Tick-tock, tick-tock…though summer winds down and the Island quiets, the brilliant blue-sky days still entice us out-of-doors.  Happily, not only is the weather still at its summer best but many activities that crowded the seasonal calendar still linger for us all to enjoy. Questioned about what is being looked forward to in the coming weeks, the answers that follow were often provided without a moment’s pause or hesitation. Clearly, September is a month both eagerly anticipated and actively enjoyed.

Time to Savor the Tastes of Summer
For Marianna Cibulasova, financial manager for WMVY radio
the coming of September means a chance to reconnect with
family who often chose the leeward side of the season to visit .  For activities, she’ll continue to pursue her two summertime favorites--swimming and sailing before the water grows too cold.  “The big difference for me,” confesses Marianna, “is that I eat better. I have more time to shop and to  visit the farm stands.
So I guess that's what I really am looking forward to.

Kayaking Sengekontacket
This has been a big summer for Guinevere Cramer of Island Affordable Housing.  Conceiving and coordinating the organization’s hugely successful fundraising event, Houses on the Tube took a substantial, albeit worthy, bite out of  the summer making September all the more appreciated.  “I can’t wait to get my hands on a Grace Church lobster roll!” declares Guinevere with conviction. “And,” she continues, hardly pausing, “I want to have my friends over to play boce ball in my yard and go kayaking on Senge at sunset.”

Outdoors Here I Come!!
“Sailing, fishing and swimming, “ comes the rapid-fire response from Mark Lovewell, Vineyard Gazette reporter, sea-chantey troubadour and photographer.  With so many hats to juggle, it’s  small wonder that he’s not yet had a moment to indulge in these, the simplest yet most gratifying of summer activities.  “It’s the best time to be outside,”  declares Mark, adding that though the fall is the time he starts reconnecting with the  creative process that makes the off-season such a fruitful time for Island artists “that time is definitely not here yet.”  Does he fish the Derby?  “Yes, but let’s just say the ocean holds no fish that s afraid of me.”

A Day at the Beach
Linda Dellatorre, information specialist at the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, spends her summers helping visitors enjoy the Island and MVCC member businesses make the most of  the season.  When September rolls around her first thought is to catch up with her two grandchildren:  “I look forward to taking the kids to the beaches that were off-limits all summer, and to hiking the nature trails.  I haven’t managed to visit the Artisans Fair or the Farmer’s Market all summer, so I’ll make a point of  getting there too.”  Also being eagerly anticipated is the opportunity to visit the raft of new restaurants that opened this year in Oak Bluffs.  Concludes Linda, “ I’ve been telling people about them all summer, now its my turn.”