Tuesday, October 17
Martha's Vineyard, Day 4 - Monday, October 9
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Apologies for the delay; spent yesterday dealing with paperwork, phone calls, errands. Today you are in for another very long post and a lot of pictures!
Last Monday dawned a bit drizzly and gray, so Brother and I decided to head into Edgartown. We stopped at Edgartown diner for breakfast. We "discovered" it on last year's trip, and it was well worth a return trip. It is one of those truly old-fashioned New England-style diners that serves breakfast almost all day (I think the menu said untill 3:00 PM). It is not large, but sparkling clean with interior decor straight out of the 1950s! Brother had eggs Benedict, and I had 2 pancackes (quite large, but I finished them!). Good, honest food served quickly. One of the best deals on the Vineyard for a hearty breakfast!
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| Edgartown Diner |
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| Edgartown Diner |
We drove around Edgartown for a bit. Being a holiday, it was quite crowded - most of the parking in Edgartown is on-street. We contemplated visiting a museum there (the oldest house on the Vineyard), but there was absolutely no parking anywhere near it. Even if Brother had dropped me off he would have had quite a hike to park the car etc., so we opted to take in the sights and put the museum on the list of possible things to do next year.
Downtown Edgartown is not large. There are several streets filled with some very upscale shops and galleries (think Boston's Newbury Street). I suppose one could call it the Manhattan of the Island. Heading out of downtown, lo and behold I saw Brother was driving towards East Chop! The lighthouse!
We had visited it last year, and it was a bit busy (and rainy), but this year we were the only visitors :) Plus the weather was a bit better. Still rather overcast, but the drizzle had stopped. Here are a few pix I took that day. I thought it was very sweet of him to indulge me in another lighthouse!
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| Telegraph Hill at East Chop lighthouse |
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| East Chop lighthouse base |
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| East Chop lighthouse |
After that we headed back toward Oak Bluffs and decided to visit the Cottage Museum. It is a short tour of the interior of one of the iconic "gingerbread" Victorian cottages. Figuured for $2.00, we could not go wrong! The gentleman who gave the tour was well-spoken, and very well versed in the history of the cottages.
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| Rather self-explanatory! |
In a nutshell: The cottages have a long history, which began in in early 1800s when the Methodists came for a week or so a year for their "camp meetings". Tent revivals really; Methodists were what one would call the original "Holy rollers". In 1835 it became a permanently established "tent" colony. Originally it was called Wesleyan Grove. The main church gatherings were held in a large tent, and families erected smaller tents over the years as the Society grew. By 1855 there were 200 tents that accommodated families, shops, etc.
The wooden cottages began to spring up between 1859 and 1864. Other families besides the Methodists also built cottages along the outskirts, and eventually the roads were paved, but the "core" was (and remains) the religious center for the community. By 1880 there were 500 cottages! Over time some fell into disrepair and were demolished; others were moved to various parts of the Vineyard. Today about 315 cottages remain.
Your mini-history lesson for the day! There is (of course) so much more to it than that, but I tried to condense it. We drove around some of the streets that afternoon, and of course I went overboard taking pix! Here are a few that really struck me.
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| Cottages |
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| Cottage |
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| Cottage |
The cottages vary in size, but most are quite small. They are a designated Historic Landmark, so there are strict rules about what one can and cannot do regarding renovation. The only thing the Historical Society does not govern is the exterior color! Which accounts for the lovely, bright colors :) Occasionally one comes up for sale; you too could own one of these for around $400,000!
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| Cottage |
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| Cottage |
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| Fresh shrimp! |
After that, Brother was a tad hungry so we headed to the Lookout Tavern. He ordered shrimp cocktail, and we each had a beer (yes, I did indulge in a few shrimp myself!).
Brother wanted one last ride on the carousel, and we were right there. I admit it - I too love that carousel! One is never too old to ride the carousel :) There are just as many adults as children that ride the carousel. Alas, I did not get a brass ring.
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| Carousel |
Headed back to the hotel. I wanted a hot shower and clean clothes for dinner that evening. We went to the Ocean View again this year - it is becoming the tradition to go there for dinner the last night on the Vineyard.
What an excellent dinner! Badly in need of a steak fix, I had sirloin. Brother ordered lobster. Both meals were to die for! My steak was cooked perfectly, and not only did Brother polish off his lobster but ordered dessert as well. Key lime pie, one of his favorites, made with REAL key limes! I stole a bite; it was heaven!
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| Remains of the lobster! |
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| Key lime pie |
Our server that night was the same one we had last year! A very nice young man, Branho. He was moving to the mainland the following week (this week), with an eye toward bettering himself. I wish him well; he is a smart kid with a positive outlook on life who knows what he wants. Here is a picture of him with Brother that evening.
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| Brother and Branho |
After dinner we headed into the bar for my dessert - frozen mudslide! For some reason there is a severe shortage of blenders on Martha's Vineyard. Only 1 restaurant (and one bar) we have visited in 2 years possesses this coveted piece of equipment. I do not know why. It makes it extremely difficult to obtain my nightcap of choice, which also doubles as a dessert. Perhaps next year I will bring my own blender.
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| Dessert! |
Brother called the taxi to pick us up, and while we were waiting the manager, Jen, came over and spoke with him at length. The owner was there as well that evening (I do not recall his name; I was blissfully enjoying my frozen mudslide), and also spoke with Brother at length.
Rolled out of the taxi into the hotel (yes, I was that full!). One last smoke on the back porch, and hit the hay. One last half-day left... Tomorrow, my friends!
