Sunday Will Be Different

The Legend of Moshup is an ancient creation story from the Wampanoag oral tradition. It tells of the giant Moshup, the personification of the immense forces of nature, deciding to settle here after a long journey, and dragging his foot to separate Martha’s Vineyard from the mainland and plow up the Cliffs of Gay Head. Scraps from his dinner table are the fossilized bones and teeth of ancient life forms found there.

I am just back from Egypt. Happily, during my visit, there were no untoward incidents like the recent bombing in a Cairo bazaar. But I was spending more time outside the capital than in it. On this visit, I did not do such obvious touristic things as bazaar shopping, riding a camel or climbing a pyramid. I did, however, as a memento of my trip, buy a small stuffed camel that sings in Arabic when I press his stomach.

Scallops in the White House

Dear Mr. President: We read in The New York Times last week about your first state dinner, and we loved the kitchen tour that Mrs. Obama gave to culinary students and her comments about eating locally grown foods. And we read that the first dinner included Nantucket scallops, a favorite of yours, Mrs. Obama said.

Angels of the Morning

Why does the Vineyard Nursing Association want to get into the hospice business, when there is already a hospice on the Island?

The answer is not completely clear yet.

Sometime around Christmas a letter appeared in the Gazette from a “lapsed Methodist.” I’ve thought of it on and off for the past few months as I pondered what was the point in keeping open and attending the Chilmark Community Church, which happens to be Methodist. Could doing good while serving on community boards replace the experience of church going as the lapsed Methodist suggested? My friends asked, “Why do you bother with going to church, especially when it is such a hassle?”