Martha's Vineyard & Gingerbread HousesJul 5, 2009
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| Day 8 - July 5, 2009 Synopsis: A beautiful day in Martha’s Vineyard full of surprises that endeared this island to our hearts. Details: After 3 hours of rest, I decided once again to give up on trying to sleep and get ready early. This would allow time to check emails, etc. I really need everyone to start praying that Little Bit starts to sleep at night so I can get some rest. 3 hours and 50 minutes in 2 days is certainly not enough to replenish one’s soul. Julie joined the morning at about 8:00 after a good night’s rest. Once she finished watching an “E Hollywood story on her favorite country star - Kenny Chesney”, she got ready and went to breakfast while I checked emails. Upon her returned we exited the room and were greeted by a beautiful sunny day. Since our plans for today are to visit Martha’s Vineyards, we had to drive to Falmouth to board the ferry which will take us over. On the way to the Ferry pickup area, Julie and I stopped in the quaint little town of Falmouth. I had picked up a brochure from a little shop called “Uptown Dog” and since we had time to kill, we decided to stop by there. We arrived 1 hour prior to them opening so we strolled through the town visiting some of the other shops where we picked up some postcards and just enjoyed the ambiance of this quaint little town hidden away on the island. By 11:00 we found our way back to Uptown Dog where I purchased 3 new collar charms for Little Bit who seemingly could care less. After the visit to this “pampered pooch” store, we loaded the car and headed to the parking area for the Ferry. There’s a 12:00 Ferry to Oaks Bluff which is the side of Martha’s Vineyard that we want to visit so the Noon trip is our goal. Wouldn’t you know it, the first parking lot was full so we were redirected down the road a couple of miles away to another lot. Time is ticking since not only do we have to park, but we also have to ride a bus over to the Harbor to catch the boat and we don‘t know how long that journey will take. We made our way to the alternate parking lot, parked the car and boarding the Shuttle Bus. Once aboard, we were relieved to learn that everyone was attempting to make the same Ferry as we. During the 20 minute journey to the harbor, we met a lot of nice people. We all talked about what we were doing here and where we had been and we realized that the couple beside of Julie who’s 20ish age son was sitting beside of me were from Canada and their son had actually attended Horticulture School at the Botanicals Gardens that Julie and I visited while we were there. Another family had flown here from California and another group were from Boston just down for the weekend. Everyone was very nice and the conversation eased everyone’s anxiety as the time drew closer and closer to Noon. Finally arriving at the harbor, we found ourselves in front of 2 Ferries - the one we had wanted to board and another one headed to Vineyard Haven. Just prior to each of us purchasing our tickets a horn blew and we each watched as our destined Ferry left the island without us. Deciding it was “no big deal” since Martha’s Vineyard isn’t that large of an island to navigate, each of us boarded the alternate Ferry and headed on our wonderful trip to the island. Once again, the ambiance was perfect. There was a warm breeze, beautiful picturesque sights to behold with sail boats soaring across the water adorned with a backdrop of Lighthouses and Cape Cod homes that lined the shore. Naturally, Little Bit slept through the entire adventure in his infamous “Beetle Style” on my right arm, head hanging off my hand. This got a lot of attention by passengers which sparked numerous conversations. There he laid, dead asleep, unphased by the wind blowing through his hair and unarroused by the petting hands which graced his lifeless body. People stopped by to converse about his unusual position for sleeping. Lots of people took pictures, some wanted to pet him to ensure themselves that he was alive and several people came all the way from the other side of the Ferry to check on him and get a first hand assessment for themselves of this bizarre display. Several people thought I had drugged him for the ride on the ferry and were surprised that I hadn’t but that he was actually that trusting of me that he would lay suspended above the ground in such a vulnerable position. A windy 20 minutes later, we found ourselves in Vineyard Haven. Julie snapped pictures of the shoreline along our path while I conversed with the passengers about Little Bit. As I’ve stated before, the weather is simply perfect today for the events that we had planned. It is sunny with a light breeze. Once on shore we checked out Vineyard Haven prior to boarding the bus to Oaks Bluff. A short 2 mile trip later, we arrived at our desired location of Oak’s Bluff. Making our way through town, along the harbor lined with numerous yachts taking in all the sites, we decided to luncheon at a cute little restaurant named Sandy Bar & Grill. There were wooden walkways which outlined sand beds where the umbrella adorned tables sat. Julie had the lobster salad sandwich and I had the crab cake sandwich. Both were to our liking and Little Bit slept in his stroller unconcerned about his surroundings. After lunch, Julie and I headed off on a twofold mission. Find a parka with Martha’s Vineyard on it for each of us and find the “Gingerbread Houses” we had heard about. Strolling through town, we visited several stores in attempt to attain one of our goals. Following signs to “more shops” we found ourselves in front of a beautiful house dedicated to Pampered Pooches. Having to visit, we headed inside when Julie realized that the Gingerbread Community was located directly behind this place. While inside, I inquired about a Schnauzer statute which was only $400, a luxury that unemployed Lisa can’t justify and I settled for a new aqua collar decorated with colorful beach umbrellas. It seemed befitting to the area so I quickly put it on Little Bit so he could fit in with the rest of the pampered pooches on the island. Once we left here, Julie and I experienced something we had never seen before - the Gingerbread House Community. These little houses were built back in the 1800’s and each of them is colorfully decorated with themes. There was one that was patterned after the Wizard of Oz, another was red white and blue complete with Uncle Sam, another was decorated in pink hearts, but each of them was colorfully painted as though to exaggerate their features. Residents sat on their front porches in rockers and swings undisturbed by the tourist snapping pictures at their homes. There was a walking path which led you through this area which is shaded by beautiful old trees that are part of this little community’s charm. After taking numerous pictures of this enjoyable surprise, Julie and I headed back to town to achieve our other goal. It didn’t take long before we had purchased our hoodies and were headed back across the water to return to Falmouth. The hoody purchase was justified as we actually wore them to protect us from the cool wind which blanketed the Ferry ride on our now sunset cruise back across the water. Once back in town, we drove back to Hyannis where we acquired accommodations and turned in for the evening. It was a wonderfully peaceful day with a lot of memories that will be cherished forever. Tomorrow - Mystic is our goal. We want to see this lighthouse that signals “I love you”. Please continue to pray for us as we continue our journey. Little Bit’s Blog: 2dae I slep a lot wile Mommy & Julie toord Marfa’s Vinyurd. Mommy got mi a knew coler & 3 knew charmz. I rode thu farry & slep thu hole time. |
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