friday night we met up with mom and dad clover for some dinner and games. they have been gallivanting about new england (vermont and maine, mostly) for the past week and ended their vacation with us in boston. we love having visitors to explore with us.
saturday we woke up early to make the trek to cape cod and take the ferry to martha's vineyard. our first time to the vineyard was in october and it was a little chilly. ok, maybe more than a little chilly... i had hot chocolates all day in order to survive. needless to say, i was excited to visit the island in this prime summer weather.
poor jeremy. he struggles with the sun some days.
the ferry ride was smooth and delightful. i soaked up the sun as i
tried to contain my excitement about the day's adventures - there were
whisperings of renting scooters and i wasn't sure if it was really going to happen. after we disembarked from our sea vessel, we walked around the coast and we came upon sun'n'fun, a scooter rental place.
i was freaking out on the inside - well a little on the outside too - as i tried to listen to the guy's tutorial on how to ride a scooter. i already know... let me get on! i guess my eagerness wasn't contained too well, because the scooter guy told dad clover that if i ran off with the treasure he would just charge his card. i convinced him to let me take the orange one out - it was just perfect. don't worry i was a good sharer and let jeremy take a turn driving, mainly so i could take some pictures.
we followed mom and dad clover as we passed light houses, breathtaking ocean views, small ponds, wooded areas, grazing horses, and farms offering fresh eggs. i was loving every second and kept whooping and hollering all along the way and honking at fellow scooter-ers. i'm sure the locals love me. it was quite the journey as we drove across the island to menemsha.
we walked around watching the birds swoop for fish and boats fight the strong tide of the inlet. our bellies eventually reminded us to feed them and we got some burgers at a nice little shop. then we moseyed on back, taking a different route, to oak bluffs. we were on our little scooters for a good three hours in between the menemsha stop. it was a perfect way to experience the variety of the island. nantucket is next!
after returning our scooters (and getting free stickers from the shop),
our first priority was ice cream of course. summer time is good to us.
and i am oh so glad that most ice creams don't have gluten. i will
survive! after our ice cream fix, we decided to head back to the mainland and have dinner in the city.
we were dog tired on the ferry and took cat naps as we sailed back. the weather was incredibly
cooperative. i love the temperatures as spring morphs into summer.
the world seems to come outside to play and everyone is quite pleased. i
have decided i love the temperatures to be in the mid-70s. that's the
sweet spot for me.
in boston, we politely stuffed our faces at one of our favorite places, joe's american bar and grill on newbury street (i love the ambiance on a summer evening in the city, it's almost tangible). they were able to seat us right away, which totally rocked, the portions were huge, and the food was delicious.
our server, james, was phenomenal. he knew the menu inside and out and was so helpful on the gluten-free front. he checked with the chefs about safe ingredients before placing my order and brought me a basket of gluten free bread. the manager even brought me gluten-free fries on the house to go with the ribs i shared with dad clover. and they also offered a gluten-free vanilla creme brulee which i ate right up while everyone else shared a skillet cookie.
it was such a different restaurant experience. i was confident that they were knowledgeable about celiac and taking the proper precautions in the kitchen. i didn't have to explain what gluten was or try to convince the server that it was a serious issue. i was able to really enjoy myself, the food, and the company instead of worrying about getting sick. it was quite relaxing. i will forever be a fan of joe's.
the whole day was perfect and everything i would want in a truly sublime summer day: family, adventure, scooters, ice cream, boat rides, new tan lines, and ribs. see? perfection. may this glorious summer continue!!
