I thought this time of year was supposed to be quieter; I went to three birthday parties in the span of a day and a half over the weekend. First off was Jenna Petersiel’s on Friday night held at the stone house at the top of Lighthouse Road. Jenna cooked an amazing spread and there was a bonfire and s’mores outside. It was the night of the full moon, which added to the atmosphere.
I found out while I was there that Bertha Vanderhoop Giles, mother of Berta, Carla, and Adriana, was born in that house. Adriana’s daughter Ona was also there, and she had never been in the house and was glad for an opportunity to see a little part of her history. Next on Saturday morning was a party for one of my son’s friends, Ben. Ben’s mother is an amazing hostess, providing lots of homemade healthy food and a huge yard for the kids to run around in. Another mom and I decided that Ben’s mom should start a business of hosting kid’s birthday parties; she’s that good at it.
Finally on Saturday night my husband, Curtis, celebrated his 60th with some close friends and more great food. Our friend Melissa put together a great poster of pictures of Curtis through the years and sometime Aquinnah resident Richard Sandler showed us a beautiful film that he has been working on for twelve years. The film is footage of the landscape of the Island, much of it Up Island, set to a piece by Bach. It is really lovely.
There is a Halloween costume dance at the tribal building on Friday night from 5 to 9 pm. Tickets are $5
Afraid of all the Halloween candy you are about to consume? There will be a restorative yoga workshop with Cathy Garfinkle at the Yoga Barn on Saturday from 3 to 5:30 pm, so you can pre-empt the damage you are about to do. You can register by calling 508-693-1403. The cost is $35.
The Aquinnah Halloween Party is this Sunday at the Old Town Hall from 4 to 6 pm. Come one, come all but please come in costume and if you would like to help out give me a call at 508-645-3251.
On Monday, Aquinnah power couple Nonie Madison and Dan Sauer will speak at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury on the topic From Farm to Market: Meeting the Local Demand. Sponsored by the M.V. Women’s Network, the event will run for 6 to 8 pm. It will be moderated by Ali Berlow, and it includes other local farms and businesses and a representative from Whole Foods. The Women’s Network is asking people to pre-register by Friday at 5 pm. Go to mvwomensnetwork.org for all the details.
On Tuesday at the library there will be a cranberry relish preparation class from 4 to 5 pm. So, come on by and put that bumper crop of cranberries to good use. I went last week to the gourd decorating craft hour and it was a lot of fun.
There seem to be a lot of Scorpios in Aquinnah. Happy Birthday to Curtis Langer, Buddy Vanderhoop, and Kathy Newman (who share the same birthday). John Mayhew is turning 90 this week many former students may remember him from his days at MVRHS where he taught math from 1959-1986. Happy Birthday John!
Check out the scarecrow that the Sauer family made in front of the Chilmark branch of MV Savings Bank and also the one made by the Christy family in front of Cycleworks in Vineyard Haven. They are part of the scarecrow fundraiser/contest sponsored by the Charter School. All the scarecrows will be up until November 1.
Adriana Ignacio just returned from a week-long trip to New Mexico with some old friends including Kristin Maloney and Clarissa Allen. The weather was mild, and she did not need any of the coats or scarves she had packed. They all stayed together in a house and shared the cooking and one night Adrianna took everyone to the dive bar that she and her husband have frequented when they are in the area. It sounded like a grand time.
Halloween is Sunday so watch out for little witches, ghosts and goblins and please stop by the party.
