A Free Spirit's Bucket List: #114 Sail To Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard

It is Wednesday October 11, 2006. My friend Gina and I are in the midst of a tour of Cape Cod. On this day we are being bused to Woods Hole, MA. We are about to set sail to the beautiful, laid back island of Martha's Vineyard, MA. Let's just say, it is very hard for me to contain my enthusiasm. It may sound weird and I know I have mentioned this before, but sometimes you find yourself drawn to an area for unexplained reasons. It is almost like this invisible energy is beckoning you to make the journey to this place because a piece of your soul has been lingering there, waiting patiently for you to come and retrieve it.

I don't know....it is difficult to put into words but there are places in this world that I want to visit because they look like places I would enjoy and there are places in this world that I want to visit because I feel like a part of me is already there. Maybe it sounds hokey but it's how I feel and I have had this sense about me since I was a child. All it takes is a trigger; it could be a picture, an article, a name.... anything really, for this feeling to wash over me and take root in my mind. There are pictures of places I have such a kinship to that it is almost eerie yet I have no idea where they are because there is no description or locale listed. There are places I read about that instantly give me quivers, like I've been there before. It's inexplicable. With Martha's Vineyard, I knew where it was but I knew very little about the island to be honest. I knew scenes from Jaws were filmed there. I knew Jackie O had a home on the island but that was about it. I cannot recall what the trigger was that drew me to this island but there definitely was one.

Anyways, enough ramblings from the mind of Fess, back to my journey. On this day in Massachusettes, the weather is sunny and there is not a cloud in the sky. The temperature is an above average 70 degrees, the air breezy but peaceful. I could not have asked for a more perfect day to visit the island I think happily as we exit the bus. Our driver needs to bring the huge bus onto the ferry. We watch from the deck as he drives it onto the boat. It is amusing seeing this big charter bus board the little ferry. He does a great job. I would have totally taken out the row of cars lined up next to where the bus was going to be parked. People should be very thankful Chrissy does not have "drive a bus" on her life to do list. Just sayin....could be dangerous.

Woods Hole, MA

Getting ready to sail to the Vineyard. I love boat rides.

Now that is a clipper!! Amazing!

Nobska Lighthouse leaving Woods Hole, MA.

Miss Maddie, my puggy friend.

The 45 minute boat ride is so relaxing and pleasant. Gina and I sit outside on the deck relishing the infinite view of the dark blue Atlantic beneath the clear blue sky. The breeze is massaging and twirling my hair around but it feels so good. I slowly breath in the salty air. This is serenity I think. Next to me, a little pug is sitting with her owner. Her name is Maddie and she is so friendly and adorable. She is also very photogenic. She and I become instant friends. We hang for the remainder of the boat ride.

As we approach the island I am astounded. My heart is pounding with excitement. We are entering Oak Bluffs Harbor. To the right of us sailboats are anchored in the jetty, calmly drifting atop the water. To the left is our first view of Oak Bluffs. It was so picturesque. My pulse races. I feel the connection immediately. Yes...I was definitely meant to visit this place. The anticipation of exploring every inch of the entire island was more than I could stand. I was eager to soak in all the amazing energy emanating from the island. My soul needed some healing. It needed to fulfill a part that was missing.

Boats anchored in the jetty.

Entering the harbor of Oak Bluffs. The pic does not do the view any justice at all.

Our first stop on the island was the Gingerbread Cottage Campground of Oak Bluffs. It was within walking distance of the harbor so our tour guide Bill led the way. Our bus driver was going to meet us there after retrieving the bus from the ferry. As we came upon the quaint little structures, I couldn't help but smile. I now understood why they were called gingerbread cottages. They were so vibrant and ornate. The trim could have totally been icing. Most of the cottages consisted of four rooms although there were a few larger cottages on the campground Bill explained. They were built between 1859-1880 by Methodists that had settled on the island. Bill stated there were over 300 cottages situated on the campground.

