The fair is over, the Obamas have left, and we have had some rain. Everyone is awash in tomatoes and zucchini or summer squash. White mallows are blooming along the edge of the marsh that was Parsonage or Whiting’s Pond. Peegee and ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas, joe-pye weed, dahlias, and wood asters are all having their turn to star in the garden. Somehow it feels quieter already, time to breathe. I will be grateful to get out of my driveway without a 10-minute wait for traffic to go by.
Mike and I will miss the state policemen who have lived across the street at Station 1 these past two weeks. I will miss the sight of their polished-to-a-fare-thee-well motorcycles, and the sound of them roaring off throughout the day and evening. I have always loved motorcycles — their speed and noise and power and shine. Maybe next year one of them will take me for a ride. At least, I can ask.
The overcast skies and occasional precipitation kept the fair at a pleasant temperature. Not so dusty, either. A perfect fair. Now all that’s left is the picking up.
Of course, Talley and Nanuk will miss Mike coming home smelling delicious, covered in hamburger and hot-dog flavor. They were all over him at the end of his shifts.
I saw Ken Edwards at Cronig’s early last week. He had been visiting his family in Canada, enjoying being well-fed and spoiled, but “had to” get back home in time for the fair. Ken is one of the fireman-chefs who did shifts in the hamburger booth. Good to have him back.
A small group of family and friends gathered to remember Bob Henry, enthusiastic golfer, bridge player, opera aficionado, raconteur, and summer visitor to West Tisbury. Bob fit right in to our group when he began coming to the Vineyard as the new husband of Dorothy Barthelmes, a friend of the Hull family who has been coming here for over 50 years. They stayed at Rosalie Powell’s B & B at first, then settled into the Slocum House as though they had always lived there. Bob met folks here who became bridge and/or golf partners and, ultimately, friends. Some carried the friendship to Dorothy and Bob’s winter home in Bethesda, Md. Bob died this past spring. He is greatly missed.
ACE MV is publishing its fall catalogue as an insert in next week’s Martha’s Vineyard Times. There will be no mailing of printed catalogues this year, so everyone who is interested is asked to save the newspaper insert. This will make their class offerings more widely known. You can still check their website: acemv.org.
Flatbread Pizza will donate a percentage of its sales on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to benefit the West Tisbury Congregational Church. The money will go to outreach for community suppers this January through March. Stop by Flatbread between noon and 9 pm for a good meal and to lend a helping hand. Thanks.
Nicole Galland will be at the West Tisbury library this Saturday, August 29, reading from her new book, “Stepdog.” This is Nicole’s first contemporary novel; all her others have been historical stories of troubadours and court jesters set in medieval times. All wonderful, and I expect “Stepdog” to be, as well. The program begins at 4 pm.
Three short documentaries will be shown at the library on Monday evening, August 31, from 7 to 9 pm. Filmmakers Liz Witham and Ken Wentworth will present “The Secret Life of Conch,” “Goatscaping,” and “The Story of Seeds,” part of their series, Sustainable Vineyard.
Mac pro Paul Levy will be at the library Wednesday morning, Sept. 2, from 10:30 to 12:30. He will discuss and answer questions about “Today’s Technology for Seniors of All Ages.” That’s most of us. Find out about all the options that exist and how to use this fancy equipment.
Then, from 5 to 6 that afternoon, Tom Dunlop will talk about and sign his new book, “Reflections on Martha’s Vineyard,” a collection of essays by William A. Caldwell, Pulitzer Prizewinner and columnist for the Vineyard Gazette.
Several familiar West Tisbury faces are currently on view at Stina Sayre Designs in Vineyard Haven. Artist Elizabeth Whelan is exhibiting “Island Women in Paint,” portraits of Geraldine Brooks, Stephanie Mashek, Karen W. Finley, Greer Thornton, and Tara Kenney. Her other portrait subjects include Julie Robinson, Mikel Hunter, Stina Sayre, Howie Attebery, Nat Benjamin, Ross Gannon, and Eli Dagostino. The show runs through August 28.
The Living Local Harvest Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, this year. Vendors and volunteers are needed. If interested, please sign up by Sept. 15 at livinglocalvineyard@gmail.com.
I cut a big bouquet of peegee hydrangeas from the tree outside our living room windows. It sits on the table where I write, arranged in a gray and white pottery pitcher of modern design. The panicles are huge, warm white turning to a bright chartreuse at the ends where the buds are still unopened. They make a dramatic and fragrant display. When I get up and turn around to look across the room, I will see the bouquet duplicated in the tree outside. It provides a contrast that always amuses me, one I have enjoyed painting over and over again.