July 2014 Super Moon

Last night was the night to stare at the moon...and it was worth every moment.  Danny and I went to Beavertail at the south end of Jamestown and the place was packed!  It was like a concert...cars, people, RVs everywhere...cameras on tripods and everyone just waiting for the moon.  

It first appeared in the dusk sky hazy and then it completely disappeared...then evening settled in and the dark sky was around us...when all of a sudden the top of the moon appeared and just a whisper of it showed and then slowly it rose as if coming out of a slit in the sky.  It grew bigger and there it was in all it's glory.  It had a reddish orange hue which I couldn't capture with my camera. 

We went over to Fort Wetherall and saw it over Newport and I was able to take a few pictures...not one photo comes close to what we saw...

From high atop Fort Wetherall in Jamestown to Newport

Pretty to see sailboats passing by...the moon cast a path across the water...
could almost see fairies dancing!

At the town dock in Wickford looking over at the ship yard.

This is not my photo...but someone with a more sophisticated
camera captured this...the super moon over the Newport Pell Bridge
WOW

Fun night with everyone looking at the moon!  We have more to look forward to as August and September also will boast a super moon...I'm willing to bet the September one will be phenomenal!  September in Rhode Island is always grand.

Elizabeth

Hit The Brakes...That's A What Pulling A Cart In Jamestown

My father and I have breakfast out together every Sunday for almost 20 years now. After a good meal we take a ride and have seen many places, people and things tooling around southern Rhode Island. We especially like Beavertail on Jamestown as you never know how the Atlantic will be from week to week. From as calm as a mill pond to a raging, churning ocean each week we are visitors to a view well worth returning to...

We leave the mainland via the Jamestown Bridge and take the quiet roads to the lighthouse past the windmill, past Dutra and Windmist Farms on the left and Watson and Hodgkiss Farms on the right, whiz by the bait shop on the flats where the owner sits sipping a mug of coffee and proceed to the village. After stopping at the four way stop we pass The Secret Garden and several more shops to the corner and bear right to the causeway at Mackerel Cove....then past Fort Getty and onto Beavertail.

This week as we passed the garden shop...we saw a beautiful wooden two wheeled garden style cart with a young lady sitting atop this pony drawn cart....hit the brakes that was not a pony we passed by but a COW....a cow pulling a wagon...did we devour too many eggs...had that single slice of bacon clogged our cerebral arteries...were our optic nerves pinched....NO that cart was being pulled by a cow!!!!!

As we drove along Beavertail Road all we could talk about was what we just viewed....unbelievable...couldn't be...never saw this before...who would think a cow would do such a thing...why was this cow "trotting" down a public road pulling a wagon masquerading as a pony?

We did our usual sightseeing at the point and proceeded back over the same route. As we approached Fort Getty...there was that cow again pulling that young lady up Fort Getty Road to the farm.

I had my camera and Dad and I had a very strong desire to get up close and personal to this sight. Left blinker on and we proceeded just by the cart as it rolled along...put the van in park and out I jumped...sure enough this was a cow.

I was greeted by the most charming girl I have met in a very long time. I asked if I could take a picture and she not only agreed but stopped her cow and posed. She was so personable and chatty. Any question I asked she answered and was very patient in explaining. I asked her her cow's name and she told me Daisy..which made me smile but then said "So, I'm driving Miss Daisy"...now I laughed...I like this kid! I asked where she was returning from and she had been to breakfast in town at of course a little restaurant called "A Slice of Heaven". I explained to her that my niece Emily belongs to 4-H and has a cow she shows at fairs. She told me she does not show cows but raises dairy cows for milking. She wanted me to tell Emily, that cows are very easy to train but most important - "Anything a horse can do...a cow can do better"

So there you have it....when you think you have seen it all...a charming young lady and her cow show up to prove you wrong!!!!!

Driving Miss Daisy on a beautiful August Sunday morning....

Learning about this amazing pair...





Daisy in all her glory....

