A little 'junking' on a rainy day......

7:39 am - Wednesday - October 3rd (Happy birthday to me!) - Smithfield, RI - 58º F, 98% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the north......heavy cloud cover with a forecast high of 68º F.  No rain today!

With one more day of rain in the offing we had to get out of the coach for a few hours.  What haven't we done in quite a while?  Junking, of course....a perfect rainy day activity!  While TLE researched the local thrift store opportunities I wrote the blog.

Ultimately, she found three thrift stores within easy driving distance, and we set out to visit them around 11:30 am.  First up was a Salvation Army store......it wasn't the nicest one we have visited, but it was adequate.  Nevertheless, neither of us found anything without which we could not live.  Then it was off to what we thought was the local Goodwill, however, when we arrived it turned out to be one of their training facilities, so scratch that one off the list.

When we were working at the Grand Canyon this past winter we made numerous visits into Flagstaff on our off days, and became big fans of a thrift store called 'Savers'.  Since then we have visited several Savers Thrift Stores all across the USA.  They are all large, well lit, and look like a regular department store, plus their pricing is very generous......

.....we spent about an hour there browsing their inventory.  I came out with a woven leather belt for $2.99, but TLE kept her wallet in her pocket.  By the time we finished at Savers it was about 1:40 pm and time for a latish lunch.  We have passed this restaurant (Blackie's Bull Dog Tavern) on Washington Highway several times since we arrived in Smithfield, and decided to give them a try.  They have a 4 star rating, after all, right?

A good way to live

We arrived about 2:15 pm.....right in between the lunch and dinner crowds....and were seated immediately.  We both ordered a pint of beer.....for TLE a Kentucky Ale Vanilla Cream, and for me Allagash White.  For our entrees TLE ordered their 'Dirty Dog' (hotdog), and for moi their Brisket and Burnt Ends sandwich......OMG!

 TLE's Kentucky Ale Vanilla Cream......I was not expecting how good it tasted!

I tasted TLE's Kentucky Ale Vanilla Cream (aged in bourbon barrels), and was blown away.  If you like Cream Soda, this brew is the best of all worlds......its aroma is that of a Cream Soda, and the first taste reminds you exactly of Cream Soda, but it finishes with a hint of bourbon.

We both loved our entrees, and ended up taking home some of our food in a 'doggy box'.....there were enough french fries to feed three people.  TLE's 'Dirty Dog' hot dog was stuffed with mac 'n cheese.  Their menu offers a wide spectrum of wonderful pub food.

We were home by 3:45 pm trying to avoid slipping into a food coma.  It continued to rain well into the evening, and was still raining when we went to bed at 11:30 pm.  Kind of late, I know, but we were watching the Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies.  When we went to bed at the end of the 9th inning the game was tied 1-1 and it did not look like it would be over anytime soon.  As it turns out it went 13 innings with the Rockies winning 2-1.....poor Cubs.....out again the Wild Card round.  The Wild Card round used to be a best 3 out of 5 games series, but now it is a one game elimination......much better than the old system!

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One more rain day........

8:02 am - Tuesday - October 2nd - Smithfield, RI - 56º F, 98% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the northeast......heavy cloud cover.....rained all night....forecast high for today is 73º F.

Monday began with clear blue skies, but by 9:30 am it was raining.  It continued to rain throughout the day and was still raining when we turned out the lights.  So, what to do on a rainy day?  As chance would have it four Major League Baseball teams ended up tied for first place in their respective divisions......my L.A. Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies were tied for first in the NL Western Division, and the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers were tied for first in the NL Central Division.  When this happens a one game playoff is required to determine the division winner, and that one game playoff is always played on the Monday following the final game of the season.  The Cubs vs. Brewers game was scheduled for 1 pm eastern time, and the Dodger vs. Rockies game for 4 pm eastern time, so that is what we did Monday.....watch MLB playoff games all afternoon.....

The Cub/Brewers game was tied 1-1 until the top of the 8th inning when Milwaukee scored two runs, and ultimately won 3-1.  The Dodger/Brewer game was 0-0 until the bottom of the 4th inning when the Dodgers went up 2-0 courtesy a two run home run.  They added two more in the bottom of the 5th via another two run home run to make the score 4-0, and one more in the 6th inning.  The final score was 5-2.....Dodgers win!  This is the 6th consecutive Division title for the Dodgers.

