Lake Tashmoo

So there I was...pulling into the narrow opening between two break walls on the south shore of Martha's Vineyard taking note of Diane Sawyer's house off to the right a couple hundred yards down the beach.  As we continued along the tight channel into Lake Tashmoo there were people standing in knee deep water only twenty feet from our boat making me think twice about trying this harbor out.  Eventually the channel widened out and we found plenty of water to drop our anchor in this quiet and pristine harbor.  After landing the dingy at the towns convenient dock, we hiked the mile into Vineyard Haven where amenities were in abundance.  After purchasing a clamming license Kim and I retraced our steps back to the dingy and made our way to the shallows of the harbor at low tide.  There we would perform the little twisting motion, while standing with weight on the heels of our feet, until we felt that familiar bump buried in the sand.  Bending down to dig this bump up would reward you with either a clam or a quahog, both worth eating.  After filling our bucket we would head back to Eventide to put our catch in a mesh bag and tie it in the water off the swim platform so these bi-valve mollusks could naturally clean the sand from the inside of their shells.  Later we steam them by the dozen, dipping them in melted butter to complete the experience.  Taking a harbor tour in the dingy, we meet an architect who has lived on his boat for many years and now found himself in Lake Tashmoo.  He tells us that just about an hour before sunset we should take our dingy to the end of the harbor, tie it to an overhanging tree limb and hike several hundred yards along a dirt path to enjoy an outdoor Shakespearean Theater.  For a small fee, we sit on a terraced hillside in the middle of the woods, enjoying a bottle of wine and hors d'oeuvres, as we watch an amazing performance, sans electronics or lights, by professional theater actors from New York and Boston.  After offering a standing ovation, we make our way back to the dingy with the last bits of daylight.  We motor our way through the many moored and anchored boats to where Eventide is waiting, promising to rock us to sleep in this wonderful place.