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Edgartown

Fed up with the rain? Me too! I am hard-pressed to remember a spring so chilly and dank. Looking in my closet for yet another sweater to wear, I wonder if the sundresses and sandals will see the light of day this year. But then I gaze out my windows, and if I can force myself to focus beyond the moss growing on the deck railing, I can’t help but notice that the yard has rarely looked so lush and healthy. And so it is all over Martha’s Vineyard. So instead of moping around indoors, letting mildew accumulate behind your ears, pull on your wellingtons, grab an umbrella, spit back in Mother Nature’s face, and treat yourself to a Vineyard getaway to admire just what she has brought us.

Although I’d be flattered to have you drive by my modest plot of land and comment on how lovely the peonies and roses are, many more satisfying vistas are available to you. First, put yourself in nature’s beauty at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury. Feeling gloomy while surrounded by 20 acres of magical plants, trees, and shrubs is nearly impossible. They are open daily from 9:30 AM to 4 PM, and offer tours at 2 PM.

For a peaceful afternoon, hop aboard the On Time Ferry in Edgartown and head to Chappaquiddick, where you will find Mytoi, a delightful Japanese-style garden nestled within an open pine forest. I guarantee you’ll feel your blood pressure drop while strolling around this gem of tranquility. It is open daily, sunrise to sunset.

And since you are already enjoying Chappy’s gifts, linger a little longer and visit the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge or Wasque, both havens of indigenous seashore growths of the northeast. Just driving place to place, you will notice the extra lushness and height of the seagrass and bountiful white and magenta blooms weighing down the rosa rugosa.

By this time, you’ll be pretty damp and ready for a mug of hot cocoa or, better yet, a hot toddy. Park the car back in Edgartown, and on your stroll to the nearest pub, notice the profusion of cottage roses beginning to pop and the abundant, heavy buds on the hydrangeas that will follow close behind. Yes, it is going to be a gorgeous summer (eventually), and you will not only have cheered yourself up, but also have gotten a very special preview of what’s right around some dryer corner.

Image courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations

 

Getting to Martha’s Vineyard: Fast Ferries and Flights
Plan a Girlfriend Getaway to Martha’s Vineyard in 5 Steps or Less
From Sea to Reality: 5 Tips for Planning Your Beach-Themed Wedding
Martha’s Vineyard Retreat: A Vineyard Square Itinerary For Small Groups
Headed To The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival? 5 Travel Tips Before You Go
How to Spend Mother’s Day on Martha’s Vineyard: Edgartown’s Pink & Green Weekend
How Game of Thrones Characters Would Spend a Martha’s Vineyard Trip
A Guide To: Martha’s Vineyard Beaches Around Edgartown

The Ladies of the Edgartown Public Library have ruined my life.

I used to be able to enter libraries and browse, knowing that it was a Public Library, and that everything would be The Same As Every Other Public Library. There was comfort in that sameness.

Librarians are supposed to shush you, and scowl as they check out the books for you so that you will take better care of them. They give you ‘The Look’ if you have late fees or, Lord, have mercy…have lost the book you borrowed. (I did that once as a child. Man, was I scared!)

Right?  Everywhere I go I visit libraries, bookstores, and second-hand shops. I am a book junkie, always looking for a great read. The Fear of Librarians…that’s how I was raised…and by God, that’s how I was going to raise my daughter.

The Edgartown Library has changed that for me. I have complained to them about it but they seem unwilling to become grumpier just to accommodate me.

It is not their fault, I suppose. They are friendly and helpful and it is obvious that they enjoy what they do, but that’s part of my problem with them.

Now, when I enter a Library, I find myself looking for Customer Service and Helpfulness. I find that I want Friendly to be available to me and  if you are looking for a book, they’ll track it down as best they can for you.

I had a DVD series I was trying to find several parts of and was having trouble. All I needed was to confirm that I wasn’t looking in the wrong place; but they conferred, found that there were several parts missing and ordered the entire series… not just for me to borrow, but for the Library to own outright.  They then, reserved it to my account for First Dibs. I now have 18 individual DVDs on a shelf waiting for me to pick up.   There is a seven-day borrow period on DVD’s…if I don’t sleep I can finish them all in a week.

(They may be trying to kill me now for complaining about their Niceness. Curse my big stupid mouth…)

The Colonial Inn, where I work, is just a stone’s throw from the Edgartown Library, which is helpful for guests that need internet access and don’t travel with a computer. (The Colonial Inn offers complimentary wifi to all of it’s guests).  There are multiple terminals available at the Edgartown Library and it makes me glad to know that when I recommend a guest to them that they will receive helpful care.

I am going to go tell them that I want pony rides on Tuesdays. There must be a limit to their helpfulness…there MUST!

Image courtesy of Ian Wilson.

 

Getting to Martha’s Vineyard: Fast Ferries and Flights
Plan a Girlfriend Getaway to Martha’s Vineyard in 5 Steps or Less
From Sea to Reality: 5 Tips for Planning Your Beach-Themed Wedding
Martha’s Vineyard Retreat: A Vineyard Square Itinerary For Small Groups
Headed To The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival? 5 Travel Tips Before You Go
How to Spend Mother’s Day on Martha’s Vineyard: Edgartown’s Pink & Green Weekend
How Game of Thrones Characters Would Spend a Martha’s Vineyard Trip
A Guide To: Martha’s Vineyard Beaches Around Edgartown