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Archives for January 2011

erc__0368 sm (1)This blog is sponsored by the Colonial Inn in Edgartown.  And all of the contributors are employees thereof.  Except me.  Since I’m a non-employee, I can tell the truth and they can’t touch me!  I can blow the lid off the whole operation!  Tell all!  Full disclosure!  Expose all the dirty little secrets!  Name names!  Blow the whistle!!!

Unfortunately, there’s not much to say.  Fortunately, it’s because the gang at the Colonial is a great group of people, running a classy establishment.

My connection with this organization is that I’m an owner at the Edgartown Residence Club(ERC), a fractional ownership deal owned and managed by the Colonial Inn.  I was telling the truth, though, that it really is an advantage to not be an employee for the purposes of this post.  If I worked there, the blatant, over-the-top kudos that I am about to dole out would amount to nothing but bluster and bravado that you could brush aside without a second thought.  But since I have nothing to gain – in fact I could lose out on the deal – my words could have some credibility… for once.

The ERC is a dream come true.  My family has been vacationing in MV for many, many years.  At one point, in the throes of post-vacation euphoria, no doubt, we investigated the possibility of buying property here.  Alas, I haven’t founded a phenomenally successful Internet startup or written a song that made young lovers swoon in their iPod earbuds thus selling millions of copies.  The financial picture was woefully out of focus.

That route would have been impractical, anyway.  No way I’m gonna be either shelling out the clams for maintenance or shuttling back and forth checking on a place.  I’m not really that big on maintenance anyway.  That’s where the ERC comes in.

The ERC provides the perfect vacation.  You show up, you have fun, you go home.  No stress.  No worries.  No brainer.  We pack light (I like that a lot) and we leave the car on the mainland (everyone likes that).  Everything is supplied by the ERC, right down to beach towels, chairs, and umbrellas.  Lots of nice little touches, too, like muffins in the morning, cookies in the afternoon, and (sometimes) live music in the evening.

Master Bedroom smallThe place is furnished to the hilt.  (Although I still haven’t figured out why we have 200 pillows on the bed.  No matter.  All my problems should be that manageable.)  Gas-powered fireplaces to make those cold island winter nights warm and cozy.  Right in theheart of Edgartown with views of the harbor from the deck.  Walking distance to great restaurants, the lighthouse, beaches.  (As Steven Wright says, “Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.”)  Hey, it’s way better than owning my own place.  (See?  If the staff wrote this stuff, you wouldn’t believe them. I’m not sure I would!)

But, against all odds, I really do own my own place now.  The fact that it’s just four weeks a year – the weeks I choose, by the way – makes it that much better.

What’d I tell ya?  Full disclosure!

PS. If you like the sound of all this and want to learn more, get in touch with Joanne, or call her on 508-627-7666 – she’ll give you all the info!

If you could own a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would it be?

 

Spend a Day at the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
See the Next Big Thing at a Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival
A Guide on How to Get to Martha’s Vineyard
A Look at the History of Our Edgartown Hotel
Celebrate the Season | A Guide to Christmas in Edgartown
Where to Get the Best Lunch in Edgartown
Go Exploring with the Best Martha’s Vineyard Tours
Treat Yourself to Fine Dining at the Top Edgartown Spots

Guitar Fingers by vl8189-resized-600

“What do you do here in the winter?” – It’s a question that almost every year-round resident has been asked by a wide eyed tourist in the height of August business.  The answer on the tip of the tongue for me is, “Enjoy the peace and quiet” but that’s not to say that there is nothing to do!  Open the calendar section of the MV Times and you will be amazed at the number and variety of events we have to choose from on any given week – Salsa Classes anyone? A Moonrise Meander thru Felix Neck Sanctuary? Movie nights, book clubs, fundraisers and pot luck suppers abound but the thing that amazes many winter visitors is the abundance of live music on the Vineyard in the dead of winter.
It will amaze most of you to know that, even in January, you can hear live music at least 5 nights a week on Martha’s Vineyard!  OK, on some nights there may be just one option, not the multiple choices of August but what we lack in quantity we certainly make up for in quality – most of those summer favorites are year round Vineyarders, strumming and crooning all winter long.