Most of the cottage owners had already departed for the season although a few residents did remain year round. And while anyone could purchase a cottage, they could not purchase the land on which the cottage is built. The land belongs to the campground association. It was incredibly rare that a cottage was put up for sale anyway Bill informed us. If one were to be offered up for sale, the starting price for one of these cute, cozy, colorful cottages usually started around $500,000. That is a whole lot of dough! We all strolled about admiring the rows and rows of rainbow cottages. As much as I could have spent all day just roaming around this real life version of candy land snapping pictures and admiring the unique handiwork of each cottage, our bus arrived to whisk us off to Edgartown. We had a lot of ground to cover.

Gingerbread Cottages of Martha's Vineyard

The Halloween Cottage

My Favorite Cottage....love the colors.

Chrissy Cottage...has an outstanding ring to it!

The largest cottage on the campground

My second favorite. Simple but ornate. Love the balcony. Always wanted one.

The color combinations were so cool.

A Penn State Cottage

A borrowed photo of the cottages.

Another borrowed photo. Love this one too.

Let me give you some insight into why Edgartown was a "must" for me. You see, I grew up in a family of "Shark" junkies. Some of us suffered from "Jaws Fever" more than others (Aunt Lisa, Dad) but we have all seen the movie many many times. My Aunt Lisa and my father can quote the movie word for word. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." "This was no boating accident." and "Here's to swimming with bow legged women!" are just some of the greetings they give to each other. I knew "Jaws", the mechanical shark, was fondly called Bruce by the cast and crew before I ever saw the movie because my Aunt was always calling my dad Bruce.

I knew that the girl Jaws eats in the beginning of the movie is also named Chrissy. Sometimes I got teased about that. I may have also been a little paranoid about the water, not gonna lie. My father told me for several years after my Aunt saw the movie, she would cry on the shore of the beach in Wildwood every time he and the other cousins would go in the water because Jaws was going to get them. Of course he and the older cousins had fun with that. They would tell her that they saw a fin sticking out of the water. They would jerk like a shark was grabbing their leg when coming out of the water. I could picture my grandmother sweetly scolding them for doing so.

Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, also provided the film adaptation of the movie and worked closely with Steven Spielberg during shooting of the movie. With all it's boats, docks, fishing villages and long stretches of pristine beaches, Peter believed Martha's Vineyard was the perfect setting for the fictional Amity Island he wrote about in the book. Many of the external scenes from the movie were shot in Martha's Vineyard. The even brought "Bruce" to the vineyard for some scenes. Edgartown was the first place we visited on the island where I recognized scenes from the movie. We drove over the wooden bridge that Jaws swims under when coming after Michael Brody, whom is swimming in the lagoon. Our tour guide Bill even does his own version of the Jaws theme song for us. I really wish my family could see this place I think.

Jaws business aside, Edgartown is the largest town on the island with the longest stretch of beaches and the biggest harbor. The rich and the famous often visit Edgartown with their fancy yachts. Of course, speaking of the rich and famous, we cannot go without mentioning the most infamous event to take place in Edgartown. It definitely was not that of a mechanical shark named Bruce terrorizing the waters. Chappaquiddick is also considered to be part of Edgartown. Chappaquiddick was the scene of the fatal accident involving Teddy Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne back on July 18, 1969. Mary Jo drowned at the scene while Ted Kennedy swam to shore and returned to his hotel room. There are many conspiracy theories as to what really happened that night but ultimately this scandal and Teddy's inexcusable judgement cost him his bid to run for the Presidency. Bottom line, know one knows for sure what really happened at Chappaquiddick except Ted Kennedy and he took that with him to the grave.

I may have been looking for sharks in the water. Not gonna lie.

One of the beaches of Edgartown. The sand looks so soft.

The bridge Jaws swims under in the movie. I hope that man doesn't get eaten by a shark.

From Edgartown we drive over to Chillmark and the village of Menemshaw. Even more than Edgartown, Menemshaw was the location of many scenes from the movie Jaws. As soon as I saw the village, I recognized the scenes from the movie where the villagers go shark hunting and Richard Dreyfuss' character Hooper first arrives on the scene. It is not until we actually get off the bus and I walk towards the village that I forget all about the movie and become completely enamored by the rustic charm of this genuine fishing village. This weathered little village is the epitome of New England fishing life. Charter boats, nets, ropes, dredgers, baskets, and just about anything related to fishing is chaotically yet charmingly scattered amongst the piers of this village.

