Natural beauty

Where to even begin with all the photos we took on Martha's Vineyard? The natural beauty there is quite varied, from dramatic windswept cliffs, to windward-side beaches with pounding surf,  to quietly protected leeward-side beaches. Above is Aquinnah (formerly known as Gay Head) which juts out northward on the southwestern side of the island. It's known for these gorgeous clay cliffs (that artists love to paint) and its quiet serenity.

This is a pier off of Oak Bluffs on the Northeastern side of the island. When we went back a few days later this dock was being rebuilt.

Here is a grassy path that leads down to crashing waves on a beach in Edgartown, which faces south on the island.

all above photos by Diane & Dan

Although a mere 527 feet separate the smaller island of Chappaquiddick from the Southeastern Vineyard "main land," it feels worlds apart. We took the 2 minute Chappaquiddick ferry then went on a two-hour tour on a rugged four-wheel drive truck. The tour was by the Trustees of Reservations and covered their Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge and lighthouse. The photo above is from the top of the lighthouse. We drove right on the beaches and on the sandy trails that wind through the green shrubs. Chappaquiddick feels very remote in the summer, and probably even more so in the harsh winters! 

Here is an overhead view of the ferries going back and forth from Chappaquiddick (top right) to the main land of Martha's Vineyard, crossing Edgartown Harbor. (For the record: We didn't actually take this photo — we left our helicopter at home!)