By Kimberly Nolan

Orange is the Morning Light greeting the Dirt Road, shrouded in privet. At a glance, the roads look the same. Some are named, some are unnamed, some are used as a cut-through to other roads. Ours was a dead end. I walked that Road to my first landscaping job. The Dirt was more like dust, finding its way in through the tops of my sneakers, making my toes feel gritty. Rabbits darted into camouflaged hideouts. Mindful drivers carefully navigated pot holes and a narrow passage. We exchanged actual hellos, not just the wave of a hand. Orange is color of the Dirt Roads of Nantucket that remind us all to slow down.

Gray is the conservative Quaker Lifestyle, whose roots remain on the island. Gray is a Commitment to Tradition. Gray are the Houses, seasonal or year-round, that hold memories together. The Grey Lady is more than a beer; it is folklore and a destination. When the island is swallowed in Fog, gray is the Sound of a Singular Buoy Bell ringing out. Gray is the Winter Sky, the lull before daffodils. Gray is the Early Morning Water — before a fish tugs the line, gets heaved onboard, is cleaned, grilled, savored and remembered as another great Nantucket day.