Massachusetts was beautiful; I was 5 years old, and it was summer. I collected wishbones, crab skeletons, a jellyfish in my shoe. I swam, played, and had the time of my life.

In 1991, at 4 years old, the carousel in Martha's Vineyard was my favorite place to be in the whole world. My dad let me ride it for what seemed to be 100 rides. The horses had those horns on the top that made them look like Unicorns. There was a game involved; the object, to collect a brass ring and place it atop your horse. I won. At 4, that is the greatest accomplishment a girl can have.

The sounds of the carousel, the whooshing sound of the waves; the scream in my voice from having a jellyfish in my shoe. Twenty years later I remember almost every moment of that vacation. I wonder if those horses are still there; ready to play their game.