Tag Archives: waterfront

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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 2, a feel for the Cape…. and food.

December 23, 2019 Rivergirl 20 Comments

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Leaving Hyannis, we headed out on Route 28 towards Dennisport.

Past marshes…

Windswept grasses…

And homes that perch along the shores.

With weathered shingles and wide porches to catch the breeze and the views.

These are the homes I think of when I envision the Cape.

Fabulous places built to withstand the elements.

And windmills?

No, not usually. But we saw quite a few of them.

As well as homes with their very own lighthouses.

Tell your mother in law her bedroom is up there and see how often she comes to visit.

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But enjoying the scenery is hard work, so…

Lunch….

At Clancy’s in Dennisport.

Perched on the Swan River….

We dined, and drank… with a view.

And since cranberries rule in the Cape…

I had the Cape Cod cranberry mule.

Along with some rich creamy chowder…

And a wonderful scallop roll I forgot to photograph until I had demolished it.

I know.

But hey, I was hungry… be happy you got soup.

And a picture of the pretty ladies room sinks…

With free salt rub, that the bartender told us everyone steals. Bowl, saucer, spoon et al.

WTH ladies?

Share with your sisters.

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Some random photographs….

October 10, 2019 Rivergirl 34 Comments

Because sometimes I want to share, and they just don’t rate a blog of their own.

A few shots of my local area.

I’m blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

Top that for sunrise color. I dare ya!

As you’ve probably guessed by now, when we travel…. I take a lot of pictures. The husband is quite patient with me and usually pulls over when I point out the window, squeee! and yell pull over. He never wants to photograph anything, so I had to laugh a few weeks ago when he stopped along side something and asked me to take a picture of it for him.

I did….

And am seriously hoping it doesn’t end up in our barn in the near future.

This is not what you want to be following during a traffic jam on Route 1. I saw pink hippos in my dreams for many nights after that.

And finally…

Me.

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No makeup, just a smile…. and the realization that laying out in the sun this past summer has bleached my hair to the point where I now have dark roots without ever having dyed it.

What the Hell?

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The post in which River goes to a Lobster Festival but can’t eat lobster.

August 8, 2019 Rivergirl 37 Comments

The following is proof that my husband can inflict cruel and unusual punishment.

It happened at The 72nd Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine.

We lucked out and found a parking spot close to the festival, and it was across the street from the Trade Winds resort where I spotted the first lobster.

Although it looked more like a demented crawfish…

The stupid thing had teeth!

This did not bode well for the day….

But the weather was perfect…

And we were near the ocean.

It doesn’t get much better than that…

Or does it?

Aaarrgghh!

There be Pirates.

Pirates on the boats…

Pirates on the piers…

Basically, there were pirates everywhere.

And as much as I tried to avoid it?

There was lobster.

Mocking me and my damned allergy.

World’s Largest Lobster cooker?

Yup… that too.

We passed lobster rolls, lobster stew, lobster quesadillas, lobster mac and cheese, lobster chowder, lobster Caesar salad, lobster wontons, even lobster risotto balls….

And then there was this: