It’s not too late to make a bucket list for summer. A friend recently told me she needed a to-do list for summer – not necessarily for things to do before kicking the bucket, but as a reminder to take advantage of the season’s fleeting days. Living and working here year-round, it can be all too easy to let summer slip by without enjoying its pleasures.

Now here we are in September, and this is it, folks. Time to pause and savor the re-maining vitality of the Vineyard’s sunniest season. My friend included summery things on her list (eat an ice cream cone, make a sand castle) as well as things that she’s never done (go inside the Edgartown Lighthouse, actually ride the carousel in Oak Bluffs). Having gone on the carousel for the first time in July, I can say from experience that going for a spin is completely different from watching – and seeing my forty-something, six-foot-three brother catch the brass ring and ride around again by himself was a treat.

September and October on Martha’s Vineyard have some wonderful qualities: The days are clear and bright, the ocean is still warm, and it’s easier to get around once visitors have returned to their off-Island lives.

This issue offers plenty of inspiration for your own do-it-now, end-of-summer list. Our look at conservation groups and their first properties may trigger a walk, bike ride, or nature class (page 38). A couple of fishing-inspired elements – a poem by D.A.W. and the How It Works column (pages 13 and 16) – might send you to the water. Or perhaps it’s time to go ahead and embrace early autumn by visiting an orchard for some crisp, red, Island-grown apples (page 56). Whatever you decide, I suggest you start by reading this magazine in a hammock.