Traveling Times Are Happy Times....Especially The " Being Together" Part!

One of the Darling Gingerbread Cottages on Martha's Vinyard!

Beautiful Nantucket Island!!

Me and My Love in Plymouth, MA with the reproduction of the "MAYFLOWER II" behind us in the Harbor

The above is a video of us on the Ferry ride over to Martha's Vinyard from "Woods Hole"!

The View From "Nancy's Restaurant" on Martha's Vinyard~

"US" Next to the "Miles from Everywhere Sign" on Martha's Vinyard~

Amy with her new "Cape Cod" Bracelet, See her Left Wrist~~

Wow...Summer time has just breezed by once again. My husband is usually just about ready to go back to work again by September. He's a 2nd grade school teacher and absolutely loves his job. He also loves being home with me or us. This year even he thought it went by a little too quickly and the new School year is starting next Tuesday, although he's been back to work since this last Monday already!

Me on The Lounge Chair at The Wharf in Boston!

One of the Potion and "Witch" Shops in Salem, MA *Just for Fun Only

One Of the Hocus Pocus Shops In Salem, MA

  Before I get into our vacation and what a great time we really had together. I have to tell you that I'm just so proud of my daughter, Amy. She has been offered "5" jobs this Summer! Can you even believe that? Each one has been a better offer than the other and the one She just accepted is in her Master's degree , field of study : Information specialist/Library sciences. She got the interview and was excited and then when she got the job she was "to the moon'!! She is so happy and excited to start this new endeavor. She Started also this last week in the MLIS /Masters program at WSU where she went for her undergrad. She got a full scholarship for her undergrad and now also got a FULL scholarship for her Masters program!  She is such a "go-getter" it's just unreal. She isn't only very smart but also one of the most loving and kind, thoughtful people that I know and love. She loves attention and I love to give it to her so we get along well! We are mom/daughter but also best friends. It was fun one time when just her and I went to Arizona together, we were driving by this little outdoor "fair" and craft show and we got matching henna tatoo's (not permanent!!) with the sideways figure "8" on the inside of each of our wrists;meaning "infinity"...because we always say we'll stay by each others side and love each other "infinitey"

Amy and I drinking a Soda & Water at "Cheers" in Boston!

  Well where to start??? We all 3 went to the Eastern Coast this Summer round about the 7th-15th of August! We had a super great vacation! First we drove to NY and stayed the first night.  Craig and Amy went in the hot tub and we met some nice people and I sat out because with having "RSD" (a horrible ,painful neurological disease...you can find out more about it at www.rsdhope.org  )  no way can I sit in a hot tub and besides that; having a pacemaker precludes me from going into one also due to the intensely high heat . But I sit and take pictures of them having fun and being silly and laughing. That in turn, makes me have a good time and laugh too! Then later that night we watched a fun movie and of course being who I am now, with an MTBI (from that car accident in 2002 , when the guy ran thru a red light and ruined the rest of my life for me) I cannot and do not remember which movie we watched, but I'm sure we all had a great time. The pictures we take on our trips are always my "journal" to help me remember where we went, what we did etc..
   The next day we went on to our hotel in Plymouth, MA. We decided first to stop in Salem, MA and see some of the intriguing "witch's" shops, stores and the pretend dramas in the streets regarding the "witch hunts" from the very old times in the 1600's! It's fun to sit and watch the drama unfold as people dressed like colonists etc.. walk through the town yelling "WITCH!!! She's a WITCH!!...BURN HER...TO THE COURTHOUSE FOR  A WITCH TRIAL!!! FOLLOW US!!!"...That was interesting (actually this part of the story, the "trial/mock trial" was something that happened last time we visited Salem, MA. This time we just went to the strange little potions shops and "witch" clothing stores etc..).  In Salem, there is an old cemetery with dates back to the 1600's and 1500's and its really spooky! The day we visited it was raining just a little tiny bit. Just enough to be a bit dark, spooky and gloomy~! Perfect for Salem, MA! We took our pictures near the statue of "Samantha" from the Bewitched show from the 1960's. She is riding a broom all of it in bronze and just as cute as can be! We had fun in Salem and had dinner there; Seafood...it was lovely!  I still can't get over that my youngest is 22 almost (oct 6th!) and she sits and orders a "sangria" every now and then and it just feels so funny as a mommy...ha ha....I actually tried an "oreo Martini" and it was really yummy but I cannot drink due to the high amount of pain medications that I have to be on due to my "RSD"; so I gave most of it to them to share but I still got to taste it a bit and it was worth it!

