A lot of Vineyarders made the run to immerse themselves in the 2024 eclipse’s path of totality. I heard mention that folks ventured to northern Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, as far west as Ohio and as far south as Texas.

Knowing that we were going to experience somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 per cent (I heard rumor it was more like 93) I opted to just hang out on Squid Row. I was joined by Marshall, Kathie, Tim, Carl Crocker, Bill Fielder, Scott Larsen, Sarah Allar, Jesse Burton, Molly, Matt, Ida and Luma Mayhew along with a whole bunch of other folks, some of whom were familiar and others not. It was a really nice opportunity for people to just sit back, be cheerful and have something exciting in common.

Along with the excitement of a near total eclipse, the ospreys are back in full force working hard on their nests around town. From what I understand, it takes about a week to 10 days for a nest to be completed and the pair divvies up chores. The male tends to focus on the main structure while the female focuses on the lining materials. I seem to time it right whenever I drive down South Road spotting one or a couple swooping across the road to and from the Allen Farm pole. I almost always spot one in the dip by Happy Valley. If you don’t know where Happy Valley is then pull out a copy of the town’s historic resources. Yes, I’ve just given you a research project.

Another flash of excitement is the opening of both Tisbury Great Pond and Chilmark Pond. Neither pond has a natural opening so each is intentionally breached — sometimes by hand, but mostly by machine — and the cut allows for not only improved pond health, but a sweet spot to just maybe catch that first striped bass of the season.

On March 30, Capt. James Douglas Morgan would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Although he died nearly six years ago, I tuned into some Irish music as I drove home that day in his honor.

After an extensive overhaul, Martha Rose made her way back to Menemsha Harbor from Newport with Capt. Wes Brighton at the wheel. She spent a couple of days at the dock before Otto Osmers and Matteus Scheffer hopped aboard as crew for the steam to George’s Bank. They were all excited and hopeful for a successful spring trip.

On April 14, Whitney Hyde will be participating in the Tough Ruck 26.2 Boston, a marathon with a 35-pound rucksack, along with the Newton police department tough ruck team. Tough rucks are comprised of military, first responders and civilians, to honor the memory of our fallen service members, police, firefighters and EMTs, and to raise funds to support the families of the fallen and our warriors.

Whit first rucked the Boston Marathon in 2008 and participated in two other memorial ruck marches. All money raised will be donated to the nonprofit Military Friends Foundation. You can help by sponsoring Whit by going to the Tough Ruck website donate (toughruck.org/donate). Just type in his name from there and, as Whit said, “your donation will not only motivate my creaky knees over the finish line, but it will make a lasting impact in someone’s life.”

My phone rang a few nights ago and on the other end was Kathy Ivory. She was calling to pass along the news that Chowder Kettle Lane will be a little quieter this summer with the loss of one of its seasonal residents, Herb Speer. Jan and Herb, along with a revolving door or family and friends, enjoyed their Menemsha home together for 57 summers. The Salt Box, with Herb leading the way, was the gathering place for waffle parties (yes, waffles), laughter, stories, an Island postcard collection, and so much love.

Although I didn’t know him well, he always wore an ear-to-ear smile whenever we had the opportunity to exchange pleasantries. My condolences go out to Jan, her kids, grandkids, their families and many, many friends.