Julia Rappaport
There is no clock on the wall of this yoga class. In fact, there are no walls at all, only the blue sky overhead and the wide open ocean. The laughter and chatter of the Polar Bears and the blare of the ferry horn take the place of the soothing, meditative chants typically played during sun salutations. And yet, for the past four summers, Anderson Bourell has been using this open stretch of public beach as a classroom, teaching yoga and spreading an inspirational message of healing to hundreds.
School is back in full swing and already there is a test. This time, it’s not a question of passing or failing, but of doing the best trick and bringing home the cash. So put down the number two pencils and break out the skateboards. Saturday, skaters of all ages and all levels are invited to turn out to the Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park, listen to some live music and hop on their boards.
The breeze in the air on Friday, the last day of August, brought with it a hint of fall. The afternoon was clear and warm, but the wind felt cool. So it was a comfort to walk into the kitchen of the Magnuson home in West Tisbury, just shy of the Chilmark border, where the sweet autumn smells of cinnamon and cooking apples filled the air. Behind their house, Debbie and Eric Magnuson run one of the Island’s only commercial orchards, growing apples and pears that they sell from their home and at Morning Glory Farm.
A deal to sell Thimble Farm to a private buyer is no longer on the table, allowing more time for Whippoorwill Farm owner Andrew Woodruff to put together his own bid to buy the farm.
Thimble Farm owner Lawrence Benson confirmed yesterday that a private buyer who had offered to pay $2.3 million for the 43-acre farm has backed out. Two weeks ago Mr. Woodruff, who leases Thimble Farm for his community supported agriculture program, was facing an August 28 deadline to match the private offer. Mr. Woodruff has a right of first refusal on any sale at the farm.
Globally, women are the fastest growing population of people infected with AIDS. And women and girls of color in the United States and around the world have been hit the hardest.
Judy Blume loves to read. She has stacks of books piled around her house. They fill bookshelves, clutter the kitchen counter and sit precariously on coffee tables, leaving no room for coffee cups. "I wrote to Dave Eggers this winter," she said, gesturing to his book, The What of the What, which sat at the top of one pile. "He e-mailed back!"
She confessed that she still gets nervous around other writers, particularly if she has not yet met them.