Transition

Today was the culmination of the three most intense months I've had in a long time, maybe ever. These three months included restoring/renovating two houses and closing/packing up my apartment, all with serious deadlines: first, finish enough painting in the Main Street house to allow for the moving of the contents of my apartment into it; second, pack up and move as many items as possible from apartment, with remaining items all ready for moving van, while still allowing me time to allow me to prepare the rental house for tenants, scheduled to arrive today at 3pm. By some miracle, I was able to fit two months' work on the rental house into two weeks (Paul always used to say, "The time you have available to perform a task is the time you'll take). I don't know why I'm still alive, but I am. Oh, did I mention - I do almost all the work myself: painting walls and ceilings (some rooms in the 200 year-old Main Street house required three coats of paint); cleaning, repairing, and painting gutters and the re-glazing of many windows (12 over 12 at Plantingfield Way - what a mistake that was!), etc. Not complaining, as I love this kind of work, have done it all my life. I just adore lovingly taking care of the family homesteads. Because of all the commuting I've done in the past ten years I've fallen behind somewhat, but now that I'll be here full time I'm looking forward to immersing myself in house and property projects.

A few photos from my walk downtown last evening:





This three year-old lad is on the verge of catching his first fish. Good for his daddy for keeping him away from the edge of the wharf. I see too many little kids prancing around on the ledge (the rule when I was little was, our feet had to stay on the wharf itself - never on the top ledge). With the current that rips through the harbor, one slip and the child is whisked away. There should be warning signs to this effect for the many visitors who do not know the danger that lurks.


Got it! - a small cunner that his daddy quickly released (not that the cunner is an endangered species, by any stretch, but it was a good lesson in kindness).



The Edwina B., built by Manuel Swartz Robers.


Art work in a gallery window.

First Swim

Summer Solstice Baptism.

Solstice

First day of summer - the daylilies are blooming.

Good Morning

From Joseph A. Sylvia State Beach.

Homeward Bound

Truly and profoundly, home.

(Woods Hole, looking towards Buzzards Bay from the freight vessel Governor, via Instagram)

Monday Morning Light

A crystalline June morning. I love a Monday morning in Edgartown: the quiet after the storm. This is my neighbor's fence, as seen from my bathroom window - not such a bad view while brushing one's teeth.

He's a Poet and He Knows It

Steve Ewing is one of my favorite Edgartonians. Steve and I go way back, to the days when he and his three brothers lived across the street and up the block in what was formerly the Emmulous Elliot house; the days when the Ewing boys, the Nevin kids, and I reigned terror upon the Main Street/Pease's Point Way neighborhood. Steve is a husband, father, friend, story-teller, water man (just for openers), and owns the very successful Aquamarine Dockbuilders, a company that has 600 accounts between Gay Head and Chappaquiddick.

Steve is pictured here at the Reading Room parking lot, Aquamarine's base of operations and Steve's home away from home. In the background is Steve's catboat, the Ocmulgee (as in the river in Georgia).

Steve is also Edgartown's Poet Laureate, a position that carries the responsibility of composing and then reading a poem at our annual town meeting, This link will take you to Steve's poem, To a Shucker.