It never rained hard at any point during the day.  In fact, if our curtains had not been open, I would not have known it was raining.  It was mostly a heavy mist sometimes evolving into a heavy drizzle, but never heavy enough to create sound on our aluminum roof.

We watched recorded episodes of 'Last Ship', 'NCIS: Los Angeles', and 'Better Call Saul' before calling it a day.  Hoping the rain abates for Tuesday.....time for some more sightseeing!

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Newport, Rhode Island

8:01 am - Monday - October 1st - Smithfield, RI - 56º F, 100% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the south by southwest.......sunny now, but rain on the way by 2 pm.

The weather Sunday was perfect!  It was definitely worthy of our t-shirt, shorts and flip flops attire.  We spent the morning watching the final round 12 Ryder Cup singles matches.  By 11 am it was obvious that the European team would win, and it was at that time we got dressed and headed out to visit Newport for the afternoon for some more sightseeing.  

The drive down to Newport takes about an hour, but it was a great day for a drive.  Our first stop was in Jamestown at the 3rd oldest lighthouse in North America....Beavertail Lighthouse and Museum......first activated in 1749!

7th order Fresnel lens....about 3-4 feet tall

Unlike later lighthouses, this one was square

The original lighthouse was octagonal, as the uncovered foundation revealed

You can just see a Princess Lines cruise ship in the deep background

....frankly, if we had thought about bringing our beach chairs I would have been happy to spend an hour just watching the sailboats and the ocean as literally dozens of people were doing.  From there we drove into old town Newport (est. 1639) to drive around, walk around and have lunch.  As we drove down the one way street we passed an Irish pub called O'Brien's, and decided on the spot to find a parking place and have lunch there....it was a good decision!

The $4 (each way) toll bridge into and out of Newport

They have a water feature in the middle of the outdoor dining area which is filled with 'floaty' toys for kids to enjoy

I ordered pint of their Red Ale, and TLE a pint of the seasonal Samuel Adams Octoberfest.....for our entrees we each ordered a salad.....Chicken Caesar, and for TLE their Greek salad.....both Yelp and Tripadvisor only give them 3.5 stars, but we would be more in the neighborhood of a solid 4 stars......great food, great ambiance and wonderful, attentive service.....is there anything I missed?

There's that cruise ship again

.....our next stop was Fort Adams, named for President John Adams.  It was first garrisoned in 1841, and formed an integral part of the U.S. coastal defenses.....

The Princess Cruise ship up close and personal from Fort Adams

 It took 8 men to handle each of these Seacoast 32-pounder cannon.....there were 100 of them in addition to 57  24-pounder Seacost cannon, and 42 24-pounder flank howitzers

 Construction of Fort Adams was completed in 1841.  Its namesake was John Adams, our sixth POTUS

.......our next stop was mansion row......many of these mansions were built in the 1800's.  The well known 'Marble House' was built for the William K. Vanderbilts between 1888 and 1892.....you can go on tours of the grounds and the insides of a number of these old mansions, but it costs $35/adult......no thank you......

Being renovated

The 'Breakers' Mansion today....completed in 1895  for, whom else, the  Vanderbilts

How it looked in 1895

.....by 3:45 pm we were ready to head for home.  Newport and evirons is quite beautiful, and has some quite spectacular coastline.  It is definitely worth a day, or two of sightseeing.  We were home just before 5 pm with smiles on our faces.  A great day spent with my best friend.....how does it get any better than that?

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Oktoberfest in September.....

6:51 am - Sunday - September 30th - Smithfield, RI - 46º F, 90% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the west by northwest.....clear blue skies with a forecast high today of 68º F.

We began Saturday knowing we would have to move the Newell to the #1 spot here at the Smithfield Elks Lodge.  In the picture below you can see the #1 spot, where we ended up later in the day.  Originally we were in the #2 spot, just to the left of where we are now.  All that being said, we had to wait until early afternoon for the person in the #1 spot to leave...... 

