Nantucket Adventure Day One

School is officially over for the summer!
I had started a post about how the year ended for me on many positive notes. However, I started it so late at night, that I never finished and I am already onto the beginning of my summer adventures.

Technically today was the last day of the school year. I took a sick day and made my way to Nantucket to start my painting course. Before I even left my apartment though, I was challenged and will continue to be as I venture into oil painting for the first time. The task in order to get here was to find a way to transport all my belongings for two weeks, including linens, art supplies and fifteen canvases AND my bike. Admittedly, I did not have to bring my bike, but its Nantucket and I don't want to have to pay a taxi whenever I want to adventure!  Thankfully, my aunt and uncle drove me to the high speed ferry dock where they took my luggage and all I had to do was wheel my bike on board. Once on the island, I called myself a taxi like a big girl. I could hardly make it the 500ft to the taxi stand with all my garbage. ( I am fairly certain my suit case gave itself a flat tire under the weight of all my stuff!) Going home, with semi dry/wet canvases should be interesting!

My stretched canvases would not fit in my suit case. I taped them together, reinforced the painter's tape with duct tape and made a handle from a bandana.

This is the front hall of my condo for the next two weeks. My housemate is not here yet, so I have the run of the place until tomorrow.

 You can't tell from these pictures, but its like inches away from camping. I think these places are uninhabited more often than not and the bugs kinda make themselves at home. Its a little itchy, damp and dusty, but I wasn't expecting five star.

The tiny kitchen reminds me of summers on Cape Cod. About twenty minutes after I arrived, the Professor drove our passenger van to the local Stop N Shop. I am sure I will visit multiple times!

The stairs up to the bedrooms and a glimpse of the sitting area. 

 Its super foggy today, but this is what our backyard looks like. We are right across from the hospital and share grounds with the Coast Guard.

I picked the bedroom in the back of the condo. Since there are only six of us in the class (!) we do not have to share rooms. I wonder if I should push the beds together like I did in college and have a massive bed...?

My room also has an arm chair! I am currently perched here and can envision myself reading before bed by the floor lamp.

 On our run to the grocery store, we also stopped at a fish market. We picked up some swordfish that we cooked on the grill for dinner at the field station.

Our "home base" for the two weeks is the field station pictured above. Off the dirt road to get here there is a lab for the biology majors. This house at the end of the road, is used for lectures etc throughout the year. There are a couple of rooms with bunk beds, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a large dining table. The side with the two sliders is meeting room. Tonight we had dinner here and slowly started to get to know each other. We will have free reign of the acres available around the field station, to wander and paint.

I am not sure if this drifted onto the beach, which is below the fog of some of the pictures above, or if past students created this, but I thought it was beautiful, especially with the soft glow of the lamp. This sits in the little portico to the right of the sliders. The large dining table was in the same room.

I have ended the night fiddling with the tv in the sitting room attempting to get some kind of news or any station really to come in, and drinking a beer from a cup that looks like it was stolen from what we affectionately called Res Cafe in college.

I still can't believe I am doing this! Aside from going off to college (an hour from home) I have never gone anywhere without someone I know. This is seriously an adventure and I am very excited to start learning about the island and getting to work. Tomorrow's class starts at 9 with a "field trip" to the Whaling Museum around 2pm.

I am not sure if I can post every night, perhaps its adrenaline tonight, but I will be sure to continue to take pictures (with my new iphone5) and check in.