CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

The Year's Last Word

And so we have arrived at the 365th day: The dying embers of a storied year. The final chapter of a great book. The terminal toothpick of a once full box. The solitary cigarette of an exhausted pack. (Okay, okay, we get the picture!)

December 31, 2006: My Boston Terrier, Lucy, woke me up at 5:30 am. Outside in the predawn darkness I saw a light in the southern sky that looked like a bright star, but it turned out to be a UFO. I ran inside to get my camcorder; when I returned the light was gone and my dog had been replaced with an exact duplicate, which looks, sounds, smells, and acts every bit like the real Lucy. Yet I knew the truth, and continued to eye her throughout the rest of the morning with suspicion.

The final day of the year is a day of tying up loose ends. I began with a cup of coffee and my little green notebook, jotting down notes to myself of things I wished to accomplish before midnight. (I noticed "Lucy" following me around the house, also jotting down notes, which was unnerving because she was holding the pencil in her left paw and I know for a fact she's right handed!!)

Things to get done ... Balance the checkbook one final time to make sure I'm headed into 2007 in the black. Make sure the gutters are clean, the car oil levels are up to snuff, and the window washer fluid is full up. Listen to any Christmas albums I haven't yet had a chance to sample during the season. So this morning it was the Nutcracker spinning away on the turntable. Unfortunately, the turntable is old and it took some time for the speed to reach 33 1/3 RPM -- for a while it hovered at about 29 1/4, providing an interesting interpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic work.

Before looking ahead to the New Year, let's look back upon the old. It was a year full of surprises. Here are some of the top local news stories from 2006:

Rotary Missing

SAGAMORE - State Police report that the Sagamore Rotary has been stolen, most likely by a gang of thieves since the rotary was quite large. Police believe it was taken sometime in the early morning hours, before the rush hour traffic. All credible leads are being followed up, including the story of a rotary being seen briefly along Route 9 in Framingham where one had not existed before.

Bigfoot Sighting

DENNIS - A woman hanging clothes in her backyard witnessed what she described as a large, apelike man at the far end of her property. Apparently, the two stared at each other for the better part of a minute until the creature cautiously approached the woman, pulled a map from its back pocket, and asked the woman for directions to Route 28 in Yarmouth. It then ran off into a wooded area, with the woman shouting that he was heading in the wrong direction. Investigators on the scene discovered large footprints - perhaps as large as size 11 1/2 or 12 - and a number of cigarette butts at the spot where the creature had been standing. There was also the lingering smell of Axe cologne.

Solar Farm Wins Approval

BARNSTABLE - Developers have won initial approval to build a massive solar power farm in Nantucket Sound. Citing scientific studies that supposedly prove that "the sun shines brightest there," developers plan to install up to two hundred solar panels atop 400-foot towers positioned just offshore. Environmentalists opposed to the plan claim that the glare from the solar panels will confuse seabirds into thinking that the sun is below them rather than above them. As one opponent stated, "The one thing Cape Cod doesn't need is a population of mixed-up seagulls."

Which brings us to 2007. On a national/global scale, this is what I'd like to see accomplished:

Bin Laden -Wasn't he the guy who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks? What ever happened to capturing him? It's been more than five years. He's obviously hiding out somewhere in the hills of Pakistan, in which case at 6 foot 6 inches tall he must be the tallest person in all of Asia! The solution is simple - just have our spy satellites zero in on the longest shadow on the continent.

Ice Caps - They're melting! Every couple of months we hear of an ice sheet "the size of Rhode Island," or "the size of Manhattan," or "the size of Dorchester" falling off into the Arctic Ocean. We need to fix this problem. No worries - I hear the Canadian government, in conjunction with the National Hockey League, is in the process of sending a fleet of Zambonis to the Arctic to make new ice as we speak.

Gasoline - Prices are inching back up. Soon we'll be at $3 per gallon. I say, to improve our collective psyche, the oil companies should do what food producers have been doing for years - decrease the size of their product in lieu of raising prices. For instance, have you seen a Devil Dog these days? Or a Twinky? They're puny! So I propose that instead of selling gasoline by the gallon, it should be sold by the half gallon. That way, instead of seeing $3.19 at the pump we'll see prices like $1.59, just like in the old days! We'll be lulled into thinking we're paying less! And let's face it, in these strange times we need as much lulling as we can get.

