Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Newport Mansions

I had promised Carol that we would tour at least one mansion before we leave for Florida. I had her research Newport Mansions on the internet and her first choice was Kingscote because of the architecture. She loves all the gingerbread and turrets on a house. So yesterday we set off to Newport. We went over the Jamestown and Newport bridges. It gave me an opportunity to test out the new Fastlane transponder recently acquired from Massachusetts. Our first stop was Carol's choice - Kingscote. At the visitor center, the man behind the desk sold me on buying a group ticket for 5 mansions. There is no end date. Inside photography is prohibited. There was another couple from Key West, FL on the tour. One of them took the picture below. Carol and I have Key West on out bucket list and I asked for advice about best time to go, etc. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable but soft spoken. We enjoyed the tour took several pictures of the grounds and as it was too early for lunch and because we had more tickets we went off to Marble House.


Marble House was definitely more crowded. On arrival at the main entrance, we were given a headset and a unit for a self guided tour. Really neat. The interior decorations of Marble House are a tribute to unrestrained wealth. We took a little more than an hour to complete the tour. The pace on the tape player was perfect for us. Naturally the tour ended at the gift shop. I purchased some postcards and Carol added to her magnet collection. On the way out there was a poster touting lunch in the Chinese Tea House located on the grounds.

We were ready for lunch and decided to give it a try. The menu consisted of several ready made cold sandwiches and one salad choice. We each picked a sandwich and a drink along with a bag of chips. All the doors were open and a nice sea breeze wafted throughout the building. We sat at a small table. We were both thirsty, hungry, and a little bit tired.

After lunch we strolled on the grounds snapping some pictures. The white building in the distance is part of Salve Regina College.



We called it a day went back to the car and headed home. I took a different route home from Newport. Carol and I will return one more time before we leave Rhode Island. However, it will be after Labor Day when the tourists leave.


Saturday, August 22, 2009

Hurricane Bill

This morning (8/22) Carol and I decided to drive down to the coast. Hurricane Bill is moving along a North by Northeast course along the Atlantic coast of the United states. The local Rhode Island weather forecasters have predicted heavier than normal surf conditions. This is to be the only affect of hurricane Bill for us. Our first destination was Point Judith which is also the location of the Point Judith Lighthouse located on the grounds of the Point Judith Coast Guard Station. This light remains an active aid to navigation. The grounds are open to the public for walking and viewing the light and the sea.



This area is a very popular spot for the local surfers even during normal conditions. As early as we were, we were happy to find a parking spot on the narrow median strip. All the lots were full. Conditions were overcast and patchy fog. Not especially great for photography. This is just a small sample of the number of surfers that were there this morning. As we drove off there were a number of cars, trucks, and SUV's heading in with surf boards tied to the vehicles.


We drove along the coast through Narragansett to our next destination, the Southern most point on Conanicut Island. The Beavertail Lighthouse is located on this point at the entrance of Narragansett Bay. If you look at an aerial map of this area you will see that this jut of land is shaped like a beavertail. This is a popular area for local fisherman to spent some peaceful hours hoping to catch supper. This light is still an active aid to Navigation.

Because of the rocky shoreline. there is no swimming or surfing. There is just no safe way to enter the water or to get out.



Ther were a considerable number of folks here this morning. In addition to those who came for the surf action, there were several families visiting the marine exhibit where some touching is allowed. There is also a Beavertail Lighthouse museum and gift shop avilable during the summer months.







This lady sat there for the longest time. Ocassionally the salt spray would fly over her.


Carol and I enjoyed our time watching the waves, taking pictures, enjoying the salt air and ocean breezes. We were back to North Providence in time to have a late breakfast (lunch) at a favorite restaurant.





Wednesday, August 12, 2009

4Town Farm



4Townfarm is located in Seekonk, Massachusetts which takes us about 20 minutes to drive to. My son introduced me to this farm years ago. Their produce is picked daily. Carol and I are big fans of the farm. We started cooking the beet greens just like we cooked the farm fresh spinach. Immediately we liked it as well as the spinach. Often the gal at the register would give us extra beet greens as some customers do not want them and request that the greens be cut off. Carol has done beets boiled and more recently pickled at my request. I will never be able to eat jar pickled beets again. Hers are so good.

Depending on the growing cycle, customers are allowed to pick their own. Today raspberries and flowers were available. This coming Saturday blueberries will be available for picking. Below is a picture of the raspberries and below that a view of the flowers.







We have tried a number of new (to us) vegetables. This was the first place that I ever saw yellow carrots. Added to the coleslaw mix of regular carrots, green and red cabbage, they add a certain sweetness to the coleslaw. It is a pleasant dish as I like coleslaw and I have yet to find a restaurant in the Northeast that does a decent coleslaw. Below is a picture of a Patti Pan squash. I slice the squash into half inch slices, a little olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper and grill the slices until slightly soft. It has a unique taste and is a welcome change to the zucchini and yellow squash that I do on the grill. I also will grill asparagus that has been briefly marinated in olive oil and crushed garlic in oil.


I am waiting for the yellow watermelon to be ready. Another week or two. I first discovered this a couple of summers ago. It is very different looking from the red watermelon. It is sweet and juicy and very pleasant to eat. Of course we always buy the different varieties of lettuce, rare ripe onions, cucumbers, peppers, radishes and ears of corn for Carol. These fresh vegetables are a pleasant summer addition to our diet.
I believe that the 4 towns are Seekonk and Swansea in Massachusetts and Barrington and East Providence in Rhode Island.



Saturday, August 01, 2009

10 things I miss about Panama city Beach, Florida

1. Swimming in the Gulf every morning


2. Publix Markets - So much better than Stop & Shop


3. Indian River Valencia orange juice


4.St. Andrews State Park


5. The Pickle Patch Restaurant


6. Being able to buy beer in the Supermarket


7.Sunsets over the Gulf


8. Thomas's donuts - best ever


9. WHJG TV Their newscasters are so much better than the RI stations


10. Apalachacola raw oysters

Trigger Finger

I have had several trigger fingers. The medical term is digital tenovagintis stenosans. Basically it is caused when the sheath surrounding the tendon of a finger or thumb becomes restricted. The most logical explanation of why it is called trigger finger is that when the bent finger is straighten it makes a "popping" sound. The first time it was the pinkie finger on my right hand. This was several years ago. The doctor first tried injecting the affected area with a corticosteroid that is generally effective in over half of the patients. It did not work and I had the surgery. It is done under local anesthetic and is a relatively quick procedure. The incision is usually made in the crease of the hand. Healing is sometimes slowed by the opening and closing of the hand. Since then both thumbs have been repaired by surgery. In both instances I skipped the injection and went right to surgery. My middle finger on my left hand is now affected. I have been ignoring the pain and aggravation since early spring. My life has been too busy to deal with it. This past week I finally went to see the surgeon. he remembered that the shot did not do well the first time. I told him that unlike previous times when I was mentally prepared for the surgery, that I was having a hard time gearing up for it. I said I would like the injection. He told me to lay down on the table as "it hurts like a bastard". He had the same shot himself. I hope the 30 seconds of agony will give me several months of pain relief. The finger is moving freely and I am relatively pain free. However the palm of my hand where the injection was administered is very tender. I am icing the area as instructed. I hope I can avoid surgery until next summer. Today is day five since the injection. Hoping for the best.