When I was much younger, my family used to vacation on Nantucket Island in a rented beach shack. I remember the vacations fondly, in a strange manner that switches from hazy to crystal clear as a result of my young attention span...
I remember losing the key to my newly purchased diary in the berry bushes behind our house and how heroic my younger brother became when he found it. I remember the happy first day ache in my wrist of a newly shimmied on sailor's bracelet, especially after it had shrunk in the ocean (I also remember the lengths to which my brother and I avoided having to cut them off at the end of the summer. It was a point of pride to somehow remove the now significantly smaller and rattier braid from our wrists otherwise unscathed!) I remember riding our bikes, attached tandem-style to our parents', or being dragged behind in a bucket seat. I remember leaping from a sand wall and into the ocean, I remember being thrown in my inner tube over a crashing wave, and I remember the ferry rides that marked our arrival onto this island of summer memories.
Nantucket is accessible by ferry boats from Hyannis, down the Cape. There are different companies and different speeds, but all end at the same summer-y destination. Sometimes they have open seating in the front, and I remember holding a competition with John to see who could spot the dock first. The ride is just long enough that the waiting turns into anticipation and excitement... and not too long that it turns sour.
This summer, my aunt decided to rent a house for the week and invited my family along. My mom and brother headed down Monday but work schedules kept my dad and I from doing the same. Luckily for me, I managed to get a couple days off to join them!
I woke up pretty early to start the over an hour long drive to the ferry. When I did get there, it was a really easy process to get my ticket and get on board (we used Hy-Line Cruises and took the Grey Lady super speedy option!). I sat in the open back of the boat, next to an absolutely precious family. I had a book to finish, but by the time we were about halfway there I was bouncing in my seat as much as the kids next to me (I blame the amount of coffee I drank before leaving/on the ride)!
But, I'm getting ahead of myself! Please enjoy my wonderful ferry snaps!
An all-American lighthouse guards the entrance!
As gray as the sky looked, and as wet as my morning drive was, Nantucket itself was bathed in sunlight and enclosed in a bubble of beautiful warmth.
itty bitty people! Not quite to the "ants" extent of flights, but still pretty darn small!
boats on boats on boats
(or is it "ships on ships on ships"?)
Right when you step off the dock, you're greeted by brick and cobblestone paths, friendly people ready to give directions, bike shops with wicker baskets attached to their merchandise, and a charming population of visitors like yourself.
If you want to know what we did on the golden, savored days of the interim... keep an eye out! I'll post about them soon, after I compile the pictures!
Someone who was sending off their family and/or friends brought this puppy along to say goodbye. I'm guessing this little ball of fluff was meant to be incentive to stay, because even I felt the urge to lengthen my visit... that is, without knowing the owner!
My brother wore Nantucket red- the particular shade of his shorts has garnered this nickname- for our departure! Almost poetic, isn't it?
This is my leaving outfit...
Aviators (mine aren't Ray Bans but I can't remember the brand!)
Ralph Lauren v-neck sweater in black (other colors here)
Nantucket Sailor's bracelet!
green Free People corduroy shorts (which I also wore here)
thin Gray sneakers which I got at H&M ages ago
(Hidden: the Zara water color-striped-tanktop I bought in France)
Our final view! Farewell, Nantucket!
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