Mars - We should all move to Mars as soon as possible. This planet Earth is nuts! With all the war, and terrorism, and outrageous credit card interest rates, and tabloid news, and TV commercials that make no sense, and "Dancing with the Stars," and Paris Hilton, and Tom Cruise, and TV evangelists, and the NHL rule changes, I'm fed up! Now that NASA has discovered water on Mars there's nothing to hold us back. Maybe when that light in the sky returns for "Lucy" I'll go with them. We'll swing by Route 28 to pick up Bigfoot and together we'll form a Utopian society on the red planet - a Walden Two of sorts, as in B.F. Skinner's book - a place where gasoline is $1.59 a half gallon, where checkbooks are always balanced, where Devil Dogs and Twinkys are full size, where seagulls can fly unconfused, and where the Nutcracker plays 24/7 throughout the holiday season.

Happy 2007! Oh and by the way, the last word according to Webster is "zymurgy."

Jack Sheedy

Fatal crash in Falmouth; water search off Truro; harwich crash; Juvenile charged in Yarmouth stabbing

Part 1 of 2006 the year in review (click) thanks to WB for putting it all together. 

Fatal crash in Falmouth
FALMOUTH - One person was killed another injured when a car struck a tree in Falmouth Sunday afternoon. Rescuers were called to the area of 58 Hatchville Road around 5:30 PM. The passenger now identified as 41-year old Joseph A. Distefano of East Falmouth had to be extricated and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver 49-year old David Crabtree was taken to Falmouth Hospital and later driven to a Boston hospital but is expected to survive. Investigators announced January 3rd they would charge Crabtree with motor vehicle homicide, operating under the influence of alcohol, operating negligently to endanger, marked lanes violations and speeding. Posted on 12/31 at 9:00 PM; updated on 1/04 at 7:00 AM. Map courtesy of Microsoft local/live.

Coast Guard called to search waters off Truro
TRURO - A Coast Guard boat and helicopter were called to search the waters of Cape Cod Bay off Truro Sunday afternoon. In an initial 911 call at 4 p.m., a 14-year old witness on land said he saw one person aboard the boat when it sank near Storage Beach, in Truro, Mass. He said he heard three air horn blasts and heard the word "help".

At 4:20 p.m., local police relayed the report to the Coast Guard who deployed a 25-foot response boat crew from Station Provincetown and an HH-60 rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod.  Both Coast Guard assets joined local authories at about 5 p.m. and began searching. They have not yet sighted any people or debris in the water.

The seas are less than one foot and the winds are five to 10 knots. Water temperature is 43 degrees and air temperature is 36 degrees. Posted on 12/31 at 9:00 PM.

Driver escapes injury in Harwich crash
HARWICH - The driver of this Toyota Camry escaped injury after hitting a tree and narrowly missing a fire hydrant in Harwich.

The crash happened on Forest Street about 4:15 PM and is under investigation by Harwich Police.

Further details were not immediately available.

Posted on 12/31 at 9:00 PM. Photo courtesy of Jake O'Callaghan/NEVN. 

Juvenile charged in Yarmouth stabbing
YARMOUTH - Yarmoith Police have arrested a juvenile in connection with the stabbing of a second juvenile on Saturday. Rescuers were called to this residence at 52 Lake Road West shortly before 3 PM and discovered the victim stabbed in the chest. The police were notified and the victim was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital. Doctors were able to treat the chest wound and stabilize the victim. Several young people were questioned and police determine the victim and suspect were swiping and jawing at each other with knives when contact was made. The suspect was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and will be arraigned in Barnstable Juvenile Court. Both the suspect and victims names and ages were withheld because they are juveniles. Posted on 12/31 at 11:00 AM. Photo courtesy of R. Copley.   

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"The employee of the year... yo, I'm back to work"

My big present this year was a vacation, so don't think I fell off a bike or something. All is well here at the office.

