JO-ANN TILGHMAN

508-627-7669

(Tilghmanjb@aol.com)

This morning’s cool temperatures are a reminder that summer will be coming to an end all too soon. During last weekend’s dedication of a Japanese-style lantern at Mytoi I noticed the first hint of color on the Japanese maples, goldenrod is in bloom, and the occasional red leaf can be seen.

The new Japanese lantern at Mytoi was donated by the family of Hugh Jones, the original architect of the garden, and is a lasting tribute to his efforts begun in the 1950’s. The children and grandchildren of Mr. Jones arrived from California and New Jersey for the dedication. Of course, Mytoi was forever altered 17 years ago with the arrival of Hurricane Bob but has been returned to a quiet, contemplative garden with Japanese influences under the stewardship of The Trustees of Reservations and hours of hard work by Don Sibley and Lyndsey Allison.

Bobbie and Joe Murray have been busy this summer with visits from all six of their children. Children and grandchildren have been able to enjoy the Murrays’ “tree house” and Cape Pogue home. Ginny Murray’s son, Clayton Boyle, lived with Bobbie and Joe part time this summer as did Meg and Don Dupont and their daughter, Laura, who will soon be returning to Boston University. Other visiting family included Link and Karen Murray of Jamestown, R.I., Don and Meg Dupont, their daughter Laura of Lafayette, Calif., Dr. Kathy Murray Leisure of Annville, Pa., Tom and Melissa Murray of Dallas, Tex. and their children Andrew, Madeline, and Grant Murray, their three guests, and Rick and Sarah Murray of Scituate and their four children. The Murray tennis court had lots of activity as the Texas Murray’s and guests kept in shape for Texas and national tennis tournaments. Bobbie and Joe enjoyed every minute of their company and are now relaxing at home.

Visitors to Chappy come in all shapes and sizes. We have human, canine, feline and, this summer, an increase in the rodent population. I have heard from more people about mice and rats in their gardens and in some cases the unwelcome visitors are trying to settle into homes early for the winter. Mr. T.J. Hegarty of the Duke’s County Rodent Control Department will be speaking at the community center on Tuesday, August 26 at 10 a.m. about how best to control the rodents. He will be providing valuable information on what works and what doesn’t as residents begin to think about winter closing preparations.

Among the winged visitors to Chappy this past week have been juvenile bald eagles. An injured juvenile bald eagle was spotted by Victor Colantonio last Friday by the chimneys at Cape Pogue. After watching the struggling bird from a distance they contacted The Trustees of Reservations who tried to capture the bird. Gus Ben David was called and he came over on the first ferry Saturday morning with the proper equipment, caught the bird, and transferred the bird to Felix Neck for recovery. According to Victor, the bird had been under attack from crows in the area and was suffering from dehydration and hunger. Jim Walsh has spotted a juvenile bald eagle out on North Neck while another eagle has been seen near the Dike Bridge. All reports have commented on the amazing wing span and gracefulness of the birds.

Bob O’Rourke reports that the first Chappy pong open tournament was a great success, in fact, better than his expectations. Three tables were moved into the Center which allowed for ample playing room and a lot was learned about managing such an event. Bob credits his wife Marvene with keeping track of multiple games in the round robin format as well as monitoring the continuous play, score keeping, and tracking the winners and losers during the tourney which began at 11 a.m. and concluded at 2:30 p.m. this past Saturday. Bob felt it was fortunate that he did not play, as the event required management throughout. Fourteen players participated, ranging from an eight-year-old to well-qualified senior Oliver Selfridge, who Bob believes is an MIT researcher. The players brought their friends and families, so there was a crowd cheering through the event. Two of the top three finalists were from the Quinapong (Aquinnah) group, but the winner was 16-year-old Sam Funk, a house guest of his teenage friend Christian Ebersol. The top three finalists were awarded gift certificates for Morning Glory pies.

Barton Phinney would like to thank everyone who came to the community center last week and supported the pasta dinner that raised funds for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and their continuing AIDS education program. The dinner raised over $900. Special thanks to Lattanzi’s for donating the pasta and to his family and friends for their help with set up, serving, and clean up.

Summer events at the community center are winding down. Pilates has been discontinued for the fall, sailing lessons have ended as Barton and JJ Phinney return to college, tennis lessons have concluded as Donna DeFrancis prepares to return to Florida, and Margaret Knight and Molly Sullivan, who have kept the office and programs operating this summer, are no longer keeping regular office hours. However, the Friday foreign film series continues. This evening’s film is an Iranian film entitled Blackboards.

Enjoy the waning days of summer. Have a picnic, go for a sail, play a tennis match or golf game, fish to your heart’s content, finish the summer reading, walk the new trail and then enjoy the memories throughout the winter.