Aquinnah up close and personal

I will write more about Aquinnah in the next few days (probably when I'm being pounded by Hurricane Danny, which is reportedly on its way), but I wanted to share a photo I took when I was there Wednesday. I had mistakenly believed you could only see the clay cliffs from a distance, that the beach itself was private. A kind police officer told me the real story: If you are willing to pay a rather steep parking fee ($15 for the day -- ouch) and take a fairly lengthy walk, you can leave your car and stroll down to the coast. If you keep walking down the beach, you will be directly in front of the cliffs, which, in my opinion, are the prettiest sight the island has to offer. They absolutely mesmerize me.
I had photographed them from afar and I was thrilled to have the chance to actually stand beside them; I was reminded of the Painted Desert. Although they look quite solid, they are definitely a combination of colorful clay and rock; you can break pieces off and mash them up in your hand. It is not a good idea to do this too flagrantly, however, since the cliffs are the property of the Wampanoag tribe and they are protected under law.
While speaking to a long-time Aquinnah resident, I learned the cliffs -- impressive as they are -- are but a shadow of what they once were. Erosion, the tides and tourists have taken their toll. As far as I'm concerned, however, they are still pretty spectacular. More pictures will follow to show what I mean.
Back in the 1960s and early 1970s, I am told, the cliffs were a prime hangout for hippies and the "living off the land" types, who would rub the clay all over their bodies and then bathe in the unruly surf. Rubbing the clay on your skin makes you look like something out of "Quest for Fire" since it dries fairly quickly and leaves you brilliantly colored. Please do not ask how I came upon this information. I do not want to tangle with tribal authorities.

To market, to market...

Fine, fine, but are those free-range Baptists we're talking about? Because the others have way too many growth hormones injected into them. I mean, did you read "Omnivore's Dilemma"? Not on my table!

In case you think everyone is Obama-crazy

Cindy Sheehan was scheduled to make a speech on the Vineyard Wednesday about Obama failing to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her street team plastered Chilmark with stark fliers that state her points rather bluntly.

Here's an overview from the Boston Herald: Sheehan, who has never been to the Vineyard before, said she is interrupting her own vacation for the trip, which will include press conferences, peace vigils and sailing excursions on what she’s dubbed, “SS Camp Casey.” Sheehan just came off a four-month, 36-city book tour for her 100-page “Myth America” and had intended to take all of August off. “But I decided that this would be a very good way to cut my vacation short,” she said. “To demonstrate to the world that there are still people in America who care about peace.”

Sheehan said she hopes her stay on the Vineyard will put the issue back in the spotlight. “No matter who’s president, we still have to keep our end of our democracy going,” she said. “Even though Bush is no longer in office, these policies are still continuing. In many areas, they’re escalating - the occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and now the horrible fightings in tribal regions. The killing of innocent people in the name of corporate welfare, or whatever this war is for, is certainly not about freedom or democracy or keeping us safe here at home.”

As for the Obamas, they enjoyed dinner at Sweet Life Cafe in Oak Bluffs, the very same restaurant I visited after the Illumination Night festivities. I can only hope they followed my lead and ordered one of the cafe's tea-infused specialty martinis. I cannot afford the main menu at Sweet Life, sadly, but I can certainly recommend their outstanding desserts and refreshing bar concoctions.

If you have to ask, you can't afford Edgartown

In case you worry that I have not been getting enough lobster lately, let me set your troubled mind at ease. On Monday night I stopped by David Ryan's in Edgartown to sample the acclaimed Seafood Macaroni and Cheese, which includes lobster, scallops, shrimp and a medley of white cheeses. Predictably, it was delicious. It was also indicative of what you don't get for your money when you choose to dine in Edgartown. There were no side dishes, no salad, no extra anything. And it was (gulp) $24, which turned into $25.50 with the bevy of Massachusetts taxes that are now being levied on everything. As you can see from the picture, the portion was not exactly enough to choke a horse.

It's a reminder of why Edgartown is my least favorite of the three major towns on the island. Yes, it's classy and "sophisticated." It's also rife with what the advertising world calls "snob appeal," that attitude of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." If Vineyard Haven is the unpretentious New England town and Oak Bluffs is the place to party, Edgartown is the place for designer labels, trendy fashions and overpriced entrees. It's the place where trophy wives shop for their clothes and their husbands pay $14 for a middling martini.

It's also a nightmare to get in and out of. To reach Edgartown, you must typically pass through what locals ominously call "The Triangle," in which two narrow roads -- Edgartown/Vineyard Haven Road, coming from Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, and Beach Road, coming from (surprise) the beach -- meet in what is almost always a congested intersection to form Upper Main Street. There is a stop sign at the end of Edgartown/Vineyard Haven, which gives the Beach Road traffic the right of way and puts drivers from Oak Bluffs at the mercy of the back-from-the-beach crowd. Traffic gets so unwieldy that some drivers simply give up, park their cars in the Park and Ride lot behind Edgartown Pizza and take a free shuttle into Edgartown (that's often been my strategy as well). If you do make it into Edgartown, chances are you'll have a lengthy search for a decent parking space.

