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Vineyard 2014 – 2

 60 years ago the Vineyard had a slightly different feel… it wasn’t yet known as a Presidential and celebrity retreat.  President Obama will be making his annual visit shortly and we saw many many flags on display and some storefronts paying tributeto the occasion. While I will assume there had always been an influx of summer people, the extent of it now can be… frustrating.  Weekend crowds in the towns of Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown make parking a nightmare at prime dining and shopping times, and beach parking or grocery shopping are an experience all it’s own.  When I see the congestion and the rudeness and arrogance of some summer visitors, I feel sorry for the locals.  Their towns are taken over and littered on, although they make their best efforts to be cordial and keep the place clean. 

That being said, there is still much natural beauty on island as you head out onto the country roads and explore.  There are working organic produce farms and wildflower fields, old fashioned air fields,  riding stables, an alpaca farm, livestock farms that provide organic beef, pork, etc… and ofcourse the beautiful shoreline. Katama,  West Tisbury, Chilmark, Menemsha and Aquinnah (Gay Head), while popular with tourists, are still  mostly uncongested and retain their bucolic rural beauty.

K, M & M  took a trail ride through the West Tisbury woods and fields thanks to Arrowhead Farm…

 
Kayak anyone? 

 

 
The Gay Head Light in Aquinnah… about to be moved approx. 180 feet back from the edges
of the cliffs… 
 
 
 
 
The view from the light…  The strand of sand below the cliffs is absolutely beautiful.
There is nude sunbathing at the far end if you’re so inclined.  I love the  clay cliff
colors and the boulders along what is named Moshup Beach. You can unload your car at the base of the hill on Moshup Trail but parking is at the top. Prepare to walk.
 

(photo above taken from internet)

Tomorrow.. Edgartown!

Vineyard 2014 – 1

 We have just returned from a family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, one of my favorite places to stick my toes in the sand and watch the power of the ocean unfold.  Gently… not the BIG power, just the gentle stuff, ya know.   The water there is different from our coastal water.. .Long Island sound and the CT River are brackish and tampered with silt and it changes the color of the ocean water as it comes to rest on our shores.   Out there, the turquoise and navy and green hues of that refreshing clean ocean water are still a bit wild and unfettered ..  it’s soul soothing, just that.

The island is so diverse, it’s hard to put into words in one post.  So if you care to follow along, in the next few days I’ll do my best to describe the experience for us that is Martha’s Vineyard.

Let’s start with that ocean water and the various strands of beach… although I won’t cover all of them, these are the ones we visit…

Wasque Beach   is a 200-acre nature reserve on Chappaquiddick Island off of Marthas Vineyard. The Boston Globe called this stretch of sand a “Magnificent Beach”.  We have to agree – very pristine,  not crowded at all, still ruggedly natural.  Travel & Leisure calls it the best in New England.

 
My mermaid girl was carried off to sea not long after she was created…
 

Rip currents can be strong, so caution is always advised.
 
Note the erosion in the background, of which there is much. 

 Mike and I walked up North Main street  in Edgartown most early mornings and then down the beach path to Edgartown light.. where I couldn’t resist wading in on those still water days to look for shells not yet discovered by beach combers.  The water was so incredibly calm on two of these mornings… amazing, the ocean moods you witness if you spend any length of time by the sea.  The Edgartown Light beach is the only dog friendly beach on the island, and is excellent for swimmers

 

 
 

 
 

 

 State Beach is a very crowded but extremely young- child friendly beach for those who like their swimming water tame and shallow.  Parking is difficult on weekends in the summer months – getting there early to set up is advised.  We do a lot of sitting around with toes in the water or sand, book reading and football throwing here.  If you plan to stay for more than a few hours, bring a cooler of food and drink and an empty bladder.   – just sayin.
 
See the color of that water?  Amazing.
 
