Island Light: First Things First
Decking on East Chop pier removed for the winter season.
Decking on East Chop pier removed for the winter season.
Ferry Nantucket makes her way through ghost fog.
Ferry Nantucket makes her way through ghost fog.
Maple leaves change with the cooling temperatures.
Maple leaves change with the cooling temperatures.
Horses pay no attention to construction behind them.
Horses pay no attention to construction behind them.
Neverending waves swirl and eddy around shore of Lucy Vincent Beach.
Neverending waves swirl and eddy around shore of Lucy Vincent Beach.
Stairway leads down fragile clay cliffs at Lucy Vincent.
Stairway leads down fragile clay cliffs at Lucy Vincent.
Rain and rising tides swamp Menemsha saltmarsh.
Rain and rising tides swamp Menemsha saltmarsh.
Four Kids tied to dock.
Four Kids tied to dock.
Bandstand illuminated in the gathering gloam of Ocean Park.
Bandstand illuminated in the gathering gloam of Ocean Park.
Period streetlamps reflect the vintage look of the houses surrounding the park.
Period streetlamps reflect the vintage look of the houses surrounding the park.
You never know what you'll encounter on a walk in the woods.
You never know what you'll encounter on a walk in the woods.
Farming equipment left in Pecoy Point pasture.
Farming equipment left in Pecoy Point pasture.
Red-tailed hawk takes up residence on vacated osprey pole.
Red-tailed hawk takes up residence on vacated osprey pole.
Vineyard Gems pulled from harbor and cradled on East Chop.
Vineyard Gems pulled from harbor and cradled on East Chop.
Traveling the up-Island roads.
Traveling the up-Island roads.
Swans paddle in the lee of Tashmoo by Tisbury Waterworks.
Swans paddle in the lee of Tashmoo by Tisbury Waterworks.
Button-up time is here. Or, if you prefer, hunker-down time. Take your pick, up or down. We've fallen back on the clock, springing ahead is months down the road. Trick or treating is over. It's time to get ready to hibernate, the annual rite of fall.
We all have our off-season to-do list. The list is long. In truth, there are two lists. One is the long list of things that should be done. The second is a shorter list, much shorter, of things that will be done. It's a matter of priorities, or as it is now fashionable to say, of prioritizing. What that means is much better said in the old-fashioned expression: first things first.