Nature & Science
Rob Bierregaard began researching osprey on Martha’s Vineyard in 1969. Since then, he has been investigating the habits and migrations of these birds on Martha’s Vineyard and beyond. His work and knowledge about ospreys is immense and he will share his passion at a free lecture at the Howes House in West Tisbury on Friday, July 30, at 7 p.m.
Greater shearwaters are a pelagic species of bird. They spend a very small percentage of their life on land. The short time they are on terra firma is to nest and they do not do so anywhere near Martha’s Vineyard. Greater shearwaters choose to rear their young in colonies on islands in the South Atlantic many miles offshore and well south of the Vineyard.
The mythological Medusa was feared and reviled for her looks. The snakes that emerged from her head made her more than just odd and ugly. They, along with her visage, turned even the strongest warrior into a rock statue.
Friday, July 16: Sunny. More than a dozen large sailboats race to the west side of East Chop in midmorning. Mostly blue skies. A couple seated on beach towels at Owen Park pass the sunscreen. Muggy in town. Breezy afternoon on the water. A sailor’s festival under a tent takes over Owen Park in late afternoon. Steel drum music coincides with a colorful sunset.
Food is for your stomach, and flowers are for your soul. That’s what Victoria Riger tells people when they ask why she sells flowers rather than produce. Ms. Riger, Krishana Collins, and Ken DeBettencourt are all farmers. You won’t see their names among the big farm names on the Island, but their bouquets of flowers fill our homes with color and scents that no potato can do. They are a few of the flower growers on the Vineyard.
By PETER BRANNEN
As the charred remains of the drive-on dock at Menemsha stand as a reminder of last Monday’s fire, the unselfish actions of a few individuals during the frenzied confusion of the blaze have come into sharp relief.
One such individual is Menemsha bass fisherman Casey Elliston, who salvaged a number of boats from the inferno as flames raced down the ill-fated pier. For his part, Mr. Elliston refuses to acknowledge that he did anything special the day Menemsha burned.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.