Martha's Vineyard Part VII: Our last morning and the ferry back to Woods Hole

On our last morning, we had another delicious breakfast at The Crocker House, loaded up our car, and headed into the downtown area of Vineyard Haven.

The view from the front steps of the Crocker House to the harbor in the distance

                                                                                  
It was my 'last chance' to peruse the shops, get some coffee, check out the local cupcake store and soak it all in before driving back over to Oak Bluffs to catch the ferry back to Woods Hole.  The morning was sunny and bright and it was the beginning of the Columbus Day weekend and it was crowded!!!  I would suggest NOT coming to Martha's Vineyard over Columbus Day weekend--we were glad that on this Saturday morning, we were headed away from and not toward this busy bustling place.  The feel of the downtown area was completely different from the two days before!  I cannot even imagine how crowded it must become in the summertime when beaches draw even more crowds!

One of my stops that morning was the local cupcakery.  There are a couple of locations, but the one in Edgartown was closed the day before, so I never got a peek inside.  Sweet E's of MV is located in Vineyard Haven on Main St. and we were there on their last day of the season, or so the sign said.  They are featured on the 'What's Up Martha? ' website.  Apparently, President Obama, his wife and daughters went there this past summer and caused a stir of excited onlookers who tried to catch a glimpse of the first family.  I LOVED their simple style and their vintage motif.

The vintage cabinets housed the lovely cupcakes

The Beach House

Midnight Farm, owned by Carly Simon and a partner

At Midnight Farm, you could see a lot of Carly Simon's style.  Billowy tops, leather boots, colorful scarves, and of course, all of her cd's and those of her son and daughter.  It was fun going inside, but I much preferred all the goodies at the Beach House.  I also wandered into a kitchen store on Main St.  In front, they had incredible oils and vinegars.  They even had a chocolate vinegar and how I wished I could take a bottle home with me!

We got some coffee at Mocha Motts, checked out the local bookstore, and even wandered into another favorite store called Two Susans.  Check out their websites if you're interested.  Well, it was time to leave the island....so I reluctantly got back into the car and we drove toward Oak Bluffs. 

Thankfully, the Mack truck was in the other lane!

Our smaller ferry back to Woods Hole

I hope you've noticed that there was not a cloud in the sky.  Even though our trip began just two days earlier with dark and dreary wet skies, we were blessed with sunshine and crisp Fall air. 

This ferry was MUCH SMALLER than the one we took to Martha's Vineyard

Good-bye island!

We had so much fun!  Good-bye Carly! Good-bye Ben Taylor!  Good-bye Morning Glory Farm!  

I secretly wished I would have seen Susan Branch shopping for groceries or going on her morning walk somewhere, and she'd say, "Joann.....so good to see you!  Why don't you come over for some tea!"  And of course, I would just have to say,  "YES....I'd love to!!!!!" 

Well...........as our ferry glided across the water between Oak Bluffs and closer to Woods Hole, I smiled and recalled all that we did together.....the experience was all that and more than I had dreamed of....now it was time to get out the map and head up the coast;  our next stop was Kennebunk, Maine....but along the way, there were some interesting things to do!  Stay tuned!! 

Just a hint:  I love comments!  It's like getting a nice note in the mail.....so if you're so inclined, drop me a line, sign up to follow my blog, and tell friends who might enjoy traveling along with me!

                                                                              

                                                                                

                                                                      

                                                                                      

                                                                                         

                                                                      

                                                                                              

                                                                        
                                                                    

Martha's Vineyard Part V: A home and garden tour

I'm having the time of my life on Martha's Vineyard- some of you have told me that Nantucket is awesome, too---I guess I'll have to come back someday and see that 'neck of the woods' too!  I didn't make it to Sturbridge and that is on my list as well.

For this part of my Martha's Vineyard tour, I'll try and capture some of the white houses and black shutters and white picket fences and all out cuteness that abounds on the island....so here we go!

Don't you just want to KNOW these people....so you can go there for Thanksgiving?

This home was being completely remodeled....the interior was practically gutted

This is the 'even my garage is cute' number....

Love the archway, little side windows....and of course, the pumpkin!

I took this because their DRIVEWAY is cute!

Did I mention that I love window boxes?  I do....and small window panes?  Note the storm cellar door on the above picture----you don't see those anymore!

This one had a view of the ocean....and a lighthouse that was off in the distance

This is the front porch of the inn we stayed at.  From these chairs, you could see the harbor

This is another view of house above- LOVE the window boxes!

More window boxes....and a bay window, too?  YES!

Loved the mums on either side of the front door....

