We Almost Didn't...

Spending a weekend on Martha's Vineyard over the summer has become a bit of a tradition.  Unfortunately this summer was filled with other adventures leaving this one out.  A turn of events lead to a spontaneous trip given a three day weekend.  Though there was no swimming in a chilly Atlantic Ocean, we enjoyed a few new experiences the island had to offer.

 A trip to the western most point of Martha's Vineyard took us to the Aquinnah lighthouse.  The original lighthouse was built in 1799 out of wood.  This brick lighthouse took its place in 1856.  We climbed the 50 feet to the top and enjoyed some amazing views of the coastline.

We weren't expecting the change in temperature from the light as it rotated past us.  A bit toasty if you asked me.

 A pit stop at a farmer's market lead us to try a fresh, juicy pear (Victoria's favorite) and Prufrock cheese (Micah's choice after sampling a few).  Izzy was in her element coming up with all sorts of recipes for all the fresh fruits and veggies.

Sometimes Victoria's antics are too funny.  At the farmer's market she hopped out of the car and did this dance.  Who knows what goes on inside that head of hers.

 The Island Alpaca Farm was all of our favorite stops.  A few of us were hesitant due to the possibility of being spit on.  The only spit was from two alpaca's having a disagreement far from us. 

 Meet Cassial.  Izzy bonded with her in an instant.  Izzy found a spot on her neck that she rubbed to the delight of Cassial.  That then lead to tolerance of Izzy's smothering.  I would like to think that is a bit of a smile on Cassial's face in the picture with Izzy.

We also saw a 2 week old alpaca with no name yet.  There was a contest to name her which we all entered.  This was Victoria's favorite alpaca.  Between the baby and Cassial, now the girls want to run an alpaca farm.  Oh boy!

Liz's 42nd Birthday

 John never ceases to amaze me.  He pulled off a "surprise" birthday celebration for me including his family.  It was a delightful for everyone as all were included in preparations and festivities.

 Jackie made the cake.  Knowing I like gummy candies, she set out to spell "Happy Birthday" on the cake.  Unfortunately there wasn't enough letters for Happy.  Instead the cake read "Good Birthday" which also resulted in a modification of the birthday song as well.

King Richard's Faire

With a beautiful near-90 degree weekend in September, we headed to King Richard's Faire.  This is becoming one of our fall traditions.  Though John and I weren't quite sure if the children wanted to go this year, we were greeted by all three independently stating they wanted to return.  With a bit of a wardrobe change from past visits, we headed back in time for a bit of family fun.

 One of the first stops was to our favorite face painter.  This year Izzy guaranteed that she would not choose a peacock feather.  In true Victoria style, she choose a unicorn.

This year John and Micah indulged in a turkey leg for lunch. 

 All of our favorite activities is the jousting tournament.  In years past, there are 4 knights that participate in this tournament.  The tournament is staged in 3 sets with a story-line that entices you to return to all three sets.  Each year the story is different.  This year only three knights emerged making John and I wonder if one was hurt on previous weekends or sick.  Little did we know this was part of the story-line.  After the beginning of the tournament, a mystery knight arrived.  When the knight took off their helmet, there was a gasp from the entire crowd... the mystery knight was a girl!  Oh how many little girls including Victoria were excited.  Though the crowd around arena is spilt into 4ths to cheer on specific knights in each corner, many women and girls throughout the entire arena cheered on the female knight regardless of location.  So empowering for all the little girls watching.

 Our knight... Sir Demetri. 

 On the left is Lady Alexandria... the lone female knight.

Lady Alexandria (on the right) was impressive in keeping up with the physical skills that were demonstrated and rivaled any of the male knights in the jousting events.





1st Day of School

September marks the beginning of another school year.  Izzy entered 5th grade with a list of activities and goals, both academically and personally, that packs this year with excitement and a heavy weekly schedule.  Micah and Victoria entered 2nd grade with teachers suited to each of their personalities.  This year is shaping up already to be a great one.

Welcome to Atalantic City

With the kids away for the week at their father's for vacation, John and I wanted to find a place where neither of us had been to celebrate our anniversary.  We wanted a place were neither of us had been.  Eventually we narrowed down our choices to settle on Atlantic City.

 Jame's salt water taffy, truly delicious, originated in Atlantic City.  Who knew!  The name does not come from the use of salt water to make the taffy.  Rather the name comes after the taffy was soaked in ocean water after a major storm flooded the store.  When a little girl entered the store asking for taffy, the owner jokingly offered her "salt water taffy".

 Adult only cupcakes... Boozy-Cakes.

 Built in 1898, Steel Pier has been a destination for family entertainment ever since.

Atlantic City was the inspiration for the Parker Brothers board game, Monopoly, because of the fondness for childhood vacations spent in the beachside city by the inventor.  Most of the "real estate" for sale in the game is based on actual streets in Atlantic City.

 Absecon Lighthouse - New Jersey's tallest lighthouse (the country's 3rd tallest) is also one of the oldest built in 1857.  John and I climbed the 228 steps to the top for a view of the boardwalk.  The light keeper climbed this twice daily.  It houses the original first-order Fresnel lens imported from France, the largest and brightest of lens.

We made it!

 One the main reasons for coming to Atlantic City is to enjoy the beach.  This is where we spent most of the day... lounging, reading, and sipping on cool drink specials.

 As a family we enjoy picking up sea glass.  This was not on our list as the beach is quite sparse of rocks or shells.  But, low and behold, John found a piece of sea glass when we were strolling along the ocean.

A fun way to cool off.

 Most meals were low key during our trip.  However, we made reservations at Cuba Libre one night before taking in a show.

 It wouldn't seem right if we didn't gamble a bit.  On the slots we came up $20 ahead.  However we lost and won on three games we bet on.  We bet on Oregon to win against Auburn and lost at the last few seconds of the game.  Should Oregon have won, we would have tripled our bet.  Bummer.

 As it was nearing the end of the tourist season in Atlantic City, there were not as many shows available.  On a whim, we took in Legends in Concert along with a few hundred AARP members.  Regardless, we both enjoyed the performers and songs.

 George Michael

 My favorite... Elvis.  In addition to simply loving Elvis, he was quite entertaining with his side commentary.

The rest of the performers included David Bowie, Donna Summer, Bruno Mars, and Aretha Franklin.



 According to msn.com, Lucy the Elephant is one of the best road stops in New Jersey.  She is the oldest roadside attraction in America built in 1881 and is on the National Park registry of historic landmarks.  She was built as a lure for tourists and real-estate sales.  The inside was an impressive small house equipped with a bathroom.

A view of the New Jersey shoreline from Lucy's observation area.

 Sometimes spontaneity is the best.  On the drive home, we made a pit stop after seeing a sign for the Pez Visitor Center, located at the first manufacturer of Pez in the U.S.  Her is located the largest and most comprehensive collection of PEZ memorabilia on public display in the world.