Betting the last week of the season is tough. You have teams that are fighting for the playoffs, and you have teams that are eliminated already. You have teams that are already assured of their playoff spot, and they bench anyone with talent so that they don't lose Tom Brady in some meaningless game.

All of them can screw up your betting card. A Detroit can beat an Indianapolis today, and it will matter very little to the bookie's collection specialist if Indianapolis benched all their good guys.

A lot of gamblers dodge Week 17, but we here at East Of Boston play hardball... and we know that Chaos creates Opportunity. You have to go with your gut, and damn the torpedoes.

Steelers vs Bengals (-6)

This looks like the final game for Bill Cowher and that superb chin of his. Cincy should stomp them, but Bill deserves to go out better than that.

Steelers, 21-20

Rams (-2) vs Vikings

Minnesota cut their best wide receiver on Christmas Eve, so they deserve the beating I hope to see them get.

Rams, 28-7

Lions vs Cowboys (-13)

This looks like Matt Millen's last day as GM of the Lions, but so have the last several years of Detroit's week 17 games. "Fire" isn't a harsh enough verb for what should happen to Millen.

Dallas, 28-0

Carolina vs New Orleans (-3)

New Orleans should rest everyone, and Carolina should send all their players into the stands to apologize for how poorly they played this season... even if the game is in New Orleans.

New Orleans, 10-9

Jaguars vs Chiefs (-2)

We bade them our mitch last week, and the pattern should continue against KC at home.

K.C.  20-19

Bills vs Ravens (-9)

I like their D, but Baltimore isn't going anywhere in the playoffs this year. They can cover this spread, though.

Baltimore, 17-6

Texans vs Browns (+4)

I wouldn't bet on this game with a bad check, and neither would Daglivak... who is a bad Czech. If a set of circumstances exist that somehow allows BOTH teams to lose a game... this is where they could occur.

 Texicans, 10-7

Titans (-3) vs New England

The Mafia seems to assume that we will rest our starters and play our bench, and Belichick looks too smart to cross the Mafia.

Tennessee, 21-20

Tampa (-3) vs Seattle

Old friend Deion Branch dropped 4 passes last week, and even the punter refers to him as a "p***sy."

Seattle, 12-10

Raiders vs Jets (-12)

I see an upset here, although I can't think of a coherent reason as to why I see an upset... Oakland stinks like the bathroom the morning after a family with like 4 huge sons and a huger father go drop a paycheck at the Mexican place.

Oak, 7-6

Falcons vs Eagles (-8)

This would be a pretty good bird fight if it happened IRL. Maybe they could starve 'em both, then lock them in a cage or a mountain gorge somehow. I'd bet the Falcon, but I'm not really expert in that area. Philly's going nowhere in the playoffs but First Round Exit Blvd.

 Falcons, 24-23

Dolphins vs Colts (-9)

The Colts are favored to win it all every year, and they choke every year. The bettor in me is waiting for the time when they aren't favored to win it all, at which point they will engage in a rarely seen Disappointment Victory. Offhand, I'm thinking 2009 as the time when these particular stars align in this manner.

Indy, 28-7

Cardinals vs Chargers (-13.5)

Unless they rest everyone for the playoffs, Sandy should beat the Cards like an overseer.

Sandy, 31-14

49ers vs Broncos (-10)

If you detonated a nuclear bomb in Colorado after all those blizzards, the suddenly melted snow would roll down the mountains to form a rarely-seen Inland Tsunami that would wash Nebraska dirt all over Ohio. Well, probably not... but it would be cool.

Denver, 17-14

Packers vs Bears (-3)

Brett's last game (if he has an ounce of class) looks to be a chilly beatdown at the hands of a brutal Chicago defense. Just like the Inland Tsunami mentioned above, it'd be cool if Brett went 37-45 with 5 touchdowns to win a 3 OT thriller in his final game. Also just like the Inland Tsunami mentioned above, it most likely isn't going to happen. Ah, what the Hell...

