Hen talk: A guest blog
Libby with Martha and Oreo On Sunday afternoon Don and I went to a friend’s home in Chilmark to play with Millie, their big beautiful curly haired golden and to water their plants. Milly is very fond of Don and her new green squeaky toy. On the way back we saw Susie Middleton (who is about to see her second cookbook published, Fresh and Green Table), her partner Roy, and Roy’s 9-year old daughter, Libby working in their gardens... Read More
Eager learners
It’s pretty amazing the number of things you can learn in an hour on a Saturday morning on the Vineyard. And even more so, the number of people who want to learn these things. I found out that the climate change of 5,000 years ago killed off a lot of things but gave life to lots more – which is what some plant experts believe is happening right now. I found out there are tiny midges pollinating a type of witch hazel that blooms in the... Read More
Dumptique news and thrift shop etiquette
I have a friend who more or less starts to hyperventilate about thrift shops. Her name is Maria Wulf, and she’s an artist who uses old material to create quilts, pillows, and pot holders. Most people, when they get off the boat, ask to see the beaches. Maria asked to see the thrift stores. Since she was spending the weekend with me, it seemed a natural thing to take her to our two thrift shops; and since it was a Saturday, I figured we’d hit... Read More
A sweet and sad season: A guest photo
Fall on the Vineyard is a sweet and sad season for us, because we close our summer home in West Tis and know we won’t return until spring. One chilly dawn in late October, I fumbled for the camera and stumbled out of the house in my pajamas when I saw the light streaming through the fog. The air was crisp and still, redolent with the promise of long walks on quiet, empty beaches and on hiking trails carpeted in orange and brown.Whenever... Read More
Secret places
I drive by signs all the time telling me about secret places on the Vineyard, tiny little plots of land that have been set aside for conservation purposes. I pass most of them headed to more important places where I can walk for longer distances. I’ve gone by this one hundreds of times. But with a carry-out lunch in my car, I parked and walked in and found a water fall and a few benches where I could peer down into this picture of autumn. Read More
Earthly treasures
I’ve always been fascinated by cemeteries. They give you a thousand clues about the world that was, what people value both past and present, the pains and joys they felt. And the graveyards on Martha’s Vineyard, since they date back to the 1700s, are rich material for any researcher. But I value the ones here for another reason. Unlike more commercial cemeteries I’ve seen on the mainland, these are very personal ones, decorated with things... Read More
50 seconds of peace and (some) quiet
In another post today, Nis Kildegaard describes his regular 26-mile bike ride around the Vineyard. As an antidote to all that vigorous exercise, I thought you might like to have an accompanying video that takes you to one of the prettiest ponds on the island, for just a few short minutes of quiet and beauty. So, after you marvel at Nis whizzing around, watch this video, and enjoy this sweet moment of Vineyard life, away from the August craziness. swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.youtube.com/v/XRD7G4cahRY&rel=0&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=0",... Read More
A love poem to Martha’s Vineyard
Oh, who am I, Lord, who am I That I should have the sea and sky; That I should own this bit of land; Be foreordained to understand The lowly language of the earth; In primal tasks to find life’s worth? Ah, bursting is my thankful heart My fate is not the crowded mart, For Thou in kindness destined me To love my meadow by the sea. A poem by Emma Mayhew Whiting, grandmother of Islanders Soo Whiting and Allen Whiting, and published in a book... Read More
Recent Comments