Message in a Bylaw

Despite its two-time defeat on the town meeting floor, the pioneering Aquinnah energy bylaw remains ready for revival. Voters have sent a clear message to the town selectmen, planning board and other leaders and the message is this: the bylaw needs refining, with more open, public participation.

No Walk in the Park

The town of Oak Bluffs had concerns about the aggressive expansion of the popular Boston Pops outdoor concert first staged in Ocean Park last summer, and most of them have proven to be on the mark. National operator Festival Network, which ran an ambitious, exciting event here in 2007, instead of letting it grow organically, pushed too far this year in trying to exploit its initial success. The risk is that a mutually beneficial event with so much potential will be soured for the future.

Down a Country Lane

Happily, around the Island, there are still many dirt roads. These unpaved roads usually meander and tend to pass through pine and scrub oak woods. Sometimes, of course — particularly if they are not well traveled — poison ivy grows on the middle crown and explorers on foot must watch out for it. But walking down a dirt road through the woods, hearing the birds sing, the pines sough, the oaks creak and finding wildflowers and berries to pick is well worth the hazard.

Cracked Teacups, Shattered Goodwill

Before reopening yesterday, the Martha’s Vineyard Boys’ and Girls’ Club Second Hand Store had a lengthy time-out — which is what boys and girls get when they have behaved badly. When parents enforce a time-out, it is to give a child time to get control of himself, and to let the shame of what they have done sink in.

Vineyard Purple

Joe-Pye Weed is blooming around the swamps and streams and in the moist woodlands of the Vineyard, a certain sign of late summer. An Eastern North American native, there are three varieties: coastal plain, spotted and hollow. Of course the coastal plain variety is found most commonly on the Island.

Always Prepared

For many Island residents, the Coast Guard is a comfortable, innocuous presence. Coast Guard vessels and boats, usually painted a cheerful white, red and blue, are commonly seen in Vineyard waters. The service’s lighthouses provide guidance for mariners at night, and thousands of photo opportunities for tourists during the day.

In large part, though, the Coast Guard tends to be taken for granted. When out of sight, they are out of mind.