Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Now that we’re back on the east coast it was time to start celebrating my big (70th!) birthday on September 25. We’re back on the mooring at Joe and Pat’s home in Falmouth and they graciously left us with their car.  Stephanie decided to join us for a week and I picked her up at the Providence airport on the 24th and got back just in time for Jonny to take the car to pick up Pat and Joe who were flying into Boston!

Of course, Archie was thrilled to see her and have his big sister on board to cuddle with!

The next morning we headed out for the quick hour and a half run to Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard where we moored for the next three nights.

The first afternoon we explored Oak Bluffs concentrating on the charming gingerbread cottages surrounding the tabernacle, which was originally a Methodist religious center and campground in the middle of Oak Bluffs.  Now those tents have grown into whimsical cottages each more gaily painted than the next.  We spent some time looking for one that is owned by the parents of one of Stephanie’s friends.

That night I was treated to a special birthday dinner at Bettini’s, an elegant restaurant at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown.

The next day we took the bus (very convenient and inexpensive) into Edgartown to explore that lovely town more thoroughly.  I had been there many times in my youth because my godmother owned a home there,   Now that home is owned by my cousin Sally. We made our way to check out Sally’s place. It looked as good as I remembered though it is only occupied a few weeks a year.  

We then continued our walk all through town with its elegant, stately homes.

The Edgartown Lighthouse and nearby beach was also quite scenic.

We had a healthy and delicious lunch at the Atlantic Restaurant overlooking the water.  Afterwards we took the bus to Vineyard Haven to see how that town compares to the other two.  It, too, is charming but definitely not as upscale as Edgartown  We indulged ourselves in delicious ice cream and headed back to Zendo where we had crab cakes for dinner and a cozy evening onboard.

On Thursday we considered taking the ferry to Nantucket for the day but the ferry schedule didn’t work for us.  We wanted to explore the other, more rural side of the Vineyard and determined that renting a car for the day was our best option.  As a result, we had a wonderful day visiting the less traveled part of the island.  We headed all the way to the far end to Gay Head, the dramatic cliffs that fall to the sea. I really wanted Jonny and Stephanie to see this dramatic sight.

Afterwards, we went to the tiny fishing village of Menemsha to have lunch at one of the two fishing shacks there.  We had lobster rolls and sat on some makeshift tables overlooking the harbor. It was a very authentic experience!

We followed lunch with an absolutely beautiful hike on a trail that brought us to large open meadows and lovely wooded areas. Archie got to run and run and we had a wonderful time in that gorgeous part of the island.

We drove back to Edgartown where we had coffee at a funky outdoor cafe then returned the car and dinghied back to Zendo.  Back onboard Zendo we made a delicious dinner of shrimp scampi with pesto that we made with the basil from Joe and Pat’s garden.  It was quite a feast!

The next day we’ll be heading back to Falmouth for one last day with our beautiful daughter before she has to leave for home.

Washington and Oregon

In September we took two weeks off from our travels on Zendo to travel to Washington and Oregon. We joined a group of MTOA members to charter trawlers to cruise the San Juan Islands and afterwards we visited friends in Washington state and Portland.  We flew from Providence to Seattle on September 9 and joined our friends Liz and Steve Kemper with whom we shared a beautiful 46 foot Grand Banks trawler.  After going grocery shopping to provision the boat, we took off and began our cruise on September 10.  Our flotilla included 11 boats and 22 couples and we cruised the beautiful San Juan Islands for 6 days.

During most of the trip we had cool but comfortable temperatures and somewhat overcast skies.  We were able to see outlines of the mountains in the distance but not the clear mountain sights we might have hoped for.  

Our first stop was Sucia Island where we anchored in Echo Bay, a large anchorage that could accommodate 40-50 boats. 

We hosted two other couples on board for drinks and nibbles.  The following morning we dinghied up to the rocky shore and hiked the well-maintained trails in the state park there.

That afternoon we cruised 16 nautical miles on calm seas through gorgeous scenery to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island.  There we enjoyed docktails and appetizers with our fellow cruisers at the common dock.

