29 May Who’s Martha and Where is the Vineyard? Our Trip Part I

We had a wonderful trip to Martha’s Vineyard, but who is Martha and where is the vineyard?

Wishing you a Happy Memorial Day and hope you are having family over or just taking the day to remember theVeterans.

The Ferry from Wood’s Hole ( Boston) to Martha’s Vineyard.

A Bit of History- Who is Martha? Where is the vineyard?

Actually, there is so much history on Martha’s Vineyard, but I will answer these questions to get started.

No, it isn’t named after Martha Stewart or Martha Washington, so let’s get that out of the way.

The Native American Wampanoags were the first people, on the island, meaning, “People of the first light”. There are  Wampanoag people still living  in Aquinna, a smaller fishing village on the Vineyard.

“There is no definitive source for the name ‘Martha’s Vineyard’, but it is thought to be named for the mother-in-law or daughter, both named Martha, of the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who led the first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod in 1602.^[a”

Martha’s Vineyard is located south of Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

Edgartown

There are distinct towns of Martha’s Vineyard and each have their own charm and history. We stayed in Edgartown, a charming and elegant town with shops and beautiful cottages that looked picture perfect. We explored the areas by foot to see more of the town and took a transit bus to neighboring towns.

Aquinna

From Mvy.com

“​Many year-round residents of Aquinnah are descendants of the Wampanoag tribal members who showed the colonial settlers how to kill whales, plant corn, and find clay for the early brickyards. Much later, these Aquinnah Wampanoag were in great demand as boatsteerers in the whaling fleets. “

On the one rainy day, we visited The Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and it was excellent. My hubby tends to read the minutiae of every plaque, I skim and pick out parts I am interested in. There was so much to see and you learn more about the whaling business, scrimshaw the whalers would do to pass the time, fishing, and the lighthouses on the island. I highly recommend!

For more history about each town at Martha’s Vineyard, read HERE. I am sure you know about the Chappaquiddick bridge and Ted Kennedy.

The Trip There and Where we Stayed

I was a bit nervous with all of the sitting, as to get there, it is like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. This time however, it was buses, the ferry and another bus to get there. It certainly was worth it. I had my medication and toted my Pudendal cushion wherever we went. Many people would look inquisitively. One lady asked outright and told me her friend and I were debating if I was a flautist! (It folds in half and looks like some briefcase- or case) I told her it was for my health and it was left at that.

We stayed in a lovely place called the Lightkeepers Inn. The lightkeeper, back in the the 19 century was to keep the lighthouses light burning, and to keep it clean as well. It was great as there were only 6 units, and we had a full kitchen and suite. It was top notch service.

Since we were at the Vineyard in off-season, we didn’t wait in line anywhere. It was great, as they say it starts to get busy and lines are crazy in the summer. We got seated in restaurants straightaway, which was wonderful.

Selfie time!

The view from our room, in Boston, where we stayed the first night.

Where is the Vineyard?

In the 1600’s when Gosnold discovered the area, his crew and he observed many vines covering the Island, and therefore, named it Martha’s Vineyard. So, wine lovers, do not despair, there is still plenty of great vino to enjoy on the Island!

I have to say I was a bit apprehensive about how I would do on this trip, with my Pudendal Neuralgia, but I was proud of myself for going. Sometimes, even with illness, it is ok to try and push yourself a bit, so you get to experience things you want to in life. I am recouperating, but it was well worth it, and I have things managed a bit more than when I first was dealing with this last summer.

The One Day It Rained

We decided to go to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and it was wonderful. I do love learning the history of places, and there was much to see there. The winds were 30 mph, so we decided to go to the museum and then for dinner ( inside!) .

Just a tiny bit windy at 33 mph and rain. We made it a good day by visiting the Vineyard’s museum.

This was cool! This is the actual storyboard from the movie Jaws. The movie was filmed at various locations in Martha’s Vineyard. In the Summer, people jump off the “Jaws Bridge.” My brother and sis in law did jump off it in August, and I laughed when my mom told me prior to our trip, not to jump off “The Jaws Bridge.” Ah, no, the temps were probably hypothermia temperatures!

Did you know Stephen Spielberg was 27 years old when he directed Jaws? Hmm. What was I doing at 27?

These Scrimshaw challises were quite ornate, and indicative of time spend on board a ship, for a whaler, or fisherman. Often, to pass the time, they would draw on ivory tusks.

This Fresnell lens is from the Gayhead Lighthouse at the cliff in Aquinna. It is still the operating lighthouse today.

Morning Cafe

This was the warmest ( in attitude)  coffeeshop that we went there nearly every morning. The people were so nice, many of them students from Boston University, or just coming to work for the summer. It really was an International experience, as we met people from Jamaica, Rome, Brazil, Whales, to name a few. It is called Behind the Bookstore, aptly named.

Food (and will continue on tomorrow – Part II )

Below is the first restaurant we in which we ate. I don’t eat oysters, I am a texture kinda gal, and can’t get past that. So, hubby was in lala land, when he was able to taste different oysters here. One of his favorites was brought in from the Netherlands and had flavors of cucumber and watermelon.

I was happy with fish. You name it, I’ll probably eat it, as I love seafood!

Yes, that is lobster ice cream. And as much as I love the lobster roll, this would be a hard pass! 

This was  THE BEST ( as voted by the Islanders) lobster roll. This is more like it! There must have been a pound on there!

This was only the first evening there, ( the lobster roll was later) and we were in for many more culinary treats! I joked (kind of) with my husband and said he would be quite disappointed when we got home! (I won’t be cooking like that!)

This is just part I of our trip, with much more to talk about. Join me tomorrow for Part II of our Martha”s Vineyard trip. One thing I can say, is that I was thrilled, since after last summer, with PN occurring in August, and all the PT I went through, to be able to go and do it! It takes about a week to recuperate in my case, but well worth it. I posted many pictures from our trip on Stories, and will do so on trips in the future. If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I would love if you did!

See you tomorrow,

Jess xx