Vineyard Sands

I dropped off my husband and his parents at the starting line. The sky wasn't looking very promising and I knew they had a long day ahead of them. Together they would combine their efforts and cover 60 miles on the roads of Martha's Vineyard. My task was much easier. The next 4 hours belonged to me and only me. I had a car, a camera, music on the radio, and the excitement of a solitary adventure ahead. I usually live for the people I am surrounded by, but this would be a welcome walk alone. Knowing nothing of this island, I drove down the first road that caught my eye. The rain came early on, then sleet. Despite this, I wouldn't let it stop my camera from playing in a new playground surrounded by sands. Leroy Brown came on the radio and the volume immediately went up. When the first notes of the song were played on the radio, it's as if the car suddenly charted it own course. I headed down one single lane road after another, each bringing it's own little treasure at it end. The rain came down steadily now and I was happily lost in my thoughts. There were lighthouses, barns, textures and vistas at every turn, everything a photographer or at least this human needs. It was four hours to renew myself as my husband did the same on his own terms. It was the perfect date knowing that both of us were in our happiest of elements simultaneously. I missed the quintessential jewel of the island, the gingerbread homes of Oak Bluffs, as time and the weather ended my get-a-way. Good thing, it gives me a reason to return.