Tag Archives: humor

Cape Cod Day 4, Black Dog Tavern, Vineyard Haven.

January 6, 2020 Rivergirl 33 Comments

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If you live in New England, I can guarantee you’ve seen numerous bumper stickers, t shirts and assorted swag with the ubiquitous black dog silhouette.

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But on day 4 of our fabulous Cape Cod adventure, we had lunch at the real thing.

The original Black Dog Tavern on Martha’s Vineyard.

For a sweetly illustrated history, click here.

It’s a rustic little place…

With some fabulous views.

Filled with maritime history as well as the flavor of the sea….

And on the day we had lunch there?

Even an adorable real life black dog on the beach.

(No worries… it was a cool day, he had water and his owners checked on him regularly.)

Cocktail?

Don’t mind if I do….

Since we were at the Black Dog, I tried a Black Dog Orange Crush.

Which might have to become my new favorite way to wake up the day.

Happily sipping, we enjoyed watching the ferry.

The boats..

The harbor…

And local craft beer disappear.

But yes, the food. We came for food…

Quahog chowder. Thick, creamy and delicious with homemade croutons made for a nice start.

What’s a quahog you ask?

It’s a large hard shelled clam.

quahog

Isn’t that just typical human behavior?

Name your pet, then kill him to find out how old he is.

Sorry Ming, you deserved better. And I sincerely hope you weren’t in our soup.

I was in the mood for a good chargrilled burger and this one didn’t disappoint.

The husband? He inhaled two dozen mussels.

Replete, we said goodbye to the real black dog….

The views…

The pier….

And the original Black Dog Tavern.

Fervently wishing they would come to Maine and build one on our coast!

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Part 2… of something I started a while ago then promptly forgot about.

January 5, 2020 Rivergirl 29 Comments

Language.

By definition, the method of human communication.

Glorious varieties abound, so let’s take a look at some foreign words you may not be familiar with… and their meanings.

Shemomedjamo (Georgian)

You know when you’re really full, but your meal is just so delicious, you can’t stop eating it? The Georgians feel your pain. This word means, “I accidentally ate the whole thing.”

I don’t know about you..

But I have totally shemomedjamo’d in my day.

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Backpfeifengesicht (German)

A face badly in need of a fist.

Oh, I think we’ve all met a few of those.

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Faamiti (Samoan)

To make a squeaking sound by sucking air past the lips in order to gain the attention of a dog or child.

I’d just call it a whistle, but who am I to argue with a Samoan?

(Okay… so I was looking for a GIF of a big bad Samoan warrior when this popped up. Big bad Samoan bat will kick your *ss!)

Gigil (Filipino)

The urge to pinch or squeeze something that is irresistibly cute.

I have this every time I watch the movie Magic Mike…

But maybe that’s just me.

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Lagom (Swedish)

Maybe Goldilocks was Swedish? This slippery little word is hard to define, but means something like, “Not too much, and not too little, but juuuuust right.”

*See above comment and picture of Magic Mike cast*

Zeg (Georgian)

It means “the day after tomorrow.” OK, we do have “overmorrow” in English, but when was the last time someone used that?

Never.

No one has ever used overmorrow in my presence…. and I want you all to start right now.

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(Proof positive there is a meme for everything)

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Cape Cod Day 4, Edgartown (and because you knew there had to be some…. rocks.)

January 3, 2020 Rivergirl 23 Comments

First stop on Martha’s Vineyard?

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Edgartown.

A beautiful place to visit…

A nerve wracking place to drive.

The streets are narrow and many of them one way.

Which is charming…. until a delivery truck blocks your only egress.

But let’s get back to beautiful.

Park your car and walk…

Because that’s the only way you’ll discover all the wonderful nooks and crannies in town.

Since we were there in November, off season…

We practically had it all to ourselves.

Full of old world charm…

And coastal breezes…

I highly recommend an extended stroll.

And the required clothing souvenir from the Black Dog.

(Okay, I bought 3… so sue me.)

I could have easily walked and shopped all day but the husband will only tolerate so much of that.

So we headed out.

And drove past mile ….

After mile….

After mile…

Of stone walls.

Seriously, I thought they would never end.

Some houses had them in the front, to the sides and around the back.

Some sections of the road had them lining both sides.

And speaking as someone from Maine, which has it’s own fair share of stone walls…

I must say, this section of the Vineyard put us Mainers to shame.

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Cape Cod Day 4….Martha’s Vineyard

January 2, 2020 Rivergirl 15 Comments

The forecast for Veteran’s Day was warm and bright so we decided to book passage on the Steamship Authority’s car ferry over to the Vineyard. This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I was tickled pink. Having no idea where, how much, or when…. we dropped by the ticketing office the night before and were rewarded with these –

Free tickets for the husband.

How sweet was that?

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We reserved a spot on the 9:30am ferry from Woods Hole and were told to arrive half an hour before departure. Ever the type A personality, I made sure we were there 45 minutes prior and as soon as we pulled up, they pointed us towards the 8:15 freight trip and boom!

