Ramble the Travelling Ram

So, after catching us all up on his travels, Ramble got ready for yet another adventure–going back to his roots!

His Martha’s Vineyard roots, that is. He was born there 26 years ago, and hasn’t been back since.

On the way up to Massachusetts, we stopped in Mystic–roughly the halfway point in the drive, and a place for all of us to stretch our legs. We had an elegant lunch at our favorite fine restaurant while Ramble told us all about his LAST visit to Mystic.

Well, you know, it’s not like we could really have lived up to that one in the 45 minutes we were there, anyway. Because, we had a ferry to catch!

Ramble was SO excited to be on the ferry–he climbed right up front and perched on the dashboard, so he would be the first to see the island.

We docked in Oak Bluffs–the first time I’ve landed there in years (since that wharf is only open during the peak season).

Naturally, we took him up to the Aquinnah (formerly Gay Head) cliffs for the requisite “I was here” photo.

The cliffs were gorgeous as always, even if they have lost a lot of their red clay coloring.

Ramble also insisted on posing with the Historic Site sign.

So did Chappy.

In fact, Ramble and my dog Chappy became fast friends during the trip, happily sharing the backseat together. (Though the friendship might not have lasted if Chappy actually had thrown up on him on Monday–luckily I grabbed Ramble and his travel bag out of the way in time. This is the problem with travelling with a dog with carsick tendencies.)

It’s good that they became so close, though, because Chappy was there to comfort Ramble when they visited his old store.

It’s not a gift shop any more. No knick-knacks. No clever jars, photos, trays, Christmas ornaments, or stuffed sheep. Now it’s a clothing store.

We explained that it HAS been 26 years, and things change. Ramble understood, but it still made him a little sad, knowing that his old home had changed so much.

On the plus side, he made a new friend.

This is Kate Taylor a great singer (it runs in her family) and a talented jewelry maker. She is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet. (Her daughter Liz is delightful, too–a Twitter friend of mine from well before I knew that she was Kate’s daughter, which I find an entertaining irony. I was delighted that we had a chance to see her, too.) Anyway, when Kate heard about Ramble, she said she absolutely wanted to meet him, too.

In fact, she gave him his newest souvenir–a gold pin.

The short story behind the pin? She was talking to a friend about a mutual acquaintance and said, “Isn’t he the goodest person?” “No, you are the goodest person I know.” “No, YOU are.” And they decided that they knew so many “goodest” people that they should just start an unofficial club. And that the club needed a pin, and what better for a pin than gold-leaf?

Well, apparently, Kate thinks that Ramble is the goodest sheep she knows.

I think that I have to agree!