The last day

What can I say? The weather has been stunning. As I write this it's Friday evening. I'm sure I won't finish this until Saturday evening or perhaps Sunday. Today was the warmest day so far. I'm not sure what the temperature was but I bet it was close to 80. We've been here this time of year before but I think the wonderful weather has brought more people than the last 3 years. I almost thought that I wouldn't like having all these people here because every time we've come, either at the beginning of the season or the end, we've felt like we had the place to ourselves. We then came back to reality and realized how lucky we are to be able come to a place like this 3 hours from my front door. As I mentioned in the last blog along with there being more people here there are more people from different states. I couldn't imagine driving across the country from California to this small island off the Massachusetts coast. We became friendly with a couple from Minnesota. They, I imagine like everybody else that came a long distance, wanted to see the country, not just Martha's Vineyard. If the Vineyard was your only destination, why not just fly to Boston, rent a car and drive down. It would certainly be cheaper and save all that wear and tear on your car.

We stayed at the same hotel and they know us now and greeted us with this.

Another nice thing about having a wonderful place like this close to home is that I get to watch the Red Sox game as I write this. Today we went back to the west side of the island where the clay cliffs are. They are beautiful.

 

 

At the base of the cliffs is an clothing optional beach. Thanks to my long distance lenses I found out this was true.
Thanks to a cloudless sky all week, the full moon was as awesome a sight as the blazing sun at sunrise.

 

I think I have finally figured out the allure of this place. There's nothing really fancy here. Sure the town of Edgartown is for the well healed but it's not glitzy. You are only about 7 miles or so from the mainland and yet when you come here you are forced to lead a slower pace of life. Apart from your fellow vacationers there is little that reminds you of a busy life in the city. It's all simple and to the point. You take in the natural beauty. I can't tell you the simple joy of watching the sun rise over the ocean all by myself with hardly a car passing by behind me. At this time of year the sun is setting earlier and earlier so the main roads go quiet pretty quick and many of the little shops close at 5 or 6 p.m. Popular restaurants/bars may stay open until 11. The one supermarket in Oak Bluffs (where we stay) Reliable market closes at 6:30.

 

There's an old timey vibe that permeates the place, hearkening back to another simpler way of life. Sure our room was just a bit more than adequate. We didn't have a refrigerator so we brought a cooler with us. We did a lot of walking though we did use the excellent public transportation when we went to Edgartown. We only used the car once, driving to other end of the island to see the cliffs. Gas is quite pricey from 4.29 to 4.89 a gallon. Then again you can only go so far unless you go to the mainland and gas isn't cheap on Cape Cod either. Still it's hard to get lost with only six towns and only so many roads.

 

I need to work on my video recording technique, specifically getting some. Some of the videos were shot with my regular camera and some with a little 5 mega pixel camera. Sometimes I can't stand lugging that small piece of luggage holding the camera, lenses and added bits of related doo dads. Both the camera's need to have their lenses cleaned. I couldn't find the lens cleaning cloth. So some of the pictures may have some lens debris.

 

This particular video was last Thursday, Sept. 19,  mid to late afternoon. Shot with the little hand held, it is of poor quality. I had to lighten all of it but that wasn't enough. I am guilty of excessive panning, making it seem like you are watching the video in a top loading washer/dryer. Still that day, after some home made ice cream  we went through the Gingerbread Houses and emerged at the other side by the harbor. Had supper, then proceeded up around the harbor back to the hotel.

 

  

 

So here it is early Sunday evening after spending the day reliving the passed week through the pictures. When they are all ready I'll post them. There are some nice ones. For now it's time to get this show on the road.

I'm outta here.                                                                                 

 

 

 

 



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