Off they go....

I'm so glad I can still be amazed...

Elizabeth

Early Dinner on a Perfect September Afternoon and the QE2 too!!!!!

We packed up our cooler, tossed two chairs and vintage folding tables in the back of the van and took off for an early dinner this past Wednesday. The air was clear and the sky was blue, blue, blue! We stopped for a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread and left the mainland behind us as we crossed Narragansett Bay over the bridge to Jamestown. We decided to go to Fort Wetherill a state park that has glorious views of the Atlantic and Narragansett Bay. We meandered about looking for a spot to eat our supper. We came upon a group artists painting a beautiful scene of an inlet. This is a beautiful spot and you can see why it is a favorite scene to be painted. There were artists everywhere doing their thing. All were very talented and it was fun to look at their work.

What a lovely view...great to paint and great for photographers!We found a spot to set up on top of the rocks above the artists on the other side of the inlet. We brought our cooler packed with all the ingredients for a cobb salad...lettuce, tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon, hard cooked eggs, roasted chicken breast, and a vinaigrette with avocado. Keeping the avocado in the dressing prevented the oxidation that occurs when avocado is exposed to air for an extended period of time.

We put our salads together, lit a candle and sat back with our fresh ciabatta bread and simply watched the view and enjoyed our supper...how good is this?!
This is the sign at the entrance of the park. This park was actually a World War I and II coastal defense site, once named Fort Dumpling and sits upon 100 foot high granite cliffs offering spectacular views of Newport Harbor. According to the RIDEM website "the park consists of 61.5 acres, it was formally acquired by the State of Rhode Island in 1972. Known for its spectacular view of Newport Harbor and the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, Fort Wetherill has been a popular sight for viewing the numerous Tall Ship Events and America’s Cup Races.
The spectacular setting of Fort Wetherill has made the site strategically important for more than 200 years. During the American Revolution colonists built an earthworks battery here for control of the east passage, but lost the position to the British during the occupation of Newport. " Visit the website for more interesting facts.

As we sat enjoying the view sailboats passed gracefully by.

A very large power boat whisking across the water surrounded by sails.

My favorite boat...a picnic boat crossed in front of us..we could see a large crowd aboard.
As we were sitting there...we heard the familiar sound of a cruise ship blast...we figured a cruise boat was in and probably dropped passengers off for the day in Newport. Much to our surprise a little while later the QE2 appeared before us.
There she was the Queen Elizabeth 2...slowing making her way out of the harbor to the Atlantic being guided by tugs.
You can see passengers lining the decks...they had to be awestruck by the beauty of our wonderful state.
We went back down to the place where the artists were earlier on and just caught this view of the QE2 leaving...WHAT A SIGHT!!!!!
We had a wonderful afternoon...hope you have an opportunity to spend a little time like this every once in awhile...very good for the soul.

Elizabeth

Sunday Morning on Jamestown

How fortunate we are to live so close to the Atlantic...my father and I go for breakfast early every Sunday morning and then take a ride to the ocean to make sure it is still there. This morning we took a ride to Jamestown an island off the mainland connected by a bridge and then connected by another bridge to Newport. It was gorgeous this morning. We rode over to Beavertail which is the end of the island. This is where the lighthouse is situated. High tide was at 8:30 AM and just coming in as we got there around 8AM. One fellow was fishing and I mean seriously fishing as we had four poles set up. He had his poles set in holes on the rocks...it was an interesting sight.

Can you see the four poles he is working? Can you imagine if he got four bites at the same time?

Here is a picture of Dad taking in the view of the ocean...

We stopped by the windmill to take in the view...doesn't it look like we left the USA and made quick stop in Holland?! The daffodils are beautiful against the stone wall and the windmill in the back....What a beautiful morning!!!!!

This is a lovely way to start every Sunday morning...a good breakfast, good sights and exceptionally good company...life gets no better than this.

Take care and be sure to spend sometime with someone you love,

Elizabeth