Unfortunately for someone like me who would happily avoid Edgartown altogether, the community does have the best movie theater on the island (faint praise indeed). While the Edgartown 2 is nobody's idea of a superb cinema, it does have noticeably better sound and less projection problems than the other theaters. I have sometimes put off seeing a film until it was scheduled to play the Edgartown (on Monday, I saw "Inglourious Basterds" there).

Another Edgartown attraction I have to admit I really enjoy is the Among the Flowers Cafe, which has wonderful (and reasonably priced) food, extremely friendly service and an espresso shake that is beyond belief. It's also a fun place to look at: Its ceiling is so low, you feel like Alice in Wonderland after she ate the mushroom. Among the Flowers is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and I would not be at all surprised if it's still around 30 years from now. If you spend $25.50 there, you will at least get a substantial meal; that's certainly not true of every place in Edgartown.

My favorite welcoming sign

There are dozens of signs around the island to welcome the Obamas. But I have decided this one is definitely my favorite. I hope the First Family takes the school up on its generous offer, don't you? The Rose Garden could probably use it!

Rolling out the red (white and blue) carpet

Hurricane Bill never really showed up, despite the threats and despite the fact that many area grocery stores were overrun Saturday afternoon and evening by anxious folks determined to stock up on crackers and bottles of water, just in case Bill turned out to be Son of Katrina. Saturday night brought nothing more than a few unspectacular showers, a steady breeze and some rougher than usual waves, which stuck around much of Sunday as well.

But Sunday brought a different kind of storm: the long-awaited (in some circles, long-dreaded) arrival of the First Family. Their touchdown on the island was delayed slightly by worries about Bill, but by late Sunday afternoon the word was out -- they're here! Of course, there have already been plenty of reported sightings of Michelle dining and shopping in Oak Bluffs over the past two weeks, hardly a surprise since there seem to be scores of well-heeled young women taking fashion cues from the First Lady. I admit even I had to look twice when I went to dinner at The Newes in Edgartown last week and caught a glimpse of a stunningly lovely lady who had done a sensational job of cultivating a Michelle Look. I wasn't the only one fooled: The waitress kept scrutinizing her carefully and seemed to make extra trips to the woman's table to refill the water glass.

If President Obama is looking for a friendly place to escape the tensions of the health care debate, he's made a perfect choice. The Vineyard has rolled out the red carpet and the Obamas seem to be exceedingly popular with the residents. Of course, this might be because the local merchants -- who weathered a disastrous June, thanks to a month-long series of rainy days and tepid temperatures -- have been betting the President's vacation will bring in a few thousand more tourists that are eager to spend big money in the hopes of seeing the First Family. Obama-themed merchandise is literally available on every corner, whether your tastes run to T-shirts, oil paintings or handbags with the word "HOPE" stitched on the side.

If you get hungry, there's Baracky Road Fudge or Barack-O Tacos. You can wash them down with a mug of Ale to the Chief or an icy Obamarita. There are even dog treats inspired by First Dog Bo. If there's a way to capitalize on the Commander-in-Chief, the Vineyard vendors have probably found it.

But the island is also dotted with welcoming signs put together by residents, including hand-painted signs from kids and far more elaborate displays by grown-ups. My personal favorite is the yard display down the street from my house: The family cleverly (and probably painstakingly) stacked red, white and blue balloons to form a six-foot-high OBAMA billboard.

Of course, the media is everywhere, filming Sunday morning shoppers in Vineyard Haven and Sunday afternoon shoppers in Oak Bluffs. The arrival of the Obamas was closed to the press, but the island is basically open-city and you can bet the Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to get what will amount to thousands upon thousands of dollars of free publicity, courtesy of CNN, MSNBC and all the dozens of smaller networks and stations that have sent reporters and photographers to document the visit.

There's something else on the island, too: roaring black helicopters in the skies. They've been flying around for much of the past week, surveying the landscape. They aren't limited to Chilmark, where the Obamas are actually staying; they are everywhere. A huge black van with a sky-high transmission tower on the roof was parked alongside State Beach last week. Since the license plate bore the "U.S. GOVERNMENT" insignia, it was fairly easy to guess who was inside.

But -- at least for the time being -- the horrendous traffic tie-ups and clogged streets that some feared would come with the Obamas have yet to materialize. I went to Vineyard Haven Sunday morning to swim at Mansion House and had no trouble at all finding a parking space. Late Sunday afternoon, I went to Oak Bluffs to eat dinner at Thai Cuisine and not only was parking a snap, it turned out I was literally the only customer in the restaurant (it's usually bustling). Sunday night I returned to Vineyard Haven to see a friend's band perform at Chez Lounge and catch a showing of "In the Loop"; again, no parking hassles and no mob scenes.

Maybe people were still hiding from Hurricane Bill, but since the weather Sunday was generally gorgeous that's a bit hard to imagine. After all, who wants to eat boring old crackers and cheese when you can run down to Sharky's for a Barack-O Taco instead?

Words to live by