Above the title of our local paper, the VINEYARD GAZETTE, is the pithy quote (they always have a pithy quote), “With rod and tackle box, I’m slogging through soft sand, A red sun going down in the surf, Swag-belly clouds drifting in,” authored by Peter Makuck. Just below the Gazette title is its mission statement: “Devoted to the interest of the six towns on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard.”
The world simply does not intrude on the Vineyard!
This week the above the crease headline reads, “Patricia Neal – Sparkling Stories And Sunflowers To Say Goodbye.” (We will all miss that dame!) Near it is the ‘shocking’ story of a Trustee who nearly – nearly! – Ran over a nest of LEAST TERN CHICKS on the barrier beach, forcing his resignation. (If only our federal government could function with this kind of immediate civic responsibility!)
The Vineyard Gazette is as good an introduction to Martha’s Vineyard as anything I know. Even its dimensions – larger than most newspapers – forces one to sit back (preferably in a rocking chair), open the paper and read... not scan, but read! We people on this Island actually still read, support bookstores, treat authors most gently, and buy local painters. In other words, we love this Island and the eccentric characters that reside here. And, eccentric we all are!
Lucky for me, every few years I
go to Antibes, France with my family. When that happens I feel
compelled to photograph almost everything I eat, before I eat it. There
are two reasons for this ritual: One, French food is so gorgeous it's
just begging to be photographed. Two, photographing it is almost my way
of saying grace for and being mindful of the bounty of food (and, trust
me, it's bountiful) I'm about to consume. Food is fleeting. The photos
are forever.
I was looking forward to seeing the tulips on a recent trip to
Amsterdam. I imagined endless fields of brightly colored flowers.
Unfortunately I missed tulip season by a week. While the tulips were
gone, the spring herring were running and long lines of devotees waited
patiently at the herring stands throughout the city. 
Most of my travel is food focused. I’m headed somewhere to meet people who make interesting food tied to a place and to taste that food. Over the past decade I find that the line between vacation, educational junket and personal exploration has blurred. If I travel with food friends then we tend to be like dogs searching for the same tasty bone to turn up. It can get weirdly competitive or punishingly about the next bite even when enough bites have been had by all.
Spring is the perfect time for an off-season weekend in California's Sonoma Valley. Premium rates don't begin until just before the Memorial Day weekend.