The Munce Family: Martha's Vineyard, MA

Dave, Sullivan and I spent the last week on Martha's Vineyard with a quick stop in Boston on the way over. Dave had the week off and wanted to spend the Fourth on the East Coast and I was intrigued by Martha's Vineyard. Is it a coincidence that 'Jaws' was filmed there over the Fourth of July weekend? I think not.

I have a good college friend who lives in Boston, so we took advantage of their location. We met last Saturday for snacks, a bit of touring and some pizza. We were able to see The Constitution and walk a large part of The Freedom Trail, Dave was in a history heaven. It was a warm day, but really nice to see their life in Boston. Many thanks to Becky and Mike for their hospitality and tour guide work. The stop over turned into a great way break up the long trip.

We rented a great spot on the water, a reservation which required planning way in advance. I think we made the reservation in November of 2012. We extended the invite to my parents right away to come for a few nights, and to Mike and Becky who were so close geographically that it just made sense. Finally, after lots of gentle nudges, my parents committed. Mike and Becky weren't quite as hard to convince. The seven of us overlapped one night, which was The Fourth.

Dave, Sully and I spent the first couple of nights and the final night alone. We hopped into our Mini Cooper and cruised the island, from Vineyard Haven to Menemsha to Acquinnah, and to Edgartown. We would put Sully in the stroller and off we would go. He is such a trooper. We spent a morning at the Farmer's Market with my parents an evening strolling the streets of Oak Bluffs. We spent an afternoon relaxing with Becky and Mike followed by a (full) car ride to Edgartown where Sully ate his first hot dog in the bun and loved every bite of it. It was really fun to have the company. I should mention that Dave definitely had his private 'Jaws' agenda that he stuck to and I was pretty much oblivious to, until it came time for a particular photo here or there. Although it isn't really my thing, I enjoyed that Dave was able to get as much as possible out of it. The night we all seven spent together was interesting, to say the least...

My dad was pretty adamant about getting something lined up on the water, wether it was a fishing adventure or a boat tour, he just wanted to get out there in any way possible. So, lucky for us, we found a captain who was willing to overlook the baby as a seventh person (since his license only allowed him to take out groups of six), yay(!) or yay(?). I had offered to stay back with Sully but when we found the option it seemed right that we all be together. So, we board the boat (which was meant for parasailing and had wicked hydraulics...again, yay(?), kick in, motherly instincts!!!). We started out and it was gorgeous, 80 degrees, the others were enjoying wine and beer, Sully was a sport on my lap taking it all in. As we floated into the Edgartown Harbor, a thick cloud full of a heavy fog rolled in. After a bit of site seeing, we headed out and were greeted by some pretty aggressive waters. Lots of waves crashing into the boat and onto all of us. Burrr. Our captain, Mark thought it was best to high tail it out of there in order to avoid a wet mess. Im sure he made the best decision, but flying through open waters at 40+ miles per hour with a 13 month old on my lap, and being 23 weeks pregnant was less than ideal. With every bump and jolt, I quietly dropped an 'f', an 's' and another 'f' word. Then whispered to Sully how proud of him I was as I held him as close as possible. I was so happy to see the sun and the harbor. I have never felt so uneasy. What an experience. We followed the boat ride up with a grill out and lots of fun conversation on the deck at the house. What a way to celebrate our freedom! I think next year, Ill remember that I have the freedom to say 'no!' ;).

We returned home on Sunday and were very happy to be here. We had a long day of traveling and even though Sully was a trooper, it was hot and sticky and just plain long. We had an awesome week. I have plenty of photos to follow...