Saturday, August 5, 2017
Claude and I left at 7:30 a.m., dropped the Volvo at Economy, and met the Dorns at the Southwest desk. The Sorensens arrived shortly after.
The flight to Boston was pleasant, arriving at 1:20 p.m. Jay went ahead to arrange for the rental vans;
we followed, after collecting our luggage. Brad's GPS got us to 20 W. Thorpe Ave. with no problem where we will be residing for the coming week. Somehow, Jay made some error and he arrived almost an hour later.
We assessed the sleeping arrangements and Claude volunteered to sleep on the couch. The boys will sleep downstairs, as will Laura and Jay; Brad and Janice will have the other bedroom, Annika will sleep on the floor. I will have a bedroom to myself.
Laura, Jay and Janice planned menus for the next couple of days and grocery shopped. We searched nearby restaurants for tonight's supper, but most had long wait times. Pizzas would be the best idea.
Janice, Brad, Claude and I went to the 8:30 a.m. mass at St. Anthony's Parish. After mass we stopped to
The Conservatory of Roger Williams Botanical Gardens consisted of four buildings and gardens.
A park bench and a bistro table provided a place to have lunch, with a homestead nearby.
After relaxing at home we dressed for our 7:15 p.m. dinner at The Boathouse. Our table was ready at a table overlooking the ocean. I enjoyed a delicious
seafood scampi, a mix of shrimp scallops and lobster over linguini, that I enjoyed very much with my
martini. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their entrees as well.
Claude, Janice and Jay worked on a puzzle to finish their evening.
Janice made an egg/cheese dish with a corn flakes topping and hash browns plus fresh fruit.
Brad tested the ocean.
Our original plan was to do a mansion tour. Aleksei is under the weather and it would be a wasted ticket
if we went. Since it is not a dated ticket, we can go another time. We headed for the New Bedford
Maritime Whaling Museum.
We watched a whaling movie in the Information building before going to the museum. It was vast, with floors and rooms filled with fascinating artifacts and stories. I was especially impressed with the scrimshaw room, containing intricate carvings on utensils, jewelry and other objects made from whale bones and teeth.
We met at 2:00 p.m. and found a food store for more
supplies; the food store was not as well stocked as others. We found a place to spread our food (cheese
crackers sausage, chips, cookies, apple and beverages) on the waterfront near a military museum. After we ate we walked through the museum that was loaded on every wall and cabinets filled with collections from every war. There was no admission, but donations were accepted by volunteers who answered our questions. It was an overcast day with a few sprinkles. We made good use of it. We ate
local at Localz Restaurant, very near our home. We were quite satisfied; Aleksei was still not able to join
us because his stomach was unsettled. We finished the evening playing Tribond, a game where a team
had to guess the common bond of three phrases/words. A lot of fun.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Jay made pancakes, sausage, fruit, with some of yesterday's egg dish.
We browsed the cute shops at the wharf before setting sail for our 12:30 p.m. schooner ride on an overcast day, holding my breath that it wouldn't rain.
We had no rain, but sunshine and calm waters on a lovely sail that everyone enjoyed.
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Jay and the boys brought coolers to a nearby square for our light lunch, just enough to satisfy us until dinner.
Janice, Brad, Claude and I went to the Trinity Church that was once visited by George Washington and Queen Elizabeth II.
We walked back to the wharf checking out restaurants for dinner, but there would be too much time to fill until dinner time. When we assembled, I suggested that each car group explore on their own and we'd meet at the house at 6:00 p.m. and have dinner at J.J.Dion's in Bristol. Janice wanted to do a walking path, but we changed course when we learned about the first tavern in America near where our car was parked. It was a cozy place and the bartender gave us some historical facts. There were also people from Milwaukee sitting at the bar. We had beers, and cocktails outdoors.
We got home shortly before 6:00 p.m., with just enough time to get ready for dinner. We had table in a private room indoors. I had delicious baked scallops with mushrooms and cheddar cheese in Marsala
sauce.
Everyone enjoyed their meals. The day was a huge success.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Laura prepared an egg dish together with a lot of fresh fruit with halved grapes. We made a stop for groceries before heading to the Breakers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakers. Head phones were included in admission and enhanced the experience tremendously. We could pace ourselves and get a lot of information without having to strain to hear a docent. The mansion was beyond description, with so much opulence.
We drove to Brenton Point State Park where we had our lunch with one of the most spectacular views of the east coast.
We saw some kite flying as we ate.
A man offered to take our picture.
The nearby Marble House was our next stop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_House. There weren't as many people because the Breakers is more popular. Again, we had earphones and paced ourselves along the tour. Everyone enjoyed both houses.
We drove home and relaxed until time for dinner at the 15 Point Restaurant where we ate on the deck
with a guitar player in the background. I was comfortable with my stole as was Laura with her newly
purchased poncho.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Peter this morning. We are splitting our destinations: the Dorns want
to see the Patriot stadium, the rest are researching other destinations.
Laura, Jay, Annika Claude and I took off for Bristol. We explored some shops; I bought a quill card and
frame for Laura 's birthday. We looked into restaurants and a couple look promising.
We found an ideal picnic spot for lunch before continuing our exploring.
We drove to the Slater Mill in Pawtucket where a guide gave us a personal tour, explaining much of the machinery and operating some. I learned a lot about the textile industry. It was a very worthwhile place to spend some time.
On the way home I made reservations for tonight's and tomorrow night's dinners in Bristol.
We had delicious dinners at Le Central Bistro in Bristol. Colin and I had grilled lobster with fingerling
potatoes, green beans and beets, done to perfection.
We ended the evening sitting around a bonfire toasting marshmallows.
Janice's breakfast was Company French Toast, that satisfied all of us nicely.
We watched a video with text from Wikipedia, with very distracting background music that competed with the narration. A 14-year old docent gave a remarkable tour. It was definitely non-text, and he was able to answer our questions with a lot of confidence as he led us through the house. We are visiting history.
Next we drove to Wickford, parking at the wharf to spread out our lunch. It was just perfect, with
sailboats and kayaks in the water. After lunch, we walked through the town's little shops. Claude and I
walked together and I bought a colorful top; there is no tax on clothing. We stopped for groceries for tomorrow's last breakfast before heading back to relax before dinner in Bristol.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
We explored some of the Boston area before our plane departed for Milwaukee.
