TEN YEARS LATER

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Not being one for sentimentality, here I go for the first time: Two anniversaries are approaching for my husband, Richard and myself. First, moving to the Vineyard full-time 10 years ago, Nov. 5, and second, the sad anniversary of 9/11.

The other day, in Edgartown, I found I had some time to spare — and a parking space. Let me put that another way: I had found a parking space so I took some time. When we see a space, our modus operandi is to take it and go from there. Where we have managed to stash our car is how we will allot our time; can we lug a big bag of books to the Thrift Shop from there? Would there be time to look in on a friend in one of the shops? Parking in a tight spot on Main street (any Main street) with three cars on your heels is triumph enough.

A Dark Turn

From Gazette editions of September, 1935:

In my eighth decade of life, it is astound ing to read and hear day by day that, with the exception of Jon Huntsman, the entire field of self-proclaimed Republican candidates for President in 2012, led by Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann, do not accept evolution as a natural biological mechanism. Neither do they recognize manmade global climate change as real, which is arguably far more important. One has cause to wonder when they will deny the existence of gravity, electromagnetism, the spherical shape of the planet, or the heliocentric structure of the solar system.

With the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy upon us, bringing back to life the incredible suffering it caused and the remarkable service our nation’s police and firefighters provided, I am prompted to share some thoughts. A recent news article about Jim Vercruysse, who’s taking over as chief of the Aquinnah volunteer fire department from Walter Delaney, struck a very deep emotional chord in me. It’s a vivid reminder of firefighters and the sacrifices they are willing to make for our well-being, and a reminder of those my father and grandfather made in particular.

LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The front-page August 30 story about the Edgartown Library describes additional library woes and I want to share my concern. First the slogan, Frankly, We Love our Library, has a negative and apologetic tone. There is enough confusion about the Edgartown Library without promoting a slogan that does not look to the future. The Edgartown Library serves the public well, and there is no reason to be negative and apologetic.