Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs

Yes, it's as beautiful as you've heard. And, no, we had neither a presidential nor a celebrity sighting.

We had breakfast at Betsy's Diner in Falmouth before we boarded the ferry. A diner true to it's name, and if you are familiar with the show, Gilmore Girls, it has a vibe similar to that of Luke's Diner. There is a sign posted right on the front door instructing you not to use your cell phones in their establishment. There are clear rules, as you can see, posted right on the menu explaining it all. Locals don't seem to mind these rules, as there is a wait to get in. And, yes, you must wait outside in the parking lot. The food was great and so worth all of the rules!

We were traveling to see Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, and oh, those cute little cottages in Oak Bluffs. It's an adventure and an expense in itself just to get across the water. First, you have to park your car, for about $12.00, then you get onto a packed bus with people carrying everything from coffee pots to televisions with them, as there are no big box stores selling such things on the island. The bus route is winding and steep. It travels quickly and makes no stops. I couldn't decide if it was more like riding a roller coaster thru Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving, or that crazy trolley ride in the beginning of the last Harry Potter movie. But it was so worth it.
Once you got off of the bus, you had to purchase a ticket for the ferry to take you across to the land of the beautiful people. It was about $8.00 each way. We were hoping to see a whale, but all we saw were seagulls, ducks, and one brave windsurfer.

What's this? Land Ho! Vineyard Haven.

There were several lovely shops just steps from where you get off the ferry. My favorite was Mix, a small antique and gift shop. It was so cool! Fabulous vintage signs and art, as well as new accessories for your time at the beach.

After hitting a few shops, including a yummy cupcake shop, and crowded candy store with gorgeous-looking dark chocolate-covered marshmallows, we caught the bus, again $2.00 per town, or you can purchase a pass valid for 24 hours for about $7.00. We were headed to Oak Bluffs to see the Victorian cottages with their camp meeting history. We were not disappointed. It was so peaceful. These little charmers wind around street after street. And in the center of this little village sits the Tabernacle, an open-air gazebo with rows and rows of church pews. Services are held every Wednesday evening, bringing residents and visitors together to sing.

This one's for sale - any takers? A girl can dream, can't she?

All of this and just a short walk to the beach.

When I grow up, I want to be one of the beautiful people. I want to summer at Martha's Vineyard. I want to spend Wednesday evenings singing at the Tabernacle with my neighbors. No, we didn't see the Obama family vacationing there, but if being President gets you that kind of time off, I'm going to start my campaign tomorrow.

Next stop, five glorious days of junk loving, junk food eating, Brimfield, Brimfield and more Brimfield.

Smiles,

Carol

Salem, the Witching Hour

This city is truly magical. The brick-lined walkways make you feel as if you are in another century. It's totally pedestrian-friendly, even if you've forgotten your trusty broom. True to it's roots, there are potion shops and fortune tellers ready to direct you in affairs of the heart or other such matters. You can find the perfect witch's hat or let a wand choose you; so long as your intentions are good, all will be well. There are costumed tour guides ready to take you for nightly ghost tours, but, sadly, we didn't get to attend.

The Salem Witch Museum is a must-see for anyone with a desire to learn more about those historic trials. I think I found a relative or two in there. Don't forget about the house of the Seven Gables. And, yes, there is a statue of Elizabeth Montgomery near the center of town. Incidentally, two of us purchased vintage copies of the Hawthorne novel while in Brimfield. What a unique souvenir!

There is also plenty of modern day muggle shopping neighboring the potion shops. Urban Elements was a cool, edgy shop housed in an old building. This place had hot home furnishings as well as awesome accent pieces for home or office, and the shopkeeper was super friendly.

As for vintage shopping, Modern Millie offered consignment finds ranging from 50's prom attire and lingerie to up-to-date casual. Lots of great accessories too! They even advertise that they host after-hours mixers for you and your friends.

I wish we could have taken more time to spend in Salem, but there's always next year.

Stay tuned, up next we're visiting the church camp cottages in Oak Bluffs at Martha's Vineyard.

Smiles,

Carol

Oops!

I apologize in the last post about Boston. I was trying to post the link to website for each of the places we visited, but I'm new to Blogsy and obviously didn't do it correctly. I promise I'll get it right yet.

Here is the corrected link to these lovely places:

Mike's pastry. www.mikespastry.com

Cantina Italiana. www.cantinaitaliana.com

SoWa open Market. www.sowaopenmarket.com

Smiles,

Carol

Boston, make no beans about it...

If you love to mix rich history and architecture with edgy shopping hot spots, Boston has it all. It's a melting pot of diverse villages nestled next to the beautiful ocean shore.
Our first stop had to be Mike's Pastry. It was Mother's Day, so there were so many families out for the day celebrating. There was a long line waiting outside just to get into Mike's. Once you got in, it was wall-to-wall people - no organized line, just loads of people shoulder-to-shoulder, happy to wait for their turn to get to the counter to place their orders. We found out quickly that you should order one of everything. Well...maybe two of the lobster tails. No, it's not seafood! It's simply the most delicious, flaky crust made to resemble a real lobster tail, and filled with a heavenly cream filling. It's absolutely to die for. We ordered lots of goodies to take back (in white cardboard packages tied up with string) as souvenirs and late night munchies for upcoming days.
Next we had a real Italian Mother's Day lunch at Cantina Italiana. Look for these awesome Little Italy neighborhood favorites on Hanover Street.

