Living on Island Time

Seeing as how we didn't have to pack up and head anywhere new today, Vaughn and I went for our normal jaunt out into the world this morning to give Stacie some time to get ready. We're staying in a hotel that is right off the water, but since we're on a pretty small island, that probably isn't too unique.

We walked down to the dock where we caught our fist glimpse of the beauty of this area in the daylight.



While we were down by the dock taking in the view, we met a nice elderly man and his beautiful Golden Retriever puppy. She was about a year old, and she definitely wanted to play with Vaughn and Vaughn with her. So, we let them have their moment, and then he went his way and we went ours.

On the way back up towards the hotel, which looks like this by the way:



So, on the way back, we meet two elderly ladies who want to give Vaughn some love. She soaks it in like the pro she is, and then one of the ladies tells me the bow on Vaughn's head is called a "gender band". My thought is that maybe we should call the jacket she's wearing a "gender covering" because it's very much a girl's jacket, but I don't say that. Instead I say "I've never heard that before" and we move on.

When we get to the hotel, I sit down on the huge front porch in one of the many white wooden rocking chairs, and we begin to rock. Vaughn is unusually content just sitting, so I'm happy to let her play with her shoe or the book that I carried in my pocket. After a while she starts to rub her eyes, so I put her up with her head on my shoulder and she passes out, all while I'm just rocking away and watching the locals on the street open up their shops and make deliveries.

A little while later, Uncle Stevie brings me some coffee and a pastry from the continental breakfast served inside the hotel. Then Stacie comes down and she, Steven, Jim and I sit there chatting while Vaughn is nestled into my shoulder.

It was a pretty perfect start to the morning.

Once Vaughn wakes up, we decide to go wander through Edgartown. It's fairly small, but there are several shops, galleries and restaurants, so we begin by ducking into an art gallery. Steven and Jim have been here before and they're looking for a particular painting done by a Chinese artist that they loved and wished they would've bought originally.

We attempt to pop into a gallery attached to the hotel, but it's closed. The sign says it should be open though. The woman working the front desk of the hotel assures us that it will probably open soon, but that sign is more of a suggestion. "You're on island time," she says.

I think I'm going to like Island Time.

After browsing the first gallery that was open, we duck into a second and continue to look for the piece. I'm particularly interested in this gallery because they have a huge area filled with antique maps. I love looking at maps, and in particular, I love looking at old maps. I am fascinated by what people thought places looked like.

Next we went into the Black Dog. Apparently this a famous brand of clothing, but I wasn't aware of it until today. I know, you're shocked, but I'm told we will start to see this everywhere now.

After picking up a couple of souvenirs we walked the rest of the block down to the water to take some pictures and then we made our way back up from the water and popped into an outfitter. Here we bought Vaughn a pair of Tom's that look like Dorothy's ruby slippers. They're amazing. We also bought a very cool Christmas ornament. I was very close to buying a very cool wooden watch, too. I still may go back and get it - I'm still contemplating.

We grabbed lunch at the Atlantic after a bit more walking. Stacie and I shared a burger that was really good, but naturally, I had to try some of their chowder. The updated chowder ranking will be at the end of the post because I may or may not have had another bowl of chowder later in the day.

The next couple of hours are pretty lame - for me anyway. I had to get some work done. I figured this would happen while Vaughn was napping, but she wasn't ready to nap for very long today. So, Stacie, Steven and Jim hung out on the 4th floor balcony overlooking the harbor while I tried to sort out some work issues.

Later in the afternoon we all went for a drive to the other side of the island. Martha's Vineyard is not huge by any means, but driving across it still takes some time. We left in time to make it over to Aquinnah to watch the sun set. On the way, we'd hoped to stop at Chillmark for some delicious chocolate, but it seems they have closed up shop for the winter. Not deterred we kept going to Menemsha where we stopped at the beach for a few minutes. We got out and took some pictures, and then we walked down to the ocean where I found some nice flat stones. So, I did what any sane person would do. I picked up the stones and skipped them across the water. Then just before we were going to head back up to the car, the tide caught me by surprise and I wound up with an extremely wet foot, sock and shoe. It was pretty sad.

After the quick detour we hop back on the road and finish the trip to Aquinnah. Here there are beautiful cliffs, a light house (our second of the trip if you're keeping score) and a great view to the west to watch the sun set.





At Aquinnah, we walk around take some pictures and then hop back in the car to make it back to Edgartown before it gets too dark. If you remember, it gets really, really dark on this island at night.

Back in Edgartown, we grabbed dinner at Chesca's, the restaurant attached to our hotel. I wasn't planning on getting another bowl of chowder, but their description made me believe that I needed to try it. As it turns out, I probably could've let this one pass. It was good, but didn't quite make the top half of the list.

After dinner, we put Vaughn to bed and then played Bridge with Steven and Jim. Since we don't have a monitor with us, we sat outside of our room in the hallway playing. Not a single person came by the whole time we were out there, and Vaughn slept soundly. So, despite having the worst cards in the world, I'll call it all a win.

Seriously, worst cards ever though.

Before I go, the updated Chowder Rankings:

1. River House, Portsmouth, NH
2. Atlantic, Edgartown, MA
3. Anthem, Boston, MA
4. Chesca's, Edgartown, MA
5. The Newes From America Pub, Edgartown, MA
6. Legal Seafood, Boston, MA

Aquinnah on Dwellable