Day 1145 Relics

 

Oh, how I love my beautiful Rhode Island! With my son visiting, I had the chance to play tourist for the day, soaking in everything that makes RI a premier destination.

We lounged through the morning, then enjoyed a delicious lunch at Two Ten Oyster Bar, sitting outside on the deck overlooking the marina—arguably one of the best views in South County. When Tim got home early, we set off for Newport to shop, sightsee, and have dinner.

We browsed Kiel James Patrick and The Royal Male—definitely a far cry from my usual thrifting vibe, but my son is fancy like that. He picked up a beautiful wool sweater that I’m sure he’ll love all winter long.

I made it a point to show him the whimsical umbrellas suspended over Brick Market, and then we headed to the Newport Tower for a little mysterious history. There's been endless debate about who built the tower and what it was originally used for. Theories range from Vikings to Portuguese explorers to the Knights Templar, the Chinese..or American Colonists and just about anyone and everyone else. Carbon dating of the mortar places it in the 17th century—possibly the base of a windmill?  No one knows for sure, which makes it a fun site to visit and imagine your own story.

We drove by the Newport Library to see the wooden elephants left behind after the Great Elephant Migration exhibit. Three of the sculptures were gifted to the city. They are beautiful and certainly an unexpected surprise on the library lawn.

Dinner was at the Hibernian Club, our secret Irish Catholic hangout—members-only, and male members at that. Tim joined the club a few years ago, and we always have a great time when we visit, though we don’t make it over to Newport nearly often enough.

The weather was perfect, the seaside air crisp and fresh, and I got to spend the day with two of my all-time favorite guys. Honestly, it was just about as perfect as a day could be.

We headed home fairly early, still a bit tired from the late-night airport pickup, but happy we managed to pack so much into a classic New England day.

Oh, how  I love where I live—and appreciate how lucky I am to share it with the people I love. Rhode Island may be small, but it holds endless magic, spectacular sites and mysterious relics from history.