Secret Summer

Don't tell anyone but September and October on Martha's Vineyard are the best time to be here on the island. Generally the weather is still warm and so is the ocean. As long as the wind is not out of the northeast, it is still great beach weather. But the wonderful difference is that folks are not lined up on the sand like hot dogs on a grill. The tourist population has thinned drastically and it is now possible to find a parking space for the post office and the grocery store.

Warm days and cool nights, what could be better! The ocean moderates the temperature in the fall so that frosts come much later than on the mainland. We're still harvesting our bumper crop of cherry tomatoes, basil and banana peppers. The farm stands still have plenty of local corn, beans and squash. Sunsets come earlier so the grill needs to be fired up by 5:30. Sleep comes much easier with a sweet breeze ruffling the curtains.

With the thinning population it is now time to reconnect with fellow Islanders: "Hi, how was your summer?". They've been here all along but lost in the crowds. We'd joke if we did happen to encounter each other during the summer: "Hey, down for the weekend?" Locals hold beach parties on weekends. We snap up the end-of-season bargains. We take the Island back.

This is OUR secret summer.