Mark Alan Lovewell
An uninvited guest named Bill was the talk of the waterfront on Wednesday afternoon.
No, this was not former President Bill Clinton, for he is welcome.
The concern was Hurricane Bill, spinning in the Atlantic as a category four hurricane, more than a thousand miles away. While forecasters appear confident the storm will stay safely at sea through the coming weekend, the storm’s significant size and power still are of concern to local mariners with big or little boats.
The last remaining New England whale ship with Vineyard connections — the Charles W. Morgan — may sail again. The president of Mystic Seaport spoke at a private fund-raising function recently in Edgartown, at the home of S. Bailey Norton, to report on the Morgan, now undergoing a $6 million restoration effort. It may take another $2 million to do the necessary work to get her to sail.
Be careful asking directions to where President Obama and his family will be spending their vacation in Chilmark, especially at Alley’s General Sto
Knowing of course that he is on vacation, what would you say to Barack Obama if you had a moment to speak with him? At the Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs, Squid Row in Menemsha and the front porch of the Chilmark Store, the Gazette found a variety of lively responses.
On an overcast foggy morning, much of Edgartown Great Pond and its coves disappear as if the brush stroke of an artist had painted the shifting clouds. The 900-odd-acre pond with hidden coves and a fragile environment is William (Boo) Bassett’s summer workplace.
For most of this summer and much of last summer, Mr. Bassett has worked husbanding the restoration of wild oysters in the pond. It is both heavy and delicate work. He says he is doing it not just to restore a historic fishery, but also to restore the health of the once-vibrant pond.
The commercial and recreational fluke season ended this week.