Martha's Vineyard in Winter

We visit Martha's Vineyard over the weekend, staying at Tashmoo Cottage. At first we think, what's to like about this place? It's an odd mix of woods and, may I say, unkempt neighborhoods that feel like Wemme, transplanted to an island. The weather has us hunkered down, and the cottage we're staying in has a delightful beachy feel, sandwiched in the woods between two ... residences. So you've gotten out of town, you're just in someone else's town, if you know what I mean.

Sure, John Belushi is buried there, at Abel's Hill cemetery on the south side of the island. He and his wife fell in love with the place just before Saturday Night Live propelled him to fame; he's buried near Lillian Hellman I now know, but didn't know to look for her on Monday. His headstone, opposite the rock you see, reads "I may be gone but Rock and Roll lives on". The former Mrs. Belushi has just opened a gallery just off main street up from the ferry, and published Belushi: a biography.

Just up the road from here is a promontory called Gay Head, newly renamed Aquinnah by the Wampanoag Indians. JFK junior's plane went down six miles off shore of Aquinnah, within spitting distance of the island airport. When you're in Aquinnah, and as you drive out to the lighthouse, you come to feel more and more remote. Jackie O maintained a house here until 1994; I imagine it as a place you would go to be away from everything.

The island is shaped like a relaxed triangle - Vineyard Haven and the ferry at the top, Aquinnah/Gay Head in the lower left corner. We discovered our favorite spot, Edgartown, across the bottom of the triangle, facing the sea and Nantucket. Edgartown has a little connected island (is that still an island) - Chappaquiddick - which you reach by ferry.

The Chappy Ferry is a small open air barge that holds three vehicles, tops, and takes less than a minute to complete the crossing. We started with an innocent exploration of the stunning parks at the furthest edge of Chappaquiddick (ten minutes' drive, maybe five), but found we couldn't resist looking for the famous bridge that was the site of Teddy's bad night (a much worse night for Mary Jo). The bridge is much smaller and more immediate in person than it could ever appear in a photo -- a few car-lengths. Here, we are facing back toward the island and away from the ocean, which is just a few yards behind us over a duney beach. Amazingly, Kennedy was staying in a cottage 15 minutes' walk to the left of this. Murderously poor judgment, and here is an interesting link: http://www.ytedk.com/chapter1.htm