If it's Saturday, this must be Martha's Vineyard

I haven't had any visitors since I got here a month ago, so I was excited when Dan and Amy called to say they wanted to take the ferry over from their home in Providence for July 4th. My only worry was that the weather might take a turn again, but that was not the case: The skies were achingly blue and sunny and the temperature was perfectly warm without being truly hot.

At any rate, it was the kind of weather that brought out everybody. While trying to do some shopping early in the day, I was astonished by the crowds on the streets and in the grocery stores. I stopped in the Priority Market in Oak Bluffs to pick up some sun-screen and a sandwich and from the jam-packed aisles and the tangled check-out lines you would have thought everyone was stocking up for a hurricane instead of just picking up a few picnic supplies. An absolute madhouse.

Since I didn't think Amy and Dan would be doing any grocery shopping, it seemed like a day custom-designed for a seven-hour tour around the island (they arrived on the 2 p.m. ferry and had to get back on the 9:30). I wanted to show them a little of everything since they hadn't seen the Vineyard before.

The big advantage to having been here for a few weeks is that I have picked up a few bits of trivia and some historical background on a few of the attractions. So I could tell them, for instance, about the history of the Flying Horses carousel or last year's July 4th fire that destroyed the Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven (it's been rebuilt and just held a grand opening party).

We managed to hit most of the major points, although by the time we headed to Edgartown to see the holiday parade, the police had closed off the street to traffic and we couldn't get anywhere near it. They'd also blocked the road to Katama, so I couldn't show Dan and Amy South Beach (which I later heard was extremely crowded anyhow, so we probably didn't miss much).

But they did get to see all of Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs. Dan and I actually rode the Flying Horses, which seems to move much faster when you are aboard it than it does when you're just watching it. Dan was very adept at collecting the rings that were being dropped down, although neither of us managed to get a brass ring, so no free rides. We had some wonderful oysters at City Ale and Oyster House and I showed them the lobster ice cream at Ben & Bill's, although they chose not to sample it (probably wise). Instead, we got some ice cream from Mad Martha's in Vineyard Haven, which is justifiably famous for its homemade frozen treats. Dan had never had a lobster roll, so I took him over to The Net Result; he seemed very happy with their version.

As the sun was setting, I drove them out to Aquinnah to catch a glimpse of the famous clay cliffs. Many of the locals say that Menemsha has the most beautiful sunsets, but I think Aquinnah gives it some strong competition. Looking out over the water, we saw electrifying shades of orange and luminous yellow, and the bottoms of the clouds were brushed with bright burgundy. The lighting brought out all the shadings in the cliffs, which looked even more majestic than usual.

But the real surprise came when we turned around and looked back toward the island itself. The sky had taken on a peculiar look, almost as if it had been painted. Gazing up at the clouds, you might have thought you were staring at an enormous antique china plate, carefully touched up by a craftsman. It was milky white, with a pale rose-colored streak running through it and puffy, ivory clouds frozen in mid-air. Soon the skies would be filled with fireworks, of course, but these sights were every bit as impressive as any pyrotechnics could ever hope to be.