Rhode Island

Last week we spent 5 days in Rhode Island with 3 other couples, my sister Dede being one of the people in that group.  I've been with her more times in the last 2 years than in my entire adult life and it is wonderful whenever we can see each other. The funny thing is, we despised each other growing up; I teased her mercilessly and we had little in common.  She's just 18 months younger than I am and since I'm 5 inches taller than she, we didn't share clothes and where she was obedient and a nurturer (can I make anyone a fruit cup?), I was self centered and sneaky.  We didn't share secrets or confidences because she would tell - as a matter of fact, she once threatened to disclose something I had done, to our parents and so I hit her so hard she fell over into the laundry basket.  When she came to (I'm dying as I recall this), she cried that she would tell on me for that too.  I can't remember the outcome because I was always grounded anyway; that's why I had to sneak.  Well, we grew up and I matured (an LDS mission sure set me straight) and we became best friends and I love her dearly.

Okay, back to the travelogue.  Rhode Island is lovely and there is so much to do!  We stayed at Carnegie Abbey Resort in Portsmouth, near Newport.  We all lodged together in a luxurious 4 bedroom house with all the amenities.  We ate breakfast together, discussed our individual plans and then we split in our own directions as couples though at times our activities overlapped and several of us would be together.  We all met for dinner at 6:30 every night at a predetermined restaurant.  It was a blast and these are all wonderful people and friends - Dede and Brad, Julie and Rob Staves, and Terry and Donna Mitchell.  None of the others knew each other beforehand but it was a great mix and we all got along splendidly. Dan and my schedule covered the following over the 5 days - Newport Cliff Walk, 3 of the mansions (Brayton House and Green Animal Topiary Gardens, Marble House, and Rosecliffe).  We cruised the residentials all over that town, covered the shopping areas, drove the ocean route of that city with its delightful coves, beaches and harbor.  Newport is a tidy mix of colonial, opulence and the ordinary and the restaurants are fabulous.  We highly recommend Bouchard on Thames Street - French.  We all practically licked our plates the sauces were so divine.  

Dan and I spent a day with the Mitchell's touring Jamestown (this town is an island), visited the 3rd oldest lighthouse in the country there at Beaver Tail State Park, spent a while in lovely Wickford where we ate lunch and strolled the harbor and downtown, took 102 across RI through Exeter and then down to 1A over into old Stonington Ct, then back into RI to Westerly, Watch Hill, and all along the southern coast roads and little villages, back across 2 bridges into Newport for dinner.  Another day was spent with Dede and Brad on mopeds cruising all over Martha's Vineyard; we caught the fast ferry from New Bedford MA, another city I had long wanted to visit for its true working fishing port; gritty and gorgeous at the same time.

Our last full day, we all went to Providence and walked miles around that delightful old river ribboned city.  We explored Federal Hiil, the Italian neighborhood, bought some goodies at North Bakery, and ate lunch at Bob N Timmy's Pizzeria, voted one of the 25 best ones in America according to GQ magazine.  We toured the glorious campus of Brown University, saw the (truly)First Baptist Church in America founded by Roger Williams, walked all along Benefit and Thayer Streets, went into the RISD museum and student stores and sat for a spell by the Providence River.  We were still too stuffed with pizza to keep our dinner reservation so we headed back to our place at Carnegie after getting froyo at Orange Leaf for dinner instead.  It was a fabulously fun week and I feel like we all are quite familiar with the charms of RI.  One funny observation; we realized just how tiny that state is when we saw a T-shirt with the state of RI placed in the state of Texas and it's just the area size of Dallas!  

Julie and Rob