Be Careful What You Wish For

Many Islanders complain about the crowds all summer long - "I can't wait for September!" - but many of us love summer on the Vineyard. I prefer a beach with people over an empty private beach. I enjoy interacting with the visitors who happen by my porch and into my gallery, and I love seeing summer friends and neighbors I haven't seen all year. Yes, it gets stressful while navigating through the grocery aisles and overflowing sidewalks, along with the noise and the traffic, but I have always maintained that a summer with no visitors would be simply horrible and that the people who complain about the crowds don't know what they are asking for or truly understand how dependent we are on the summer people - they literally keep us alive. Back in August, headlines in the Vineyard Gazette announced: Summer Traffic Triggers Talk of Tipping Point. Well, the problem appears to be solved, as this is what Edgartown looks like at the moment on every street in every direction at any given time of day, with no clear indication that anything will be much different by summer.

Be careful what you wish for.