Autism Speaks... and sandcastles!

On Saturday, August 20th I had the awesome opportunity to walk with the family I work for, for this great cause! I have worked with children who have autism before, and figured I could surely participate in a 2 mile walk for a good cause. It's been a while though since I have been around families who have children with autism and how it affects every family member. I met the founders that morning and walked with their children and grandchildren. I saw, in that short amount of time, how autism not only affects the child, but every member of the family. It affects every minute of their day and what they are able to do and accomplish. The parents that I know of who have a child with autism dedicate their lives to helping their child. And, as I learned more about this organization, met the founders and their family, and participated in the day's events, I have truly become a supporter of it and am volunteering to help at their DC walk in October! What they have been able to accomplish in 6 years is incredible!

Here is a link to their history:
AUTISM SPEAKS

I also really liked the design of their t-shirts.
I'll actually wear this one again!

The day of the walk was absolutely beautiful. We've had many days like that here on the island, actually! But, it was sunny and not humid. We gathered on Jetties Beach, which is near town. They had some activities for kids, and then some promotional stuff, and then we walked 2 miles! It wasn't hard, but they were able to raise a lot of money.

Autism is hard because there really isn't any medicine for it, and a lot of the cause/ways to help are "unknown". Today, it is estimated that one in every 110 children are diagnosed on the autism spectrum, which makes it more common that childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Sadly there are about 1.5 million individuals in the US with it and the prevalence rate is increasing about 10-17 percent annually. So, something needs to be done!

After the walk, we stopped back at the house to get out bathing suits... because we were invited to a pool party/BBQ at the Wright's house! They live on the north-eastern side of the island in a very pretty area. The house was beautiful, as well as the pool/pool house and everything around it! They also have a lot of land, which is great for their grandkids!

This is a picture of their beautiful house!

The BBQ and all the food were by the pool. So, while the adults talked, the kids played! They even had their own paddleboard! Notice below... Jed is very happy to be on it, but that's only because he fought off Max to get that spot and Ava is very distraught because she had it first. Ahhh... siblings :)

I wasn't sure the whole story behind this racecar, but I do know it was quite a feat for it to be able to get on the island. It had to come over on the ferry and was very protected... but I imagine it took a lot of coordination and planning. This was my first time seeing an actual racecar up close and personal. Very cool! I even looked under the car and I can't tell you all that they told me, but the engine and the mechanics underneath the car are not like a typical car!


Well, after the party (with very yummy food), I headed back to Jetties Beach where I saw the final products of the Sandcastle Building contest they had that afternoon. People could register as family's, individuals or groups. Sadly, when I was arriving, some of the high tide was coming in and starting to destroy some of the castles, but I still snagged some pictures! Some people get very in to this ad plan for months what they are going to do!
I thought this one was pretty neat. It's just a huge castle, but very well done and I liked the extra special touch of the shells!
"ACKPORT" is supposed to resemble the airport whose call letters are ACK. The sculpture is a plne and then they also used shells to decorate it. Creative!

And, a lovely Octopus. Simple, but cool!

Just another hard-working day here on the island :)

Brant Point and Steps Beach

One of my goals (I think I mentioned in another post) is to see all the lighthouses on the island. This lighthouse was an easy one to get to. It's just west of town and you can basically drive to it. It's Brant Point and it's right next to the Coast Guard Station. It's a tiny lighthouse, but it's the main one to guide ships in to the harbor. And, as I found out yesterday, it's also a great beach for little kids since the waves are so small and evidently there must be some good fishing because there were many out there doing it... although I didn't see any fish in the water!

I liked the flag on the side of it

Can you see the size of some of those boats!
All I kept thinking as I walked past some of these boats
and houses on the harbor... was WHO are these people??!!
I need to get to know them!!

The picture below is one of the ferry's leaving the island.

So, one of my other goals is to get to as many of the beaches on the island as possible. This is a much harder goal to reach as there are 37 miles of beaches and every half-mile seems to be a new beach! But, the kids told me about this one so I thought I'd check it out.

Steps beach... properly named because...

These are the steps to gain access to the beach!

This beach is located off of "Cliff Rd". Looking up from the beach you can tell why it's named that. And, the picture doesn't do these houses justice! I love just driving by them and thinking, "Who are these people?!
I have to get to know them!" :)

Then, I saw these tomatoes?? everywhere in the green brush on the cliff. I also saw a snake slither away... and that about did it for me at this beach. It was a very quick walk for me back up the steps.

Town from the tippy top of the whaling museum

I am trying to do some touristy things on the island before the end of the summer. I would say besides the numerous beaches, the main tourist attraction is the whaling museum. And, my one friend on the island, just so happens to have free passes. Normally, it's $17 to get in. Probably wouldn't pay that on my own, but for free... I'm happy to go in and spend some time!

The museum was very interesting. I had no idea how or even why Nantucketers tried to catch whales after arriving on the island in the 1700s. They wanted the oil for lamps, etc. They sought after "right whales" and "sperm whales".

I wish I could give an accurate description of how these men caught whales, but keep in mind... this is the 1700s and not much technology or engine-powered things were invented yet! So, once a whale was spotted, the men on this row boat would row out to the whale as fast as it could. Maybe up to a mile or more. Then, it would harpoon the whale and go for a RIDE! Yes, that's right. The whale obviously was HUGE and strong. It would take the row boat on a wild ride until it either got tired, or swam beneath the ocean. If it decided to go below the water, the row boat men had to make a split second decision on whether to cut the rope (therefore preventing sinking) or ride it out in hopes the whale didn't go too far below the water!