This was another wonderful park for hiking. The next morning several us hiked a long trail at the end of which was a collection of Stuart Island shirts for sale.  Many styles and colors were available for sale on the honor system with elaborate instructions on how to pay for them.  It’s a mark of distinction for those who are hardy enough to hike the distance to get there. Another reward was seeing the historic library and schoolhouse both of which served the original island residents over the years. 

There was even a basketball court where the guys were able to shoot hoops!

The next morning started with the unique experience of operating a hand-propelled pump-out conveniently located on a raft in the bay.  A first for all of us, no doubt!  We’ve found some other interesting pump-out vessels on this journey too!

 We cruised that day to Deer Harbor taking the long way that brought us close to the Canadian border in search of orcas but to no avail! 

And we continued our hiking adventures in the state parks that were on almost every island.

Our visit to Roche Harbor was probably the most unique of all our destinations. Roche Harbor appears to be a lovely historic village but in fact it’s an amazing resort with cottages, shops and a small market.

We explored the whole area that included a huge 19 acre sculpture park with over 120 sculptures. 

That evening everyone got together for cocktails and a pot luck dinner.  Afterwards we had the opportunity to participate in Roche Harbor’s Colors Ceremony where just before sunset each night during the summer they retire the flags of Roche Harbor, Washington state, Great Britain, Canada and the United States. It was yet another interesting experience in a week that was full of them.

Friday Harbor was our next destination and we passed through some beautiful scenery and narrow passages to arrive at a marina there.  That evening we had a final celebratory dinner with everyone at an excellent restaurant called Downrigger’s.

Friday Harbor has a cute town center which we also had time to explore before leaving for the last night on board.

Many of the boats headed in different directions but we went to Anacortes where our charter company had comped us for a one night marina stay because we had had some issues with the boat early on.  Fortunately they were not real serious and our two captains, Steve and Jonny, were able to manage whatever workarounds were needed.

After returning to Bellingham the following morning and saying our goodbyes, we rented a car to start the next phase of our vacation.  We truly enjoyed cruising the San Juan Islands and would heartily recommend it to anyone!

Our next stop was Shelton, Washington where we visited our friends Brenda and Doug who live in a beautiful house on the point of an island on the Olympic peninsula.  What a gorgeous setting! Doug had built the house which has 270 degree views  of water and lush forests.  We spent two days hiking with them and enjoying their beautiful part of the world. Brenda cooked delicious dinners and one night we had steamed oysters from their very own oyster beds. It was a wonderful visit!

From there we drove south to Portland, Oregon where we were originally going to stay with our friends Mark and Nancy.  Mark is an old friend that I grew up with in Fairfield.  Unfortunately, Nancy was recovering from Covid so we stayed at a nearby hotel in the pretty town of Lake Oswego.  Mark had given us  great recommendations to visit the Columbia River Gorge, Basalt Rock, the salmon fish ladders and Multnomah Falls, all of which were just amazing!

The next day Mark had us to his home for breakfast and then showed us around Portland.  We visited the International Rose Test Garden with over 800 types of roses all in bloom! We had lunch at a local brew pub and hiked to a high point of the city to see more stupendous views.  It was a wonderful visit and we look forward to seeing him and Nancy at the end of October for our 50th +2 high school reunion in Connecticut (delayed twice due to Covid).

We then headed back to Seattle where Jonny’s cousin Danny had invited us for dinner at his home on Bainbridge Island.  There we visited with his wife Althea and their son, Jake, who was visiting from LA. Dan and Althea have created a beautiful homestead on lovely wooded Bainbridge Island and we were happy to be able to experience it after having heard so many good things about it.  I even had a chance to try my hand at Pickleball on the court they had on their grounds!  They served Dungeness crab which we were hoping to have on our trip but hadn’t encountered until then.

We made an early night of it since we were flying out very early the next morning.  After returning our car, we stayed at an airport hotel and set the clock for 3 a.m. to make our 6 a.m. flight. What a fabulous west coast adventure!  Now back to resume our Travels with Zendo down the east coast!