As I write this, it’s a gorgeous Sunday morning. The sun is shining, there is only a gentle breeze blowing, and there are robins hopping about on the lawn. We have a batch of beloveds from off-Island who have come to visit, including a little family from Montreal who are staying in a tent in the orchard for a few days and three families who have all pitched in together to rent a big house just a mile or so up the road from us for the next week. The week ahead promises many big meals, lots of laughter, some good singing and guitar playing, right along with hours at the beach, on the water, or on the trails. You’ve gotta love summer.
Thursday evenings are saved for an hour or so toe-tapping to the silky voice and great sounds as Missus Biskus performs for free under the pergola and families and friends enjoy their delicious take-out from Cliffhangers. It’s a great community event that costs little and fills the heart as you eat and listen and look out at Nomans and the Atlantic beyond. I thank Paul and Theresa Manning and their crew, and all the musicians, for making this possible.
Sunday mornings, the Outermost Inn has an informal breakfast on offer. From 9 to 11 am, you can get good coffee, a breakfast sandwich, or choose from an array of delicious pastries. Seating is out of doors and relaxed. It’s a great way to start the day.
Last week I attended the Aquinnah select board meeting. I was there to present a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding between Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury regarding the Up-Island Council on Aging. (I serve on their advisory board.). It’s always a bit sweaty to do something like this, but our board is made up of kindly and respectful people and they made me feel welcome.
The meeting had a crowded agenda, and listening to the various topics at hand was fascinating. The presentation of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s new Economic and Municipal Finance Data Report promised to be boring, but instead was an eye opener. Our little town appeared at the top of many of the lists of all the Island towns presented in the report, showing our comparatively high per-capita tax rate. This reflects the challenge of having limited taxable land. It costs money to run a town, even one as small as ours, and we rely on many regional services that also cost money. So we have a challenge. But we manage. Town management does what it can. People volunteer. People compromise. We do so because we live in one of the most beautiful spots on this earth, and we are honored to be in Wampanoag territory. That said, I’m glad I saw the data and urge you to take a look.
The Aquinnah library book club has selected R. F. Kuang’s novel “Yellowface” for reading this month. It’s an eminently readable book that grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, told with dark humor by a writer who knows how to tell a tale. Go to a bookstore or to the library and grab a copy. I’ll let you know in advance when the book club meets to discuss it.
Birthdays this week are to be celebrated for David Vanderhoop on August 7, and for Evan Hall on the 8th. You can give a shout-out to my San Francisco daughter Laurie who turns an astonishing 50 on the 6th.
