ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

We're back! Yes, I know, we spent 5 weeks in Europe this summer, which would have been a great time to blog. No good excuses (except I can't figure out how to blog on my iPad). Now Patrick and I are on an East Coast driving trip to see the leaves (and other things). We're starting in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard where we are meeting up with the Fun Club (Pat's law school buddies) for a Backroads bike trip. Bike trips are fun, although we didn't train at all for this one and Patrick tore his calf muscle a couple of weeks ago, so is walking like Chester and spending a lot of time on ice.

The flight in yesterday was far from uneventful. Made it to Boston without complication, arrived to learn our Cape Air flight to Nantucket had been cancelled because of rain. It was pouring -- a lot. Our options? Stay in Boston and try again tomorrow, or take a bus to Hyannis and catch the ferry to Nantucket. That's what we did. Total time for this phase of the trip - 6 hours. Arriving at the Summer House Inn at the beach in Sconset at 10:15pm, we were delighted to have welcoming innkeepers and a working bartender. They had dinner for us (oysters, tuna tartar, chowder, carpaccio with arugula and William Hill chardonnay). Our spirits lifted once fed and we dried out in no time.

Today brought a beautiful sunny day in Nantucket - which looks the way we both always imagined it would look. The houses are grey clapboard with white trim and shake roofs. The beaches are gorgeous - white, long, uncrowded except for the birds, and bordered with gorgeous grasses. We spent the morning on this beach. I walked with the birds, while Patrick sat on the shore and nursed his ankle.

On to the town of Nantucket for a walking tour of the town, including the Second Unitarian Church with a trompe l'oeil ceiling, the Episcopal Church with Tiffany windows, the First Unitarian Church with bell tower and Brotherhood of Thieves, the perfect place for a break and a beer. Tonight we went to a restaurant called "Figs," the brainchild of Todd English (chef at Summer House). Fantastic food for a really reasonable price.

 

Observations out of the corner of my eye: seabirds eating fish on the shore, flying away with lunch hanging out of their beaks. For Patrick - a group of groomsmen at the First Unitarian Church, all dressed Nantucket style - blue blazers, white pants, blue and white check shirts - young, handsome, and all colors. Wonderful. Today we found joy doing the crossword puzzle on the veranda of the Summer House and taking the bus from Scanset downtown. Unexpected to find fans in a basket in the Episcopal Church beneath the stained glass window, and ducks flipping their bottoms up looking for food underwater in the bay. 

Tomorrow we meet up with the Fun Club and the Backroads folks. That's where the rubber meets the road.