A Trip to the Vineyard

Thanks to Jim we were able to stay on Martha’s Vineyard for a week while we have been here in southern New England. A family friend of his had an unexpected cancellation on their rental and offered it to Jim. When he called us and asked if we wanted to go we hustled to get to Connecticut early enough so we could join him and his family on the island. We decided to take our jeep over on the ferry so we would have a car on the island. Little did we know when we made these plans that President Obama would have his birthday bash the same weekend we arrived.

We had a reservation on the ferry for the jeep - that’s something you need months in advance if you even want to think about getting your car over there - for Friday the 6th but our rental did not start til the 7th. We were on the waitlist for a Saturday slot and thanks to Jim’s persistence we got one - but it was for the 6:30 am ferry. Problem is that the ferry leaves out of Woods Hole, MA two hours from Stonington. Well we did what we had to do. We were up at 3:45 am and on our way to the ferry. It was great to see the sunrise over the ocean. Being from the east coast it is still weird for me to have the sun set into the ocean. Feels like home to see it rise out of the ocean.

We arrived on the island just after 7am. We spent the morning touring Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and South Beach (which happens to be near the airport where all the private jets were landing to ferry guests to Obama’s party). Crazy crowded on that side of the island.

Ricky relaxing in the parking lot at South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard.

We moved into our house at about noon on Saturday. The house was located in Oak Bluffs in the East Chop section. It’s a fantastic location because it’s a 15 minute walk to the Oak Bluffs ferry and downtown center. It’s also a ten minute walk through the woods to the beach in East Chop.

The walk to the beach made going really easy. Lots to see when we walked to the beach.

Ricky loved the walk through the woods and the docks by the beach.

We did a few bike rides around town into Vineyard Haven along the East Chop bluff. We saw the house known as “little jaws” where Roy Scheider’s on screen family lived when they filmed the movie. Also visited the original black dog restaurant.

We also had a great time touring the gingerbread house area in Oak Bluffs. We were fortunate enough to meet the music director at the tabernacle who gave us a tour and explained the history of the building. Such a great historic area.

We also were treated to a local tradition. Standing in line to order “back door donuts.” Whoever came up with this marketing scheme is a genius. Getting folks to wait in a line in the dark (rain or shine) that is on many nights over 45 minutes long to order donuts is crazy. But we did it too.