Me in My Scooter in Front of The Gingerbread Cottages on Martha's Vinyard

   Next, we headed to Plymouth and spent the next 5 nights there and had a great time! Amy wanted one of the "Cape Cod" Bracelets like the one in the TV program "The Bachelor". Remember when Chris gave Alli the bracelet from Dennis, Mass? A small and tiny store that now gives people #'s three days away to even get in to "SEE" around the little tiny store with only 6 parking places!! It was actually appauling  that we drove 16 hours from Michigan to Dennis,MA to get her one of those things and then we couldn't even buy one ! They had no computer, it was all "back country" stuff and they couldn't handle the pressure that the TV show had put on their business because EVERYONE wanted one now and came from all over the USA to get them! They gave you a ticket to come back in 3 or 4 days and then you get in to "LOOK" and then you come back again at an appt but still wait in a very long line and then you buy it for well, the cheapest is 70.00 or 80.00! But...LO and Behold...we were shopping near the harbor in Plymouth,MA where we were staying. We went into a small store called "Cranberries" and they had ONE (1) bracelet left in her size exactly!!! Can you believe the luck??? It is a perfect "Cape Cod Bracelet", just as she wanted and we were so happy to find it there!!

    So we move on to another day on our trip...We went to Martha's Vinyard, to a town called "Oak Bluffs". It is sooo gorgeous there and we got to take a Ferry boat for about 1/2 hour to get there and back. On Martha's Vinyard, there are about 100 or more what they call "gingerbread" Cottages. They are each individually designed and decorated. They are all different colors and designs and just so adorable. They say most people don't live on the island in the Winter time, only about 11 people stay to keep things going. But these are Summer homes passed down in famlies for the most part. Also,there is a settlement church there in a Gazebo on the Island and there's a beautiful park all around it and the Cottages encircle the church. Everything is magical there on Martha's Vinyard. The only disappointing thing this time was that the beach, where the tide comes in and the water comes up...was filthy! That was sad because we've always pleasured and revelled in the fact that the beauty of that beach was so gorgeous and different! I will never get to walk on the beach again with bare feet and my toes in the sand. That saddens me a bit, but there are much bigger things in life. Although , sometimes it's the "little" things that make life so exciting at times. But I did my best and had brought a pair of water shoes with me and wore those and still I could not go far as the sand got in and really hurt my RSD feet!!  But all in all Martha's Vinyard was a great day! We got to shop and eat at the "Sand Bar & GRille" and also at "Nancy's restaurant"- our favorite restaurants ON the beach and with a beautiful view of the Vinyard and the harbor! I got to "zoom" around with Amy and Craig in my motorized scooter because I'd never make it all over that place trying to walk it all day. I cannot do that with the RSD and other issues with pain anymore. I do a great job at not complaining but I just cannot do some things like before!
   We got some souvenirs even though we vowed that we would not do that as we'd been there before. But it seems we do always find something "different"! We took some really cute pictures that were spontaneous behind and inside of a pretty tree on the Island. The next day we visited Nantucket Island and it was a $200.00 fast ferry boat ride for the 3 of us and an hour each way still!! It goes really fast so you have to sit inside and enjoy the ride instead of outside and enjoying the water and the seagulls! I took a video of the ferry ride with the seagulls following the boat! Oh and I must tell you that anyone who's anyone in Nantucket wears (and already knows about the "Nantucket red " color) their Nantucket (washed out denim looking red) red shorts, capris or shirts!!  We came prepared this time and Craig wore his "Nantucket red" shorts and I had my capris' and amy had her Nantucket T-shirt!! We loved seeing the red brick lined streets and the beautiful older and smaller buildings quaintly decorated! There is a restaurant there called "Que Queg's" just like from the book "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Since Amy is a Library major and loves books, she only wanted one thing and that was HER PICTURE IN FRONT OF "QUE QUEG'S"!! WE got some of the best pictures and then we talked with a waitress who took hers and my picture together too. Craig loves to hang out with us,but he loves to see the splendor in the world around him rather than visit every little gift shop like Amy and me! He usually plants himself on a bench and watch's the world there on the island and the people and the beauty of it all!