 
 

 
 
 
This time around, I had someone with us who was willing to take the leap off the
JAWS bridge with me.  My son’s girlfriend is a real trooper, I kinda love that about her.
And hell no, there is not a photo as proof. That would require a full body bathing suit shot,
and it’s just not happening here.  🙂
 
This is the JAWS bridge, named so because it was in the movie…
 

Here’s a scene in the movie with the bridge in the background… see the fin? …

State beach, scene from Jaws as everyone evacuates the water…

 This one is just kinda funny. But Oh, how that movie terrorized me all those years ago.

 More tomorrow if you’d like to tag along….

 
 
 

The Naked Truth

  I’m not a big fan of reality TV in general, so let me admit that right out of the gate. It tends to bring out the worst in people.. .. think Housewives of ANYWHERE, The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, etc. .   However, this most recent trend in reality TV… is   OMG so Freak’n UNREAL!  Well it IS real, and even though I sound like a blithering idiot here.. OMG so Freak’n  UNREAL!  What I really mean is GROSS.  and… SERIOUSLY?      Caps are annoying, aren’t they?  So is naked reality TV.

 
    Funny article I did not write …. “Romance is dead, right? VH1 figured out its been alive and well the whole time we’ve been mourning the loss, and wants everyone to know that getting naked while you date is how you find it. Enter the new series, Naked Dating.

VH1 has picked up the unscripted series for 10 weekly episodes, each centering on a man and a woman each dating two different (but equally nude) suitors. At the conclusion of each hour long episode, the contestants look back at their (naked) dates, and choose whether or not they want a second outing. So, basically, take The Dating Game, subtract clothes, and bam: you’ve got yourself some  – Naked Dating – .”

  I wish I could say that this is the only show of it’s kind.  If you’re into this kind of thing, you can also catch Naked and Afraid, Naked Castaway, Naked Vegas and Buying Naked.

I actually watched one episode of Naked and Afraid – where contestants meet each other nude in some remote location, each gets a tool  (no pun intended!) they think they will need for 21 days of survival in some freaky remote location.. kinda like naked survivor.    This guy below shoulda asked for sunscreen –  he got a severe sunburn on his very first day and most of the survival work for the first five days was left up to the woman on the right.  She was a trooper and probably saved their naked behinds from crying uncle. 

*sigh*

I don’t know about you, but even in my most stellar young days of unblemished unwrinkled unchildbirthed years, I would not want to meet a possible suitor stark naked, first thing.   Kinda takes all the surprise element right out of the equation.   

Then again….  maybe that’s not such a bad idea.  If only being  stark naked would bare everything.

Well… really!

 We finally got the old well restored, thanks to our restoration guru Jeff and stone wizard Steve.  Jeff did a fantastic job making what is now new look old again.  I love the design.  The old well is still intact underneath and goes about 40 feet into the ground.  Amazing to see the interior… someone did all that stone work in very tight quarters 40 feet below the surface!  ACK!…

 Isn’t she lovely?….

Come see how they grow

 This is a busy time of year for anyone tending a farm, whether it’s a hobby farm or something on a much larger scale. There is always work to be done.. watering, weeding, tilling, fence mending, fertilizing…and then of course the harvesting.  My morning chores include all the animal tending, mucking, feeding, etc.. then over to the gardens to water.

We currently need rain, but everything is looking full and happy.

 
 
 

Let’s head over to the chicken coop.. currently overcrowded with the new chick population, now incorporated with the old.  It’s smart not to overcrowd your coop with too many chickens.. and I kinda fell in love with a few more chicks at the feed store than I had planned on. Then.. ALL of them lived, which doesn’t usually happen… and so, I have a few more than a real chicken knowledgable person would tell you is appropriate for this coop.  But.. I do let them free roam during the day, and so that will help the overcrowding.  I hope.

As I walk over to the coop, the older girls know I’m about to let them out and they are waiting impatiently for me to get there.  If I could give you a sound bite, you would hear them clucking.

Once they are let out of the coop yard, they usually head right over to the side of the house and rummage through my seaside real estate garden for bugs and worms. 

The youngsters aren’t old enough yet to free roam, and so they get the coop yard to themselves for a bit, something they like very much, because they are at the bottom of the pecking order right now as they are the new kids on the block.

