminal and realized it was a high school friend. Ellen, staying with a college friend in Aquinnah, and Anne enjoyed getting reacquainted during their time here.
Megan Kenney is here from Los Angeles visiting her parents, John and Corinne Kenney, on Obed Daggett Road. Megan is an artist like her mother. Her paintings are mostly of dogs, colorful and evocative. They hope for time to paint together during the visit.
The sounds of summer are as dearly held as the fragrance and colors of newly-mown hayfields. Baseball behind the firehouse, the Bradshaws' sheep baaing through the woods, and revved-up motorcycles polished to a fare-thee-well and heading for Aquinnah last weekend. Summer on Edgartown Road.
