With the weather experienced last weekend, it is clear that Indian Summer is stepping aside for fall. A rainfall of approximately 1.5 inches on Saturday accompanied by blustery winds was succeeded on Sunday by brilliant sunshine and winds from the northwest between 30 and 40 mph. The leaves came down almost as fast as the rain had the day before! I fully appreciated the flexibility that my retirement provides as I was able to take advantage of the astronomical high tides to haul my float on Friday instead of being forced to do so either in the rain Saturday or high winds on Sunday.

One of the pressing questions for the community concerns the school consolidation law and what its impact will be for our island school. On Monday, November 12, at 7 p.m., a meeting will be held at the Southport Memorial Library to discuss this topic.

In the latest Southport School Newsletter, there is some discussion of the results of the 2007 Maine Educational Assessment testing. This fall, 70 percent of the students from Southport Central School scored above the national average in math and 69 percent were above the national average in reading. Quality education in our community school - congratulations to staff and students!

Another piece of news involving school-age children: Brownie Troop 2147 is having a Lasagna Supper at the Southport Town Hall on Friday, Nov. 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The cost is $4, and children under four pay their age.

In mentioning the library, I am reminded that the Library's Holiday Fair is coming up on Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17. Quality crafts, a quilt drawing, Southport authored books, 2008 Rachel Carson calendars, and a bake sale will be available. In addition to all the above, photography and artwork will also be sold. Samples of many of these items can be seen at the Library during the regular library hours. Questions? Call 633-2741.

Don't forget to mark on your calendars the Veterans Day Observance at 1 p.m. on November 11, at the Southport Memorial Library. Come join friends and families honoring all Southport veterans at the annual ceremony. The time has been set at 1 p.m. instead of the traditional 11 a.m. to accommodate church service schedules. All veterans are welcome and encouraged to participate. There will be a social hour following the ceremony to hear veterans' stories and share refreshments.

The Sherrills spent a weekend in Baltimore, Maryland recently at a family wedding. Leigh writes, "although we lived an hour from that city for 22 years, we had not explored more than one restaurant and the Walters Art Gallery. After a weekend there, we commend the city to anyone interested in good food, both seafood and Italian food in any one of the family restaurants in Little Italy. To anyone interested in architecture, the ornamented and well proportioned buildings around Mount Vernon Square, the modern architecture in the Inner Harbor, the cobbled streets and town houses of Fells Point seem small cities unto themselves. For fun (Duck Tours, Harbor Tours, flying trapezes lessons), for shopping (the Inner Harbor), for music (Peabody Institute, Lyric Opera, the Inner Harbor), for art and history (many museums, including a Museum of Public Works and a Museum of Dentistry), all these I discovered in only two days. Imagine what you could discover with additional time. The wedding, which took us to Little Italy for dinner, Emmanuel Church for the service, and the Peabody Institute Library for the reception, united the Washington Post sports writer, our nephew, and an events planner, his California girl, Jen. We wish them strength and courage as they return home and make their lives together in our nation's capital.'

The Sherrills' visit to Baltimore reminded me of the recent visit of our daughter and her seven-week- old son, Angus Lunt Woodward. Lisa lives in Annapolis and was here for a week, joined at the end of that time by her husband, Pat. One of Lisa's requests before arriving was that our boat still be in the water. The weather cooperated, and we did get a "last trip" on the boat before declaring the season had ended. Angus seemed to like his first boat ride - if sleeping the whole way is a good indicator!

Speaking of boats, boatyard activity is frenzied these days, as employees struggle with the collection of vessels appearing at their docks. The rush is to get all ashore and winterized before any serious freeze appears. It is amazing to see how many boats are added daily to the storage areas.

The calendar found on the Southport Island Association website is a good place to check on upcoming events in the community. If you have community announcements and would like them posted on the calendar, please pass the information along to me at any time (633-2133). The Web site address is www.southportislandassociation. org .