SUMMER NOTES
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
The third week in August, in the vernacular, might be called peak week. The season has peaked. We are passing over the hump of summer. In a few days, the siren call of school and college and real life will begin to draw people away. For those of us who live and work here the pace of life will begin to ease a bit and, hopefully, so will the traffic.

It seems to have been a good summer all-in-all; maybe not a great one but certainly a good one

With the exception of some fog - mostly on Wednesday mornings, it seems - the weather of the last few weeks has been pretty nice. We need a lot more rain than we have gotten, but the flip side is that nobody has had an excuse for staying away.

Word has it that there may be a fairly decent scallop season this year. And some of them, I am told, are close to shore, promising (but no promises!) a good family season. It seems that, if it rains when the scallops are spawning, the ability of the scallops' sperm and eggs to get together is seriously impaired. We didn't have that problem this year!

If the crowds downtown are any indication, people have been coming in droves. They have been crowding the sidewalks and lollygagging through the intersections. One man stopped in the middle of India Street on Monday to make a particular point in his cell phone conversation and, only when convinced that his point had been accepted, did he move out of the way of a few patient drivers.

One times trips across town to try to avoid ferry arrivals. If one doesn't, the price is a 40 minute round-trip across town to mid-island and back.

For many of us, this is the time when family arrives and settles in for a few weeks. The visitors often let the grandparents take over so that they can grab a few days of relaxation and resuscitation. The baby chairs and toys come out; cribs are reassembled and the logistics of sleeping an overflowing houseful are debated.

It is a time for visits to the Natural Science Museum and aquarium at the Maria Mitchell, to the library and to the Whaling Museum. We go to the beach and, perhaps, explore far corners of the island. This year "Crab Beach" was added to our family's lexicon, to go along with previously discovered places like "Seagull Beach" and "Stones Beach." (None of these are on any maps or found in this newspaper's beach guide - nor, will they be.)

Children discover the wonders of Nantucket's natural world in amazing ways. The top of this year's list, so far, was a very large hermit crab ensconced in a shell that was unidentifiable. The crab's mobile home was covered with other creatures that had attached themselves to it, as well as a piece of kelp that had grown out of the shell and was towed like a paravane as the crab scurried in the current of a tidal stream.

One of the great events of Nantucket's summer is the Boston Pops concert. The people in the highpriced seats are the ones who make the event happen as the principal fundraiser for our hospital, but it is the thousands of people camping out on towels or blankets or even just on the sand on the beach who have the really good time. This past Saturday, as the sun set over Nantucket Sound, the crowd rocked to some amazing music. The fireworks display, which has had its ups and down over the eleven year span of the orchestra playing the "1812 Overture" on Jetties Beach, may not have had the timing quite right but it was a dazzling display which lasted well until some of us, futily attempting to muffle small ears, had made our way to the top of the Cliff.

The Pops and the Boys and Girls Club benefit this week mark the end of the major fundraising season on Nantucket; during which, over the course of about eight weeks, the money which keeps Nantucket's vital not-for-profits going year around is raised. This year we have the added joy of having at least four of the candidates for President here to raise money for their campaigns. It appears that a political message almost anywhere along the spectrum will get people on Nantucket to turn out their pockets.

The summer has not been without a glitch or two along the way. For example, the painting of some traffic lines downtown early in August by the DPW was not particularly well received.

New directional signs at the Sparks Avenue roundabout went up this week, just in time for next season. Given Nantucketers' penchant for rugged individualism, this latest attempt at telling us where to go will not be well received.

During the summer, it is hard to focus on what is happening politically and on the governmental front. However, if the long lead time preceding the national election is any indication, we should have a candidate or two for the Board of Selectman's election in April announcing their candidacy by Labor Day (but let's hope we don't.)

As a follow up to the Special Town Meeting in July, there will be a special election on September 18 at which the voters will approve or disapprove the Proposition 2 1/2 ("so-called") override necessary to provide the money for the acquisition of the Island Sprits property for use as a centralized bus stop. The warrant, interestingly does not provide for a specific amount to be raised. At the town meeting, we were told that it would be $1 million that would have to be raised because the remaining amount would come from a sale of other property by the town to the Land Bank. That doesn't jibe with an open-ended authorization. The lack of specificity as to the amount will add to the existing concern about the wisdom of the project.

So, at the peak of summer, the season starts to wane, but life goes on. Before long, as we begin to put away the trappings of summer, most of us will have a chance to take a deep breath and get back to the quieter life we miss for two or three months. But, if the truth be known, we will also miss summer. As much as some of us may dislike the hustle and bustle, it is what keeps us going. It gives us energy and it gives us a strong element of stability. Consider the alternative.

The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.