Island Light: Into Summer
Attaching sails on the topsail schooner Shenandoah in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Attaching sails on the topsail schooner Shenandoah in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Up in the rigging.
Up in the rigging.
The quiet beauty of West Tisbury’s Music street in June.
The quiet beauty of West Tisbury’s Music street in June.
Heading out of Nip 'n Tuck Farm in vintage style.
Heading out of Nip 'n Tuck Farm in vintage style.
Baling the first cut of hay for the season.
Baling the first cut of hay for the season.
After some time at State Beach, hitching a ride home.
After some time at State Beach, hitching a ride home.
Flying Horses in Oak Bluffs, fun for the entire family.
Flying Horses in Oak Bluffs, fun for the entire family.
Lifeguarding our safety at Inkwell Beach.
Lifeguarding our safety at Inkwell Beach.
Snail slowly makes it way across a milkweed leaf.
Snail slowly makes it way across a milkweed leaf.
Friendly, neighborhood spider.
Friendly, neighborhood spider.
At the Vineyard Haven Lagoon boat landing, dinghies and a kayak stand.
At the Vineyard Haven Lagoon boat landing, dinghies and a kayak stand.
Big swing for the Sharks.
Big swing for the Sharks.
In the dugout.
In the dugout.
Nature reclaiming an old house in Oak Bluffs.
Nature reclaiming an old house in Oak Bluffs.
Dancing the Quadrilha at Brazil Fest last Sunday.
Dancing the Quadrilha at Brazil Fest last Sunday.
Chef Deon serves up his Caribbean delicacies.
Chef Deon serves up his Caribbean delicacies.
Vineyard Gazette on South Summer street, Edgartown.
Vineyard Gazette on South Summer street, Edgartown.
On the Vineyard in June, the distant sun is just about the only thing that finds time to stand still. On the Island, June does not so much embody summer as it does our transition into that exciting season, and of all the transitions the Island seasons bring, this is the most challenging.
June is the month of adjustments, as motorists relearn the art of merging into heavy traffic, and even a simple outing to the grocery store and post office becomes an occasion for careful planning.
June is the month when school buses become tour buses, college children are home and families face new dynamics just as most parents enter the busiest months of the working year.
If there is a discernible plot to this wonderful predicament called summer on Martha’s Vineyard, perhaps it is provided by the natural world around us. After all, it’s the lush beauty of this place that draws the throngs of summer here in the first place.