Let’s start the week on Tuesday (Sunday and Monday seem to be musician ‘weekend’ on MV), with jazz at Offshore Ale in Oak Bluffs. Join well known Island favorites Eric Johnson and Jeremy Berlin for a set as smooth as the beers they accompany.

Return to Offshore on Wednesday night for Irish music – always a well attended and fun evening in this cozy atmosphere.

Thursday night takes us to Season Pub in Oak Bluffs for a night with the Mike Benjamin Band.  If you have been at the Colonial Inn on a Thursday evening in summer, you will be familiar with Mike and his crew.  They can really get the crowd hopping with their mix of covers from across the musical spectrum.

The latest addition to the ‘scene’ is Friday nights ‘In the Window’ at the Wharf pub in Edgartown with local favorites Don Groover and Kevin Keady.  With Kevin’s gravelly vocals and Don’s amazing guitar skills, you could easily think you had been transported to a smoky club in a big city, not quiet little Edgartown in January!

On Saturdays the Ritz Café in OB has live music from a variety of Island musicians throughout the winter.  They really liven up the sleepy winter months for us!

This selection is just the tip of the musical iceberg and doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the special events, fundraisers and the like that have their musical accompaniment on any given week.

So, do you still think there’s nothing to do on Martha’s Vineyard in winter?

Do you have a favorite Island artist? Who are your ‘must hear’ musicians? What is your favorite music venue on the Vineyard?

Photo Credit: vl8189

 

Spend a Day at the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
See the Next Big Thing at a Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival
A Guide on How to Get to Martha’s Vineyard
A Look at the History of Our Edgartown Hotel
Celebrate the Season | A Guide to Christmas in Edgartown
Where to Get the Best Lunch in Edgartown
Go Exploring with the Best Martha’s Vineyard Tours
Treat Yourself to Fine Dining at the Top Edgartown Spots

At the beginning of every month, I set about writing a post for this blog.  I don’t get paid – it’s truly a labor of love.  There are plenty of wonderful things about Martha’s Vineyard, so there is no shortage of topics to write about.  Still, I often find myself conflicted about what my subject matter will be from month to month.

At the start of 2011 (one’s are wild as I write this – it’s 1/1/11) you’d think that the anxiety would be intensified, what with this being the commencement of a new year and all.  Yet because of today’s unusual events, it became one of my easiest tasks to date.

My family and I spent several days of the Christmas/New Year holiday break on Martha’s Vineyard, enjoying our home at the Edgartown Residence Club.  Thankfully, we arrived after the “Blizzard of 2010”, which turned out to be more of a bust than a blizzard where I live.  Each day after our arrival, the temperature increased.  I was able to spend several hours out on the deck reading in the sunshine.  Bliss.  But it was about to get better.

By Saturday, New Year’s Day, the virtual mercury had soared to the sunny mid-50’s.  Unable to resist the lure of the unseasonably high temperatures, our crew headed – where else – for South Beach.  As we approached the coast, the temperature dropped by a degree every few hundred feet we drove.  By the time we hit sand, it was downright brisk, but our excitement had not cooled off at all.

This was an exceptional opportunity.  I took advantage of the moment by removing my shoes and walking barefoot in the cool sand.  Near the dunes, the sand was warm and the wind was blocked, but as always the action was nearer the water.  The surf was agitated and high.  It was all I could do to keep my feet on solid ground.  I think it was that darn sense of self-preservation that prevented me.

We were not the only ones who had the same design.  South Beach, while not overrun as it is in the summer, still had a number of frolickers, most human but a few canine, drawn to a fleeting dream of summer.

One doesn’t often get the chance to ring in the new year in such spectacular fashion.  Not more than once a year anyway.

We carved the date in the sand as a reminder of a very special day at a very special place.

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Spend a Day at the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
See the Next Big Thing at a Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival
A Guide on How to Get to Martha’s Vineyard
A Look at the History of Our Edgartown Hotel
Celebrate the Season | A Guide to Christmas in Edgartown
Where to Get the Best Lunch in Edgartown
Go Exploring with the Best Martha’s Vineyard Tours
Treat Yourself to Fine Dining at the Top Edgartown Spots