The wrangling is finally over and the much-debated Beach Road improvement plan is ready for the next step as town leaders presumably send the plan along to state highway officials for action.

For long stretches Island life can feel stable, then change seems to come all at once. We fail to notice the gradual process of erosion all around us until a few dramatic storms force us to look at what has been altered.

As Hurricane Joaquin churned up through the southern Atlantic late this week, Islanders woke up from the endless summer that has been the enduring hallmark of September weather.

Summer has ebbed and fall is stirring. And what a beautiful summer it was. And what a beautiful fall it’s starting out to be.

When fall begins to come, the moonlight changes its character and grows more nostalgic than ever.