wet hope

I'll start today by telling you how today was supposed to look.  Then, I will tell you how it actually played out.

Nor'easter- A nor'easter (also northeaster) is a macro-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast.

I googled for that definition.  My definition is a storm that makes it impossible for a family to leave Martha's Vineyard as scheduled.

We got up, ate breakfast, and planned to take the bus to the ferry around noon so we could head up to Boston where we have hotel reservations.  As each hour passed, we watched each scheduled ferry be cancelled.  There were two left on the schedule that hadn't been cancelled yet.  We gathered our suitcases and kids and headed for the bus stop. In the rain and crazy wind we stood. The bus stop is next to the ocean which was blanketing us with sea spray also.  By the time the bus came, we were soaked to the bone. But, it felt like progress toward getting off the island.

We made it to the harbor and once inside with all the other people trying to leave, we found out that our next boat option was cancelled.  We had 3 hours until the next one.  Brian and I went and changed into dry jeans which felt amazing and then made a decision.  We were going to give up on hoping for the last boat and take the bus back to the hotel we just checked out of.  The weather just really didn't look like it was going to let up enough for them to run the boat.  We would later find out that they cancelled all boats for the day so we were so glad we made that decision early. 

Passing time in wet clothes.

Lucky for us, the people who were supposed to check into the room we left were unable to come out to the island so the room was still open.  Let me just say that The Maddison Inn is amazing.  They have been nothing but helpful.  They even threw our wet jeans and jackets into the dryer for us. And, get this...the owner felt so bad that we were stranded that she offered us her car for the night so we could look around the island. A nice plus for people paying for two hotel rooms tonight and another day for a rental car parked in the ferry lot on the other side.

We had a pretty good dinner at a diner near our place, tried nearly unsuccessfully to get the girls an ice cream, and retired to our room where we would spend a long time trying to settle a dragon.  

It wasn't a bad day.  Just a bit frustrating.  There are worse places to be stuck.  There are better conditions to be stuck in though.  Tomorrow we wake early and start the whole parade of luggage to the bus stop again.  Please please please...we have zoo tickets in Boston for Mack and her buddy Max.  We need to get there...