About 40 years ago my wife and I built a modest summer house on the high point of Chappaquiddick known as Samson’s Hill. We fell in love with Samson’s Hill due to its rural character and the serenity of the area. Since then, a number of thoughtful people have built modest homes around us and all have been careful not to violate the integrity of the neighborhood.

The routine of an early summer morning goes like this: I come downstairs escorted to the porch door by two expectant cats, who trip up me and themselves in their eagerness. They have to wait while I check the outside temperature and open the skylights (it rained last night), and then we all emerge into the early sunshine. They jostle me and each other gently as to who gets out first (an eager pup would have knocked us all over by now), and we stand a moment at the top of the steps and take a deep breath.

From the Vineyard Gazette editions of 1933:

Who on Martha’s Vineyard has paid a visit to New Vineyard, Maine? Who, among the many thousands journeying to the Island every year and taking an interest in its scene, its history and its people, knows that there is a place named New Vineyard and that it was settled by emigrants from the Island long ago and named in honor of Martha’s Vineyard?

I am writing to share some observations with regard to my protest activities against the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament last Saturday afternoon. Between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. I paddled my kayak with attached non-confrontational signs throughout the harbor. My goal was to present the shark fishermen and spectators with the reality that shark populations worldwide have decreased by 90 per cent over the past 40 years and that this tournament should become a catch-and-release event.

Here’s my fresh seeds idea. How about a press conference given by President Obama announcing no more door-to-door or canvassing calls until September, and a reduction in television ads until after Labor Day?