Can you believe that just a few months ago they were fuzzy little chicks?

This is Bellatrix.. the little brown chick who sat on my son’s shoulder. She is a blue egg laying Auracana (Sp?) … and what an unusual feather color pattern she has!

This is Luna, a comet – very docile and curious hen.

 Up at the barn, Coady and Lacey sure wish they had more pasture time, but minis are hard to keep at a healthy body weight… they get fat on little more than air! and have to settle for the hay that is a little less rich than the green pasture grass just on the other side of the fence. 

 It seems unfair that the big boys get to spend their days coming and going…. and coming and going… and coming and going… from the barn to pasture as they please.   The constant in and out is because the flies drive them crazy after just so long and they come running back in for respite every hour or so.

  There is a lot of work involved in tending a farm, but it’s a good life and I feel so very blessed to be able to do this -for a living-.    For years my days were spent more often than not in an office punching numbers and letters into a computer. One of those offices had no exterior windows.  On the really cold or hot days when I’m outside working I remind myself of that windowless office and I thank the powers that be, once again, for letting me live this life with these animals and nature. 

For me.. that’s a beautiful thing.

snapshots of a beautiful weekend

 
 It was a glorious weekend weatherwise,
and we took full advantage.
I hope you had much of the same and were able to get
out and enjoy it.
 
 
Saturday – Kayaking at Griswold Point at the mouth of the CT river –
 
I love driftwood…
wouldn’t this be an awesome piece in the backyard?
 
 

 
It’s kind of  cool when the young adult children actually
enjoy spending some quality time with the ‘rents.
 

Except when mom gets annoying with the camera…. apparently.  

 
We beached it on Griswold point, a nature preserve and private estate
where the owners are kind enough to let kayakers rest for a bit –
and did some shell seeking before heading back to the launch. 
 
 
..and there was a fun poolside gathering of family as well.
 

Opie and I got in some quality riding out in the
newly mowed hay fields yesterday…

 


..and M&M gave Ben a  bath.

 
 
M & M also made these adorable vases…
My son, … the crafter?…   Ah, young love.
 

 
 
 It’s a new week, all.  Let’s make it a good one –
– after I go to the dentist this morning to have a cavity under a crown filled.
*sigh*  Pass the Xanax.
 
 
 
 
 


Three new recipes for the keepers file

   We had steady rain all day on the 4th, picnic postponed until later today.  So what’s a girl to do?  COOK!  I tried three new things and all came out terrific.  They are also easy to prepare and not horrible for your health either.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries… buy some good sized strawberries.. wash and dry.  For the red white and blues…. Melt white chocolate and dip strawberries in melted  white chocolate, then dip in blue sugar sprinkles. Place on wax paper till dry and chocolate has hardened again.  place on decorative plate and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.  This is a fun project to do with kids as long as you supervise the melting of the chocolate.
 


Betty Crockers Buffalo Chicken Casserole –  YUM!!!  Recipe HERE 

These tomatoes are absolutely delicious and good for you too.  Marinate sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar for 4-6 hours. Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes or a little tender. (I skipped that step and they were fine).     Meanwhile, sauté spinach and garlic with a dash of salt.  Put spinach on top of tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese of your choice (I used fresh mozzerella) and broil til cheese is golden!..just about five -7 minutes at most.   Delicious!!

Farmers Market and a Wedding bouquet

 M & M went to a wedding Saturday…

And brought home this beautiful table centerpiece which her grandmother made…. the ceremony was on the shoreline, perfect theme, don’t you think?  Two of my favorite things here.. a ball jar and sea glass.

Yesterday we went with good friends Jeff (our awesome Restoration-This-Old-House guru) and his wife Raven (the Fairy Queen who let me try on her wings)   to the Coventry Regional Farmers Market. If you are fairly local, it’s one of the best around and since dogs are welcome, many attend.. some in their absolute best dress. So consider it a dog show too.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

It was a good friends, good food, pink poodles kind of day.