Martha's Vineyard

There are time when you experience absolute euphoria being in a new place. It's like, you belong there, but you've never been there. For me, that place is Martha's Vineyard. Bring on the pastel seersuckers, popped-collar polos and salt-water taffy.

The Vineyard is a special place of old-world charm, quaint cobbled streets and misty sea breeze with an undercurrent of laid-back, come-as-you-are attitude. And so we came as we were.

Map.
Accompanied by our seasoned Vineyard tour guides (and traveling partners-in-crime), Troy and Carrie, we left Cambridge early (well, hello 6 A.M.), drove as far as there was land, then ferried over to Vineyard Haven. By 9:30 A.M. we were standing on the dock, trying to decide what we wanted to eat for breakfast (my vote is always clam chowder, no matter the time of day.) What a marvelous feeling, to have an entire day of exploration ahead. This is the stuff I live for.

Mmm.
We rented scooters at Sun 'N' Fun Rentals in Oak Bluffs and meandered our way from town to town. Martha's Vineyard is a mecca of tiny coastal spots, complete with lobster bites, ice cream shops, open coastal highways and kites flying high along the way. We laid ocean side at South Beach in Edgartown, laughed at the nudists from the cliffs of the Gayhead Lighthouse (you can't make this stuff up), and ate lobster at Nancy's on the water. We took far too many pictures, soaked up the sun and dreamed about the year to come. This is an interesting year for my husband and myself, as he is in his last year of business school. I only just graduated college this past summer, and all our free time is spent wondering, planning and dreaming about the "real world" (and an impending move - to somewhere!) that is quickly approaching.

Moment.

Early September at the Vineyard is a tiny taste of Heaven, and spending one glorious day there refreshed my spirit and provided me with a strange and wonderful sense of clarity. Apparently the island is inhabited by tons of artists, including big name like James Taylor and Meg Ryan, but also the lesser-known designers, authors, composers and freelancers that bring famed Hollywood entertainment to life. I see how these geniuses are able to draw inspiration by living in such a secluded and majestic cove. I felt a wonderful sense of creative assuredness wash over me while we drove along those open roads on our funny scooters. I had this feeling of "I can do it." "It", being some sort of creative professional endeavor. I have always wanted to be creative for a living, which is why I am drawn to professions that are artsy-fartsy. Singing, dancing, acting, coloring, creating, interacting... I don't know exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but it felt like another piece of the puzzle came together for me that day on Martha's Vineyard. Cheers to an "Oy!" moment!