I know this is supposed to be the quiet time of year, but I still feel like my to-do list before the holidays is fairly long. I have just lost all motivation for getting it done. Seriously. I just want to watch movies, read the Sunday Times and perhaps go for a walk. I am tired of “doing things.” This does not bode well for my productivity, but I must say I am really enjoying the fall here this year. I like watching the landscape get stripped down and then reconfigure itself without its dressing. I know by February I will be tired of the gray, but right now I like the bare branches against the sky and houses that you haven’t seen in a long while peeking through. It helps that there are still glorious patches of color (red always helps one’s mood) and the satisfying crunch of leaves. It is also still warm enough to walk on the beach and I know that some people are still swimming! Not me though — I have too many movies to watch.
The Orange Peel Bakery has lunch available from 11:30 am to 2 pm, Monday through Friday. Juli posts the menu on her Facebook page (I heard something about chicken pot pie this week!) and you can call in an order at 508-645-2025 or just come by.
There are many activities for kids happening at the library. There is always storytime at 3 pm on Thursdays and coffee and tea (for grownups) all day on Saturdays. This Saturday, November 15, everyone at the library will be building a Thankful Tree. You can add your message to a leaf. On November 22, you can make a handprint turkey. And on Saturday November 29, there will be Legos, cartoons, and hot cocoa because we will all be tired of turkey, pie, and our families. There will be holiday crafts in December as well; as we get closer, I’ll let you know the details. All crafts start at 1 pm on Saturday and end at 3 pm.
The West Tisbury Farmer’s Market may be over, but you can still get fresh vegetables without driving all the way to Cronig’s at the Winter Farmer’s Market held every Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm at the Ag Hall.Lunch is also for sale there, so you can shop and eat.
The West Tisbury School 5th grade class is having a Cake Walk at the Chilmark Community Center this Sunday, November 16, 2–4 pm. It is a fundraiser for their Shenandoah trip. In addition to the cake walk, there will be a bake sale, a 50/50 raffle, and a chance to win a Sunset Sail for two on the Shenandoah. Bring a cake and you get a free walk and bring some Advil for the sugar headache you will have afterwards.
In recognition of their 50th anniversary, Vineyard Conservation Society’s 2014-2015 Winter Walks program will take a decade-by-decade approach to highlighting the history of conservation on our Island. They will visit five important and iconic spots conserved with VCS help. The season kicks off here in Aquinnah at the Gay Head Cliffs on Saturday, November 22, where VCS and the Town of Aquinnah won a National Natural Landmark designation in 1965. In January they will visit Katama Farm (today the home of the FARM Institute), which was preserved in the 1970s as a town treasure. The 1980s brought protection at Morning Glory Farm, and in succeeding decades, Allen Sheep Farm and Mermaid Farm. Winter Walks start at 1 pm and are about 1.5 to 2 hours long, followed by cider and cookies. After November’s trip to the Cliffs, walks resume their regular schedule of the second Sunday of the month. You can find out more information on the VCS website at vineyardconservation.org.
Attention: this is a really cool gift for Christmas! The Save the Gay Head Light House Committee, in conjunction with the Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing and the Martha’s Vineyard Poetry Society, has released Legacy of Light: Poems for the Gay Head Lighthouse, a collection of poems submitted by both Vineyard and off-Island writers to celebrate and support the historic Gay Head Lighthouse. The book was edited by Alexander Weinstein, Keith Leonard, and Fan Ogilvie.
Legacy of Light is available in a limited edition hand-printed and hand-bound edition of 50 volumes in addition to a digitally printed soft-cover version. All proceeds from sales of both will go toward funding the lighthouse relocation and restoration effort. The limited edition is available at the Gay Head Gallery and through orders placed on gayheadlight.org. The digital, commercially bound edition is available at Midnight Farm.
Congratulations to Theresa Manning on being elected to represent Aquinnah on the School Committee. Thank you to Roxanne Ackerman, our outgoing representative, who has served us for many years. Congratulations also to Meg and Jay Bodner who won the “Cow Bingo” prize at the Chilmark School fundraiser.