Martha's Vineyard: Where's the Beach?

And so, you might add, "You were on an island with beaches all week and you didn't go to the beach?" Well, finally, we did!

It was the last day but our plane didn't leave till five so we took off for the beach between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs.

Gorgeous day! We arrived early in the morning -- only a few people were there when we got there -- we even beat the life guard!

But it didn't take long for big, beachy umbrellas to pop up and for families to start jumping in the water!

 

This beach is on Nantucket Sound and unlike the smaller beach we briefly checked out the day before, the sand was glorious and the water was surprisingly warm.

The seagulls were out in full force -- and I have to say they were beautiful.

Not particularly bright, but beautiful. Toss a shell their way and they go for it like food!



I don't know that much about gulls but I was surprised there were both the pure white ones and others with gray on their feathers.

I loved the white ones!

As for Rick and me, there was a lot of swimming and a lot of reading and just loving the sun.



People get to the beach a lot of ways! Rick probably would have taken this form of transport if he'd been home!

It's fun talking with the people as you splash around. I loved hearing all the reasons different people came to the Island. And everyone was playing, picnicking, just having fun!

It was tough to take off but on our way home we saw more of the beach and families cycling...



...and people jumping off the famous "Jaws" bridge.

What can I say? It was perfect.

Next time -- Goodbye to the Vineyard and my MV traveling tips!

Martha's Vineyard: Sunsets and Fireworks

Ah, leaving Nantucket. Loading up the ferry boat -- it was like the line at Disney World! But once again we went to the upper deck (after all, the hair can't get any worse than it already was!) and enjoyed the sights of Nantucket Harbor.

Most of those sights involved large yachts!

Given our travel time of the year and the fact that we were on the far east of the east coast, we expected a sunset cruise and the evening light was rich and golden.

Along the way, we noticed this boat with loads of people on it. That looked fun, too! Maybe next time.

We were pleased to strike up a conversation with Frank from New Jersey, and his son, James. We learned he was on the Board of Governors at Rutgers and since both his university and our local school, Michigan State, are in the Big Ten, there was lots to talk about!

And then came the sunset.

Well, what can I say. Headed straight into it, beautiful skies. Glorious.

Going, going, gone.

It was dark when we pulled into Oak Bluffs harbor, lights sparkling. We could have headed home, but no!

We had a destination, a slam-bang, big noise finale to our lovely day!

We made our way to the boardwalk where we had a ringside seat!

And settled in for the big show!

Well, Oak Bluffs, you sure know how to put on a good fireworks celebration!

And, you also know how to offer a great finale to our last full day of vacation.

But our plane doesn't leave till late tomorrow -- so there's still a little more fun to come!

Martha's Vineyard -- A Ferry to Nantucket

OK, I'm a sucker for boats. Can't resist them. So when Rick had business on Nantucket I was thrilled to join him!

Our visit started on the ferry from Oak Bluffs to Nantucket. It was a perfect day. Even sitting at the pier waiting to board was fun!

Life was just getting going in the harbor and we enjoyed watching it come to life.

          

The ride was lovely. We sat on the top deck, hair blowing and chatting with our new friends of the hour -- a fashion designer from New York and a young couple from Westchester County, NY. Finally we saw Nantucket come into view.

 

We looked a bit disheveled when we landed -- boat hair! But we weren't alone.

 

To be perfectly honest, Nantucket, which I explored on my own while Rick was working, didn't knock me out. I suspect this is partly because my feet were my transportation.



Once I got through the shopping streets, I wasn't quite sure where to go or what to do. There wasn't enough time for the whaling museum and I wasn't dressed for the beach. I suspect if I knew about a bus tour or could have toured the whole island, I'd have a different experience. For the most part, it was a lot of cute shops and I'd been to a lot of equally cute (and redundant) shops for the past few days. But I did enjoy seeing some of the landmarks around town.



I was glad I'd worn my tennies because the cobblestone streets were treacherous! Charming, but treacherous!

Below is the library. A handsome and historical building where Frederick Douglass spoke against slavery. Nantucket did have quite a history during the Civil War.

On the far side of the library was a lovely garden, designed for readers to enjoy their books outside. I had stopped at the bookstore for a Louise Penny mystery and did exactly that!

And I found the statue outside this church lovely.

It was interesting to learn how far I was from home. I'm really not sure the distance to Mackinac Island was correct -- but I loved the sign!

The thrift shop offered a few good buys and it was fun to see new things. Had I better transportation, I might have ended up in a bit of trouble with some larger pieces! As it was a candle snifter and some postcards were my souvenirs.

There were lots of galleries and I liked this painting (for obvious reasons!).

I enjoyed a nice lunch at Brotherhood of Thieves -- reasonably priced for the area ($15 for mussels in a wonderful wine and butter broth with sausage, onions and tomatoes and a garlicky bread.)



I took a little time to do some sketching too. I'll show that later when I get my art act together but this is the scene.

The streets and buildings were quaint and I suspect some of these will show up in art work eventually, too. I loved the wandering.

This pretty wreath reminded me of the season -- Labor Day approaching!

Rick and I met up at a restaurant called Straight Wharf for dinner, prior to our ferry departure.



We both had the grilled black bass with a glass of the pinot grigio (a generous pour served in Mason jars). It was both delicious and memorable.

And of course, there is always a sign or two that reminds you who you are.

And that you're not anywhere near home!

But for me, the best part of the day might be yet to come! Stay tuned!