We were on board.

With a giant load of Christmas trees.

Being used to small Maine island ferries, I was amazed at how large these ships were.

And how clean, and how spacious, and what great views they afforded.

We happily roamed around taking pictures…

And found a snack bar!

Okay…. it wasn’t open off season, but still. If you want a snack on a Maine ferry? You better dig in your purse for that crushed pack of Nabs from 2003.

And then, before we knew it….

We were there.

Approaching Vineyard Haven.

And yes, it was just as beautiful and quintessentially coastal New England as you would imagine.

Here’s another ferry getting ready to depart, so you can see how large they are.

We had booked an 8:30pm trip back, so we arrived ready to spend the whole day exploring.

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Of course none of the tourist information kiosks were open this time of year and we had no utter clue where we were going. ( I didn’t find this map until we were ready to leave.)

So we just drove.

Past weather beaten waterfront homes…

And homes…

That had their own private lighthouses.

How cool is that?

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Cape Cod Day 3…. Plymouth harbor, The Rock and finally, some food.

January 1, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

So the lovely path through the park brought us to downtown Plymouth and the harbor.

It’s a pretty spot.

And at low tide you get a really good view of the rock retaining wall.

There were more scallop shells…

And piers..

And a statue of the Governor who spelled Plymouth with the ‘i’ that drove me crazy the entire time we were touring the Plantation.

Seriously… it was painful.

But then…

In the distance…

In the middle of what appeared to be a mausoleum…

Surrounded by pillars and wrought iron gates….

And guarded by a Ranger was…

Are you ready for what everyone who visits Plymouth Massachusetts has to see?

Brace yourself.

Here it comes….

The one, the only….

Plymouth Rock!

Yup.

That’s it.

I can’t say I really even knew what I was expecting…. but I’m pretty sure it was more than this.

To be honest, it was a rather bizarre experience. You know you have to find it, you know you have to see it, you know you have to photograph it (though I resisted the selfies some people took) …. but when you finally sidle up to the railing and look down?

Okay, it’s a rock.

And we all know I have a soft spot for rocks, but…

But alas, that’s all there was.

The Ranger told us they had to protect what was left because for years people would come and chip and chisel pieces from it for keepsakes. My first thought was, you should have started sooner.

So there you have it.

We came.

We saw.

We photographed the most famous rock in America.

YOURE-WELCOME

Plymouth, Massachusetts.

They have a park…. for a rock.

Ya gotta love this country!

And now… for my oh, ~~not~~ so patient food photo people.

Liquid refreshment at the East Bay Grille in Plymouth.

A wonderful restaurant with a view, potent cocktails and seriously good food.

I started with Risotto Balls.

And as balls go? They were top notch.

After a pomegranate martini, I went for the Autumn Punch. It sounds sweet, but the tart cranberry and acidic orange juice cut it perfectly.

The husband went with some kind of saucy fish…. blame the martini, but I don’t remember which…. brown rice and grilled butternut squash.

While I…

Can you guess?

Cognac cream sauce?

Ooh la la!

And yes, of course we had dessert.

New York style cheesecake for the hubs.

And a mouthwatering mountain of Tiramisu for yours truly.

It’s a shame we were only in Plymouth for one day because I could easily have eaten there every night.

Vacation Day 3 officially over.

Only 5 more to go!

No worries, at this rate it will only take a few more weeks worth of posts.

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Cape Cod Day 3…. the Pilgrim Trail, Plymouth

December 31, 2019 Rivergirl 29 Comments

Behind the (not so historic) grist mill? A path….

That turned out to be more historical than the building we paid to see.

It was a lovely walk….

That followed the brook.

The murals were fun.

And certainly brightened up the underpass.

The path led to a park.

And I have to admit I’ve always been a sucker for a good park.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in New Jersey where large properties are for the uber rich.

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Maybe it’s because parks are always a refuge of green open space in the middle of a city.

Maybe it’s because you can tell a lot about a place by what they display in their parks….

Like this statue dedicated to the many immigrants who have flocked to our shores.

Maybe it’s because it’s just a nice place to walk your dog…

Whatever the reason, it was a nice way to approach downtown Plymouth and the harbor.

Where I’d finally get to lay eyes the most famous rock of all time…

Plymouth Rock!

Come on…

You had to know that was coming, right?

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Home.

December 30, 2019 Rivergirl 27 Comments

We’re back from 2 fabulous weeks in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Safe, sound and buried in dirty laundry.

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It was a wonderful trip…. and yes, you’ll hear about it ad nauseam in the near future.

But while I tried to keep up with comments on my mobile, I’m afraid I didn’t have the time ( Or the inclination, let’s be honest! ) to read all your blogs while we were gone.

Apologies.

I was busy biscuit and gravy-ing my way across the south….

And that requires dedication.

( Not to mention larger pants. )

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So here’s hoping you all ring in the New Year with the ones you love!

