Welcome to the Brickyard

I took you on a date with me. It may not seem that way because I took someone else along.

When I walked around the corner, I may have fallen in love. What an amazing, beautiful sight! It took my breath away.

There are so many things around here that remind me of home. I see them every day but rarely do I hear or physically feel them. Being able to hear the sound of that creek, walking through it barefoot, and the feel of slick rocks… was home! Visiting places I haven’t been makes me feel alive!!!

Welcome to the Brickyard!! In the 1860s, workers mined clay from the soil, used island-harvested trees and the waters of Roaring Brook to power the operation, and shipped as many as 800,000 bricks a year aboard schooners docked in Vineyard Sound. Before railroads rendered the brickworks obsolete, construction projects from Boston to Newport to New York used bricks made in Chilmark. Pretty cool, uh?

As we sat on a rock, I reminded Cornel that we would never have this moment again. Even if we came back tomorrow…. did the same thing, sat in the same spot, watched the seagulls glide across the water, the sailboat sailing the sea…. It wouldn’t be the same. It is a reminder for me and hopefully for him to enjoy every moment.

Cornel, one of my team members, is the best! Do I dare say he’s one of my favorites? In reality, he’s one of everyone’s favorites! He has worked here for 14 years and hasn’t seen much of the island. Yesterday seemed like a good day for an adventure! He always tells me he doesn’t know how to smile when I take his picture. Yesterday, he did it naturally. THAT…. that right there is what it’s all about!