Author Archives: Susanna J. Sturgis
October License Plate Report
Nothing new to report. The map at the end of October looks exactly like it did at the end of September. Usually the year’s last months are a bust, but having spotted Mississippi in September, I dare to hope that November and … Continue reading
Season of the Risk
Fall on Martha’s Vineyard: The days grow shorter, the leaves turn — and deer ticks make a comeback. Ticks are part of the seasonal cycle here. The big ones, called dog ticks or wood ticks, are much in evidence from … Continue reading
God Bless the Grass
Remember how it looked early in the month? My neighbors had to put in a new septic. The little deck outside my studio apartment gave me a front row seat. This is how it looked yesterday, from the same vantage … Continue reading
Old Boots, New Boots
Old boots passed their prime at least a year ago. They leaked. Duct tape didn’t stick. They needed to be replaced, but other needs were more pressing. All winter I wore my higher, warmer boots. They don’t leak. Long about … Continue reading
Out of Sight? Not Quite
I lived in Washington, D.C., for 11 years and loved it. All those years I hardly ever thought about where my drinking water came from or where my trash or sewage went. All that changed after I landed on Martha’s … Continue reading
September License Plate Report
Around the end of July I start to resign myself: This could be it for the year. August brought nothing new. That practically confirmed it. Then around the third week of September I spotted Mississippi, one of the top 5 … Continue reading
Shirley Looks Back
I’m forever quoting Grace Paley — “If your feet aren’t in the mud of a place, you better watch where your mouth is.” Shirley Mayhew is in the mud of Martha’s Vineyard at least up to her waist, and has … Continue reading
GRAPE JAM
Originally posted on Martha's Vineyard Mysteries:
This year we had a bonanza crop of grapes. The grape arbor is next to the small studio where Lynn Christoffers, our resident photographer, lives and works. She’d been watching the grapes progress…
Little Changes
Travvy and I walk the same paths and dirt roads regularly so we notice the small changes missed by those who pass less often or at faster speeds. For Travvy the world seems to create itself anew every night. Each … Continue reading
More Than Meets the Eye
I love this photo. At first glance, it’s a great shot from a late-summer sail on Katama Bay. If you know the backstory — well, it’s a bit more than that. Remember the fight against the roundabout? It was, to … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 