Day 369 Umbrella Sky

 

Oh, what a night! I'm so thankful I had the forethought to plan an evening out in Newport with friends, some nights are just magical. We started at the Officers Club at the Navy Base, spectacular view, live music and fortunately the weather was perfect. The O club is possibly the best location in all of Newport to watch the sunset, somehow it never disappoints. The sky explodes with breathtaking colors that become a backdrop for our beautiful Newport Bridge. Everyone tries to capture a photo as the sun goes down but they never come close to the grandeur and brilliance your eyes witness. Once the sun went down we continued on to visit the Umbrella Sky Project in the brick market square. Over 500 umbrellas have been suspended in air for a magical, colorful skyline. You couldn't help but be in awe as you walked under the visual art. The display will remain in place until the first week of October so if you can get to Newport, go! We walked down the cobblestone streets, built in the early 1700's, to the Brick Alley Pub, munched on Nachos, hung out around a bar table as if we were in our twenties.  Keeping the momentum rolling we headed over to the Hibernian Club to close the night in style. What the heck is a Hibernian you ask? The Ancient order of Hibernians is an Irish and Irish-American organization that traces its roots back to the organization of the Defenders in Ireland in 1565 to protect Roman Catholic priests and the Church against English persecution. Tim is a member of the Newport Hibernian Club so the rest of us were allowed in riding his coattails. We were given a tour of the building, a brief history of the club and couldn't have received a warmer welcome. If we lived closer I could see us becoming regulars but with Newport being a 20 minute ride, with two bridges between us, the distance is too great! Rhode Islanders don't like to drive more than five or ten minutes for anything! It's no wonder we had to make such a night of it, having driven all that way!! By the time we arrived home it was well into the morning hours and we were all pleased with the fact that we had successfully squeezed every bit of fun possible out of a Friday night. Maybe twenty year olds should try to emulate us?!