(Or the ones you can tolerate with a few drinks under your belt… whatever works. )

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Cape Cod Day 3… Plimoth Plantation grist mill and some (literally) corny jokes.

December 30, 2019 Rivergirl 23 Comments

The tickets we purchased at the Plantation were actually in 3 parts. The site itself, a grist mill off site and a replica of the Mayflower down at the harbor. Three different locations for one price, how could we lose?

Apparently very easily as it turns out….because after we bought them, we found out the replica Mayflower wasn’t even in the state, but in Mystic, Connecticut undergoing an overhaul for the 400th year anniversary they’ll be celebrating next year. Thanks for that. It would have been nice knowing before I paid to tour it.

And the grist mill?

While attractive…

Turned out not to be so historic after all.

Yes, the Pilgrims eventually built a mill in 1636 after 10 years of grinding corn by hand. And yes, it was somewhere on Town Brook in Plymouth, though no one knows exactly where.

The mill pictured here was actually built in 1970 with many of it’s parts coming from a salvaged mill near Philly. How’s that for historical accuracy?

But we paid our money so here it is… upstairs, big stones.

And downstairs, big wheel. I won’t bore you with the more technical details on the inner workings.

But I will share the picture and video of this poor girl sifting cornmeal. The mere thought of having to do that all day makes me appreciate the little blue Jiffy box I use to make muffins soooo much more.

And it was even louder in person, trust me.

Naturally I had to visit the gift store and buy some freshly ground meal which is when we passed this:

Feel free to groan.

I did.

Sadly I only caught sight of this book when we were leaving and didn’t have a chance to flip through it. Who knew Yetis brewed beer?

Leaving the grist mill, I spotted a scallop shell.

In Tennessee we saw painted bears, in Vermont painted cows, somewhere I can’t remember painted lighthouses.

In Plymouth?

Painted scallop shells.

To each their own…

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Cape Cod Day 3… Plimoth Plantation. Goats, beer, a cranky llama and the Mooflower

December 29, 2019 Rivergirl 26 Comments

Continuing through the English settlement we saw garden plots…

And goats.

Who liked a good chin scratch.

I mean really liked a good chin scratch. This guy followed me the entire length of the fence.

We met a young man chopping firewood…

Who when asked what was in his flask, replied “Beer, of course. The water will make you sick.”

We discovered beer was quite popular in those days.

And if I had to cook all my meals in that contraption behind the women?

I’d drink beer everyday as well.

Colonists popped out at you everywhere…

Some friendly…

Some not.

This woman was the Governor’s wife and therefor had a slightly better home. With wood floors and a proper chimney.

Although the quality of workmanship seemed about the same.

Finished with the colony, we moved on to the museum with it’s eel pot…

It’s sea suit.

And because I knew you’d ask…

And it’s Mayflower provision list.

250 lbs of bacon and 280 lbs of butter… That will hold me for 8 weeks, but what will the rest of you eat?

roses-are-red-bacon-memes

Though I do have to say, that list seems a little suspect. Considering margarine was invented in 1868 and Rice Krispies in 1927…I highly doubt they were aboard the original ship in 1620.

WTH?

But the museum did have the Mooflower….

And an anatomically correct, trouser wearing, sea going cow vessel?

Makes up for a lot of historical inaccuracies.

Last up was the petting barn where we found…

Yes.

One rabbit…

Apparently the pilgrims ate everyone else before we got there.

But then we saw…

So we met Hyacinth.

And may I just say?

She was a bitch.

I tried to pet her and almost lost a finger. She tried to head butt a few children and looked ready to go 12 rounds with a service dog that walked by.

If you’re approaching that age when you yell at the kids to get off your lawn? Don’t get a shotgun…

Get a Hyacinth.

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Cape Cod Day 3, Plimoth Plantation English colony.

December 28, 2019 Rivergirl 20 Comments

Done with the Indian village, we walked through an exhibition hall full of 17th century replica pottery.

It was a bit odd. But there was a still…

And an 8 handed mug…

So that probably explains it. That, and the fact water was often polluted so they drank mostly beer and/or alcohol.

Onward to the colonist’s settlement….

First, the fort which commanded the high ground.

With it’s wonderful old cannons.

Then down into the settlement.

It was explained to us that all the employees would be playing the parts of characters based on the original inhabitants, wearing authentic clothing and speaking in the language of the period. We were encouraged to interact with them as such.

Before visiting here I was under the impression that the Pilgrims came to the new world to escape religious persecution. And while that’s true to an extent, it’s not the whole story. They actually fled to the Netherlands first, which explains all the windmills you see in this part of the country.

Read about it here.

The settlers in Plymouth were actually sponsored by England to colonize America. They were given ship’s passage and supplies and were expected to send back goods (mostly furs and pelts) to repay the investment. After 7 years of this, they were granted land… something working class people had no hope of obtaining back home.

Of course nothing went as planned. They were supposed to land in New York, but they landed in Massachusetts. They were supposed to land in September, but they landed in December.