Ferrying across the sound to Martha’s Vineyard, I ride the crest of the waves with the gulls floating overhead. I set my sights on surf, swimming and the treats that lie ahead.  The brief 45-minute trip carries me light years away from my daily responsibilities, chores and looming deadlines. The cooler is packed, the menu is sketched, and my appetite is sharpened by the salty breeze.

Each year, for the last 10 years, my family has been invited to the Vineyard to join in the vacation of our close friends. Their generosity can barely be matched, but I try to return the favor the best way I know how —with food!  Their upside-down house in Katama offers a treetop view from the kitchen window and a wraparound deck with inviting tables. The sound of the waves at South Beach rumble from the horizon line while quaint airplanes float silently onto a runway just across the way; the stage is set for starlit dinners.

With a nod to my hostess’ Greek heritage, I arrive with a marinating leg of lamb for the grill and a selection of summer vegetables, which will be cut into chunks and grilled along with skewers of rosemary for an infused flavor. A new dish of cannellini beans with sautéed greens will be tossed together stovetop while the lamb is grilling. Everyone has a task, a glass of wine and a smile. While the meal is being prepared, we enjoy a bit of the South Shore — a platter of iced Island Creek oysters are right at home on the Vineyard. I like mine naked; my husband prefers his with a dash of Tabasco and lemon.

Our second day dawns cloudy with threatening showers. It is the perfect day to pile four adults and five children into the car and head “up island” to Menemsha. The 30-minute ride carries us through rolling fields, past quaint town centers and down into a quintessential fishing village right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Crowds gather outside The Bite to see for themselves if their fried clams are worthy of the Best of Boston award (they are). Groups perch on lobster crates tucked next to Larsen’s seafood enjoying a lobster lunch, BYO Chardonnay and a view of the fishing boats that hauled in the very food they are eating.

After a leisurely walk along the rock jetty and trip to the shoreline to wet my feet, I set out for the tasty task at hand. Larsen’s Fish Market is jam packed with hungry tourists ordering takeout and salivating locals selecting fish for tonight’s dinner. Like the landlubber tourist I am, I (foolishly) ask if the swordfish is local. “Well, it was caught 75 miles off shore — is that local enough?” Yes indeed. Two dozen little necks, two pounds of thickly cut swordfish and the cooler is restocked for tonight’s dinner. Later that night, we all agree that the swordfish was a perfect collaboration between the fishermen, my Mexican-inspired marinade and my host’s grilling skills; we swoon with each melt-in-your mouth bite.

Enough of the healthy food! Our trip to Martha’s Vineyard is never complete until we take a nighttime trip into Oak Bluffs for the ultimate guilty pleasure. Martha’s Vineyard Bakery at 5 Post Office Square is probably quaint and cozy inside, but I have only ever experienced the bakery from inside the back door. Each night from 9 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., a line forms in the decidedly unglamorous parking lot to partake of a summer tradition — Back Door Doughnuts. Honey glazed, jelly and Boston cream are tempting, but nothing compares to their apple fritter — a golden doughnut disk studded with sweet cinnamon apples. A nighttime stroll through the Camp Meeting Grounds might burn off a few of the calories, but I eat with abandon any way. After all, I am on the Vineyard, and tomorrow’s waves beckon in the distance.