Chilmark is enjoying the first real days of spring with mild temperatures and frequent periods of sun. Just enough to get us all thinking of how we can get the chores done and have an hour or so to ourselves to enjoy the various pleasures of such days. Mostly, just the time to take a walk on an empty beach, a hike with a dog or a walk through a trail with a camera. Many of us are pressed at this time of year to get all the ducks in a row for the upcoming summer crush, but these early slower days are a treat.

Many Chilmark businesses are now open. The Galley in Menemsha, the Chilmark Store, Larsen’s Fish Market, Oversouth Antiques, the Allen Farm Store and others will be coming along in the weeks ahead. Most are on spring hours, so it is wise to call if coming up-Island especially to visit one of the above. The restaurant at the Beach Plum Inn opened on Thursday this week for dinners from 5 to 9 p.m. They will be serving dinner on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this month. Chef Chris Fischer will continue to serve up unique meals from homegrown food produced by local farms. The updated kitchen promises to make this season even more exciting than last. Probably best to call ahead even this early in the season.

One sunny morning this week I had the pleasure of a brief visit with a senior resident of our town. It was brief and there was no chat, but we eyed each other carefully. I was driving near the Turtle Brook Pond on State Road near the Keith Farm when I encountered an enormous snapping turtle crossing the road. No doubt he was too big to cross through the culvert under the road. He moved at his own pace and we held up traffic until he made it to the pond. Big is the best description I can give... and determined to get where he was going.

The Wednesday programs at 5 p.m. at the Chilmark library have resumed and on May 21 genealogist Al Woolacott will offer a program entitled Growing Your Family Tree, with a demonstration of how to use Ancestry.com included. The Chilmark library now subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest online and you can use these tools for free if you are using a library computer. They are available during regular library hours.

Tom Milch and Vicki Divoll of Washington, D.C., and Chilmark are at their South Road home and ready for summer and visits from family. They have been coming to Chilmark since their honeymoon in 1980 and have been in their current home 11 years.

Drs. Howard and Elizabeth Harrison are at their home on D.H.’s Hill for their annual visit from Florida. The Harrison families will visit the family home throughout the spring and summer.

Jon R. Mayhew will have an exhibition of his photographs and paintings at the Santander Bank in Chilmark from May 16 to 30. The reception will be on Friday, May 16, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Jon is the son of Paul Henry and Beth Mayhew of Menemsha Crossroad. The exhibit may be seen during regular bank hours.

Chilmark sculptor Jay Lagemann will have exhibitions of his work at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Md., in May and June. There will be a reception for members and guests on May 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the museum. The show is called Jay Lagemann: The Language of Motion. The outdoor sculptures will be on display from May 31 to August 31. They will be installed on the lawn and in the courtyard of the museum. Small sculptures will be shown in the museum’s Selections Gallery from May 31 to July 20. Most of us know that Jay is the creator of the Menemsha Swordfisherman installed at Menemsha Beach in honor of the 300th anniversary of the town back in 1996.