5 Years Ago...

Back on this date in 2004, we of the NLM Crew were in the middle of our first major event.

Gavin & I had rented the house @ 62 Whaler's Walk on Martha's Vineyard for a week, and Brian and Rob each made appearances of at least one night. Our friend Erik was our guest for several days, old pal Chris (of The Johnnies, and many other successful and critically-acclaimed Seacoast NH endeavors) came for an overnight, and Gavin's friend Mike stayed over for the final night. It was a fantastic "Saturday to Saturday" of sun, beer, bicycling, and music.

On this particular day five years ago, Erik, Gavin & I picked Rob up at the ferry, sat around the house for a bit as he unpacked, and then we all headed off to the beach at Aquinnah, to wander around and take photos of the lighthouse and other scenery. On the drive back we hit the little village of Menemsha (the island is a lot bigger than it seems), and checked out a couple of shops. In a quaint little place called Up On The Roof *, I bought a little brass mermaid for my friend Heather as a thank you for watching my cat (back home in Rollinsford) all week. After that, we walked down the road to Menemsha Blues, where we each bought a cap or shirt (an odd coincidence finds me wearing said shirt, as it's laundry day, and it was all I had to wear when I woke up!). Dorothy, the sun-kissed blonde running the shop was all about Rob that day, politely taking care of my, Erik's & Gavin's purchases, while smiling, flirting and blushing her way through her interaction with Mister V! We were quite jealous, and we spent several minutes in the car debating whether a tourist had a shot with a townie (veridict: highly unlikely). But it's always great to get noticed by (and attention from) a pretty girl ☺

We grilled cheeseburgers for dinner, and then headed into downtown Oak Bluffs for the evening. I bought a round of kamikazes at The Rare Duck, and then we had a few beers as we watched the Pistons put the Lakers out of their misery (which I hoped the Magic could have done last night as well...). A half-hour or so before last call, Erik headed across the street to another club, while the rest of us ate fried food from a local stand, and watched the girls walk by as the bars emptied. We drove back to the house, and an hour later, Erik got dropped off by taxi after escaping a long back-road van ride with two cute girls he met, and their creepy male driver. Good ol' Martha's Vineyard. One never knows what's going to happen next!

* Sadly, Up On The Roof now appears to be out of business. We (Gavin, Brian & I) drove by this past April, and the shop was empty and deserted. Also, trying to find out if it's just a seasonal business, I called a few minutes ago, and no one answered the phone after eight rings. It will be missed...