I'm still dreaming about our New England adventure. For the day of my actual birthday, If Cape Cod is the sturdy, attractive, wide-ranging, capable lady, then Martha's Vineyard is her precious, beautiful, more ethereal sister. Despite how popular it is, especially in the summer months, it has managed to retain its languid, seaside, nautical wildness. 

It was the perfect place for us to unwind a bit, explore, smell the salt air, learn about lighthouses, examine some very old, rusted-out fishing boats,

And watch how the light transforms the landscape at sunset, and revel in the quiet.

There was the obligatory visit to the Black Dog restaurant (which will probably be left off the list next time, although it is a great spot to sit), and a very cute tea party thrown for us by Betty, a very sweet lady we met on a walk when she enticed the boys to come see her collection of horsehoe crabs she had caught on the beach that morning. 

It was a gentle, deeply fulfilling way to usher in the next decade.