Fresh from their Austrian tour last month, the Minnesingers take over the stage at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center this weekend for two concerts, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Fresh from their Austrian tour last month, the Minnesingers take over the stage at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center this weekend for two concerts, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
It was and it wasn’t. The first snow, that is. There were flurries in December, of course, and as we watched the weather over the weekend our anticipation grew. The Vineyard only received a dusting while the East Coast got walloped in places.
The Vineyard in January. Not as many people see her then. Bundling on layers replaces pulling on bathing suits and a walk on the beach may find you alone instead of weaving through pockets of people on blankets. But the beauty remains.
The annual Christmas Bird Count had begun, as birders spread out across the Island to spot, count and identify as many birds as possible on New Year’s eve. It would be a long day, starting before dawn and ending in darkness. The birds rarely stayed put, and neither did the birders.
The hope for the year ahead is heard once again in the old and comfortable greeting called out to friends and strangers alike: “We wish you a Happy New Year.”
Try to think of December not as a time of darkness but as a time of quiet pleasures. There will be snow and ice and cold, to be sure, but there also will be days of crystalline sunshine and walks without another human soul in sight and long views through tree branches bare of leaves.
A year punctuated by housing issues, natural grass versus artificial turf, breaching beaches and land conservation.
Winter avian residents arrive and the occasional rare birds move through the Island in December, as winter begins.
Someone wrote to the Gazette awhile ago with a few observations about this time of year, thoughts as appropriate today as they were when they were first published: “If we can be still long enough to see the small lights shining in the darkness . . .
May the season's peace start in our hearts and spread into our world.
A storm blowing in lashed the Vineyard with wind and rain, causing flooding, eroding dunes, cancelling ferries and downing tree branches.
Even as the days grow shorter and darker, the Vineyard turns brighter. Strings of seasonal lights and shop window decorations in the main streets of Island towns illuminate the passing December days.
To celebrate Hanukkah, Chabad on the Vineyard and the town of Tisbury welcomed the public to a menorah lighting on the beach in Owen Park with a fire show, Shir Soul rock band, latkes, doughnuts and hot drinks.
The Holiday Dog Show sponsored by Al Fresco Tails was a barking success during Christmas in Edgartown weekend.
Downtown Edgartown was packed tight Saturday with Islanders, visitors and their pet companions dolled up in holiday garb for the 42nd annual Christmas in Edgartown festival.
These are the darkest days. The sun only starts to climb above the horizon around 7 a.m., rides low across the sky, and already is dipping out of sight as 4 p.m. draws near.