It was her birthday weekend and she wanted beach & bikes! 

We were taking a road trip to Martha’s Vineyard for Val’s birthday. At first I thought to myself, “Martha Stewart has a beach named after her? Damn, that’s crazy. Wait, no way. That can’t be right. Martha Stewart is a convicted felon. Why would they name a beach after her? There must be another Martha. Who in the hell is Martha?” I wasn’t the only one a little confused with the name.  Some of the other girls struggled with the name, as well.  They thought we would be spending our weekend visiting vineyards, picking freshly grown grapes on long vines, and sipping some of the finest wine.  We were all wrong.

We shortly discovered that Martha’s Vineyard was in fact a small island in Massachusetts. Historians really don’t have a definite answer as to the namesake, but it could be named after English explorer B. Gosnold’s mother-in law, Martha.  In fact, it is one of few islands in the United States that required travel to the island either by ferry or plane.  Since we drove to Massachusetts, we parked our car at a parking lot and took the ferry to the island.  We were on our way to a cute little town called Oak Bluff. It was filled with cute cottage homes, electric blue water, yummy treats, and the perfect beginning to a summer love story.

 

“We just missed our stop!” shouted Shelly. “My GPS says we passed it! We have to get off the bus and walk.”  It had been a full day of travel and everyone was tired, hungry and annoyed. Now, we had to walk four blocks with heavy bags to our hotel room. As soon as we arrived at the Wesley House, a historical hotel centrally located in the midst of shopping and dining, we couldn’t help but notice the colorful gingerbread homes.  They reminded me of my little playhouses as a little girl.

After a quick check-in, we quickly dropped off our bags and headed over to Nancy’s Snack Bar for a bite to eat. I decided to get a lobster roll that injected life back into my limp body. It refueled my energy while providing the freshest seafood experience..e v e r . It was SO good.

After getting lost for about 30 minutes while trying to locate Lookout Tavern, we decided to go to our room to have our own private party. We blasted our music, had a few drinks, danced like it was nobody’s business, laughed until we cried, and talked each other to sleep because we had planned to do it all over again the next day.

Saturday morning was an early rise for us all. We quickly got dressed and headed to breakfast at Biscuits before leaving for Sun’n Fun for our bike rentals. I almost forgot the thrill of bike riding.   Although it required a lot work paddling uphill, it was a breeze to ride downhill in full speed. “Ayo! I need one of these when I get back home. This is so fun!” I yelled at Val as the wind slapped me across my face.

We took the rest of the day to explore Oak Bluff on our bikes. We admired the relaxed atmosphere of the town. Unlike South Beach in Miami and the Jersey Shore, Martha’s Vineyard had a nautical and intimate feel about it. There were limited jet skis or no Ferris wheels, instead there were boats sailing across the ocean, seashells covering the sand, a historical lighthouse on Telegraph Hill, and a strong aroma of seaweeds prancing around in the air. It was just a beautiful experience accepting the simple things in life.

Before leaving Martha’s Vineyard, I picked up a seashell, made a wish, and threw it in the ocean. I’m unsure what seashore that seashell will land on next; I just hope it carries my wish into the universe so that my creator hears it along side my daily prayer.

Until next time, peace and unlimited blessings.

xo