checking in from martha's vineyard!

hello loves, how do you do?! it has been quite the journey these past few weeks - from graduation in amherst, to family bonding time in the mountains, and now this adorable island! on sunday, after seeing rosie graduate a second time, picking up my 2nd cane, and listening to tmarx give a semi-inspirational speech, my family loaded up the ridiculously large car we rented and headed for the berkshires! our destination: the mohawk trail state forest, only about an hour west down route 2. I can't believe this little gem has been so near all this time and we've never been exploring around there! it was a week full of swimming in luscious swimming holes, sitting around the campfire, forcing my family to take long hikes along the deerfield river, and general merriment all around. familial peace is so much easier to keep when you're out in the woods! but seriously, i have to take you guys out to this place in the fall. tannery falls (the state's highest waterfall...) is a seriously magical place - like whoa.
after all of that fun in the sun, we headed back to the pv and stayed a night with family in holyoke. my sister and dad returned to miami on saturday and i returned to amherst for some special sarah z time, reunion madness, special becky time, a nose piercing...? gooood times.
and now, onto the next big thing - the vineyard! my mom and i have been out here since tuesday. i've been taking my mom on many forced bike rides all over the island (the bike paths here are extraordinary!) and she's been treating me to many a yummy meal in fancy restaurants. it's a good deal.
i'm living in a cute little house on forest ave (it's really in the forest!) with a lady named donna and her son daniel, a junior at umass amherst. hannah, a recent uvm grad, and i share an extra large (and dark, sadly) basement, but we've been sprucing up the place with exciting wall decorations and such. the house is homey; there's an outdoor shower so i get to look up at the trees while i lather, and we live down the road from a sailing camp on a lagoon. these are all good things. tomorrow morning, hannah and i will wake up at the ass-crack of dawn and make our 8-mile trek out to katama farm to begin our summer job at the farm institute- whooooo. look out for an update on that soon!

the wind is blowing mightily round these parts tonight, perhaps a storm's a-brewing. i'm feeling refreshed and ready to take on this summer. soo excited it's finally here. <3 summer!!
here are some pictures of summer so far....

magical waterfalls!magical swimming hole!

our sweet little cabin in the mohawk trail state forest!

the first time i wear a one-piece bathing suit in a million years and i happen to be on a nudist beach.... what? this is me at the aquinnah cliffs in martha's vineyard (sorry folks, no nudies in the pic)

and lastly, hannah, my cute little roomie, reading in our kitchen!

that's all for now, folks! keep on updating us on your lives/summer adventures. SUMMMMERRRRRRRR. love, carms