It is rumored that the sun sets the most beautifully from this part of the island. Friends, family and lovers are often seen siting along the docks on blankets, feet dangling from the piers, or standing along the jetty, fishing poles in hand, watching the sun sink into the midnight blue Atlantic. I found myself wishing for a chance to do just that. Perhaps another time. It was not in the cards this trip. I snapped as many pictures as I could of this village because we weren't really supposed to stop here. We were only supposed to drive by it. Bill noticed my animated expression and heard my excitement as we came upon Menemshaw. ( I may have been screaming "JAWS!!" and "This is where Quint's boat was!" and "Hooper told Brody that all those dudes piled into a little boat aren't going to make it out of the harbor alive from that dock." ) He asked the driver to pull over so some of us could get pictures. If I had to choose a favorite part of the island, as difficult a task as that may be, I would have to say my very brief visit to Menemshaw would be at the top of my list.

This is one of the my most favorite pictures I have ever taken.

In living color....Menemshaw.

Well worn fishing boats taking a rest in the harbor.

Menemshaw Martha's Vineyard

A scene right out of Jaws.

The General Store

A sculpture of King Neptune in Chillmark

From Chillmark and Menemshaw we make our way to the highest point on the island, Aquinnah, formerly known as Gay Head. As our driver parked the bus, Bill gave us a run down about this part of the island. It is home to a Native American tribe called the Wampanoag. Charlie, an elder Wampanoag, still practices the art of creating scrimshaw, which is jewelry crafted from whale bone. Bill got his scrimshaw cuff links from Charlie and insists Charlie produces some of the most beautiful scrimshaw in the country. He highly recommended we visit his store.

Bill also explains that the rust colored cliffs of Aquinnah consist of clay, the formation a result of a glaciers that covered the island 12,000 years prior to our visit. The Gay Head Lighthouse is constructed of brick and clay made from those very cliffs. As we exit the bus and begin our ascent up the hill towards the lookout point and light house, I notice some cute little gift shops and food stands. I spot Charlie's place. I can't wait to go in there and check out scrimshaw. (Cuz honestly, what I was picturing in my head was a little weird. Not gonna lie.)

When we reached the top and glimpsed our first view of the cliffs, Gina and I both gasped. It was absolutely stunning. There were ribbons of charcoal, light grey, rust and blush clay contrasting against the cream colored cliff. We must have stood by the wooden fence for fifteen minutes, just tracing the patterns in the cliffs. I wanted so much to walk on the beach, which was untouched by footprints on this day. I believe Bill had mentioned it was a private beach, not open to tourists, just residents. The connection I was feeling to this place just kept getting stronger, more apparent.

Did I live here in a past life? Or....is there a more concentrated energy of people like me living here? People with the qualities of many rolled into one: the old souls, the deep souls, the free spirits, the nature lovers, the people that are passionate to a fault, the walking contradictions, the laid back perfectionists, the intuitive and perceptive yet oblivious, the people that carry the weight of world on their shoulders because they don't know any better, the anxiously calm, the over thinkers, the believers of fate. Could be. I will never know the answer to such a question. I know this. All I can do is seek and experience. I'm okay with that.

Kindred spirits are always drawn together. They will always find each other in a crowd. They are the ones you keep closest to you. They are the ones you never forget. They are the ones that remain in your life in one role or another. They are people; they are places; they are experiences. Suddenly I am torn from my deep thoughts by our tour guide Bill. He has come over to where Gina and I are standing. Gina and he were having a conversation while I was "away". He and Gina were discussing the Kennedys.

Bill points down to the beach. JFK Jr.'s fuselage began washing ashore on that beach after his plane went down in July of '99. His ashes were scattered at sea a few miles off the shores of Aquinnah. My eyes follow Bill's finger as he points to the horizon where JFK Jr. was finally laid to rest. Gina and I become somber. Bill points towards another beach to the left of us. He asks us if we notice the tall pole that looks like a "T" in the distance. We nod. That was Jackie O's home on the island, her daughter owns it now. Jackie had the pole erected so the endangered osprey aka fish hawk could make nests on the platform at the top of the pole. Many residents of the island are having these poles erected to save these birds. As he is speaking I realize JFK Jr's plane practically went down in front of his mother's home. Thankfully she had already passed and was not forced to experience the loss of her beloved son.

