Here & There for the Summer Solstice
Bluff Walk, Roses, Expensive Coffee, Traffic and Remembering Legends
The sun rose at 5:05 this morning and will set at 8:18 this evening.
Today is the first day of summer with the Summer Solstice occurring at 10:42 p.m. Astronomically speaking, that is when the sun travels along its northernmost arc across the sky. This is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
A number of years ago my daughter and I were in Paris on the first day of summer, and it seemed as if the whole city embraced the event as a party. There was music everywhere. So much fun.
The sweet scent of multiflora rose is in the air. This invasive plant is evident everywhere, with little white flowers blooming on vines that have scrambled up cedar trees, woven themselves into unmanicured hedges and are everywhere in the wild.
On Nantucket, this time of year coincides with the explosion of roses in bloom in gardens and on trellises all across the island. Now is the time to take that drive out to Sconset, stroll through the narrow streets to see roses clambering up the cottage roofs. Then wander over to the Sconset Bluff Walk before all the summer people are in residence and the tourists arrive, crowding that walk.
We had friends visiting recently and took them on the bluff walk and were pleasantly surprised to find that many of the roots on the path, that had made it very challenging, were no longer there. I pointed that out to the unofficial mayor of Sconset, Snooky Eldridge, and he said that the DPW had been made aware of the hazard the roots presented and subsequently took steps to rip them out and smooth the path.
I have to say that the DPW, under its new boss, Drew Patnode, has been doing a bang-up job of rebricking the sidewalks and giving us smooth paths for walking. Now if we could only work to ban the practice of cars parking halfway on the sidewalks, we’ll have made some real progress for better pedestrian access. One doesn’t see this anyplace in the real world, and it is a big issue for anyone who has mobility issues, needs assistance walking or is in a wheelchair. Sidewalks are for people, not cars.
Traffic has reached the insanity level, and it’s not even the height of the season yet. School is out now, so be on the lookout for kids on bikes, or on foot. There is no need to be speeding around on this island. You’re already at your destination, or five minutes from it. Slow down.
I was pleased to see that Stop & Shop is now selling Bell and Evans chicken. This is such a superior product to the S&S organic brand, Nature’s Promise.
On the other hand, I was not happy to see that the iced coffee I used to buy at the Roastd stand at Stop & Shop had increased from $5.00 to $7.97.
They also set up a coffee stand at Bartlett’s. I used to get an iced coffee there after yoga and it was always $4.50. Now it’s almost $8.00. I resent being charged almost $3.00 more. Iced coffee is iced coffee. I’m getting my iced brew elsewhere.
The soda fountain at the drugstore is back to selling sandwiches again including classics like Pete’s Dirty Dogs (hot dogs) and Jean’s ham and pickle salad. Pete was Pete Van Dingstee, who ran the soda fountain for years and Jean is the late Jean Muir, Judy Rusch’s mother, who also ran the soda fountain a long, long time ago. That nod to the past and simpler times is something to celebrate. Prices are reasonable too.
Last Saturday we attended Rev. Ted Anderson’s memorial service at the Unitarian Church. What a wonderful and moving experience. It was so life affirming, and so like Ted.
There must have been over 400 people there. Ted had married most of them, my husband and myself among those marriages he performed.
I think I knew most everyone or recognized their face if I didn’t know their name. At the reception afterwards I mentioned that to Robert Young and he said, “Funerals now, is where we see everyone we know.”
The Book Festival was a huge success this year, so much so that some people were turned away. Linda Henry, publisher of The Boston Globe, interviewed Bob (“All the President’s Men”) Woodward. She had friends who came to see her, and it was too full even for them to get in. These nonticketed events are first come-first served, even for VIPs.
The best book I read this month was not a Book Festival book, but “Three Days in June,” by Anne Tyler. It’s an afternoon read, and just delicious writing. I think it will resonate most with women who are married or have been married.
Best dinner of the summer so far was Wednesday night on the deck at Straight Wharf Restaurant. They are pulling out all the stops in their 50th season, reprising some of their classic dishes and introducing some new ones.
Salmon crudo with pickled rhubarb, cucumber, buttermilk and caviar was an excellent starter as was the buffalo monkfish with whipped blue cheese and celery. But the most memorable main dish was the maple-brined Berkshire pork chop grilled over a wood fire with polenta, cippolini onions and king oyster mushrooms. Amazing.
Gabriel Frasca, chef/owner, is in the kitchen and his food is always so good.
Straight Wharf is one of the few island restaurants with a dedicated pastry chef, and that makes all the difference. Michelle Padovano gives diners half a dozen scratch-made pastries and ice creams every night, all unique and delicious flavor combinations.
I went with the vanilla-rum cheesecake with passion fruit, banana tahini ice cream caramelized bananas and a sesame tuile.
On a sad note, earlier this month Graham Gund, noted architect, preservationist and co-founder of the Nantucket Preservation Trust, passed away at his home in Cambridge.
Graham and his wife Ann had been coming to Nantucket for years. He designed their home to the west of Tupancy Links to bring the outside in with huge glass windows overlooking Nantucket Sound and the wild landscape to the south.
Plantings around the house were minimal and meant to blend in with the natural landscape, but the coolest thing was his “blueberry garden.” It was bigger than my house, fenced in with wire and with a wire roof to keep the birds from feasting on the ripe berries. Walking through it was surreal.
I met Graham about 30 years ago, when we both served on the board of the Two Centre Restoration Project, which focused on the restoration of the historic Methodist Church. Graham was a kind and thoughtful man who was passionate about preserving the island’s built environment.
He was also very supportive of young artists and was a real mentor to our son Kevin when he was a student at MassArt. He came to an art show we had in our barn about 10 years ago and bought one of Kevin’s pieces. We were lucky to have Graham here on our island , and I was lucky to get to know him.