Packers, 44-43

Winter moths return; More Flex bus; Lower Cape Year in Review & Slide Show

     ^{The Southwau-Monomoy linking as one of the major stories of '06 on the Lower Cape}

Lower Cape NEWS, December 29, 006

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
By Cape Codder staff
It certainly was a memorable year – 2006. It brought a conviction in a Truro murder, and closure to Lower Cape beaches at the height of the summer season, due to the nesting piping plovers. It brought an exciting election season, and a major change of topography to Chatham. It brought a championship title to the Harwich Rough Riders baseball team, and 50 more acres of open space to Brewster.
[Photo Gallery: The Cape Codder's Year in Photos]

Scourge of winter moths returns
By Rich Eldred
Cape Cod has not had any snow this winter, but the region has experienced mini-blizzards of winter moths, which a county biologist says, can damage trees.

Grateful single mom pays it forward
By Debi Boucher Stetson
After years of struggle, one Lower Cape woman can look back with pride as she recounts the happy outcome she attributes in large part to the Lower Cape Outreach Council.

Article 12 could affect Ptown restaurant’s plans
PROVINCETOWN — The Beach Grill has its permits in hand and sometime next year, the restaurant could be razed and seven condos built in its place. A recent opinion issued by Provincetown town counsel, however, could eventually require the project to make room for affordable housing as a component. In a letter to Provincetown Town Manager Keith Bergman, the Boston law firm Kopelman and Paige said it believes a new town bylaw intended to increase affordable housing units in town, does apply to a restaurant at the corner of the Bradford Street Extension and West Vine, contrary to what the zoning board of appeals ruled.

Flag down the Flex bus
By Douglas Karlson
The FlexRoute bus system, the Lower Cape's first mass transportation system, is about to become considerably more flexible. Starting Tuesday, Jan. 2, drivers will stop for passengers who flag them down in Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Provincetown and in parts of North Truro, except when buses are traveling on Route 6, for safety reasons.

Performing arts center will cease operations
The Cape Cod Performing Arts Center, formerly Boch Center for the Performing Arts, will cease operations effective Sunday.

Compact plans workshops on tax breaks
By Matthew Belson
For many property owners, donating land for the purpose of conservation can be a feel-good proposition. Now placing a permanent conservation restriction on land can also take away some of the sting when the taxman pays a visit in April.

Alliance submits state energy plan
By Craig Salters
In a letter to Governor-elect Deval Patrick, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound has urged the governor to back an alternative site for a proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound, part of a five-point energy plan for the state.

State, military sign pact to keep Coast Guard on base
By Joe Burns
Last Friday morning, in a huge hangar housing its rescue helicopters,  Gov. Mitt Romney, National Guard Chief Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum and Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan signed a memorandum of agreement that will keep the Coast Guard on Massachusetts Military Reservation, despite the loss of the 102nd Fighter Wing, slated to leave the base, perhaps by next year. 

Read the rest of The Cape Codder here. 

Editor Tim Caldwell's commentary about Cape Wide News

Year end commentary from the editor of Cape Wide News;
Over the next two days Cape Wide News will be presenting a special presentation of the year in review over and as 2006 draws to a close I'd like to say a few words about this publication. 2006 was a big year for CWN as we proudly joined the Cape Cod Today family. After some initial growing pains I think the column is better than ever-but I'm always open to comments and suggestions. The move allowed us to permanently archive all stories and incorporate a search engine. Readers can also now comment on any story by simply clicking a link at the bottom of each issue. People have often asked me why I do Cape Wide News. The purpose is two fold. First and perhaps most obvious is to inform the public about public safety news. People have a natural curiosity as to why that fire engine, ambulance or police car just whizzed by. The second is to showcase the dedicated professionals who "protect and serve" the Cape on a daily basis.

The cornerstone of CWN has always been breaking news. My secret is simple. I have a group of friends "reporters" who help me cover the news. Some are people who are or were in the public safety field, others are professional videographers who appreciate the exposure CWN gives them. These friends know how to cover a story without getting in the way or interfering with emergency workers. We can't be everywhere all the time so I invite our readers to play reporter and send in tips and stories. Anytime I catch even a whiff (and believe me I do hear it) of anyone interfering or refusing to follow orders of officials their submission will be rejected. In general CWN has received much praise for covering the news on an almost daily basis. CWN strives to be as accurate as possible. Errors will inevitably occur but are corrected as soon as they are brought to my attention.

