The Hubs, the girls and I have spent this past week up in New England on whirlwind tour of Boston, Cambridge and Martha’s Vineyard.  Earlier in the year, we received an email from one of my great aunts about a family reunion that would be taking place in Boston at the beginning of August.  August is when we usually make our bi-annual trek up the Eastern seaboard to spend a week on Martha’s Vineyard Island, a locale that holds some family history for us. We decided to mash up the reunion and the Vineyard for one extended vacation, having my parents and my brother join us for the whole she-bang.

It’s been a great week. We left VA on Thursday morning at 1am, with Snap, Crackle and Pop asleep in the back. The car was stuffed from undercarriage to roof rack with luggage, beach gear, food and provisions, and all manner of iPads, iPods, wireless headphones and DVDs.  We made great time and were in MA by 11am on Thursday morning.  We tooled around Cambridge for a bit and caught up with college friends and their children for dinner before collapsing at the hotel.  Friday found us spending the day at “Hah-vahd”, where the Hubs had attended HBS.  We took a tour of Harvard Square, Harvard Yard, the Memorial library and buildings, as well as the the second oldest, still operational university building in the country. The first? Uh that would be the Christopher Wren Building at the College of William and Mary (::koff:: Tribe Pride::koff). And let me just say that while I enjoyed learning about John Harvard, the Harry Elkins Widener Library and the like, my cute little boat shoes that I had purchased months ago, specifically for this trip, did not appreciate having to walk hither, thither and yon.  They let me know by gifting me with a blister upon each pinkie toe the size of a bing cherry.  Thank goodness for flip flops!

Friday night was the first event of the family reunion; a meet and greet.  We had a great time reconnecting with family, meeting new family and watching our girls play with their cousins.  The DJ was excellent and had people out of their seats for the majority of the evening.  V was getting down with the get down, doing some dances that could only be described at a cross between yoga and Vogue-ing. M and C lead the way when Cupid Shuffle came on, with my mom hot on their heels.

Saturday, we spent the day with the family having the full on family reunion experience.  There was a bounce house and a pool. There was touch football and line dancing in the grass.  There was a DJ and there was food. There was lots and lots of food.  Several of my cousins had pre-ordered copies of “Maggie Sinclair, Will You Please Fix Your Hair?!“, and had them available for sale.  We held a mini book-signing at the pavilion, which was so amazing. The day was fun-filled, food-filled, family-focused.  We fell into bed on Saturday night with full bellies and smiling faces.

Sunday morning, we were up with sun to catch a 9am ferry over to the island to begin the second part of our vacation. After making sure we’d seen friends and family while in Boston, we wanted to take the next seven days to just relax.  I find that when I go away with groups of people, for some reason, I always make to make sure that everyone is having fun and doing what they’d like to do.  I never want someone (myself included) to come away from a vacation wishing they’d done something else.

When I would talk with my mom or my brother about what they wanted to do while they were on the island, everyone had a different thing topping their list.  The Hubs  and my dad just wanted to relax.  The girls and my brother wanted to go to the beach.   I wanted to visit some stores, maybe try a couple of new restaurants and just take it easy. My mom wanted to catch up with some friends but mainly, she wanted to get a lobster roll on Friday.  Friday is lobster roll day on Martha’s Vineyard.

See, my parents began coming to island many years ago, primarily as kids, off and on.  They honeymooned here, staying at a cottage belonging to my great-aunt Josephine, who lived on the island year round.  As time passed, Josephine got older, and needed help.  My parents would go to the island, make sure she was alright and keep her company  for a while.  Josephine loved lobster and she told them about lobster rolls that you could buy at the local church at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Clough.   My folks would pick one up for her and for themselves.

“I’d never had one from the church before, and let me tell you,” my mother told me, “It was the best lobster roll I ever had. Equal to or better than the Maine lobster I would get in Perkins Cover!”  Evidently, that’s quite an endorsement.

This is my sixth trip to the island, and I’ve never had a lobster roll.  I needed some clarification as to what all a lobster roll before I decided to make it my lunch time meal.  You all know how I feel about meal time; I don’t want to waste an opportunity to eat. The lobster roll is essentially chunks of lobster mixed up with some mayo and salt & pepper (reminiscent of tuna salad, I’m thinking), scooped into a hot dog bun.

“You get a small bag of chips and a drink, too,” my mom explained. “And you can by a slice of pie. Usually two different options — lemon or blueberry.”  Oh, well in that case. . .

All this can be yours for $17.  Not a bad deal.  The church that we plan to visit isn’t the only place on the island where you can get a roll.  There were a few churches and VFWs in some other towns up island that had them available earlier in the week.  One of my friends who had been on island last week, visited a place that lists a Bacon Lobster Roll with fries on their menu.  Mmmm. . .bacon.

Sidenote: My brother gifted me with a Maple Bacon Donut from Back Door Donuts and let me tell you, he has firmly secured his place as my favorite sibling, never mind the fact that he is my only sibling.

But, this is a post about lobster rolls.  I’ll give you my review of the lobster roll once we’ve partaken of this island staple. It seems like a fitting close to what’s been a wonderful trip.  In the meantime, here’s a recipe that will bring the island experience to you.

Happy Friday, y’all!

New England Lobster Roll

via Cooks Illustrated

via

For our lobster roll, we mostly adhered to tradition—top-loading supermarket hotdog bun, mayonnaise, and lots of lobster—but we added a hint of crunch in the form of small amounts of lettuce and celery, and we added complimentary brightness with lemon juice, cayenne, and chives.

Instructions