The light in June and the weather are exquisite. Peonies and roses are blooming. The hums of bees and bossy hummingbirds seem to harmonize with the voices of the birds.
In Summer Time
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
When summer time has come, and all
The world is in the magic thrall
Of perfumed airs that lull each sense
To fits of drowsy indolence;
When skies are deepest blue above,
And flow’rs aflush, — then most I love
To start, while early dews are damp,
And wend my way in woodland tramp
Where forests rustle, tree on tree,
And sing their silent songs to me;
Where pathways meet and pathways part, —
To walk with Nature heart by heart
…
Just for the joy of being there
And drinking in the summer air,
The summer sounds, and summer sights,
That set a restless mind to rights
When grief and pain and raging doubt
Of men and creeds have worn it out;
…
How swiftly glide thy days along
Adown the current of the years,
Above the rocks of grief and tears!
‘Tis wealth enough of joy for me
In summer time to simply be.
My heart was with Robin Smith this Father’s Day, and I am grateful to have received the following announcement: “There will be a service for Donald G. Smith on June 24 at 1 pm at the Abel’s Hill Cemetery. My dad was born and raised on the Island. He grew up in Vineyard Haven, and was the son of Hollis and Doris Smith. He married my mom, Patricia Flanders, from Chilmark, and they had four children. He fished out of Menemsha for many, many years with the Larsens, Mayhews, Jimmy Morgan, and others. He and my mom started the Seafood Snackery, where many people gathered early in the mornings for a blueberry muffin. Many people will remember him as the bike ferry captain crossing the creek from Menemsha to West Basin. He literally was a figure around Menemsha for 80-something years. He lived a full life, and enjoyed every minute of it. He was a wonderful, kind human being, and an amazing father and friend.”
Thank you to all who helped with and those who attended the Chilmark Church Children’s Fair last Saturday. Irene Ziebarth brought her nephew, Brett Jackson, and his wife, Devlin, and their two girls, Ellie (5) and Charlie (3). Ellie loved the pony ride (her first ever), and both girls gave the bouncy house a good workout. The Jacksons, from Boston, have been staying with Aunt Irene for a week enjoying everything Chilmark, from pinkletinks to the Menemsha Galley. The girls have been visiting Irene here every year since they were babies.
Rebecca Gilbert is offering volunteer mentorship at her farm, Sundays, 10 am to noon and Wednesdays, 1 pm to 4 pm. Native Earth Teaching Farm, 94 North Road, Chilmark.
The Chilmark Flea Market starts Saturday, June 22, and runs every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm until September.
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Claire Ganz, cganz@live.com.
