An Afternoon in Newport, Rhode Island

Last week, Colette and I took off for a long-anticipated afternoon in Newport, Rhode Island. We had been watching the forecast for a week and were thrilled that temps were supposed to be in the upper-50's. It was finally going to feel like spring! We had our plans all lined up for the sights we wanted to see and the places we wanted to visit. We were off!

First stop was in Providence at PVDonuts, "Rhode Island's First Specialty Donut Shop". We don't often indulge in donuts, but when we're off exploring new towns, we treat ourselves. And it did not disappoint! The line was out the door, but the donuts were worth the wait.

We devoured a few, and brought these home with us to share: Passionfruit Filled, Maple Bacon, White Chocolate Raspberry, PVD Cream Filled, Fudge Oreo, and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Our favorite, hands-down, was the Samoa (not pictured). Don't miss it if you pay them a visit.

One of my favorite things about living in New England is taking off down an unknown road and rounding a corner and discovering something unexpected and beautiful...a lake, a covered bridge, a quaint farmstand. Rarely do you round a corner, however, and have your jaw drop at the sight, which is exactly what happened when we spotted the Newport Country Club. Gorgeous!

Then it was down to the seashore. We're not sure what happened to those upper-50's temps forecast, but the wind was whipping, the sea was churning in moody colors, the sky was spitting rain, and we were freezing.

There's Colette encouraging me to come down those stairs. But I'm quite terrified of heights and a staircase with no railing on one side and just a rope to protect you from certain death on the other?!?! No way!

She had to come up and coach me down. I got to the end of the landing and that was it for me! It all stems from a childhood incident of getting "stuck" on a roof. Long story.

Nearby was the historic Castle Hill Inn. Isn't it gorgeous perched there looking out to sea? And since we were so cold we could barely feel our fingers, we headed off that direction for lunch.

Lunch views...

Back on the road and driving to our next stop, we passed Hammersmith Farm, which was the childhood summer home of Jacqueline Kennedy and the place where she and JFK wed.

Then we toured Rosecliff Mansion, the former home of a silver heiress from Nevada. It was one of the Newport Mansions that we didn't see last time we were there.

Then we drove back into the heart of the city for a little shopping. First stop was The Royal Male, where you enter through a cheery, red, Dutch door into a world filled with lambswool, tweed, Barbour coats, and all things British.

And then we stopped at the KJP store for all things preppy and nautical.

We grabbed some Starbucks for the long drive and headed towards home. It was a really fun day...a little nature and outdoors, a lovely inn lunch, wacky and tasty donuts, some historical architecture, and a bit of shopping. A good girls day out!

30th Anniversary Celebration - Top of the Hub

Recently, we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary! That's a long time, when you stop to think of it...thirty years! I'm so grateful for the steadfast love of my Hubby! So grateful to God for bringing us together.

We met through a mutual friend. My friend was best friends with his roommate, and we were visiting him. I was sitting in his living room when he came home that day. He often jokes, "You can't beat it when God delivers her right to your house!" We were engaged two months later, and married six months after that.

And now, thirty years later, we were celebrating our love! Part of our anniversary celebration was our weekend away in February at the Mount Washington Hotel. And the second half was a very special dinner at The Top of the Hub restaurant in Boston. Dressing up for a night on the town!

It is on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center with a sweeping view of the entire city. We were so grateful for a crystal clear day with a view that stretched forever! Almost in the middle of this picture is Boston Common and the Public Garden. Stretching between them and the bottom left corner of this picture are the rooftops of the Back Bay.

Zooming in on Copley Square, named for the artist John Singleton Copley.

Dinner was a scrumptious three course affair...every one with a pairing of wine. We each started with pumpkin ravioli with goat cheese. Then Hubby had the steak and I had the chicken. And we both enjoyed creme brulee with fresh berries for dessert.

We purposely timed our reservation to allow us to see the city in the daylight, and then enjoy the magic of lights coming on and the dazzling sight of the city at night. It couldn't have been more perfect!

Easter

1. "...Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
   Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
   Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
   Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!..."
2. - Charles Wesley (1739)
3. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Joyful Easter blessings rang out between us and friends and family near and far on Sunday! We hope you had a wonderful celebration of Christ's resurrection with your family too.

After worshiping at church, everyone came to our house for the rest of the day. We were grateful for temperatures in the 50's and no snow in the backyard, so we could have the egg hunt there.

Then it was time for appetizers. Again...loving our appetizer plates! Don't you just adore this picture? SOMEONE is passing by all those tempting veggies and going straight for the gummy bears and worms! Got to love it!

The table had a "gardening" sort of look this year...an abundance of floral, glass and silver baskets, and cloches which contained tiny plants.

And more of the appetizer plates did double-duty as bread and butter plates. And each one had a little bread and butter knife, which I've been collecting at antique stores throughout New England. It was the first time we've given the grandkids knives, and I was envisioning that they would be turned to "sword play" during dinner, but everyone was quite restrained...even the adults!

- DINNER MENU -

Appetizer

Vegetable Platter with Tatziki and Spinach Dip

Main Course

Brown Sugar-Coated Ham

Roasted Red Potatoes

Fruit Salad

Roasted Asparagus

Dinner Rolls/Butter

Dessert

Chocolate Cake with Berries

Mango Sorbetto

Raspberry Sorbetto

I had made other plans for dessert, as you may recall, but then we decided to celebrate Felicity's birthday on Easter. So, Colette made her a decadent chocolate cake and we piled it high with berries! Simple and delicious!

And there was a great deal of adorableness (which involved about 5-10 minutes of clapping and encouragment to "smile" and "put your hands down" and "look at the camera") and hugs all around.

Blessings beyond measure!