.....why did we need to move?  Well, Saturday was the Oktoberfest celebration at this Elks Lodge and we needed to move so that we would not be blocking access to the shelter you see behind us.  Where we ended up was directly behind their storeroom.  During the day vehicles would need to be able to drive into that shelter to drop off stuff.

At any rate, we were not able to move until around 1 pm, which kind of killed our original plans for the day, which was to drive out to Newport.  It's about an hour drive each way, and we really wanted to get an early start. Fortunately, we are here for almost a week, and have plenty of time to see what we wish to see.

So, what was plan B?  Well, within 1/2 mile of where we are is a trailhead for the Stillwater Scenic Trail, which runs parallel to Stillwater Pond for about 1 mile down to Capron Road.  We left the Newell around 2:30 pm walking over to the trailhead, and then down the trail.....

Stillwater Pond is fed by outflow from Stillwater Reservoir

.....the trail itself was quite flat, and there were no granite staircases to climb, or any bouldering this day.  It was just a nice walk in the woods......

First view of Stillwater Pond

A little local flora

Stillwater Reservoir

.....we were back from our hike just before 4 pm having covered 3.1 miles in just under 60 minutes of moving time.....

.....we bid adieu to 570 caloric units, and averaged 3.25 mph.....not too bad!

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching college football (for me) and reading (for TLE).  It got quite noisy as the Oktoberfest celebration got under way, and it remained so until about 9:30 pm when things began to quiet down.

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Providence.......

7:53 am - Saturday - September 29th - Smithfield, RI - 55º F, 95% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the west by northwest.....partly cloudy with a forecast high today of 72º F......mostly sunny later today!

Within minutes after breaking my slumber Friday morning it was raining, and it continued raining until after 4:30 pm.  This year the annual Ryder Cup match play event pitting the best golfers from the USA against best, and is being held in Paris, France.  Due to the time difference the play begins at 11 pm at night eastern time.  In order to see it from the beginning I set the DVR to record it, so needless to say, I had it playing shortly after I awakened.  The USA got out to a 3-0 lead, but by the end of the day they were down 5-3.  Unfortunately, due to the rain, and heavy cloud cover the last 2 hours did not record.....:-(

 Watching the Ryder Cup while it rains

We had hoped it would stop raining by 11 am, but it was still raining, so we decided, anyway, to drive into Providence to have lunch at a place TLE found called Trinity Brewhouse located on Fountain Street in downtown Providence.  Trip Adisor gives them 4 solid stars on over 300 reviews.   There is nothing more 'fun' than trying to find a parking spot, in the rain, in any congested downtown area, and Providence was no different.  After circling the block one time we found a spot about 1.5 blocks away from Trinity and quickly made the walk over.  By the time we sat down to order our brews it was just after 12 pm......

 In another happy place - Trinity Brewhouse....a Tommy's Red for moi, and TLE had their 'Hit and Run' IPA

While we were sitting there waiting for our foot order TLE called my attention to a large mural on the wall behind me........

Great mural on the wall.....left to right:  Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Billie Holiday, Biggie Smalls, Beethoven, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra.....very thought provoking and interesting.

......we spent the next 15 minutes trying to guess all the names.....we got everyone but Janis Joplin (I thought that was her, but I didn't remember her being in an Indian outfit), Kurt Cobain, Biggie Small and Beethoven.  When we had gone as far as we could go we asked our server who the unknown persons where and she promptly retrieved a post card featuring the mural, which had all the names.....

 The post card with the names on the backside

.....what an interesting, and thought provoking conversation piece! It is entitled "Last Supper", and was painted in 1999 by Jessica Van Daam (wonder if she is related to Claude?)

To accompany our brews we split an appetizer of sweet potato fries, and a pulled pork sandwich, both of which were quite good......perfect fare for a rainy afternoon!  We were back in the VW and on our way home by 1:45 pm, and actually back at the Newell by 2:15 pm.  We are looking forward to visiting Providence and Newport on Saturday in better weather conditions.

We both spent the afternoon watching it rain, and reading.  The rain finally played itself out around 4:30 and we got a little tiny bit of sun right at the end of the day.  We were both quite happy with our decision to arrive here on Thursday, and not in the rain on Friday.

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