Town Column : Chilmark

Hope, Chris, Finnegan, and Linden MacLeod are back from their ten-day visit with family in Centerville, New Brunswick. Not only did they have a wonderful time seeing friends and family but, according to Chris, they "ate their weight in potatoes." Chris's brother, Todd, his wife, Denise, and their daughters, Hannah and Grace, came for a visit this past weekend from their home in St. Alberts, Alberta. Two-year-old Finn and I had a lovely conversation at Squid Row the other day as he enjoyed a very drippy orange popsicle that gave him the occasional case of brain freeze.

On Sunday, August 23, at 9 am, the Rev. Kwame Osei Reed will be guest preacher at the Chilmark Community Church. He has bachelor's and law degrees from Howard University and graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1979. He is the executive officer for U.C.C. congregations in the D.C. Area. Don't forget to enjoy your Tuesday night lobster rolls. They are available from 4:30 to 7 pm at the church with a drink and chips for only $12. Add a cookie for dessert for an extra dollar.

Brooks and I bumped in to Eleanor Neubert a few days ago and she reminded me that Cushing Amusements will, once again, be offering pay-one-price ($20) wrist bands for the rides at the fair tomorrow from 6 to 10 pm. As we all know, our kids can blow through ride tickets like there's no tomorrow, so this is a fantastic opportunity to ride and ride. And, yes, the first day of the fair is really today.

Speaking tonight at 8 pm at the community center will be Daja Meston, a former Buddhist monk, Tibetan rights activist, and author of "Comes the Peace: My Journey to Forgiveness." Born to a pair of wandering American hippies, left in the care of a Tibetan family, and sent to Buddhist monastery at six years old, Meston will share his extraordinary story about discovering his family and learning forgiveness. For information, call 508-645-9484.

New York University professor Carol Gilligan will discuss her new book "The Deepening Darkness: Patriarchy, Resistance and Democracy's Future," on Wednesday, August 26, 5:30 pm, at the library. Call 508-645-3360 for details.

Shoshana, Jonah, and Miriam Freed Boardman (grandchildren of Norman and Diana Freed) once again used their eagle eyes to make stunning discoveries from Dutcher Dock. They found two "pregnant" male pipefish and watched as they delivered their live young in the container they were being held in. The pipefish adults were about 5 to 6 inches long. The babies were about half an inch, and looked like "fishing line with eyes." Also caught was a quarter inch northern puffer fish, which Deborah researched and identified. It inflated its sac upon being caught and spent the first 15 minutes swimming upside down. Its range is Florida to Canada, and when small and excited can swim upside down when inflated. It was, of course, very excited - as was the Boardman gang.

Back from 18 months at Le Monde Interactif in Paris, Geoff McGhee visited his father, Steve, and step-mother, Susan. The day is quickly approaching that the McGhees will be welcoming a daughter-in-law to the family, as Geoff's wedding will take place in Seattle on Labor Day. I hope the day is smooth and goes off without a hitch.

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