Our (Vineyard) Haven

Martha's Vineyard, 2012

So, we're back from Martha's Vineyard. And from New York. And from NJ, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and the insanity that is eight hours of Florida interstate. Not necessarily in that order. Or is it? And is there a state I'm forgetting from our 24-hr-each-way car ride along the eastern seaboard? I should probably know, but... I was in a haze. I did not spend those four full days of hell travel scouring the Internet on my iPhone for cute little gems like: Delaware is the only state without any National Park System units such as national parks, seashores, historic sites, battlefields, memorials, and monuments. Was I busily tapping away on my computer, devising a genius plot twist for my screenplay? No. Getting lost in my brand new book, "Gone Girl", would have been a tremendous option during my time in the passenger seat, were it not for the headache I get exactly two minutes in to car reading, so...


Meh. Fie on all of these smart, sane person's travel endeavors. I spent my time managing the circus in the backseat, and pondering the inane. Like:

• How long are the guys that drive big rigs allowed to ride before they can rest? Is it true what they say about those random women who wait for truckers at truck stops, hoping for a quickie? (And do truckers really call females beavers?) This beaver wants to know.
• Does Ramona on RHONY know she's nuts? Like, 100% certifiable? Yet another reminder that true wack jobs are the ones who don't seek therapy. Would a therapist even be able to get through to Ramona? I'm oddly worried for her.
• Why is it that I'm 43 and I have yet to find the perfect jeans, perfume, and shoes? I'm wearing ill-fitting American Eagle jeans with blown out knees, Harajuku Lovers perfume, and flip-flops. Oh, wow. I'm like the female version of Jon Gosselin and his Affliction tees. (Note to self: Update look. Pronto.)
• Why is @#*! South of the Border still allowed to operate? I mean, I've never sausage a horrendous, let alone dangerous, excuse for a family amusement park. Perhaps Delaware can come up with something better. Oh, right...

It was, perhaps, while I was pondering Pedro's evil existence that we ran out of gas. Or, to appease my husband's ego (and to be perfectly honest), I ran out of gas. In Randomville, South Carolina, in 100-degree heat, on a stretch of curvy highway with zero shoulder, I calmly told Ang: "We're running out of gas. Right now. No gas left. All gone." and pulled my shaky, life-packed Volvo over to the side of the road before she sputtered a barely audible you dumbass and came to a dusty stop.

Maybe it was the 120-degree heat in the car for that hour spent waiting for Triple-A. Maybe it was the snickering southern cop who, after finding out we had not blown out a tire but had, instead, run out of gas, mused: "Well, nah. How'd ya let THAT happen?..." Perchance it was the aforementioned truckers whizzing by, only inches from our car, and forcing me and my thoughts into the very dark place of What If. Or maybe it was the AAA guy who finally filled our tank with his black and burnt-to-the-knuckles hand (?!), prompting AJ's very loud and highly inappropriate outburst: "Look, Mom! That man has no fingers!!!" (<-- I may have giggled at that.) Whether it was one or all of these factors, we drove away with renewed spirit... feeling lucky, blessed, and so, so incredibly happy to be together as a family. I cannot, however, speak for our dog, Stella, who probably thinks we all need to go to therapy with Ramona.

We spent an amazing week with my parents (who are saints, really, to put up with the tornado that is our life for eight straight days) in New York, and then headed to our beloved Martha's Vineyard. I think I'll post our vacation photos now to give you kind readers a glimpse of our time there...

Lila: I can't believe I'm going to say this, but. OK. Here it is [whispering]: Today was the best. day. ever. (She repeated this at bedtime nearly every day of our vacation.)

AJ and Lila navigated the rocks on the jetty at the end of our street every day, pretending they were mountain climbers.

This hot pink coverup gives Lila (even more) attitude. She and I have a "girl-power handshake" which involves fist-pumps, butterfly kisses, and a belly bump. We repeat the handshake pretty much every ten minutes when she's wearing this hot pink number...

Sweet Stella

Armed (with shampoo) and dangerous.

So excited for the outdoor shower!

Livin life au natural.

High-five after gettin' his clean on.

Aaand, they sleep...

...and sleep...

Stopping on our morning walk for a cheesy pose.

I'll take one monkey on the rocks.

Beach girl.

It's very rare that I get a shot of AJ smiling at the camera without doing some sort of odd, martial-arts-like pose. Case in point.

Lovey. (martial arts pose cropped out)

Everything's peachy.

Post-swim, pre-sunset, "OK mom, I'll pose for you" pose.

And one more...

I'll take two monkeys on the rocks, please.

Our stars in stripes.

Beach boy.

One of my best friends (for 30+ years!) came with her fam from the Cape to visit us on the island. Here, Ava and Hannah are making a Smiley Lila sandwich. :o)

Ava, AJ, Hannah, and Lila taking a walk in Edgartown.

[Cue: Alpaca]

Lila and her requisite MV black dog, Rosie Lulu.

See that? I actually was on this trip! (Thanks, Eileen, for the pic!)

AJ's favorite mode of transport.

And my other bestie, Eileen, who took a 10-hour, round-trip, puke-infused ferry from NYC to visit us for 1-1/2 days. (Anyone familiar with the Barf-o-Rama scene from "Stand By Me"? Apparently Aunt Eileen's journey to and from the Big Apple was pretty much the same deal. I kind of owe her big time.)

Daddy ferry.

We visited one of our fave families, the Whamonds, who have a house on the island. Here, AJ and Lila play with their heroine, the Great Anna-dini.

Crumpet.

Not quite sure AJ could possibly be having more fun than he was at this moment in time. (I love this scene.)

Alex, Anna, and the monkeys.

Our 27th trip to the ice cream shoppe. (Note: Pan left and you will see it's soon to be AJ's 27th trip to the restroom.)

Score.

Posers. xo

Lila holding on to a heart stone she found on our tiny stretch of sand. (Searching for heart stones was one of our favorite things to do on this vacation.)

Look, Mom. I found another heart!

Lila: I need a little private time on my rocks to think about things. [And off she went.]

 

At the Ag Fair in Vineyard Haven on our last day. (This ride made Ang and me want to vomit, while simply making the kids pumped up to go on every. single. ride.)

xo

And there you have it: Our 2012 Biasi Family Summer Vacation. Snapshots of (what Lila would call) really nifty moments in time. We'll be back someday, hopefully sooner than later. And hopefully sans horror movie roadside assistant, puke-fest ferry, and four days in the car. Though, now that I think about it, I wouldn't have changed a thing...

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within 

~ Lillian Smith