2006 was unfortunately a very busy year of reporting for CWN as it seemed at times like crime stories were an almost daily event particularly in Hyannis and Yarmouth. Over the years I have worked hard to forge positive working relationships with many Cape departments who regularly provide CWN with official press releases and other information and sometimes even images from some of the scenes. But I recently was made aware a certain public safety agency took exception to a story I broke about an armed robbery in their jurisdiction. They apparently felt I was a little to quick to break the story. While my zeal may get the best of me at times I maintain my stringent personal policies insured that no information was posted that in anyway could have abetted any suspects still at large. However, discretion being the better part of valor I acquiesced and now wait much longer and make any criminal stories in their town purposely even vaguer until official details come out. Any agency with issues about CWN and the way we cover the news is welcome to contact me. Simply click the email link on the left side of each issue. I welcome the opportunity to meet with any department and discuss ways to mutually benefit us both.

Separately an individual from that same agency also recently contacted CWN and requested a photo showing that person at a different incident be removed which we immediately did. As I stated above CWN intends only to show public safety workers in a positive light doing their job. In hindsight I could see where the image may have been seen as less than flattering and I sincerely apologize to the individual involved for any discomfort they may have suffered.

Cape Wide News wishes all a healthy and safe 2007. We'll continue to strive to bring you the latest public safety news on the Cape first. -TC

Sprinklers douse cinema fire; Man stuck in mud; antiques stolen, 3 nabbed in Hyannis B&E

Sprinklers douse fire at Mashpee cinemas
MASHPEE - Fire officials credit a sprinkler with preventing a major fire at the Regal Cinemas at the Mashpee Commons about 12:30 PM Friday. The Times reports an employee started a batch of popcornand when he returned a short time later the machine was ablaze. The employee evacuated patrons from all six cinemas. A sprinkler head doused the flames but did cause some water damage. No one was injured. Posted on 12/30 at 7:00 AM.  

Person pulled from mud in Dennis
DENNIS - One person was freed after getting stuck in deep mud in Dennis. Firefighters were called to Sesuit Harbor around 11 AM Friday. The victim did not appear to be injured. Further details were not immediately available. Posted on 12/29 at 4:30 PM.

Police seek stolen nautical antqiues
CHATHAM - Chatham Police are seeking the public's help after a number of nautical themed antique items were stolen from unnoccupied homes over the Christmas weekend. The items taken are an English mahogany banjo barometer valued at $2,000, an authentic brass ship port hole valued at $2,000, two World War II meteorite masthead lanterns valued at $3,000, one large shadowbox frame housing three model ships valued at $7,000-$10,000, two smaller shadow boxes with ships, one 3-inch engraved scrimshaw tooth. Anyone with information is asked to contact Chatham Police at (508) 945-1213. Posted on 12/29 at 4:30 PM.

Three arrested in Hyannis break-in
HYANNIS - A young man and two juvenile females were arrested after an alleged break-in in Hyannis. A neighbor reportedly saw a van pull into a Sea Street residence where he knew the tenant to be at work. The witness told police he saw the trio carry something out of the house covered in a blanket. He also provided police with a license plate. A short time Ofc. Dennis Noonan spotted the van and stopped it. 20-year old Peter Direnzo and two girls 16 and 13 were all charged with breaking and entering in the daytime and larceny of property. A DVD player and several DVDs were recovered. Direnzo was also charged with operating without a license and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Posted on 12/29 at 4:30 PM.

Links: CapeCodFD     Cape Cod FD's Live Scanner    Cape Cod Live WEBCAMS  
Looking for an old story? Use our archive service  Cape court reports (CCT)
Ptown fireworks forum      Cape Cod Today forecast     Tide Info     Live radar

Barnstable Year in Review, and for 2007, starting with a Charter Revision

     ^{Osterville on a November afternoon}

Barnstable NEWS, December 30, 2006

Click by month for Barnstable News;

Barnstable 2006 Sports News here.

Barnstable 2006 Business News here.

Read the rest of the Patriot here.