Gina and I take some pictures, soak in one more view of the cliffs then go our separate ways to explore the little shops. Most of them are still open for the season. I bought a gorgeous pair of seashell and silver butterfly dangling earrings. Unfortunately since my trip I have lost one so.... I crafted the other one onto a necklace like a pendant. I also purchased an opalescent butterfly sun catcher for my kitchen window. I made my way to Charlie's shop. Bill was right. His hand crafted scrimshaw was incredible. (It wasn't a bunch of bones hanging in a necklace like I was thinking. ) It looked just like ivory. In fact, had Bill not told us it was whale bone, I would have definitely believed it was ivory. I purchase a small pin with an engraving of the Edgartown lighthouse for my scrapbook. It was all I could afford but I felt it important to do business with such a fine man.

For lunch I eat french fries although I am eyeing up the delicious lobster rolls the snack shop is serving. A couple of the elders are eating them. I am gawking at them with lobster envy. The night before we had delicious whole lobsters. I still had a taste for it. I wanted more. However, I just could not bring myself to spend $17.95 for one. I got a pair of earrings, a sun catcher, a T-shirt and a scrimshaw pin for a little over $20.00. I would have that stuff way longer than the lobster I console myself. I start eating my stupid fries. I toss a few to the seagulls sitting on the opposite side of the picnic table from me. Guess the MV seagulls are a little more polite than the Jersey ones. They sit and watch you eat like a dog would, waiting for scraps. Jersey gulls just help themselves.

The clay cliffs of Aquinnah. A spectacular view.

Gay Head Cliffs....a national landmark.

Gay Head Lighthouse

Across Vineyard Sound you can see the tail end of the Elizabeth Islands.

Gina and me smiling for the camera before saying goodbye to Aquinnah.

From Aquinnah we make our way to West Tisbury. Along the way Bill tells the bus about the celebrities that have homes on the island. Carly Simon and James Taylor are both residents of MV and even though the couple split long ago, both still have homes...on opposite sides of the island. Newscasters Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace had a homes there. James Cagney and Bill Murray have lived on the island. Joe Kennedy bought mistress Gloria Swanson a home on the island back in the day. He points the home out to us as we pass it. Bill informs us it is the largest home on the entire island. Comedian John Belushi often sought seclusion on the island as did fellow SNL friend Dan Akroyd. Belushi is buried in Abel's Hill Cemetary in Chillmark. Other famous summer residents include Spike Lee, Meg Ryan, President Bill Clinton, Quincey Jones, Larry David and David Letterman. Many famous people seek seclusion on the island because of it's laid back attitude. Yes, people notice them, but there is an unspoken respect for their privacy.

West Tisbury is home to Grange Hall, the equivalent of Christie's in NYC. Many famous auctions take place in the hall including a recent celebrity auction sponsored by Bill and Hilary Clinton. Alley's General Store is also located in West Tisbury. It is an authentic General Store in operation since 1858, a rarity in any part of this country now a days. I was bummed we weren't able to go in there. I love General Stores! West Tisbury also has the most forestation of all the places on the island. In fact, C. S. Lewis was so inspired by Cedar Tree Neck in West Tisbury that he modeled Naria after the forest when writing the Chronicles of Narnia. From West Tisbury we travel to Tisbury and Vineyard Haven. As we are traveling, I look out the window and notice this yard with a goofy white statue in it. I do a double take. There are goofy white statues all over the place. I quick snap a picture while trying to get Gina's attention.

By the time she stops yapping (she talks a lot) and looks over, we have already passed the garden. I tell her I saw weird white statues. She looks at me funny. I turn back to the window. I may have checked my camera to make sure I wasn't going crazy. Yep...there was a picture. It was real after all. Vineyard Haven is just as active as Oak Bluffs. Most of the other places we visited on the island were quiet, it being off season and all. Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and now Vineyard Haven were still pulsing. I would call Vineyard Haven the New Orleans of the island. There are many shops, restaurants and even a movie theater in the village. Down the road there are a bunch of random, weird white statues. (They freaked me out.)