I love how the sun was beaming through the trees.....

Downtown shopping area of Edgartown....love the flag!

White, black, window boxes, picket fences....are you getting the message?

LOVE the driveway with grass in middle AND the ivy growing all over the garage!

When I was a little girl, one of my aunts had a driveway like this, only it was gravel....I remember the grass strip up the middle....It's funny how those things stick with you.  When I saw this, I got teary-eyed.

I know....I know....they have a view, too!

so many gardening ideas, huh?  

There is also a section of Oak Bluffs that is known for its cute gingerbread victorian cottages.  A huge part of the town is for walking through only...they are itty bitty and so very charming!  If you google Oak Bluffs victorian gingerbread homes, you'll get a wonderful story of their history.  Or you can click HERE and get a synopsis of the story!  :)  I did some of the searching for you!

And yes....the gingerbread....color I can't even tell you about! 

The little arbor entryways are another charming part of Martha's Vineyard

Among the Flowers is one of the little cafe's that is adorable! Many people were eating outside.

LOVED the little piggy under the arbor seat

This inn was quite historic- read the sign to see who 'slept' there!

The Edgartown Inn is quite famous!  Daniel Webster was once denied as a guest as we was thought to be an Indian, believe it or not....but one of my most favorite authors stayed there: Nathaniel Hawthorne.  As an English teacher, one of the most difficult and challenging novels I have taught is The Scarlet Letter.  So, to imagine him in this inn was simply extraordinary to me.....you just can't take the teacher out of the gal!

Love the little cottages, too! We don't have this much green grass in Colorado!  

Love the garden gate....

Love the dormer windows on top, too.....

A lot of the glass in many of the homes was original....you can tell if you look closely at the 'waviness'

The gardens were simply gorgeous....and this attached gazebo on this inn was so charming

Here's the front view of the inn in Edgartown

Clapboard homes are pretty wonderful, too

Don't you just want to open the gate and go knock? Of course, with a plate of cookies!

I snapped this pic because even their garage had a window box!

Flowers just go better with a white picket fence!

Well, I think you get the message that I loved walking down the streets in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven.....we held hands, stopped for coffee or tea, a cupcake or two and took it all in.....I picked up a real estate guide and brought it home....just in case, you know!  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.  I'm not an expert by any means, but I can tell you some of the places we saw that were definitely worth the visit....and I LOVE comments!!  Hint...Hint.....

Martha's Vineyard Part IV: Morning Glory Farm

 Morning Glory Farms! Yes, we must have spent 2 hours there....all the pumpkins outside on the lawn are what caught our eyes, but the wind turbine, lovely barn, and planted fields of vegetables are what drew us in!

As you come in, you can purchase little bouquets that are in water in these quaint rusty cans

                                                                          

Inside, were lovely baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables w/ these cute hand-written notes on each

Garlic, onions, shallots.....and each in its own lovely basket

On the shelves were lots of organic goodies....great to see that islanders can get these so easily

The greens were the deepest green I have truly ever seen

I LOVED the hand-written apple chart of which are good for eating or baking

I was surprised that most of their apples were NOT organic

I love that the apples were in pecks.....remember the jingle? a peck of pickled peppers?

And peppers there were! Every color and variety!

More of the lovely greens at Morning Glory Farmstand

Don't these just make you want to buy them?  

And here are the fields where they are grown

I LOVE the story behind Morning Glory Farms....it started in 1975 with 50 acres.  Only about 6 acres of their farm is organic.  They have decided not to pursue the costly and time-consuming certification to be officially all organic, so they call themselves "Morganic," the combination of Morning Glory and Organic.  They also sold cheeses from the area and around New England, grass-fed beef ( which I LOVE ), and lots of prepared foods to take home and warm up that they create in their farm kitchen.

And....speaking of their kitchen....one of their biggest 'draws' is their pies!

On the day we were there, pies would not be ready until 2:00 PM

But, we were able to 'peek' inside the windows of the kitchen to see  them at work

We were sorry we missed this pumpkin festival they had on Oct. 16

Don't you just love the hand-written signs?  I do.  This farmstand is a don't miss, in my opinion.  We loved going there, bought lots of goodies to munch on while we drove around the island.  If you're interested, visit the Morning Glory Farm website and plan your trip accordingly around some of their lovely events. 

They also have a book, which they sell in the store....it's beautiful!      

You can purchase the book on their website

I would definitely visit their website---it's a testament to American and the power of the human spirit.  People who have worked at the farm even have their own 'group' which meets for reunions.  There are over 100 members already....pride of ownership...............and of a family who followed their passion! Bravo!!