   We finished up on Nantucket in the evening and had gotten some "dusk" pictures that were so great! The red sky over the water with the sun going down was breath taking! Then  the next day we decided to visit someplace we'd never been: Newport, Rhode Island! Funny though...I think some of the evenings were my favorite times because we were all 3 together in our hotel room and we always watched a fun movie together! The one that comes to my mind best right now is the one movie called "Date Night" or something like that? It had Tina Fey in it and ? I forget the man's name? But it was so funny and we laughed and laughed..I love those memories too!
  WE enjoyed Rhode Island with it's restaurants on the harbor and the boats. It had a gorgeous "small town" with class, appeal! In Newport, there were many little cute shops and even a "Starbucks"!  We had just finished looking through the shops and sat at a bench and noticed in front of us was a great statue to take a picture next to. It was a "wave" of water with feet sticking out of the wave as if the person dove in , head first! LOL..so cute,right?  Well...we did get someone to take a picture of the 3 of us and we took each others pictures and then we sat on a bench to figure out and plot the rest of our day there. We wanted to visit "The Breakers"; a huge mansion owned by the Vanderbuilt family and then donated to the "Preservation society" to show to the public and help make money for the town. We had Craig take the bags to the car while Amy and I went to get the tickets and we met at the Trolly that took us to the Mansion. We suddenly panicked and I said "Where's the camera?" Craig looked puzzled and then said "Um..I think it's in the bags and in the trunk". I was bummed because I wanted pictures at the mansion. LIttle did we know that pictures are NOT allowed INSIDE of the mansion anyways..We used our cell phones to take pictures of the outside patio,the grounds, flowers and the beach which got its name "The Breakers" from the waves beating against the rocks and it breaks the tide. Anyways...we had a great and wonderful time and even got to ride the elevator, the "HIDDEN" elevator made for Mr. "Vanderbuilt" who was suffering the effects of a stroke. I cannot do the stairs, the long stairs like in that kind of house for sure, so they were kind to let me take this cool little elevator. We just enjoyed that tour immensely!! UNTIL............ we got done...went to the car and found that our camera  with over 200 pictures from our trip on the 4 gig memory card that was inside of the camera. I could have cared a less about the camera itself, but hey mister theif...please give me back my card with the 200 "memories" on it for ME?? Those pictures are my memories. They truly help me to remember our trip but then Amy and I started to keep track and write stuff down so I wouldn't forget and now I'm putting it all here so I will have it forever, I hope!  Well I cried about the loss of the camera, Craig and Amy were wonderful and went all over town trying to retrace our steps to help find it or see if anyone turned it in...but to no avail. None of us could eat dinner that night and we just drove the hour or 2 back to our hotel in Plymouth watched a movie, I think? Then we went sadly to sleep awaiting a new adventure the next day. Lucky for us, Amy had brought her camera (just like ours) and it was in her suitcase) so we used hers for the rest of the trip and had picures of the last 3 days or 2 days and Craig even took us back to Martha's Vinyard just for 3 or 4 hours to re-take the pictures we took there the first time!! HA HA HA>..LOL...soooo those aren't the "original" tree pictures but they were pretty good anyways!!..Funny though that we were "posing" the 2nd time around..hee hee...Then we went on the next day to Boston and went to all of our wonderful and favorite "hang outs" including: Fanuiel Hall, Quincy Marketplace, Boston Harbor and all of the shops and restaurants in between! This time we even took my little motorized scooter all the way to the Boston Public Gardens and took one of the "famous Swan boat rides"!! We saw another very old cemetary and the park was full of very cool People/statues! OMGosh!!There was a "ghost dancer lady" who if you put money in her hat she did a quick little dance and then became a "statue again"...there were about 25 "street dancers"!! Little boys, young men all doing "break dancing" with yellow t-shirts on and all over the cement and the music and dance was crazy wonderful!!! They even picked a child out of the audience to put some sunglasses and a hat on him and introduce him as "white chocolate"!! Then my husband decided to include himself or volunteer for a game of tug o' war with another street performer and many other guys! He had a great time and We had fun cheering him on! I'll try to post that picture or video if it works! LOL...
