It is delightfully warm, and time to open the windows, mow the lawn, and touch up the classic white paint on the wooden Adirondack chairs.
Leaves are big enough to offer dappled light and the promise of full shade. The lawn is festooned with glittering buttercups and fairy blankets woven by gossamer spiders.
Azaleas our father planted almost 80 years ago are a patchwork of color along the brook that runs below a hill topped by a forest of rhododendrons planted more than a century ago by George Eustis, in a former driveway.
Students are heading into exams, and signs are out for the soon to graduate from high school seniors. It can be hard to focus on the books this time of year.
Neighbors have neatly walled up where a family driveway exited through a stone wall. The land was subdivided, and a new road built near the property line. No houses yet, but it makes me wonder what the protocol is for meeting new neighbors. When I was young we walked over with plates of cookies to visit the building crew. Once the house was done, we’d leave a note with our names, phone number, and a tin box of Toll House cookies in their streetside mailbox. Many folks don’t have a mailbox on the street.
Hurricane season starts in June, and I’m checking our supplies.
I am happy to note that the Galley in Menemsha is open for lunch between 11 am and 3 pm.
Copies of Chilmarker Patti McCracken’s book, “Angel Maker,” are available at Alley’s, which makes me miss the Menemsha Market. The market served an important role as a place for provisions, the mail, and most important a gathering spot.
The Ruel Gallery is having a special opening on Thursday, June 4, from 4 to 7 pm. It is a collaborative art show, presenting a series of 20 conversational paintings begun by Chilmark preschoolers and completed by Colin Ruel. These unique works will be up for sale, with all proceeds going toward a permanent home for the preschool on the campus of the Chilmark School. The Ruel Gallery is at 31 Basin Road.
Please join the Chilmark Community Church on June 4 at 11 am, when it hosts the Neighborhood Convention. Seán McMahon, our music director, will present “Ministry thru Music.” Bring a sack lunch. Desserts and beverages will be provided.
The Grey Barn and Farm is pleased to announce it is a part of the opening night Grand Tasting at this year’s Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival. On Friday, June 7, their cheesemaker, Rachel, is giving a Cheese Master Class. Tickets for this experience can be booked on the mvfoodandwine.com website. Grey Barn also reminds us to visit on Saturday, June 8, at the Ag Hall, for the opening day of the Farmers Market. Swing by to say hi to Jae, who will be back from college, and taste the scrumptious cheese.
We are so lucky to have North Tabor Farm, Beetlebung Farm, and Native Earth Teaching Farm in our town, and I look forward to visiting their stands.
Wishing you all a good week.
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Claire Ganz, cganz@live.com.
