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Last week was a quiet one on the Vineyard. Winter school break, which happens a week later than the rest of the Massachusetts, meant teachers and islanders with school aged kiddies either headed north for snowy white mountain slopes or south for sandy white beaches.

Available to rent for the summer season is this stunning 5.5 acre, 5 thousand square foot, 5 bedroom equestiran paradise on Martha's Vineyard. 55 foot gunite pool, gym, central A/C. Contact us for pricing and availability. This beautiful home is also for sale for $5.5 million.

Given any usual wintry Saturday night on Martha’s Vineyard and you might be inclined to think most islanders would be cozied up in front of a roaring fire with a good book or a movie. But around once a month you will find a good many winter residents of all ages at the Chilmark Community Center, which is transformed into a coffee house style music venue by Alex Karalekas and his team of volunteers. 

Our year-end report summarizing the performance of the Martha's Vineyard real estate market in 2015 was released today. After three flat and stable years from 2012 to 2014, the real estate market on Martha’s Vineyard surged in 2015. Compared to 2014, the number of properties sold in 2015 increased 17% to 602, total dollar volume increased a whopping 39% to $675mm, and the average sales price rose 19% to $1,122,000. You can see the full report including a breakdown for each town on the island on the Market News tab.

New to the 2016 summer rental market is this fine 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home with heated pool and water views over the Vineyard Sound. Entertain with ease in the open living/dining/kitchen rooms. Enjoy the sunset from the lovely outdoor spaces. Short drive to Philbin beach. Currently open for the whole 2016 summer season. Click the link for more information and to inquire. http://www.tealaneassociates.com/rentals/waterview-aquinnah-127470

Vineyard visitors and renters who are planning on bringing a car to the Island this summer can book their ferry reservations online tomorrow morning, Tuesday January 11th from 7:30am (eastern time) by visiting the Steamship Authority at https://www.steamshipauthority.com/

Chilmark students kicked off their Holiday Break with a round of carolling at Beetlebung Corner. Their first visit was to the amazingly vibrant 100-yr-old Rena Fischer at Beetlebung Farm (see photo). The rest of the tour included Chilmark Town Hall, the Larsen's home across the street, the Chilmark Post Office and the Chilmark Library. Making their way through all of the classic Christmas songs, it turned out that Jingle Bell Rock and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer were the singers' favorites. It was a treat to hear the childrens' voices ringing through a quiet and warm winter afternoon in Chilmark. Merry Christmas to all!

Everyone has been talking about “The Derby” lately (the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby). The jetties are crowded with fishermen of all ages, fishing boats are out in full force and every truck on the road has a selection of rods lined up on the rack. But surf is another great thing about this time of year on the island! Fall is traditionally the season to surf on the Vineyard.  The tropical storms and hurricanes blowing up the coast bring swell to the island’s south shore and beyond. Hurricane Joaquin thankfully tracked way east out to sea but still delivered us a week's worth of clean waves last week for all levels of surfers…and there are more to come in the months ahead for those hearty enough to brave chillier water temps. Whatever your activity, this is a great time to be out on the water on Martha’s Vineyard!

There is a home for sale on Martha’s Vineyard which is a naturalist’s dream, a bird watcher’s paradise, a secluded retreat. It’s close to everything the Vineyard has to offer, but feels a million miles away. Located on Deep Bottom Cove (Tisbury Great Pond) with 500 feet of pond frontage in a natural and serene setting, this move-in ready, air conditioned, 4 bedroom 3 bath home is flooded with light which fills the open living dining kitchen area. The expansive deck and screened porch overlook the cove and a short walk from the house leads to a shared dock where you can leave your canoe, kayak or other small watercraft. From here you can explore Tisbury Great Pond and boat to a sandy South Shore Atlantic Ocean beach. The close proximity to Long Point expands the outdoor recreational options. Available for $1,495,000. 

September and early October are treasured time on Martha’s Vineyard as everyone tries to hold on to summer and log in as much beach time as possible before the season disappears completely.  There is a lot of denial about the days getting shorter, the wind direction coming out of the north again, and need to swap out flip flops for something more substantial. Outdoor showers are still in full use. Cottage windows are still open (in the middle of the day anyway). Leaves are still green, mostly. This is the time of year that, if you hang out on the beach until the late afternoon, you soon find yourself in the glow of the setting sun and heading home over the dunes in the dark, reluctantly letting go of the day, thinking about how magical this place really is. These are the quiet times to soak it all up before winter blows in!