It has been that hot, then cold, then hot again kind of weather this past week. I almost pulled out shorts to wear one morning. It can feel like sweater weather inside the house, then be too hot the minute I step outside. Layers of clothing come on and off during the day, never knowing what will be needed from one minute to the next.
Halloween is this Saturday. It will be different this year. The Park and Rec’s usual party at the Ag Hall has been cancelled due to COVID. There will be a party at the library, actually a drive-through party in the library’s parking lot between 3 and 5 pm. Decorate your car if you like and come in your costume, wearing your mask, of course. Drive around the parking lot circle to collect your bag of goodies. I am sure the library staff will be dressed up too, and welcoming everyone. All trick-or-treaters are required to stay in your cars. No walkers, please. Trust our library to come up with a way to have a party and make the day feel festive.
The pop-up library will be set up earlier in the day as usual, between 11 am and 2 pm.
The library is looking for amateur and professional photographers to submit work for Through a Lens III, a virtual gallery show planned for December. Please send images electronically by Nov. 15.
Dee Leopold has planned a winter’s worth of reading for the library’s book club. “Read and Zoom by your fire,” is her description. The list is as follows: November: “Age of Innocence;” December: “Pride and Prejudice;” January: an as yet undecided novel by Anthony Trollope; February: “House of Mirth;” March: “Great Expectations.” If you are interested, please email Dee at dleopold@clamsnet.org.
Remember to turn your clocks back before you go to bed Saturday night, then enjoy an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 am on Sunday, Nov. 1.
I have to write about my friend Nancy Furino, who died earlier this month. She was one of the first people I met when I moved to the Island and she came in to look at my gallery. That began a friendship and artistic partnership that lasted for almost 40 years. Nancy became one of the Island’s foremost artists, her work familiar to most who make or collect good art. She could break an area of a painting into swirling brushstrokes of unexpected colors, or lay areas of flat colors next to one another to settle or vibrate in unexpected ways. Much of her work was of Island landscapes, painted en plein air in her early years, more in her studio as she grew older. Watching Nancy gave me a glimpse into my future, and that of our artist friends. How to continue as an artist as we age? She was a member of my art group. She could be a caustic critic, but her critiques often identified just the problem you were trying to resolve. She could be a sweet and generous friend, as well, and she was to all of us. She will be mourned and truly missed.
If you have followed news reports about the progress of early voting, you will be interested to know how things are going here in town. Town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells and her crew have been set up at the Public Safety Building since early October. Tara reports a brisk and steady turnout, about 50 voters during the limited hours each day. There are 2,685 registered voters in West Tisbury. Tara said that she usually gets 85 percent turnout for a presidential election, and she expects this year to exceed that number.
She asked me to include “my deepest thanks to Manny Estrella and the WTFD, Richie and the Highway Department, the Tri-Town Ambulance crew, and my wonderful poll workers. They are making my job so much easier!”
Everyone seems to be on tenterhooks waiting for this election to be over and clearly decided. It feels like it’s been going on forever. Whatever your political bent, it will be a relief to have some resolution.
Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 3.
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
