Opinion
Oxen Free
From Gazette editions of 1964:
The Gazette has recently carried the report of the sale of the last pair of oxen on the Island by their owner, Granville Belain of Gay Head. They were not old cattle or particularly heavy animals, and the article quoted Mr. Belain as saying that they had become too frisky for him to handle.
In Memory of Julia
Like leaves of fall, shells change in shape,
managing their change of fate.
Parts and pieces, seaweed strewn,
parade of beauty, stop to swoon.
Reeds of grass, like tufts of hair,
climbing toward the well-worn stair.
Tidal swim, when moon is full,
arms outstretched to catch the pull.
From piers we leap into the chop,
and beg this summer not stop.
Nine Eleven: 10 Years Later
Heavy skies drop rain
daily in intermittent waves
this old summer cottage
of ours harbors air eddies
demands the wood stove
current-sucking heater coils
extra layers, sweaters, wool
socks; trees wave remnants
of their storm-seared leaves.
Potted foliage sags its greenery
fallen petals stain the porch floor
BROADER VISION
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Perhaps the best aspect of living in Aquin nah is that my neighborhood is under the beacon of the lighthouse. There is a constant peace and calmness just watching the beams of the light day and night. The lighthouse beams across our neighborhood in silence throughout the night and dances around during the day.
Business Boosters
Many remember the bike race that used to anchor the annual Tivoli Day weekend in Oak Bluffs; it was a kind of must-do autumn event that we looked forward to every year. After a long summer of hard work, this was our time to get out and bask in the warm September sun, reclaiming the Island absent the crowds and traffic. Tivoli Day was a quintessential Vineyard event.