Weekend Wrap-up

On Saturday Joe and I spent a lovely day on Moshup Beach down in Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard. We went with a friend who’d never been before. He really liked it. We explored Oak Bluffs for a bit and had lunch before setting off for Aquinnah, so it was after 3pm when we finally got to the beach. The air was warm, the sea was warm. We swam and then slept. The surf wasn’t nearly as rough as when we were there two weeks ago, which was itself a magical day.

We were awakened from our nap by Stephen Dirado, who’s kind of a fixture on the island, especially on Moshup with his big accordion-style box camera and tripod. Joe and I met him many years ago when we first started visiting Aquinnah’s funky beach. He photographed us, and we stayed in touch for a while, but eventually lost contact. However, every time we’ve been down there, I’ve thought of him and wondered if we’d see him.

Years went by, and we never saw him again until two weeks ago, that is. There he was, strolling down the beach with his camera. We were so psyched to see him. He remembered us right away. He said we looked the same as when he first met us (which was very nice of him). We were with a small group of friends and we were getting ready to leave to catch the ferry, but he slipped in a quick photo of us, which he sent us last week.

I thought about posting it, but decided against it. I know that’s being a bit of a tease. It’s not because we were naked when he photographed us that I’m not going to show it. It only shows us from the chest up, so you can’t tell that we’re not wearing anything but our tans. I just think that, for me, some anonymity is important on this blog. I liked the photo though. We look kinda tough. We were sorry that we had to leave to catch the ferry since he wanted to take another of us. He said to let him know if we planned to be down again before summer’s end.

I emailed him Friday night to let him know that we were going to be on Moshup. I wasn’t sure that he’d be able to make it. The three of us were out cold on our blanket when he found us. I think I had a boner. I wasn’t really all that embarrassed because Stephen knows Moshup and understands its freedom and unique culture more than most. Plus he’s a great guy, totally cool. We chatted for quite a while—mostly about our plans to adopt and parenthood. He has a way of making his subjects feel relaxed and at ease. Being photographed by him is a real honor. He took two more photos of us with our friend on Saturday. They show a bit… er… more than the others. I can’t wait to see them.

On Sunday we had brunch with another couple. I took a nap, and Joe joined me after a little bit. Later we met the same couple at their place and walked over to the Common for the final performance of The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s production of The Taming of the Shrew. We enjoyed it. They set Shakespeare’s tale of marital bliss in Boston’s North End (that’s the Italian neighborhood) in the 1950s.

It’s not that it didn’t work. Overall, it was very well done. It’s just that the story itself is tricky to process in that it’s not clear (to me at least) whether Shakespeare was endorsing or parodying the notion of the uber-dutiful wife. Add to that a parody of an Italian-American neighborhood in the 50s, and I felt like there was too much parodying going on.

I think a much better choice would have been to set the play in the present, in say, Jamaica Plain (a largely Hispanic neighborhood) with Katherine as a feisty Latina. That way, the stereotypes would at least have been current and, for those who’ve ridden the Orange Line, more familiar.