We drove down the driveway, turned right so that we could see the front of the house one last time, and then the dam broke. The tears and the deep breaths and the attempt to control all well-intentioned behavior was for naught. The house looked so empty. The grounds were just beginning to look like winter with little foliage, and just by looking up and through the light of thewindows, you could tell it was empty . . . as in nothing left, no furniture, no lights, no paintings, no curtains, etc. It was time for us to keep moving.

The Dark Side of the Island

Editor’s Note: Under discussion for 30 years, a Chappaquiddick bike path is on the drawing board again. An application has been filed with the Edgartown Community Preservation Committee for funds, and an active debate is now under way on the separated island about the pros and cons of a bike path. What follows is a selection of letters that have been sent to the Community Preservation Committee.

Long Overdue

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Zen and the Art of Splitting Wood

This is the time of year when the woodpile beckons. Stacked, split logs of nicely seasoned oak are the outdoor version of putting food by for the winter — like jars of canned summer tomatoes, or jam made with the frozen berries that were picked in July and August. If there is a fireplace or wood stove in the house, the woodpile is an integral element of life in the off-season.

Cinderella Legislators

In these long nights of December, lawmakers far away from the Vineyard are busy with what they call midnight regulation, changes that would affect our lives and livelihoods. President Bush calls it sprinting to the finish of his final term. He also calls it “working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules” — many involving the environment.