MARGARET KNIGHT

508 627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

The one-year anniversary of the sale of the Chappaquiddick ferry to Peter Wells was on Jan. 30. Captain Bob organized a celebration in the ferry house and brought a sheet cake with icing words commemorating the first year, and blue wavy icing around the edges. Charlie came in from driving the ferry during a lull in traffic, and when he left he looked really cold because his lips were blue from the icing.

Sitting on a barrel eating cake, Peter reminisced about former ferry captains — some with wild ways. He said that when people complain about the captains, he listens but he doesn’t always speak to the captains about the complaint because, as he says, they’re kind of like the Pony Express — you don’t want them too tame or they’d be likely to look at the weather and decide not to run the ferry. Peter went on to explain that the Pony Express used to keep the horses in a back corral away from everyone until it was time to use them. They’d be so wild that the riders could barely harness them, but once they were ready to go, they’d run like the wind.

It seems as if the ferry drivers would need a bit of wildness to run in some of the weather that happens, with the channel in white caps and water churning in two directions at once. And after all, they are captains, not just drivers. Everything that happens on the boat after it leaves the slip is their responsibility, which is a pretty big responsibility, as Brad found out when someone drove off the ferry last year.

Peter should be congratulated for all his hard work keeping the ferries running. e’re lucky he has such a large sense of responsibility for providing this service — for being ready to make sure we get across when we really need to.

The series at the library, Edgartown 101, continues on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. with the topic of education. Representatives from the school committee and library trustees will be on the panel in this session. The session lasts until 8 p.m., which can pose a dilemma for Chappaquiddickers, but luckily for us, library director Felicia Cheney will have to wait until 9 p.m. to get home, too, so anyone from Chappy can stay at the library until the ferry starts.

Ted Dewing’s birthday was Jan. 22, and he turned three-quarters of a century old.

Shirley Dewing informs us that the Unite Club is having their annual Valentine’s Tea on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m., at The Federated Church parish house. The speaker will be Yvonne Sylvia, who was Emily Post’s summer secretary for many years.

The plan to practice yoga at the community center is gaining momentum. People will gather on Friday, Feb. 20 at 8 a.m. There are mats if you don’t have one. This will be an all-levels group. Also, there may be enough people who want to do a class later in the day or on the weekend, so call me if you are one of them, at 508-627-8894.

Two years ago Sidney started leaving his car at home when he went off to work. He’d ride his bike to the bus stop on Church street and take the VTA bus to the charter school. Now that he works at the Farm Institute he often rides his bike all the way out there. From our house, he follows a path down a hill under the electric line to get to the tar road. The hill has been covered with ice for a few weeks but he’s managed to keep riding despite the slippery slope and freezing temperatures. I’m always impressed and inspired by his tenacity, and even rode my bike a short ways in the snow recently, which seemed odd but works if the snow is not deep.

The Farm Institute’s weekly winter programs start today with Farmers-in-Training from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for students with some history on the farm. Saturday afternoon chores for younger farmers are from 12:30 to 3 p.m.