The summer season closed, and what a relief it was when the rain started soaking the dry, powdery soil, filling trickling streams and cracked vernal pools. The temperature fell, and we cooked and called friends, and curled up with good books. After a few days, worry about mildew, leaks, and soggy branches falling seeped in — all was well at home, and the rain stopped.
It’s Derby time.The excitement in Menemsha is palpable, and the Menemsha Texaco is home base. Thank you to Katie and Marshall Carroll for not just offering fuel for bodies, vessels, and vehicles, but that special nectar that comes when someone really cares while listening to the teller of tales about fish and the weather and sports and work and school and family and life and death. About movies and books and TV shows to stream. About births and birthdays. About songs and paintings. About promotions, publications, and graduations. About stumbles, worries, and loss. Thank you for seeing and tending to the light within.
We are cleaning out closets, gleaning the garden, pulling out sweaters, and delighting in the gorgeous track of sunlight that sparkles on leaves and water, and grappling with the sweetness and sorrow brought when facing the impermanence of lifetimes and seasons. Heeding the call to cultivate and cherish moments of stillness and presence.
It is a perfect season for visiting the magical trails of Island Folk Pottery. Artists Bill O’Callaghan and Heather Goff created a quarter-mile meandering trail populated by their whimsical sculptures. It is a place that suspends the day-to-day list of chores, transporting me into the present and my imagination. It is a great destination for all ages. Open daily from 9 am to dusk, free of charge. Their pottery gift shop is open Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm, and on Sundays, 2 to 5 pm, or by appointment.
We love to follow this with a walk on Lucy Vincent or a visit to the Menemsha Galley. The Galley’s hours are 11 am to 3 pm.
Another treat is ending the day meeting friends at the Outermost Inn and finding empty seats by the fire pit.
The Chilmark Tavern’s last night is Sept. 28. And Oct. 1, at 6 pm, Pizza Night returns to the Chilmark Church. I look forward to these gatherings where we meet one another where we are in the moment with patience and tenderness, while honing our conversational skills and sense of humor. The lively games of bananagrams are a favorite. All are welcome.
Have a good week.
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Claire Ganz, cganz@live.com.
