Weatherwise, what’s up? Going from a balmy 60 degrees to waking up Sunday morning to the bone chill of a mere 18 degrees? We’ll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us as leaves continue falling, fall colors are nearly all brown, and there’s no more denying winter is coming.
The week started off with a huge semi-trailer truck jack-knifed at the mouth of Tabor House and Pasture Roads. In other words it meant I was stuck. Of course I got out my car to see what was going on and there was Dan Athearn and the truck driver trying to figure out how to get his back wheels back on the road, get his front wheels out of the soft ground and move this mammoth hay delivery to the off-load point. Dan got back on his tractor with the fork loader, the truck driver got back in his cab, and with a chain attached between the back wheels and tractor, a little ingenuity and a farmer’s can-do attitude, they managed to get the truck back on the road after 20 minutes! So Morning Glory Farm’s cows pasturing on Peaked Hill will not want for hay.
The other day after walking my dogs at Lucy Vincent Beach and returning to the parking lot, I noticed a crackled, wizened Massachusetts license plate reading, LOBSTR. This was not the first time I’d noticed the plate in my nine years living on Island, but it was the first time I witnessed someone emerging from the vehicle. “Hi,” I said, “Can you tell me about the license plate on your car?” I’m sure that many seasoned Islanders probably know 92-year-old John T. Hughes of Vineyard Haven, who was the first manager of the Division of Marine Fisheries lobster hatchery built in 1948 in Oak Bluffs. John’s son, John Gallagher, who had emerged from the car, told me his father purchased his first plate in 1966, when our state began issuing vanity plates. In fact he said his dad has had multiple plates at home all saying LOBSTR. Mystery solved. Thanks John. And if you do not know John Gallagher perhaps you’ve seen him flying when he is kite gliding. If not check out his bird’s-eye view at vimeo.com/108861958.
Congratulations to Bonnie and Bob George who have just returned from welcoming their sixth grandchild into the world. Newest family member Micah Hellinger George is the son of Andrew and Stefanie George of Takoma Park, Maryland, and brother to Nina.
Don’t forget Storytime every Tuesday and Saturday at 10:30 am with Kristin Maloney at The Chilmark Public Library. And if you are looking for a place to come in from the cold, bring your lunch and enjoy it in the library’s meeting room.
The Food Truck is keeping busy parked in front The Home Port in Menemsha from 11 am to 2 pm, and was even there last Saturday! Check the daily menu on Facebook and text your orders to 508-560-5883. If you’re feeling like fish, pick up lunch or dinner at Menemsha Fish Market, soups, sandwiches and so much more. Their menu is online and you can call your order in to 508-645-2282.
The last Pizza Night at The Chilmark Church is Tuesday, November 25, at 6 pm. Thanks to all the folks who make this free dinner possible.