No bids on Jetties Beach concession stand; Only one restaurant open on island; Santa falls $hort; Real estate dip, selectmen changes top the news in '06

     ^{There are still no bidders for the Jetties Beach concession stand (above), see story below.}

Nantucket NEWS, December 29, 2006

Selectmen endorse $72.8 million budget
The Board of Selectmen last night endorsed a $72.79 million municipal budget, as recommended by the town administration, that would require voters to approve a $2.46 million operating override during the April 2007 Annual Town Meeting. Although the town’s anticipated revenues ex- ceeded its projected level-funded expenses for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2007, leaving a $61,000 surplus, town administrator Libby Gibson and finance director Connie Voges recommended $2.5 million in supplemental budget requests from town departments and the school system which the board agreed to endorse last night...

Jetties still without a proprietor
Following the withdrawal of the only bid on the Jetties Beach concession stand after a second round of bidding, the proposal will be put out to bid a third time in the hopes of enticing someone to open it up in time for the summer season. The most recent bid was submitted by Even Keel restaurant owner Marshall Thompson, but a Dec. 11 letter submitted by Thompson to the Board of Selectmen said he was not going to sign the lease but did say he “will be interested in the re-bidding if the lease package changes”...

Real estate dip, selectmen changes top the news in '06

The year began on a high note for the island’s most dedicated New England Patriots fans. Sisters Jane Hardy, 66; Jeanne Dooley, 73; and Joan Fisher, 75, who ave missed less than a handful of home games since they purchased four season tickets in 1995, were named Fans of the Year by team owner Robert Kraft at Gillette Stadium Jan. 1. Also in January, developers of the Great Harbor Yacht Club filed suit in Massachusetts Land Court, disputing findings by Town Counsel Paul DeRensis that the town is the true owner of a 1,443-square-foot triangle of property, in addition to five partially-submerged shares, on the footprint of the proposed club...

Restaurant closures leave few culinary presents for visitors
Twas Christmas Day on Nantucket, and but a single restaurant was stirring, and it wasn’t the Jared Coffin House. The only place to get a hot meal on Christmas Day was Stubby’s on Broad Street, as every other restaurant was closed, and the island’s traditional Christmas Day brunch and dinner destination for many, the Jared Coffin House, no longer has an operating kitchen.  The dearth of dining options Monday didn’t sit well with some, including Selectman Michael Kopko, who operates the Safe Harbor Guest House with his wife. Kopko commented on the lack of Christmas dining options during last week’s meeting and said that “a world-class resort destination” such as Nantucket should offer more choices for its holiday visitors...

Inky Santa falls short of its goal, but campaign still called a success
The Inky Santa’s Toy Drive fell $8,310 short of its $30,000 fundraising goal this year, but Mike Connolly, media spokesperson for the charity, said this year’s campaign was  nevertheless a success. “We did well on the shopping lists,” said Connolly. “Everybody got what they asked for. There were very few glitches...

Read the rest of the Inquirer & Mirror here.

Auld Lang Syne

As we race down the runway toward 2007 my mind turns to all the rotten times I have had on New Year's Eve over the years.  It seems to be a question of expectations exceeding reality and a dose of "trying too hard" to make merry. As a young parent this night out was always chilled a bit by the specter of having a big headache in the morning, trying to stay awake until midnight and the continuing obligations of getting the kids up and out regardless of the hangover.

Often plans just seemed to go wrong.  Invariably it will be the coldest night of the year, the car battery will fail and the jumper cables will be in the other car. The restaurant menu may be restricted to New Year's Eve fare only, or maybe it's a case of reservation clerk incompetence. A partying friend arriving at the gathering already three sheets to the wind can change things fast. My daughter's personal disaster recollections include going out, being forced to leave early because of an unhappy partner, and celebrating Auld Lang Syne on the car radio.

When I was younger I liked to party in restaurants and dance halls.  In later years I settled for Dick Clark and watching the ball drop in Times Square.  Today, my wife and I just go to bed at the normal time and maybe watch the midnight celebration if we are awake and in the mood for TV.  I can say that the older I have gotten the more fun I have had on New Year's Eve.

