Island Light: Home for the Summer
Returning again to their Island home in the Camp Ground.
Returning again to their Island home in the Camp Ground.
Ocean Park fountains cool the summer air for visiting couples.
Ocean Park fountains cool the summer air for visiting couples.
Menemsha's Lady M at her Chilmark dock.
Menemsha's Lady M at her Chilmark dock.
Solitude at Stonewall Pond in Chilmark.
Solitude at Stonewall Pond in Chilmark.
Getting some air courtesy of the wind.
Getting some air courtesy of the wind.
Andrew Woodruff and Billy McCullough enjoy a beach conversation.
Andrew Woodruff and Billy McCullough enjoy a beach conversation.
Berths with a view in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Berths with a view in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Butterfly weed shares its pollen with honey bee.
Butterfly weed shares its pollen with honey bee.
Blue skies and scudding clouds at East Chop Lighthouse.
Blue skies and scudding clouds at East Chop Lighthouse.
Roses spill over the fence at Telegraph Hill in Oak Bluffs.
Roses spill over the fence at Telegraph Hill in Oak Bluffs.
Grazing in a Chilmark field.
Grazing in a Chilmark field.
Women's softball league summer afternoons in Veteran's Park.
Women's softball league summer afternoons in Veteran's Park.
Vineyard Haven summer nights.
Vineyard Haven summer nights.
Rounding the base.
Rounding the base.
Patience is key when driving Island roads in July.
Patience is key when driving Island roads in July.
Little library box outside the also little Gay Head Library.
Little library box outside the also little Gay Head Library.
Docked in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Docked in Vineyard Haven harbor.
A time to visit family and friends no longer with us.
A time to visit family and friends no longer with us.
Many passengers coming and going (but mostly coming) this holiday weekend.
Many passengers coming and going (but mostly coming) this holiday weekend.
Denitsa keeps the runways running smoothly.
Denitsa keeps the runways running smoothly.
Refueling.
Refueling.
Sunset at end of busy day.
Sunset at end of busy day.
Heading past the Summercamp and into downtown Oak Bluffs.
Heading past the Summercamp and into downtown Oak Bluffs.
A visit to Giordano's completes the day.
A visit to Giordano's completes the day.
On any given summer day, the Vineyard’s year-round population is boosted by tens of thousands of people. For some, an Island visit is a novelty, a chance to see what the fuss is all about, perhaps to gawk at celebrities.
For others, this Island is not about getting away from it all, but about coming home to a summer community that includes the whole fabric of their lives. Certainly one important facet of the Island economy is built around the stream of summer visitors who take only pictures and leave only dollars. But the visitors for whom we are most grateful are those of the faithful summer community which returns each year to the Island and calls it home.