26th Anniversary - the adventure continues

As wedding anniversaries are celebrations of an event where (if you had done things by the book ) you did exciting things that you had never done before, the anniversaries should also include that same spirit of new adventure. We knew we wanted to get some outdoor exercise type of activity, but not too strenuous - and see something scenic and fun. We didn't have much discretionary income to spend, so we would pack a picnic, snacks and drinks. We contemplated Boston or Plymouth windowshopping, but then thought about taking the ferry to P'town would be fun - untill we saw the price ($40 per person round trip + $10 each if we brought the bicycles). But with that concept in mind, we looked at Martha's Vineyard and were surprized at how much CHEAPER it would be ($15 per person + $6 per bike - round trip). Although I had gone to Martha's Vineyard over 40 years ago with my grandmother, and Sue had ( a couple years ago) visited a friend who lives there, we had never adventured there together. So Thursday August 27th, we loaded the pickup and headed to Falmouth. The shuttle bike-bus from Palmer Street is a trip all it's own, but after waiting with the way-too-talkative driver, and getting squeezed to well beyond safe or legal capacity, we did make it to the ferry in time. As bicyclists are last to load, we had trouble finding two forward-facing seats with a view, but after a few scouting trips around the decks, we settled in for a quiet ride. Once in Vinal Haven, we walked the bikes through the crowded streets of shops & shoppers. After finding air for our tires & a map of the island, we headed off in the direction of Edgartown. The main road has nice wide bike lanes so the ride is safe and relatively easy. Along the way we discovered an Alpaca Farm to pop into (but decided to NOT spend the $5 per to tour the grounds and see the animals up close (we can do that at any of the many fairs). We ate out picnic lunch in Edgartown and explored around a lighthouse that overlooks the harbor and Chappaquidick. Then followed Beach Road along 5 miles of sandy beach and warm calm water and lots of young families. Sue waded in, thought seriously about taking a swim - until she realized that Jaws was filmed somewhere off of this island (or maybe nantucket, but either way - too close). I had been standing knee deep with the famous bass music playing through my head at the exact moment she turned and said "wait a minute...." So off we headed to Oak Bluff - the "trendy" part of the island we had been told. We found an ice cream shop that had caramel (not so easy to find now-a-days) and sat and looked at the enormous boats ($$$$$$$$$$$$$). Keeping tabs on the time, knowing when we had to catch the next ferry out of VH, we cruised the final 3 miles back to our point of origin with half an hour to spare. Having pedaled about 16 miles, we were a bit tired, and our legs and buttockes were a bit sore, yet we were feeling refreshed at the ability to spend this time together uninterupted enjoying the glorious weather, beautiful sights, and inspiration for future adventures. Back on the mainland, we decided we still had enough left to allow us to pedal the 4 miles back to the truck - therefore avoiding the bike-bus debacle. In the end, we totaled about 20 miles - not bad for "non-strenuous exercise". As I paid the $12 parking fee, we knew for sure that NEXT TIME - we park free at the bike-trail lot & pedal to Woods Hole (cause lets face it - the lot there is ALWAYS full. We dined at a restaurant that we had never tried before (Bayley's Surf & Turf in Wareham), ending the "never-done-before" portion of our anniversary celebration.

Dinner with Julie

Julie has been working all summer babysitting for young neighbor boys, and actually saving most of her money (an uncommon trait in this family). As the time is drawing near for her to head off to her campus dorm room, time is running short for special father/daughter bonding time – something that she has expressed a wanting for (again, an uncommon trait – her mother being the other exception). She mentioned a while ago, quite proudly, that she wanted to treat me to dinner out before she left and while she could still afford to. So Monday night, while Sue & Joe were still in NH, and Tim & Yon were at work, and Jamie was at the Fair – leaving me, Julie & Nikki to decide dinner for just us – we happily decided that it would be an ideal time to eat out. Nikki wanted TGIF and Julie wanted Friendly’s. Figuring that Jules would be covering 2/3rds of the bill, I let her choice win – Friendly’s it was. Nikki, in her best “cut off my nose to spite my face” stubbornness decided if it wasn’t TGIF, she would stay home with a Fluffernutter. As I am always amused when they decide to “punish me” by being uncooperative, Julie & I left Nikki and somehow managed to have some guilt-free fun anyways. We talked about her impending departure from our everyday lives, and what to expect and how to best deal with some of the new situations she will likely encounter for the first time. We also worked on a plan for a “take-your-father-out-of-work” day adventure for next week, as the kids will be back at school and she’ll be briefly free. A canoe trip up the Green Harbor River sounds like a fun adventure – maybe after a stop at the RMV for a 2nd try for a learners permit (which is after all a stereotypical job of the father, right?). Wow – hard to believe we are all ready for this next step. How will I adjust to not having my daughter (who still proudly claims me as her own, still freely hugs me or kisses me goodnight, or gleefully shares songs/jokes/anecdotes with me) around to let me know that I’m not a total failure as a father? (‘cause ya know that enough of them are all to eager to point out all of my parenting “flaws”!!)