Cover of my 2026 MV calendar… always looking towards MV…
January 2026 – The Islander
The beloved work horse of a ferry, the Islander plied the waters between Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard for almost 60 years before retiring in the winter of 2007. There was just something about this tub of a boat that endeared her to all who sailed on her… she wasn’t a great beauty but she had a regalness about her. The Vineyard is many things to many people and in many hearts the Islander was the emotional connection.
The Bandstand in Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. One of my favorite places to just sit and enjoy the quiet, or the OB fireworks, or revisit memories from many many years. Merry Christmas.
My MV calendar picture for September 2025 is of this schoolhouse in W Tisbury.
My mother’s step-cousin went to school in this schoolhouse over a century ago. Many many years later he was able to purchase the long neglected schoolhouse and he transformed it into a home. The marks on the floors from the desks are still there, as is the cloakroom… and the school bell has been restored. I once had dinner there with the family and it was one of the best times I ever spent in a classroom
The Tabernacle in the Campground in Oak Bluffs is my favorite spot on the Island… an oasis of serenity and calmness in the middle of the Vineyard’s most bustling and lively town. This magnificent iron structure was built in 1879… in 1979 was listed in the Natl Register of Historic Places… in 1999 a major restoration began, and in 2000 it became a project of Save America’s Treasures. Those are some of the facts of the building but not necessarily what constitutes the heart and soul of it.
Inside the Tabernacle is a banner that says “truly God resides in this place” and so he does. I am profoundly attached to the Tabernacle and visit it several times every time I’m there whether it’s in the heat of the summer, or the cold of the winter… I just magnetically gravitate there, I have no choice.
Many events take place at the Tabernacle. There are of course religious services held during the summer months. The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School holds its graduation there. There are concerts also and what a magnificent setting for one.
One of the best events of the summer is Illumination Night in the Camp Ground… it’s a magical fairy land and for me it’s hard not to become 8 years old again. The evening starts with a rousing community sing… the band plays… the whole Campground is alive with the sounds of happiness and joy. All the gingerbread houses are decorated with Japanese lanterns… many of them handed down from generation to generation and some still being lit by candles. Suddenly all lights are extinguished and the ceremonial first lantern is lit…. and as that happens all the gingerbread houses come alive with glowing lanterns… it takes my breath away every time.
So there it is… a little bit about my favorite place on MV. I shall end this post by simply saying… amen.
My MV calendar picture for July 2025 is Edgartown harbor. I love the blue of the water, the blue of the sky with white puffy clouds dancing by and at the dock the crisp white boats and sails.
My MV calendar picture for June 2025, the Gay Head lighthouse and bike rack at Aquinnah. Not that I’ve ever ridden a bike out to Aquinnah from the other side of the Vineyard.
