Mill Pond, the placid 17th century swan-dotted pond that graces the entrance to the village of West Tisbury, is the scene of a quietly growing conundrum in this rural town. Amid fears that the manmade pond — which averages a depth of a foot and a half — will soon fill in, West Tisbury is considering a variety of engineering options to retain its aesthetic appeal far into the future, while possibly improving the pond’s limited ecological function. But some see the effort to save the pond as misguided.

In 1996, there was one high school girls’ hockey program on the Cape and Islands. It started as a club team, composed of former figure skaters, enthusiastic pond skaters, and several field hockey players learning to translate their skills to ice.

The Harbor View Hotel closes down during the last two weeks of the year. But notice the lights blazing in the penthouse apartment. This is the home of Bob Carroll and has been ever since he sold the hotel in 1986. It was part of the contract that Mr. Carroll could build this penthouse and live in it until he died. And for two weeks each winter, during the holidays, he is the only soul alive in the hotel.

The Norton Point Beach breach may close as early as this year, an event that would bring to an end a dramatic, five-year phenomenon that has eaten away large chunks of the southeastern corner of Chappaquiddick, according to a top regional expert in coastal erosion.