Island Light: Simple Pleasures
Lucy Vincent refreshes the soul for all walkers, two-legged and four.
Lucy Vincent refreshes the soul for all walkers, two-legged and four.
Up and close with a bumblebee.
Up and close with a bumblebee.
Classic New England summer house window on East Chop.
Classic New England summer house window on East Chop.
Cherry trees bloom efusively along Edgartown's upper Main Street.
Cherry trees bloom efusively along Edgartown's upper Main Street.
Oak Bluffs shellfish department restock Sengekontack with quahaugs.
Oak Bluffs shellfish department restock Sengekontack with quahaugs.
Fern fronds unfurl as days warm.
Fern fronds unfurl as days warm.
Cows graze in a West Tisbury pasture.
Cows graze in a West Tisbury pasture.
All is calm on the Lagoon.
All is calm on the Lagoon.
Fishing port of Menemsha slowly comes to life again after long winter.
Fishing port of Menemsha slowly comes to life again after long winter.
Ocean Park roof lines.
Ocean Park roof lines.
Massive amounts of tree damage has kept arborists busy.
Massive amounts of tree damage has kept arborists busy.
Spring building on the shore of Tashmoo preserved for generations to come.
Spring building on the shore of Tashmoo preserved for generations to come.
Week before Memorial Day weekend and ready to go.
Week before Memorial Day weekend and ready to go.
Stars and Stripes wave over the Outlook Restaurant.
Stars and Stripes wave over the Outlook Restaurant.
The crossing of water is an ancient rite, a putting behind of cares and a welcoming of refreshment, and as we all know, the Vineyard is a place apart. There are no skyscrapers here, no four-lane highways. We do have miles of sandy beaches and clean ocean water, we have thousands of acres of forever-protected forests and fields that are open to all, we have warm days and cool nights, we have a diverse population and traditions of civility. If that sounds attractive, well, it is.
The breeze rarely stops on Martha's Vineyard, and the salt air is clean. The Island offers all that and more, and the sum is much greater than the parts. As generations have discovered, the Island is a state of mind, a return to ancient delights and a simplicity of pleasure that is all too elusive in the ever-accelerating race of the world.