What a lovely week it has been. Temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Sunny. The days are already longer, even though we don’t set our clocks ahead until this Sunday. Spring ahead. March has certainly come in like a lamb this year.
I went to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum to see Dan Waters’ photographs, his documentation and reflections on the year 2020, how our lives were impacted by the arrival of COVID, the murder of George Floyd and subsequent formation of Black Lives Matter, other losses and changes throughout that year. While many of us reacted by shutting ourselves away in our homes, Dan took the opposite path. His black-and-white images are an artful reminder of how our lives changed seemingly overnight.
Along the upstairs hallway as you are walking toward Dan’s show, make sure to look at the 13 portraits displayed there. Familiar faces to many of us, photographs and paintings, old and new. They are all wonderful.
Don’t forget that our library is closed this week. It will reopen on Saturday, March 8, with two special events beginning the monthlong series by Friends of the Mill Pond. Bow Van Riper will lecture on the history of the “Old Mill and Mill Pond of West Tisbury” at 2 pm. At 4 pm, there will be an opening reception for the exhibition of artwork by various artists, historical and current, representing that site. There will be other events at the library throughout the month of March.
Martha’s Vineyard Democrats’ monthly meeting will be this Saturday morning on Zoom. “Virtual doors” open at 9:15 am for the 9:30 meeting. Guests will be our state representative, Thomas Moakley, USAID federal worker Celia Laskowski, and Jonathan Chatinover representing the SSA Citizens Action group. For information and Zoom link, email DemsMV@gmail.com.
Tom Dresser sent me an invitation to his new Substack, called “Kutter’s Commentary,” written from the perspective of his dog, Kutter. It’s charming and personal, an antidote to the daily news-oriented perspective of the other Substack newsletters I read. I recommend it.
Everyone I met all last week commented on how quiet it was, with so many of the school-age families away on vacation. Vacation weeks always serve as reminders of the way winter used to be. A reminder, too, of the importance of our school years. They were a big part of all of our lives, with great effect. We all have memories of teachers, subjects we studied, classmates, dramas, despair, and dreams.
Apropos of the above, I happened to read an interview in the Ridgefield Press with Miss Ruth Wills, who taught history and Latin at Ridgefield High School when I was a student. She seemed to have been there since the beginning of time. She stood about five feet tall, and everyone was terrified of her. One of my great regrets is not having studied Latin in high school, but there was no way I would submit to her stern countenance for five days a week. She always seemed to be carrying a ruler.
A quote from the 1954 interview impressed me, though, with this comment: “It is very gratifying to know that perhaps in some small way I have been able to help various students to attain and achieve their goal toward a happy, democratic way of life.”
If you have any West Tisbury Town Column suggestions, email Hermine Hull, hermine.hull@gmail.com.
