Author: Taryn McBryde

Nantucket Essays

The Currents of Time

The lilacs have bloomed. The purples colonies of flowers dip down into the sunlight, and suffer the ministrations of the bees. If the wind isn’t blowing from the east, the heavy drift of their scent washes through the windows and pools up in the air.

Insider Tips

The Secret Weapon

The text from my buddy Greg said, “The morning bite has been hot at Point O’ Breakers. Let’s hit it tomorrow.” Greg is a hard charger who puts in his beach time fishing for striped bass. I knew that his information was solid, so we agreed to meet around 4:00 a.m. and fish until we had to leave for work. This was in early June a couple of years ago and the striper fishing had been sporadic. Greg and I fished hard that next morning, with each of us picking up some short fish (less than the 28 inch minimum) in the darkness.

ticks | Nantucket, MA
Insider Tips, Island Science

It’s Tick Time

With FIGAWI in the rearview mirror, it really feels like summer is upon us on the island. As we all start to spend more time outdoors on our conservation trails, we come into contact more frequently with one of the few hazards we have on Nantucket. We don’t have skunks, bear, coyotes, or venomous snakes. We do, however, have ticks. Late spring/early summer is a boon time for ticks, but with a mild winter and temperatures rarely going below freezing, ticks on island have been active all year round.

J.H. Bufford lithographs, Boston, MA c. 1855 courtesy of American Antiquarian Society
Nantucket History & People

Undersea Treasure Hunts

I’ve been working at the Nantucket Atheneum as a research associate for a little over a year, and in that time, I’ve fallen down more than one historical rabbit hole, learning about interesting and some downright odd moments in Nantucket’s history. From time to time, my explorations bring me face-to-face with members of my own family.

Nantucket Arts, Nantucket Events

In the Open Air

Artists on Nantucket, professional and those who have just learned to paint, will participate in the Artists Association of Nantucket’s 12th annual Plein Air Nantucket. This festival starts on Tuesday, June 13 and continues through Sunday, June 18, with special gatherings and an awards ceremony. It offers many opportunities for […]

Featured Articles, Insider Tips

Hope Springs Eternal

The first Nantucket striped bass of the year is a very sought-after fish. That first striper signifies that it’s time to get your gear out and get ready for the onslaught of fish that follow. The first bass clearly says that the seasons have changed. The long winter wait is over, better times are coming. Yeah, that first striped bass is an important fish.

Nantucket Essays

Lessons of Nantucket

The neighbors have arrived.

They brought their dogs.

The Golden Retrievers came racing in from both sides, clashed in our yard, and then went dashing after each other in a joyful chase for suburban dominance. Their owners slid the sliding glass doors shut.

We all like dogs, and we know how they can behave. It doesn’t surprise me, or anyone in my house, that the dogs like to run around and have found lots of good things to smell and eat in our backyard. We have been dumping clam shells and rotted scallops behind the wall for months. If their dogs want them, they can have at them.

Nantucket Arts, Nantucket Events

AAN Opens Two New Exhibits May 26

Main Street’s flower-filled fountain… boats bobbing in Nantucket harbor… longer days and moon-lit bays… our island’s beautiful early summer afternoons: see them all expressed on canvas in the Artists Association of Nantucket’s new exhibit Nothing But Blue Skies. The exhibition opens on Friday, May 26 in the Cecelia Joyce & […]