So, assuming the whale just tuckered out and stopped, the crew would kill the whale and then row it back to the big boat. Now, this is a HUGE whale. After they rowed fast to get the whale, then embraced the challenge of capturing the whale, they now have to tow the darn thing back to the main boat... many, many miles away! I can't even imagine how exhausting that would be!

Anyway - it was very, very cool to learn about! With my pass, I was also able to go on a 90 minute walking tour of the town and learn about its history. Very interesting. Then, I climbed up to the tippy-top of the whaling museum to take picture of the harbor and the town.

I learned there are some 2500 moorings for boats in the harbor. And, some of these boats are bigger than two or three normal homes put together!




I guess I really like these pictures because I walk these streets so often. Looking down and seeing it in a "big picture" is really neat!

Why I love this airport

The first time I took one of these planes, I had to ask myself if the trip was really worth it because I was so nervous to ride in one! All I could think of was a story I heard when I was in Alaska this time last year and how a similar plane crashed in to a side of the mountain.

I knew I wouldn't be going over any mountains, but I did figure out my quick escape plan if we happened to crash on the water.

I've now taken a couple of these flights and am more comfortable with them. My last trip "overseas" was to Hyannis. I arrived at the airport an hour early because I thought I had to go through security. Well, LUCKY me! There's such a thing as "Airport Taxi's"!

Who knew?!

With these flights you don't have to go through security. If I was traveling to Boston or PVD or some other major airport I would have had to, but not Hyannis or some of the other very small airports. I literally could have walked in to the airport a minute before my flight, got my ticket and boarded!

What a cute little plane. This one was actually quite
crowded with 6 people on board and the pilot!

As we flew I wanted to take pictures of the beautiful land/water below.
We flew closer to the ground that normal flights
so I just looked down the whole time

It was around sunset

And, there is Nantucket! All those beach houses!

Katy's visit! I have 2 friends today!

The family I nanny for decided to take the kids off island for a few days. I could have gone off as well, for the whole time, but decided to also make the most of them being gone and having some time off to explore the island! ... and take advantage of things I've done... just without the kids!

Fortunately, Katy had a free day and was able to come over to play! She doubled my friend number on the island :)

The day flew by. We spent some time in town, the beach, the pool, Sconset, Sankaty light house, and a bike ride (Well, Katy and Amanda did while I had to attend an event. From what I hear Katy got to see more parts of the island than they had originally set out for :)

It was fun and a very beautiful day!

"Katy Head"

Now, that might be an even better name for the lighthouse!

Don't ask me why I am posing as a teapot?! Ha!

This lighthouse was moved some years ago
because of beach erosion... but it's located
in a very pretty part of the island!

My one friend on the island, Amanda, joined with us for the day.

It was so fun to have Katy here for a visit and
to enjoy yet another beautiful day on the island!

A little excursion

So, recently I was able to take a day excursion
back to my old stomping ground

Boston!

to visit some of my favorite boys :)

I flew on a teeny, tiny plane to Hyannis (only 17 minutes long!... and more on that in another post) and then rented a car. I can't express how fun it was to get on the highway and drive! Here on the island, I never get to go above 35 mph, and it's all stop & go or stop, turn, and then go. But, on the highway, I just GO!

I arrived in time to pick them up from their half day of camp. It had been just over a year since I said goodbye to them and seeing them again made me smile! They gave me a hug and then showed me all the cool things they were doing or making at their camp!

We then went to one of mine (and their) favorite spots for lunch - Chipotle! On the way I got all the updates on school, friends, sports, summer fun, etc. They both have such great, positive attitudes and are so enthusiastic! They're also polite and get along well with each other, so the entire afternoon was a treat for me to be with them!

I miss these smiles!

Jeremiah is holding up some cards for some game. I never quite figured out what it was or how to play, but the boys love it!

After a yummy lunch, we headed back to their house because they wanted to show me a few things.

They've turned their downstairs basement in to a little workshop area for each child, and another location for the band!

Here are some of Leo's impressive "builds" from his Legos. I can't even imagine the hours he put in to doing it! But, I was so impressed. A pirate ship, a castle... and on and on

Then, Jeremiah and Leo wanted to show me their skills on their instruments. Leo is learning the drums and Jeremiah is playing the piano. Leo played some and then let me try. Drums are harder than I thought! Jeremiah then played a song for me. I was so impressed by both!


Afterwards we played some baseball in the yard (until we lost all the balls in the bushes and no one wanted to go after them!) and some basketball. Then we moved inside to build some dominoes and read stories.

It was such a fun afternoon and I was sad to say goodbye, but I had to get back. I got big hugs before I left though. Sadly, on my return drive, it was more stop and go (with a lot of stopping) as it was rush hour, but I did get there in time for my flight!

Such a great day!! I hope I get to see them again in a few weeks!

On my way out, I stopped by to take a picture of the church I used to meet in. It burned down in May 2009. I happened to be inside in our Sunday service when it started. It was incredible to watch it burn from start to finish.

The churches in the community provided our congregation a space to meet for a while. But, I was very happy to hear that the church was rebuilt and dedicated recently! It wasn't open when I got there, but it was wonderful to even just stand outside and look at it. Such wonderful memories of my time there!

One thing that takes my breath away here

Is this.

Beautiful!!