Believe it or not, the traffic has increased here lately at least at certain times. At around 8 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. as families shuttle kids to and from school each day, things are quite busy. Other times of day, however, things are quite quiet. Downtown at 9 a.m. one day this week, there were only a few cars going down Main Street and no competition for street side parking. Some ambling day-trippers are being spotted here and there, especially with their cameras dangling at the ready. Really, who can blame them, the weather is fantastic with warmth and breezes and sparkling waters. I’m sure all the construction, house repairs, and every day projects that can be viewed while ambling about town seem quaint and picturesque if you’re visiting a small island town on a beautiful day.

School events

In school sports this week, the Rowing Club had its organizational meeting and rowing practices are beginning. Varsity Soccer is in full swing, and the boys and girls teams, though they lost their first games to Richmond last week, are motivated and have many more games to come. School pictures have occurred, add-drop period for high school students is almost over, and students and teachers alike are preparing for open house on the Sept. 20 from 6-7 p.m.

Doings around town

In general, town’s pretty quiet these days. This is the season where many lobstermen go out daily on the water, carpenters and painters are busy, and the plumbers and electrician’s vehicles are seen parked in front of houses all over the island. With good weather to work on projects, summer places to close-up for the season, kids off at school and most of the tourists back at their routines as well, it’s a much quieter existence here now. The community calendar reflects it by listing not a single thing for the rest of this year! If you’d like to mark next year’s calendar though, the Eldercare Auction is listed for Aug. 4, 2013.

What folks are talking about

The Where on Vinalhaven photo from two weeks ago was indeed the grill at the side of the Linda Bean Lobster facility near Harbor Wharf. In talking to some folks about it, I was surprised who had, and had not noticed it. I’ve never noticed a grill-out in progress there, but do hope some folks at that facility get a chance to enjoy its stellar location.

The cool crisp air, school being in session, and the changing light levels has many folks thinking of learning new things. Some of us still seem to get that back-to-school feeling even if it’s been ages since we were in the classroom. In one discussion this week, folks were remarking on how there are so many ways to learn things for free with the Internet these days. Whether it is through TEDTalks, KhanAcademy.org, Harvard open courses at extension.harvard.edu, or openculture.com, there’s no end to the amount of things you could learn at your own pace in the comfort of your own environment, and amazingly, for no cost. So if you’re one of those folks wanting to learn new things, check out these resources and chat with folks about what ideas they have. Locally you can join up with the Bird Walks Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. at Skoog Park, and soon the ARCafe will start offering classes and seminars through its Community Learning Center program.

So for now, it’s time to enjoy the weather, mow the lawn a few more times, and appreciate the evening stillness (without the fireworks). Take time to stop and gawk at the sunflowers and dahlias, catch glimpses of the butterflies, and note the gorgeous dew-covered spider webs in the early morning. You could even pretend you’re a day-tripper and go out for a walk with camera in tow and appreciate how quaint and picturesque this small island town really is.

If you have news to share that you’d like to see in this column, please drop me a line at susan_raven@mindspring.com or leave a message at 863-4134.