Ugh! It’s just been such an emotional year! Are you with me in being so, so tired? Just emotionally drained? Depleted? Exhausted? Spent? Numb? Comatose? Ok, I’ll stop now! Because life has resembled an emotional rollercoaster the past few weeks, I hope you’ll keep your expectations low on this being a perfectly written post, but, hey, it’s up and hopefully it takes you away for a bit!

I’m nostalgic for any kind of getaway right now, so I’ll just have to resign myself to happy memories of this summer. We managed to sneak away for a few trips, actually more than we’d planned on, not sure how THAT worked out, but oh well! But some summer scenery change was honestly the best thing ever. We went to Martha’s Vineyard, South Carolina, and Colorado. We spent so much time outdoors…you could almost forget about the pandemic.

First stop was an anniversary trip for Scott and I to Martha’s Vineyard. And, ohmygosh, just go! You hear about Martha’s all the time, and for some reason this summer it just occurred to me that we should visit. It was magical! Totally different world. The manicured lawns, vibrant hydrangeas, architecture, the um, weathered-siding-that-I-can’t-remember-the-name-of…scrumptious seafood and friendly people. My timid midwestern self has heard a lot about unfriendliness on the east coast, and obviously they were grateful for any kind of tourism, but everyone was so, so nice. When you’re married to a Gigstad, you make friends just about everywhere 😉 Scott’s personality resembles that of Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, haha! He’s never met a stranger, and is disposed to like everyone he meets. And it turned out to be a great time to go because it was less crowded than usual.

We actually stayed in the town of Falmouth and took the ferry over to the island every day. Scott and I stopped at a bakery each morning for a latte and a pistachio muffin, which inspired the Monster Cupcakes I made for Halloween! The air was so crisp, and the water was beautifully blue. It was a luscious mid-70s for the entire trip.

A visit to the infamous bridge at Chappaquiddick was a must, and was for me, the highlight of the trip. Not in a sensationalist way, I am very mindful that a young woman tragically died there, but it was just so interesting to learn about, see the sandy road leading to it, see the nearby cottages that Ted Kennedy COULD have run to, imagine it at night…You can’t help but try to put the pieces together yourself.

We biked the first day, holy quads, batman. From Oak Bluff to Edgartown, so I think that was an 8 mile round trip. Had to work off some of those lobster rolls 😉

We spied some filming locations for JAWS, I made Scott watch Jaws and Chappaquiddick for very serious research while we were there. The next couple days, Scott splurged on a little scooter and that was how we saw the island. I was expecting it to be tiny, like Mackinac Island, but nope! There were cars, and traffic all over. I’d hate to see it during a normal summer, it still seemed pretty busy!

Edgartown was my favorite town out of all of them. It was so easy to imagine the Kennedy’s running around there, brunching, yachting, etc. It has this old, preppy, European feel. Oak Bluff would be a second favorite. Just gorgeous. Every lawn was utterly pristine. No word on if the Obamas were around 😉

We also got to see the cliffs of Aquina (legend has it that they’re stained with whale’s blood) and some historic lighthouses.

Martha’s Vineyard gets two thumbs waaay up! Perfect for couples, but I would definitely take my kids there. Edgartown maybe is geared more toward adults, but Oak Bluff would be a nice alternative. Tons of beaches, biking, scootering, of course wonderful restaurants, and you cannot beat it for natural beauty. So many great memories on an over-due anniversary getaway…when the pandemic is all over, what is on your list?? I’d love to do Salem, Massachusetts, never been to Mexico, or perhaps Napa Valley…