The forces of nature impose occasional inconveniences upon everyday Island life. A ferry cancelled due to high winds, downtown streets flooded after heavy rains, Beach Road awash with sand and surf during a nor’easter. Lately those vagaries have seemed more dramatic, sometimes even a little ominous. In this issue, writer Peter Brannen explains how our scientific understanding of erosion is finally catching up with the havoc it wreaks upon coastal communities (page 40).

Nature, however, can also soothe, inspire, and exhilarate us, as seven writers describe in our summer immersion guide, starting on page 62. Island blueberries are plentiful in August, and we offer a wealth of growing tips and tasty recipes (page 76). For residents and visitors to Chappaquiddick, the separateness of that little island is an inherent part of its appeal, as they share in their observations and experiences on page 32.

The late artist Thomas Hart Benton found inspiration in the Island’s rural landscapes and its people (page 70); he often joined friends who sought a simple life at Chilmark’s communal Barn House (page 74). And after fifty summers in Vineyard Haven, writer and activist Rose Styron (page 54) has settled here for good and shows no signs of slowing down, a force of nature herself.

We reprise our Best of the Vineyard tally starting on page 82, and say a fond farewell to the magazine’s former editor, Nicki Miller, whose seven years at the helm have served us in good stead. We will miss her. And with that, on to August: Seize the day!