This weekend, Becky and I went down to [Martha’s Vineyard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha’s_Vineyard) for the first time this summer. It was definitely a lot later than we usually head down – normally we’re down by Memorial Day weekend… but we were just a tad [busy](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/27/a-dramatic-arrival/) then, and have been in the weeks since.

For the benefit of those who have just recently started following our blog, let me give you a little background on Martha’s Vineyard. Becky’s parents own a cottage in the [MVCMA](http://www.mvcma.org/) campground in [Oak Bluffs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Bluffs%2C_Massachusetts), a town in the northeast corner of the island of Martha’s Vineyard. It has been her family’s tradition for over 20 years to come to “The Island” during summer vacation to rest, relax, and play. Up until the summer Becky and I got married, Becky would go down to the island every summer for the whole summer, along with her brother and mom. Her dad would come down on weekends on the “daddy boat”. After we got married, Becky and I would regrettably go down only on the weekends.

It’s hard to explain the Lowe Martha’s Vineyard experience. It’s not the typical tourist experience, which involves coming down for a weekend to see the sights, eat at restaurants, party at night, and stay at the inns. The Lowe experience involves relaxing afternoons sitting on the swing in front of the cottage… walking down to the beach for a swim… having a home cooked meal on the picnic table in the yard… taking the kayak out into the pond. I didn’t get it when I first came to the island – I was looking for the typical tourist experience, and that just wasn’t what the Lowes were about. Eventually I grew to love it for what it was… a retreat from the bustle of the real world.

You can see [photos from this past weekend](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/travels/2006/vineyard_july_7-9/) on the island. Becky and Catherine are staying down there all this week, and I’ll be joining them once again, on the “daddy boat”, this coming weekend.