“Don’t Tell Your Mother!”

The first time that I went to Martha’s Vineyard, it was just my Dad and me. We drove straight-through from Toronto, missed the last ferry, and had to sleep in the parking lot in Woods Hole. I remember my Dad looking at me sternly and saying, “Don’t tell your mother!” I didn’t see the problem. I thought that this trip was already the most exciting adventure that I had ever been on and we weren’t even on the island yet! Still, seeing the concern in his face—the fact that the concern was for his own hide was lost on me—I agreed to keep the secret.

Like most childhood memories, some details are vivid, some generalities are lost, and continuity is bad. I do remember waking up in the parking lot and the sun shining. I also remember Dad and I buying King-Dons for the first time at the snack bar. It was the first time either one of us had eaten them. They quickly became a recurring theme throughout the trip. King-Dons came individually wrapped in tinfoil back then—I don’t think they do anymore—and they were iced-cake-creme-filled-edible-oil-product-chocolatey-goodness. We loved them. Dad bought a box of them at The Stop-N-Shop when we hit the island.

King Dons

We definitely weren’t as health conscious in the 70’s

I also remember the campsite. I loved camping when I was a kid. My family did it all the time. We set up our tent and ended up camping right beside a couple of young women that we had met on the ferry. Dad drove them to the beach a few times so that they didn’t have to hitchhike—hey, it’s the Vineyard.

Menemsha 1977 Marthas Vineyard

Hanging on the fence in Menemsha

We had a lot of fun at that campground. I distinctly remember being caught in a brutal rainstorm and playing a football game in our tent to pass the time. When the storm was over, we stepped outside only to find that my Dad’s shoes had been washed away in the rain—hey, it’s the Vineyard.

Menemsha 1977

Dad in Menemsha on the same fence.

In the beginning we swam on South Beach; both of us were tumbled more than once by the waves. It was a lot of fun. When we got to Martha’s Vineyard I know I was already aware of JAWS and fascinated by sharks. We continued to hack around on South Beach until a fisherman caught a shark and reeled it onto shore. He wasn’t more than twenty feet from where we were swimming. I opted for the pond after that. Minnows nibbling my toes in the pond was far preferable to Great Whites nibbling everything else. I was convinced they were looming beneath the water’s surface. My Dad never got me back to the open ocean after that. He didn’t say anything but I think he was miffed.

Flying Horses Oak Bluffs Marthas Vineyard

You should never eat anything bigger than your head

A lot of other things happened on that trip. I got my first, and only, skateboard. We saw one of the mechanical sharks from JAWS 2. Dad and I walked around and took photos of all of the AMITY signs in Edgartown—they were still up from filming. We went to see the Gay Head Lighthouse, Menemsha, and as many other JAWS sites as we could. In Oak bluffs, I spent a lot of time in the arcade, on Circuit Avenue, playing the “Shark Killer” video game that was on the beach in JAWS. Like every other child on Martha’s Vineyard, I rode the Flying Horses Carousel and ate cotton candy that was bigger than my head.

All of this was forty-three years ago. And while I was already entertaining the idea of being a writer, I certainly had no idea I would end up writing about this island that already had me under its spell. I was just a little boy with his Dad. By the time we drove back to Toronto, I had just experienced the best vacation of my young life with more to tell my Mum than I could possibly imagine. But of all the things I could tell her, the first thing out of my mouth was, “We missed the ferry and slept in the parking lot!”

—Crispin Haskins

12 Comments

  1. I love the story and the fact that your mother is the first one to say what a great story it is 😀

    1. I believe that it was 1977. The signs were still up from the filming of JAWS 2 so, it must have been that year.

  2. Not even lying, this made me tear up. I can only hope that my kids have such fond memories of trips they’ve taken with me.

    I know that EVERY YEAR, around this time, they start asking when we’re taking our first trip to MV for the season. That means something. 🙂

    1. Martha’s Vineyard is a magical place. There’s no doubt about it. However, it was spending time with my Dad that made this trip so great. You’re doing it right, Corey. I’m so glad you liked the post. In the top lefthand corner, it reads “About Crispin”. Click on that. I think you’ll like it. Please, subscribe!

  3. I LOVED reading this Crispin ! What wonderful memories you must have on this trip with your Dad. Every boy should be so lucky to experience something like this with their Father. Did your Dad also tell you not to tell your Mom about giving those two women a ride to the beach every day ? LOL !! I bet he did ! Wonderful story…LOVED IT ! ❤️

  4. Hi Crispin,

    What a terrific story! )ur family has been doing the drive from Toronto to MV for many years now. Always racing to see if we can get on an earlier ferry!

    The first year we took our son (he was almost 4 at the time), we spent 5 weeks on the island and he has very fond memories of that time, similar to yours, that we build on every year we go. What was truly special for me, was that I was able to be off work to spend the time with him exploring, what is, truly one of our most favorite places in the world.

    Whether it’s crabbing off the dinghy dock, farm camp, playing house in the bird blind at Felix Neck, riding the Flying Horses or throwing peanuts on the floor at Offshore Ale, MV memories have formed a big part of who we are.

    Sad to not be able to go this summer, however, we are looking forward to the excitement of the drive, ferry ride and time on the island in the future.

    1. What a great story. Thank you very much for sharing it with me! I hope we bump into each other on the Vineyard! Stay safe, healthy, and happy!

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