Wishing for Rain on the Vineyard

We’ve spend many lovely summer vacations on Martha’s Vineyard and I’ve written about some of my memories of that idyllic island.  (See Menemsha Sunset,  and Carousel)

Of course we reveled in sunny days when it was glorious to be at the beach or on the water,  and just as delightful to stroll in town shopping, antiquing, or lunching al fresco.  And when the sun went down we’d head for the movie houses in Edgartown or Oak Bluffs.

Big movie-lovers,  back home when our son was young I’d take him to “cry baby“ screenings during the day.  And we loved meeting friends for brunch and afternoon movies on leisurely weekends.  But on the Vineyard, we discovered,  the movie theaters are shuttered during the day as it wouldn’t pay to open when everyone is at the beach.

And so after a week or so of sunny skies we’d find ourselves wishing for at least one day of inclement weather.  Then the theaters would open for daytime screenings  – and what better to do on a rainy day on the Vineyard than wait for the lights to go out and the movie to start!

– Dana Susan Lehrman

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When Dan does something, he gives it 100% and that was the way he again took up bicycling in 2018. He had his first bike accident the day he got his fancy new bike. The tubeless tires fell apart, so that accident wasn’t on him, though he was still taken to the ER and I, entertaining off-island guests, got the call to pick up his bike and meet him at the ER. This next one, just 10 months later, caused us to miss an event we both looked forward to.

On Wednesday evenings, a group got together to do time trials at South Beach, not far from our home in Edgartown. Dan enthusiastically joined this group. He did a trial run and noticed there was sand on the course (not a surprise, since they biked a triangular course with one leg along side the beach). But once he was racing, he forgot about the sand, and the bike slipped out from under him at high speed. Of course he wound up hurt, still rode home, refused to go to the hospital and asked me to clean and patch him up with the wound care materials we had from his previous accident. I protested and urged him go to the hospital, but it was futile. He was in pain, but soldiered on.

Two days later, we were scheduled to go home. Index Systems, a company for whom Dan had worked for 16 years (and I worked for 8 months when I first went back after having David) was celebrating its 50th anniversary. We were both excited to attend. We were friendly with so many people we met there. We grew up at that company. It had a culture of running and Dan would run with lots of people there during his lunch hour (they had showers within the office space). We remained friends with loads of folks and they have an active alumni group who Zoom monthly and have an annual Christmas lunch. The company was acquired while Dan worked there and became CSC/Index. But those years when Dan worked there were great years of our lives and we wanted to celebrate with everyone. The founder, Tom Gerrity, (along with several of his fellow MIT colleagues), was one of those smart MIT grads (undergrad and grad school), who went from this success to become the Dean of Wharton Business School. He now is in the throes of Parkinson’s, so it felt particularly important to see him.

Index runners in road race, mid-1980s

But Dan was in real pain, so made an appointment at an urgent care facility when we first got back to Newton. I had other things to do and was astonished by the report he gave me when we reconnected. His wounds were infected, they couldn’t prescribe pain killers (which is what he really wanted) and their Xray machine wasn’t working – he needed to come back in an hour, which he did. They found three broken ribs and sent him to the Brigham and Women’s ER. Of course, at this point, I drove him. No wonder he was in such pain – broken ribs on top of infected road rash (the Featured photo is Dan, waiting at the ER). We were running out of time to make it to the party. I got into my dress, just in case, and off we went.

Road rash

ERs are notoriously slow. They finally looked Dan over and discovered not only did he have three broken ribs, but one had punctured his lung! They did all sorts of breathing tests on him. It was a small puncture and he seemed to be able to breathe fine. There is nothing to be done for broken ribs. The puncture in the lung would heal on its own.

But this is a teaching hospital and they wanted to show Dan off to the residents on rounds. We were doomed. I tried to reach the person who had put together the party. I didn’t have his cellphone number. I sent him an email, which he saw hours later. We did not make it to the party. We found out much later that everyone went to an after party at a hotel. We didn’t know. We missed everything…because Dan didn’t seek immediate care while we were still on Martha’s Vineyard.

Nothing to be done…but we do go to their annual Christmas luncheon. I insist on that. And once in a while, I join their once-a-month Zoom calls (but usually it interferes with exercise classes). Now they are putting together a dinner reunion in Cambridge in October. It’s on our calendar. We WILL be there. It is good to stay in touch.

Index holiday lunch, Dec, 2022

Les Halles

I went to Europe for the first time in the late 1960s with my husband Alan on a belated honeymoon.  We spent a few days in Copenhagen where we saw Victor Borge in concert in Tivoli Gardens.   And then a week in Paris where our hotel room reeked of garlic –  thanks, we soon discovered,  to the foul breath of the chambermaid!

But of course everywhere we went and everything we did in Paris was a treat,  including our pre-dawn visit to Les Halles.

The enormous glass and iron structure that housed Les Halles,  the retail and wholesale Parisian food and flower market,  was built in the 1870s,  an architectural wonder in fin de siecle style,  and was the setting of Emile Zola’s novel of that decade entitled  Le Ventre de Paris,  and translated as The Belly of Paris.

Les Halles was the bustling hub of food distribution in the city for almost a century with tons of fresh fish and meat bought,  butchered,  and sold during the night hours while most of Paris slept.   But by the 1970s,  several years after our own nighttime visit,  Les Halles was no longer able to compete in the new market economy and was also in need of massive repairs.  It was decided to move its operations elsewhere,  and the iconic Parisian structure was demolished.

But years earlier as Alan walked around taking pictures,  I explored the market on my own,  enjoying the hustle and bustle,  and soaking up the wonderful sounds, sights and smells of Les Halles at dawn!

–  Dana Susan Lehrman 

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