Martha's Vineyard - All good things must come to an end

The weekend at the Vineyard started with a trip into Vineyard Haven to drop Chuck off at the ferry.  He assumed a new position with USA Hockey and needed to go to Hartford, CT for a weekend meeting.  As Chuck was getting on the ferry in Vineyard Haven, my dearest friend, Leslie was getting off the ferry in Oak Bluffs.  Hooray!  What fun lies ahead?

What a fox!

Leslie and I were roommates in college at the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks)!  We were "northerners" living in a southern world.  We were "partners in crime" (yes, we rescued a baby squirrel once)!  We have remained close friends for 39 years and try to see each other at least once a year.  Whenever we see each other, it's like we've never been apart...conversation is easy and laughs are plenty.

We spent Friday relaxing by the pool and being served a wonderful selection of exotic drinks by Bartender Dan.  We played cards, listened to great music, and spent most of the night laughing. 

On Saturday morning we decided to take a trip to the flea market in Chillmark; it's supposedly the longest running flea market on Martha's Vineyard.  Dan and Kate decided to come along (Patrick remained in bed) and we (probably not Dan) had fun looking at all the "treasures".  The highlight was the table set-up by the local alpaca farm.  As soon as the lady said "Oh, you should stop by the farm, we have 40 new babies", Leslie and I were off.  Since we are both animal-lovers and have been known to talk baby-talk to just about anything with fur, we offered Kate and Dan the option of going back to the house.  Being "troopers", they decided to go with us.

We decided that Dan should be the designated driver and off we went.  I must say that I was a bit nervous when Dan decided to "take a back road".  The "back road" was truly a back road; it wasn't paved and the ruts in the road were at least 12 inches deep; but it was an adventure and we spent most of the trip laughing!

Finally, the path cleared and we had arrived!

We had to park here!

A recent hair cut!

What a sweet baby!  This one was less than a week old!

Even Kate thought they were cute!

We spent lots of quality time with the alpacas.  They make the sweetest "humming" sounds.  Leslie and I "talked" to just about every baby!  Dan looked bored after about 5 minutes, but he was a good sport (and besides, we let him drive through the "back road" on the way home)!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and then the three girls took a trip to Lambert's Cove Beach. 

Isn't she beautiful?

My contribution to the beach!

I always search for heart-shaped rocks to add to my collection!

A productive day!

We had a wonderful seafood dinner in Oak Bluffs - they made me try a steamer - yuck!  I'll stick to fried clams or clams in my chowder!  Leslie and Kate and Dan left on Sunday (so sad) and Chuck returned (so glad).  We went to the band concert on the lawn (overlooking the ocean) in Oak Bluffs on Sunday evening.  Lovely.

On Monday we took a trip to Gay Head to look a the cliffs at sunset. 

The view is breathtaking.

Looking good in his RayBans!

We were too hungry to wait for the sun to set, so we headed over to Menemsha in search of the perfect lobster roll!  A perfect end to a great week! 

Martha's Vineyard ~ Part Three

Chuck and I did a little exploring today.  We headed down to Chilmark to look for the "special secret place" that the owner of our house mentioned.  It appears that there is a spot where you can kayak across a pond and then walk over a dune to a beach right on the ocean!  The directions said that we would see a Nature Conservancy sign near Abel's Hill and across the street from the cemetary where John Belushi is buried. 

We found the "special secret spot" (which will be a trip for another day), but first we stopped to see John Belushi's grave.

The epitath reads: "I may be gone, but Rock and Roll lives on".

Lots of fans pay special tribute to the "Blues Brother".

We were curious about John Belushi's link to Martha's Vineyard and asked the attendant at the "special secret spot" (a nice young man from Lowell, Massachusetts who spends his summers working on the Vineyard). He told us that John Belushi had a house on the Vineyard ( his brother Jim and Dan Akyrod still have homes here).  He told us that Dan Akyrod keeps up the memorial and that John Belushi is not actually buried in the spot where the headstone is, but at another spot in the cemetary that is known only to the family. 

Seeing John Belushi's grave peaked my curiosity about headstones (no, I don't have a morbid fascination), and the unique markings on several of the headstones (note the skull and crossbones).  So....off we went to the West Tisbury Cemetary where I had seen the grave with all the chickens.

I did a little research after seeing this grave earlier in the week.  It appears that Nancy Luce was the "Chicken Lady".  She was an artist who was a bit eccentric and raised chickens to help make ends meet.  She became somewhat of a "legend" on the island and after her death in 1890, people started leaving "chicken things" at her grave. 

Many of the older headstones had the skull and crossbones markings which we thought was a bit unusual.  After doing a little research (thank goodness for the internet) it seems that the skull and bones and the skull with wings were popular on headstones in America in the 17th and early 18th centuries; they symoblize death and mortality. Interesting.

Some also had skulls with wings, which apparently symbolize the flight of the soul from mortal man. 

                    Apparently in the 19th century, the skull and crossbones were replaced with cherubs!

As we were leaving, I noticed a grave with a bench instead of a headstone.  I had to take a closer look and I'm so glad I did.

Such a beautiful memorial for this husband and wife.  It reads:  "Come and sit by Katherine C. Long & Thomas P. Vogl.  They loved this isand, books, cooking, ideas, science, words, and above all else, each other".

