Misty Moisty Morning

Gleanings from an early morning bike ride: familiar scenes, different mood.

Memorial Day 2020

                                                    Dock Street window

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

It's Fiddlehead Season

It's fiddlehead season - one of my favorite things about spring. Nope, I've never eaten one, and don't plan on it, but I do love the way they look. They change quickly - unfurling into a broad green fern leaf - so if you're not out and about in the woods and meadows at the right time you'll miss them. (and happy to see that the little Lumix is still delivering)

I'm behind on my posts, but it's for an honest reason - I've decided to put the past ten year's worth of Edgartown News into hard-copy and have been busy with InDesign, going over every post, from the beginning. Sometimes it feels like a daunting task, but it mostly is fun to get my hands on stuff I've written and photographed over the years. I'll have a few volumes for the coffee table when I'm done.

This project started when I inquired about having a blog-book company doing it and by the time I finished examining their efforts I realized I could do it myself, but better. Luckily, I have kept most of the photos for the blog in one handy location. I still have to do some copying, pasting, and laying out - almost, but not quite - like recreating the blog post. By the time I've put in a few hours of working in past tense I have little time or energy to put into recent photos and ideas.

I will get back to the present tense again sometime soon.

Lucy Vincent Beach

It was big news on the island on Saturday that the remaining tower from the cliff separation of a few years ago - a rather distinct prominence resembling the profile of a wise old man - had succumbed to last week's wind and waves, and since it was a (rare, lately) beautiful day, Lucy Vincent Beach seemed as good a place as any for a family outing. Just what the doctor ordered.

Tuesday's Travels

The third sunny day in a row - we could get spoiled. In an effort to push myself a bit more, hoping to shed the winter pounds as well as the corona-blahs, I headed up to the Bend in the Road again, for the second time this week. It's about a four mile walk, round trip, and it even got quite warm on the sunny side of the road (the only way to stay away from cyclists who don't announce themselves, nor do they make an attempt to keep any distance, is to walk on the side of the road, facing traffic of course).

The shad bush is blooming - a sure sign that spring will continue to roll on through, world crisis or not, as well as an age-old announcement that the herring are running. 

Family Conference

I walked down to the town wharf this evening and was delighted to find my first-born son among the fisher-people, in the midst of landing a small rock bass (not a keeper, but fun and attention-worthy nonetheless).

On my way back home. I always enjoy the juxtaposition of my church (St. Elizabeth's, above) and (below) my grandmother's church (directly across the street, formerly Edgartown Methodist church, now a performance center).