We spent Sunday morning at the SoWa Market located on Harrison Street in downtown Boston. It boasts a farmers market offering fresh flowers and homegrown fruits and veggies. There is also an artist market, as well as a vintage market, run by a wonderful lady and her boyfriend. In between these markets is a beautifully restored building housing shops for the edgy dresser or the shopper looking for some French designed home goods. We found cool shirts and bought yummy goodies. Oh yes, and our first vintage treasures of the week.

Wow, all of this just on the first Sunday. There's so much more to share.

Stay tuned...up next, we visit Salem.

Smiles,

Carol

Brimfield, Brimfield, Brimfield

What happens when you take four South Texas southern girls to the heart of yankee country? You get days on end of shopping literally from dawn to dusk and loads and loads of fun. We left San Antonio and Austin on a Saturday morning and arrived to gray skies but a sunny disposition. We landed in Boston and couldn't wait to see what Massachusetts had to offer. We planned our trip around the famous Brimfield Flea Market. We discovered there was so much more to see and do. We visited Salem in search of some northeast magic, Boston, to see how a city with so much history can meld together the old with the new, and a day ferried across the ocean to the quaint cottage town of Oak Bluffs in Cape Cod. We packed so much into nine days that I think it's going to take a few posts. We took loads and loads of photos. I can't wait to share it all with you. I hope you stay tuned.

Smiles,

Carol

Oh so dreamy

You've got to make your way over to Jennifer's blog, The Old Painted Cottage. She's is introducing us to Kimberley Fraser of Three Fine Grains newest creations. And Kimberley has so sweetly offered to share one of her bags with one lucky reader on Jennifer's blog. You've only got until Nov 6th., but don't wait, the photos are fabulous.

P.S. I've never done a blog post with a link so I'm not certain how to Link them. Please forgive me.


Smiles,

Carol

To Marburger, to Marburger, to Find a New Friend

I've been going to the Big Show in Texas now for 20 years. I know this because the first time I went my baby girl wasn' t even a year old. She'll be 21 this May. My husband and I took our three little girls along with a red wagon and traveled the junking trail as it was back then. Huge then, or so we thought, nothing compared to the size it is today. Now my daughters are all grown and scattered across Texas, but we meet both weekends to have girl time. We don't always do it up and stay in a hotel... No, we're hard core junkers who sleep in our cars and trucks after partying at Junk Prom so that we can rise early to start shopping again on Friday morning.

I can remember when the Marburger show was just starting out. It was free admission with one tent filled with gravel and talking to the owners about their big plans to expand. It's really amazing what it has become and the diversity of the merchandise available.

I have a story about the queen of lace and grace, Magnolia Pearl. Two years ago, I bought one of her needle point bags at an auction here in San Antonio. It was different from the bags you see her making today. It had a beautiful needlepoint piece sewn on the front. My baby girl was so in love with this bag when I got it home. I took it with me to Warrenton that fall, because I was so proud to finally have a Magnolia Pearl bag. While shopping with my other two daughters at Marburger, Pearl's prince charming, John saw me walking down the aisle, and stopped me. He insisted that Pearl would want to see the bag. I'm thinking that it was kind of silly, because she sees her bags everyday., what made this one any different. I was excited to tell him the story of how I got it at an auction, when he said, oh, they already knew the story. We followed him to their lovely booth and when Pearl saw the bag, she immediately began to cry. We were puzzled. It seems that the estate that I bought the needlepoint bag from was Pearl's aunt's estate and she had made the bag especially for her aunt using a family needlepoint piece. It wasn't supposed to be included in the estate sale at all. They had been searching for the buyer since the auction, hoping the new owner would put it up for sale, but I wasn't selling it, I had wanted a Magnolia Pearl bag for so long, but I knew I really couldn't afford one. Well it was obvious that the bag should be returned to Pearl. I called my daughter who had really loved it and told her the story and we agreed that Pearl should have her bag without question. We made a trade that day for another needlepoint bag that I truly love. I don't always get to the Marburger show, and I hadn't intended to venture into the Magnolia Pearl booth that day, but it was meant to be, that John see the bag and it be returned to it's real home. Sadly, we didn't have the bag long enough to even a get a photo of it before we returned it. We weren't meant to be the owner, merely it's keeper until it was returned to it's true owner. Isn't it funny how things come back to you?

The best part was getting to meet Robin and John and their friends in such a special way.

Thanks Pearl and John for your kindness.

My daughters and I will be in Warrenton and Round Top this Spring and we're counting the days, until then. When you get to Marburger, be sure to stop into the magical Magnolia Pearl space and feel the love that grows there.