Of course, I had to do a little research...Tom died in May of 2010 at the age of 80; he had an extremely rare form of cancer (mucous melanoma); he was diagnosed in 2006 and choronicled his journey through diagnosis and treatment (titled "Ruminations on Living with Cancer" and can be read at http://www.upislandeggs.com/); he was a biophysicist; Katherine was a librarian, and yes, there is a "chicken connection" - they raised chickens and sold the eggs!

I'm glad I learned a little about Katherine and Tom; I'm glad I left a smooth rock on his grave.

Martha's Vineyard Part Two

Day two on the "Vineyard" - all settled in and ready to enjoy all that the island has to offer.

Our house is in beautiful West Tisbury - between Vineyard Haven and Chillmark.  A "simply delightful" area with lots of trees, ponds, and residential areas.  We think it's the perfect spot on the island!

I made a quck trip to the West Tisbury Farmer's Market.  What fun...lots of fresh local produce and BEAUTIFUL flowers.  I couldn't resist this bucket of flowers - including the pizza can.  The lady selling these had a whole truckful of these flowers in yellow pizza cans.  She told me that she picks them up from the restaurants (for free) because it's easier to give them to her then to take them to the recycling center!  "One man's trash is another man's treasure"!  Also picked up some fresh blueberries (for pancakes tomorrow morning) and some fingerling potatoes (for dinner tonight).

Yes, I made the "happy couple" pose with one of the fingerling potatoes that was shaped like a heart!  Everyone laughed at me, but I thought it was the perfect "Hallmark moment".  I believe that Dan ate the "heart" at dinner.

On the way back from the Farmer's Market, I spotted a headstone in a cemetery that was surrounded by chickens!  I snapped a quick photo and decided to do some research into this most unusual memorial.  That's a story for another day.  Now it's off to the pool for some relaxation and some drinks  ~ as Jimmy Buffet says:  "It's five o'clock somewhere"!!!!

Martha's Vineyard Part One

We'd been planning our vacation to Martha's Vineyard for months (you've got to make those ferry reservations months in advance)!  So, here's part one ....

We rented the perfect house in West Tisbury (http://www.vrbo.com/ is the best place to find houses to rent).
A cute "Cape Cod" house on three acres with a pool!!!!  Just enough room for us, Kate and Dan, Patrick, and those ever important guests!

We arrived on a Tuesday (which made getting on and off the ferry a breeze).  Kate and Dan were already in Boston, visiting Kate's friends from college.  Three of the girls live in South Boston and it seems that every time Kate and Dan visit, they have trouble with vandalism.  Last year Dan's tires got slashed (probably because he parked in someone's parking space) and this year someone broke in and stole the gps, ipod, a watch, etc. out of the glove compartment.  Poor Dan!  Despite all that, they had a great time visiting and Kate and three of her bridesmaids did some wedding planning (poor Dan)!

Love those UNH girls!

Kate and Dan spent a fun day in Woods Hole on Monday and were ready to go to the Vineyard on Tuesday afternoon. 



The Woods Hole in was right on the harbor.

I think there may have been some alcohol involved!

The cute couple in Woods Hole.

Now it's time to catch the ferry... we looked a little like the Clampetts - a kayak on top of the car, a bike on the back of the car, and enough luggage for a month's stay (unfortunately, we were only staying a week).  The ferry ride was beautiful and we had a great captain who let us feed the seagulls (usually a big "no-no").  It was so much fun to watch the little kids and of course, my "brave" daughter.

She shrieked and dropped the potato chip!

We arrived in Oak Bluffs and piled into the car and headed to our "home" for the week. 



I just love these signs - I had to stop and take pictures of all of them - by the end of the week, everyone wanted to kill me!

Stay-tuned to Martha's Vineyard Part Two.

My Very First Entry

It started as a joke...whenever something funny/interesting/unusual happened, I would say: "I'm going to put that in my blog"!!!  Everybody laughed...I don't think they thought I would do it....well, I did it. 

So, where should I start???  I think I'll start with the dog...my wonderful, almost 16 year old, Jack Russell Terrier, Max.  He will be easy to write about, because he won't laugh or roll his eyes at me; he simply loves me, no questions asked.  And yes, I love him too.  He used to travel with us on vacations, but now he's just too old (and a little cranky); he prefers to stay home with the dog sitter, snuggled up under his blanket (with the air conditioner on in the summer).

                                      

He didn't even know his picture was being taken!

His "real" name is Maximillian of Treleaven - a big name for a little dog (of course, he thinks he's a big dog); just ask the Rottweiler up the street!  He was born at Treleaven Winery in King Ferry, New York; that's where his mother (Mouse) lived.  His father (Raider) was from Skaneateles, New York.  He had two siblings, one was named Trucker Jack and he rode around in a big rig; not sure about the other brother.

Max came to us as a Christmas present for the kids; an "elf" in a red parka left him on our front porch.  He was soooooo cute; until he stayed up crying all night, peed on every sleeping bag he could find, chewed the legs on the couch and several other pieces of furniture, and ate a quarter pound of chocolate that was under the tree!  This was all in the first week!  I wanted to send him back; my husband said he would divorce me if I did...afterall, it was my idea to get the kids a dog!  So...here we are, almost sixteen years later and I wouldn't trade him for a million dollars.  He's made us laugh (with antlers on our Christmas card) and he's made us cry (pancreatitis and a near-death experience). 

"Max the Reindeer"

Max and me at the beach

Gotta go....Max needs me!