Cedar Tree Neck aka Narnia

Grange Hall

Alley's General Store

Goofy White Statues...turns out it is a gallery.

From Vineyard Haven we make our way back to Oak Bluffs. The sun will be setting soon. It is October so the days are shorter. The ferry doesn't operate after dusk during the off season. I walk around the harbor one last time while waiting for the ferry to come in to port. I notice a jetty and take a seat near the top. A mother and child are stepping about the rocks a little ways down from me. The child is laughing hysterically as his mother scolds him not to get to close to the water. I think of my own kids. I really need to show them this place. They are old, deep souls like me at the ages of 12 and 13. They always were. (The following year in June of 2007 I do just that. I bring my kids and my parents here for a visit. They loved it just as much as I did.)

My kids and I spotted this clipper sailing through Nantucket Sound on our way to MV.

As I watch the waves crash against the rocks, I start reflecting on my life. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would have found myself in the midst of a separation and eventual divorce, at first, I would say no. However that would not be the honest truth. A little over ten months ago near the holidays something strange happened. It came out of nowhere. I was upstairs in my bedroom creating a scrapbook of my wedding photos. I was all into scrapbooking back then. My husband was downstairs playing SOCOM. He would occasionally come upstairs to check on me. He was really impressed with how the scrapbook was coming along. At the time we both seemed happy and content. We talked about getting a real Christmas tree like we used to back when the kids were toddlers. He made his way back down to his game and I began packing up my scrapbook stuff because I was getting tired.

I remember laying on the bed. I was staring at the beach painting hanging by my side of the bed. My husband had bought the painting for me a few years back because I mentioned it reminded me of the Jersey Shore at sunset. That is when it happened. A single thought popped in my head out of nowhere. "My marriage is going to end and I do not know how to be alone." I started sobbing as the thought kept rolling through my head like a marquee. I was staring at my painting, quietly crying so as to not wake the kids or alarm my husband. And, just as soon as it happened, it was gone. I was calm again. However, I never forgot that moment. How could I? Let's just say I was a little freaked when it actually happened five months later. It came out of nowhere just like the thought I had five months earlier.

As I sat there on Martha's Vineyard waiting for the ferry, I realized I was going to be just fine. I do know how to be alone. The next few months after my trip were still rocky. There was still a lot of confusion on both our parts. But in the end, everything was exactly as it should be. We weren't meant to grow old together. We were so young when we first started. I was barely 18 and he was 19. We did not realize just how much more growing we had to do as individuals. And, the growing came whether we wanted it to or not over the next fifteen years. Sure, we grew together in many ways, we have two children together but... we also grew apart in bigger ways.

We were different people than when we first started fifteen years prior. Those differences were creating a negative home environment for our children. We just didn't notice it right away because it wasn't an obvious, loud, shouting, aggressive negativity. It was an undercurrent. We felt it but believed it would pass. It didn't. I always say, he made the hard decision that I just couldn't bring myself to do. And for that, I will always be grateful to him even though he went about it terribly. I will always genuinely wish him well.

The calm washes over me.

I look to my left, there is a single line of wooden dock pillars. The dock and the second set of pillars have long since washed away with time and tide. All that remained now was this single row of pillars. It survived the test of time. I realize my troubles will wash away with time and tide as well. They will drift into their respective places in my past. I will survive this. I am a strong woman. I don't want to live a lie. I don't want to live that kind of life. To me, that isn't really living. I just want to be me. I'm not competing against anyone. I'm done trying to impress people; convince people. I don't need to. You are either with me or you aren't. Life is too short. I'm not wasting any more time. Eventually there will be a new row of pillars next to mine. Eventually I will build a new dock upon my strong, weathered pillars. I look forward to that day.

It would seem funny that this entire trip came down to a single row of pillars jutting out from a jetty but in my world, it doesn't surprise me at all.

Chrissy

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