Daffodils are everywhere, blooming along roadsides and in gardens all across town. The Cooks’ lawn on Music Street is a carpet of blue chionodoxa. The star magnolia on the Olsens’ front lawn, several cornus mas, and the first forsythia make driving along State Road a visual treat. Then there are the alluring gardens and displays at the three garden centers.
Everybody seems to be raking and planting, so relieved to feel warm sunshine and see new growth. I will admit to having put on shorts already, but then that cool wind comes up, and I’m running upstairs for long pants and socks and a polar fleece jacket. We haven’t needed to start a fire these last nights.
The opening into the Great Pond is still maintaining. It’s nice to see folks out in boats, many oystering. Nice enough to be walking along the beach.
Marjory Potts spent last week in Washington, D.C., visiting her son Oliver and his family. She said the cherry trees are more spectacular than one can imagine from seeing them in the news. They are small, but thickly branched and flowered. Marjory and her grandchildren looked up, barely able to see the sky through the trees.
Linda Vadasz had a beautiful day for her birthday last week. The day was warm and sunny. Friends Elaine and Bill Farran were visiting from New York. Bill is an artist, who spoke at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center about his series of woodcuts, “Wooden Synagogues of Poland.” After Bill’s presentation, Linda was taken out to dinner with Gaston, the Farrans, Dan and Nancy Cabot, and Nicole and Ben Cabot and their daughters, Violet and Reed. Wishing you many happy returns, dear Linda.
Don’t forget that the continuation of our annual town meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, April 28, 7 pm, at the West Tisbury School. We need a quorum to act on the remaining seven articles.
The town voted to dedicate the foyer of our library in honor of Pat Gregory, beloved West Tisbury teacher and moderator of years of town meetings. The dedication ceremony will be Sunday afternoon, May 3, at 3 o’clock.
Charles Terry, bass and guitar player and composer, will perform at the West Tisbury library this Friday, April 24, at 7 pm. “An able sideman, ready to drop everything and hit the road,” Mr. Terry has performed with Stan Strickland, the Steve Fox Quintet, Joe Keenan’s Touring Circus, the Offshore Cycle Band, and others.
Tim Boland, executive director at the Polly Hill Arboretum, will celebrate Arbor Day with a lecture at the West Tisbury library, “Trees Are the Answer! Cultivating Trees on Martha’s Vineyard.” He will talk about organic landscape practices, adaptable native plants, deer-resistant plants, and landscaping using environmentally informed landscape practices. He was responsible for much of the landscaping outside the library. The lecture is this Saturday, April 25, at 2:30 pm.
Susie Bowman and Fred Hotchkiss will speak at the library on Tuesday, April 28, 5 to 6 pm. Their program, “Horseshoe Crabs: A Story of Beach Trysts and Blue Bloods,” tells the lives and history of the horseshoe crab, illustrated with slides, and discusses opportunities for involvement in the Horseshoe Crab Citizens Science Survey Project. Ms. Bowman was a teacher and naturalist at the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Mr. Hotchkiss is founding director of the Marine and Paleobiological Research Institute, whose mission is to inspire young people to pursue study of marine science and fossils.
Daniel Mayhew will facilitate an adult console game night at the library on Thursday, April 30, at 6 pm. He will have a wide variety of software titles, and hopes to broaden interest in the creative, as well as the competitive side, of video games.
Former West Tisbury poet laureate Fan Ogilvie and other Island poets laureate organized a workshop with students of the Charter School, Chilmark School, and the Regional High School to study the history of the Gay Head Lighthouse. Participants wrote poems and illustrated them. Their work was made into a book by the Tisbury Printer and presented at an authors’ party, where the young poets read their work. Each student was given a copy. Now you can buy one for yourself; copies are on sale at Bunch of Grapes. All proceeds will go to supporting the lighthouse’s upcoming move.
It has been a sad week for artists, as West Tisbury lost two very good ones.
Nick Thayer was an amazing and inspiring printmaker. He worked at Featherstone, where for many years he made monotypes every Thursday morning with Rob Hauck, Wendy Weldon, and Leslie Baker. Rob told me that they met this past Thursday and, though dispirited, they vowed to continue on. Sincere condolences to Nina and their family, and Nick’s many admirers.
Eleanor Rodegast was one of the early members of my art/crit group. She was a wonderful painter who was modest about her talents. She could paint the figure like no one else. And she had a good sense of humor besides, always good company when we got together to paint from a model or for our monthly critiques and dinners. We have all missed her since she moved off-Island, and note her passing. Condolences to her family and friends.