Red Boat

Red boat, Collins' Beach

Get 'em Before They're Gone...

The Achelis barn, corner of Cooke and School Streets.

While searching for some of Edgartown's older architectural gems and curiosities to photograph this week, I came to the sad realization that there's not much left in town that hasn't been gentrified, upgraded, or just plain torn down (I'm thinking especially of the old barn/garage on Cooke Street that was bulldozed down a few years ago because - oops, the new owners of the property didn't realize that one needs a permit to tear down old buildings. No matter. I'm sure the $10K fine was a drop in the bucket to these folks; the loss of a piece of our town's history on the other hand: immeasurable.).








I've always loved this little building - one reason should be obvious. This little garage sits in the back yard of a downtown Main Street house and is accessed from Pent Lane.





#9 Green Avenue. When I was little girl this was Frank Duart's paint shop, where I spent many a happy hour visiting with Mr. Duart who graciously put up with my (probable) non-stop chatter and questions and who occasionally let me ride on the tail-gait of his blue Chevy Apache, dragging my bare toes in the sand of the dirt road when he drove out to Slough Cove to visit his brother Tony. This little building has been an upholstery shop, a bicycle storage unit, and is currently owned by Jim Joyce. Some of the neighbors think it's an eye-sore; others, myself included, love the place.



Detail of #9 Green Avenue.



Cottage, Collins' Beach.



Katama Road. I have no idea what this is, and I've never seen anyone in it or near it. It appears to be an old sheep pen.

Steve Ewing

 Steve Ewing

Steve Ewing is one of my favorite people. The way he greets me on the street always lifts me up, the affection we have for one another being based on a life-time of mutual admiration and shared history.

Steve and his three brothers, Doug, Colin, and Scott, grew up across Main Street and up a few houses from me, and Steve's father, Harvey, who wrote for the New Bedford Standard Times (I can see Harvey now, zipping in and out of town hall, on the trail of a hot story most likely, and I can hear his voice as if it were yesterday) was a fixture in town in my growing up years, as well as a good friend of my mother's (who also wrote for that paper for a while).

Steve's been building and repairing docks for years now, owns Aquamarine dock-building company, based down at Collins' Beach where I often run into him when I'm out and about. In addition to being an all-around good citizen, husband, father, hard-worker, and salt-of-the-earth, Steve's apparently got ink in his veins, too - inherited from Harvey, no doubt - as he is an accomplished poet (Doug's son, Ray, has taken up the mantle as well and is on his way to becoming a fine photojournalist).


The following poem, penned by Steve, was published in the Vineyard Gazette in December 2009 (I just love that he mentions Hinky Pease) and is used by permission here.
         
To a Shucker                                       

Green side up
Knife goes in
Cut it clean
Top shell off
Thumb on guts
One smooth swipe
Next the meat
Sweet delight
Eye in air
Mystic tale
Scallop king
Holy grail
Bloaters swell
Beans all night
Shuckers wage
The endless fight
Buckets build
Baskets shrink
Beers are drunk
Shells mound up
On and on
Scallops make
Winter’s business
Winter’s stake
Eye in air
Mystic tale
Scallop king
Holy grail
Hinky, Mark, Tommy too
The best of them
The best of you
Cut em clean
It all adds up

Money’s made
In every cup 
And pint
And pound
And gallon too
The more you make  
The more you do
— Steve Ewing

Steve, at work, captured on Tri-X, late '90s, after a hurricane, as I recall.

I think that's Dougie Benefit in the water.

Below: Collins' Beach