    Then as all good things must come to an end...well,before I get to that ...we did eat our last Dinner in Boston, on the harbor. We always eat at "Joe's place" on the water. It's a great little place with wonderful and delectable sea food! We just "HAD" to sit outside. WE are from Michigan and do not get to eat outdoors very often! It was starting to get chilly and windy near the wharf and we had to eat outside still....and in our little tank tops, dresses and shorts too!! As the sun went down and we waited for our table to open up, it got colder and colder. We sat down and I was turning blue from the cold as My lips do whenever I get cold...Amy was cold but had a long sleeved thin sweatshirt on and Craig had just a t-shirt on with shorts! FIrst thing I asked for was a cup...no no no...a "POT" of coffee! I was holding onto it for dear life and it was keeping me alive, I think? ! LOL...hee hee...So we ate and hurried because we were so very cold that even Mr. Craig who NEVER is cold, had chattering teeth by the end of that dinner! Then as fate would have it...we were on our way to the car about 3 blocks away....and I mean in a parking garage AWAY from the center of town!! My scooter broke down...not really "broke" but it ran out of power!! OMGosh!! Craig had to dismantle the thing to "auto" mode and I had to get off so he could then try to push it to the car!! Oh my goodness...Amy and I were almost in tears ...or I think I really was in tears due to the pain from the cold! We hurried as fast as I could walk or toddle with my cane as Craig pushed the scooter back to our car..OH My goodness....we'd finally made it to our car and went straight back to Plymouth to our hotel and told the front desk girls all about it!!! They had befriended us and we'd befriended them too. I think the one front desk girl  felt so sorry that we'd had such a time with the camera being stolen and stuff..whew .All I can say is that I made a new facebook friend from Erin at the Hampton inn in Plymouth,MA and that was worth it!! WE had a wonderful and fun time even with the mishaps and then the broken down scooter too! WE finally made it back to tell our tales to the front desk crew and then off to bed to start our first day of driving home on Saturday!! We were going to spend that first night again in New York and Drive the rest of the way home on Sunday! We were all glad to have a fun vacation; but just as glad to be back home! No one was more glad than Craig because he'd just driven over 2,000 miles all by himself!! The car rental co. don't allow anyone under 25 to rent or drive a car from them so Amy couldn't help with the driving, although she offered and wanted to help! I couldn't help of course but felt so sorry for poor Craig. I think it took him a good 2 nights sleep before he was back to his normal "self" again. 
 We had a wonderful adventure and it was to be what we thought was our "last family" vacation due to the fact that Amy and Scott were getting married next year...but that is put off just a little bit longer due to money and school and job issues..But that's not always a bad thing..it just gives them more time to know each other and to save money and get their educations in order so they can be very productive members of society and be able to take care of a family of their own one day!   

One of the Cute Gingerbread Cottages on Martha's Vinyard!

     Hey...thank you for sharing my vacation journey with me and allowing me to take you through my trip step by step. Enjoy the pictures and I'll be back soon, hopefully with something fun and good and exciting...if not, then it may be something not too exciting but I promise to always try and make it sound wonderful if at all possible! G'nite all!!! love 'n blessings, Suzanne

this is "Que Queg's "Restaurant and named from the "MOBY DICK" book & it's on Nantucket

The "street/Break dancers" in Boston Marketplace!!!


***This is Craig in the "Nantucket Red" (Pinkish) T-shirt) when he volunteered to be in a Tug O'War in The Boston Market place ..on our trip!!