So long Rhode Island...

It's 11:36 PM, and we need to get up at 2:30 AM so that we can get packed, head out and drive to Boston to the airport, return the rental car, and somehow not fall asleep along the way to catch our early flight home.

This trip has been so fun - oysters, lobstah, beer, friends and their lovely family, and a great little getaway.  And we added Rhode Island and Connecticut to our list of states!

Such a fun weekend - one more day...then back to reality.

Much love to everyone!

P&C

Fireworks in East Greenwich!

These Rhode Islanders know how to do fireworks right.  Right on the beach.  40 feet away.  It was frightening.  And wicked awesome.

Jon photo bombed.  I lit a sparkler and tried not to burn the kids' faces off (or my own), we had a bottle of Sutter Home (I'm not sure how that happened), and we spent an amazing 4th of July weekend with some pretty amazing and kind folks.

Fantastic.

Lunch. More Oysters and Lobster.

I've literally had 4 lobster rolls and a lobster since we got here.  And oysters 3 times.

Mansions of Newport

So in Newport there are all these crazy huge mansions, and we visited The Breakers - home of the Vanderbuilts.  WOW.  It was like Glensheen, the James J. Hill House, and castles in Europe from the 1800s all rolled into one.  I mean nutty opulence.  But super cool.  Choice pics below...

Newport at Night

We headed back to Newport last night after a nap, and had dinner with C&J.

Yes.  Another lobster salad sandwich.  Shut up.  They are amazing.

We then walked down to the harbor - MAN, people have a lot of money.  The boats (ships???) there were HUGE.  There were a ton of sailboat/cruising boats coming back in around 10pm - they had been out watching the fireworks.  It was crazy how they just cruised in, some backward, some forward, and nestled into the dock.

We are headed back to Newport to do the mansions today, then headed back to Coventry for, you guessed it, more lobster!

Oystas! Lobstah!

I could eat this forever.

Mystic, CT

Did a little road trip to Mystic, CT.  We can now cross Connecticut off of our state list!!

Did the little Mystic Seaboard - old-timey houses, etc.  LOTS of boat-related things...building boats, boat paraphernalia, boats.

It was hot as balls.  HOT.  AS.  BALLS.  But if we were on the water it would have been perfect.

Sunday: Mystic and Newport!

Heading to Mystic (you know the movie Mystic Pizza?) today, and then to Newport!

Looking forward to hanging out with C&J, and seeing the sites.

More to come...in between, watch Mystic Pizza.  It's a terrible movie, but I think it was Julie Roberts' first.  And she is terrible in it.

Party at the Messiers!

We came to Rhode Island because the lovely N&M invited us to a summer picnic.  They are really the most kind and wonderful people.  We met so many of their friends and relatives today, not hard to see that they have tons of people in their corner.

So fun to see C&J there too - it's funny, they live a mile and a half from us, and we had to come to J's parents in Rhode Island to see them!  Ha!

OYSTERS!!

I love oysters.  I mean I really love oysters.  And these were no exception.

Had a late lunch at the Providence Oyster Bar - wonderful little restaurant, amazing oysters.  And the lobster role wasn't half bad either!

These are:

• Beau Soleil from New Brunswick
• Savage Blonds from Prince Edward Island
• Salt Pond from Rhode Island

They were briny and minerally and salty and OH!  So amazing.  

Chris didn't have any.  It's a texture thing...

Providence & the State House

Headed out for brunch this morning to a cute little local joint.  Yummy breakfast.

It's hot and humid and swampy here (nice) but we decided to walk around downtown a bit, then walked over to the State House.  It really is lovely, and I just realized we can also see it from our hotel room.  No tours on Saturday, but took these.

Next stop?  Lunch, and OYSTERS.

Rhode Island!

Got here last night after an interesting flight where there was (1) no curtain between first class and coach, (2) multiple people came from coach to use the first class bathroom, and (3) the flight attendants looked genuinely sorry about it.

Yes, I know.  I'm a snob.  But here is the thing.  I PAY FOR FIRST CLASS.  If people want to shell out 2-3 times more for their ticket, they too can get a special bathroom and special treatment.  Multiple people hitting the first class bathroom from coach prevented me from going.  Pissed me off.

However, we got to Boston without event and drove up to Providence.

Today - brunch, state house, walking around, and the picnic at N&M's house!

Should be a good day.  Hot as balls.  But a good day.