As the kids were growing up, New Year's Eve became a time of terror and prayer lest they kill themselves or get killed by partying drivers trying to create the time of their lives.  I recall lying in bed breathing a sigh of relief when I heard the cars return to the driveway with my kids after the First Night. 

Ah yes, First Night.  I have in my mind the image of frozen Chamber of Commerce types grinning into TV cameras through sleet beckoning me to come to the city warmly dressed to watch interpretive dancers on the Common or to listen to madrigal singers.

The more we came to grips with the need not to party, the more enjoyable the holiday was for us. We seem to have tried it all, starting with a wine and cheese celebration on my mother-in law's couch, to a date in a tiny restaurant in central Vermont when nothing was happening, to a wild and crazy dance at the local armory at which a man jumped around so much that he dropped dead.  That can halt a party quite quickly, to watch rescue EMT's haul your hully gully partner out of the place on a gurney.

In later years we had some great times at private dinner parties where the main feature was creative desserts, not booze or waiting for the clock to strike the bewitching hour. Sometimes people would go home before midnight and that was not even considered strange. We would leave our party hats and noise makers on our kitchen table when we finally got home and the next morning the kids would interrogate us on how crazy we got.

Midnight kissing on New Year's can be unpleasant and even terrifying.  I swear there are people who look forward to the clock striking twelve so they can smooch. My wife and I feel the opposite and although we kiss, we also engage in games of extreme "dodge face" lest we be confronted with the boozy lips and breath of someone we just as soon would have liked to avoid.  Suffice it to say that my New Year's Eve experiences have not been enchanted evenings when you lock eyes with a beautiful stranger across a crowded room.  They have been more like encounters with Bloody Mary.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and days of long ago?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
for days of long ago.

And surely you'll buy your pint cup !
And surely I'll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
for days of long ago.

CHORUS

We two have run about the hills,
and pulled the daisies fine ;
But we've wandered many a weary foot,
since days of long ago.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE OPINIONATOR

Two Inns sell for $45M; Saving Fish Stocks; Sanguine Outlook at Island Future

 ^{Two island landmarks, Harbor View Hotel and the Kelley House, sold this week for a total of $45 million, see story below.}

Martha's Vineyard NEWS, December 29, 2006

Year 2006 Comes to End with Sanguine Outlook for Island of the Future
Fed-up with petty internal politics, Dukes County voters this fall decided to take another look at the structure of their regional government. Hoping to prevent another divisive land use dispute, town and tribal leaders in Aquinnah spent months negotiating a potential peace accord. And with a solid financial footing, Martha's Vineyard Hospital trustees closed the year by securing approval for a new state-of-the-art facility and signing an affiliation agreement with the largest hospital group in the state.

Median Home Prices Fall on Vineyard as Real Estate Market Begins to Stall
The price of the typical home on Martha's Vineyard fell for the first time in six years in 2006, as buyers left the market and sales figures dropped by nearly 30 per cent.

Committee Plans Refurbishment at Old Pay Beach in Oak Bluffs
As a familiar stretch of Oak Bluffs waterfront continues its winter hibernation, the sand unblemished by human footprints or children's sand castles, plans are underway to breathe new life into what was once one of the busiest beaches on the Island.   Many still call this stretch of sand - which runs from the Inkwell beach to the Steamship Authority terminal - the pay beach, a reference to a bygone era when visitors placed a nickel in the turnstile along Sea View avenue in order to access the sandy haven below. At the time, the beach boasted public rest rooms, lockers, showers, a large concession stand and piers and rafts in the water.

Law Aims to Save Atlantic Fish Stocks
In the final hours of Congress early this month, legislators agreed to vote in a new federal fishery management for the years ahead.

Harbor View and Kelley House Conclude Sale at $45.1 Million
A Nantucket-based investment group closed on a deal last week to buy the Harbor View Hotel and Kelley House properties in Edgartown; total sale price was $45.1 million. The sale provided a tidy windfall for the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, netting the agency just over $900,000 in fees. The sale closed Dec. 20 with four separate transactions. Scout Real Estate Capital LLC purchased the turn-of-the-century Harbor View Hotel for $32.5 million and the Kelley House pub and inn complex for $12.6 million. 

Read the rest of the Gazette here.