Blue Skies

The Shenandoah sets sail.

On days when the breeze blows steadily from the WSW at 10mph, and the sky is cerulean blue, it is easy to believe that life is good.  I enjoyed such a fine day today; it brought to life all the very best of life on the Vineyard.  

Friends.

I hosted a small mid-morning brunch with eight women; we gathered to eat and share stories.  As it turned out, our tales were ghost stories. An Island with haunted inns and lighthouses, with lore of mad women and sea-captains and accounts of adventurous fishermen served as fine grist for the conversation mill.  With the natural cadence of born story-tellers, three of my friends kept us hypnotized by the antics, both loving and malevolent, of spirits from the other side.  

Food.

My daughter and I made an early morning run to Edgartown to the Edgartown Meat and Fish Market.  I picked up some bagels and pains au chocolat.  When I first arose, I make a banana-almond loaf.  The generous spread of pastries, breads, eggs, bacon and fruit salad served as a centerpiece to relish at our brunch.  As everyone took their leave, I pulled out zip-lock storage bags to send care-packages home with my guests.  I shared some of what was left, packed some for a beach picnic and STILL had leftovers.  The Edgartown Meat and Fish Market is relatively new.  Usually, I shop at the Black Dog for baked goods, but life is about trying new things, after all! 

Beach

One of my friends asked me to join her and her friends at a predesignated spot on Eastville Beach. I appreciated how openly the women received me and how naturally, without apparent effort or strain, enveloped me with their caring, humor and wisdom.  As I lay on the warm sand, feeling the quickening breeze toss my scarf and tease my hair out of its braid, I was infused with a bone-deep feeling of well-being.  These women,  whom were new to me, shared their worries and their questions about life, marriage and motherhood.  These were some of the same questions with which I have wrestled.   Under the deep blue umbrella of a broad, cloudless, summer sky, we were united by our stories and our love of this Island.  

outside of Black Dog Wharf