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Newport – Day 5… Watch Hill scenic drive, the Ocean House and a home literally ON the ocean.

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After our lovely lunch in Galilee we took the advice of some locals and headed off on a scenic drive to Watch Hill.

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A popular beach destination in the summer, the carousel.. and pretty much everything else.. was shut up tight off season.

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But the beautiful waterfront homes were still there.

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With impressive stone walls…

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And neatly trimmed hedges.

I include this photo because the perfect shrubs weren’t just in front of one home, it was an entire neighborhood of likeminded shrubbery.

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Which was hella impressive and must be beautiful when fully leafed out.

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Along the way we drove past this.

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An impressive looking place of which I had no previous knowledge.

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“…one of only fourteen Five-Star resorts in the world to hold this honor.”

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Impressive indeed.

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Reading that, you know I had to check out the accommodations.

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Oh my.

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Holy hell.

I somehow doubt any bed in Rhode Island is worth that.

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At the end of our drive we were astonished to find this house.

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Where being waterfront meant on the actual water.

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How crazy is that?

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News you can’t use.

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Use is a subjective term.

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How about… don’t.

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Geese.

You never know where they’ll show up.

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Bit noisy for nesting, but clearly she’s a Cubs fan.

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Lord, I hope not. Mine have expanded greatly post menopause.

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I’m sure you’ve all read about this genetic abomination. And while I am completely and absolutely 100 percent against rejuvenating extinct species… as a GOT lover I will say this now that’s it’s done –

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😉

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Good for her…?

🥴

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Does Artificial Intelligence require bacon treats as well?

How odd.

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He likes it … in theory.

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There’s a restaurant under the black awning in this corner building in downtown Augusta.

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It’s a place my husband continually thinks he likes, but really doesn’t.

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I love that their beer is tapped in an old copper still.

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And while the pomegranate margarita was killer, I admit their version of hushpuppies was not.

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We’ve been here a few times and because I enjoy barbecue, I liked my meal.

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Half a dry rubbed chicken, sweet potato fries, slaw and jalapeño cornbread.

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My husband on the other hand complained his (very tender and flavorful) ribs didn’t have enough meat, his beans weren’t New England style, his slaw was too dry and his cornbread too spicy.

He doesn’t really like barbecue, but always thinks he does… no matter how many times I tell him he won’t be pleased.

Short memory, or stubbornness? Either way it will probably be another year before he suggests going out for barbecue again.

😉

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Newport – Day 5…. in which we visit Narragansett and Galilee and have lunch beside an old Marine.

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Another day, another scenic coastal drive.

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Through Narragansett…

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And under the remnants of its once famous casino.

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Down to the end of a peninsula, an area called Galilee.

You can see Jerusalem from there.

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No, I wasn’t kidding.

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Our destination was George’s.

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A seafood restaurant with a water view.

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Lunch off season left us with the place pretty much to ourselves….

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So I settled in with a perfectly refreshing Spring Sangria…

grey goose l’orange vodka, st. germain, pineapple, white wine, club soda

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Husband started with garlicky mussels..

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And I had Rhode Island clam chowder, which is pretty much the same as New England clam chowder… rich, creamy and delicious.

Before long a few locals joined us at the bar.

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Since the gentleman closest to me was wearing a Marine Corps hat, a conversation began. These two men had been friends since they were in elementary school. They married local girls, went to war and came back home to raise families.

We bought their drinks.

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As we watched the Block Island ferry come into port.

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My crab stuffed shrimp with garlic butter roasted baby potatoes and broccolini was divine.

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As was the husband’s shrimp scampi.

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After eating, serious storytelling commenced.

😊

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I left them to it and wandered outside to enjoy the view.

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You can always tell when a fishing boat has taken on bait.

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They have a dedicated seagull following.

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🐟🐟🐟

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Random nonsense.

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Because they took care of our cat while we were in Newport, I returned the favor and watched our neighbors two cats while they were in California. Upon return she brought us a thank you gift of regional beer.

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But not just any beer.

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Beer with a sense of humor.

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Ah, spring in Maine. It can go from 70 degrees to snow in 24 hours.

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And when the grass starts to green…

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The deer start blowing winter coats.

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They look like scruffy ragamuffins..

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And we find clumps of hair all over the lawn.

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We definitely did not.

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Unfortunate typo aside, I’m going to try this and report back.

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Newport – Day 5… The Elms’ actual kitchen, servant cloaking vines and exterior pics.

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Finished with the family’s personal space, we moved down the back staircase …

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To the beehive of the house…

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Past the upper level of the butler’s pantry.

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Which had some rather lovely wrought iron rails of its own.

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Down to the kitchen.

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The main kitchen had a coal fired stove and the heat was stifling. So much so, there was a completely separate “cold” kitchen with an enormous zinc topped prep table. (stainless steel wasn’t invented until 1912, the oxidized surface of zinc was naturally antibacterial)

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Naturally there was a separate service entry for deliveries and staff which was cleverly hidden from the family by a massive wisteria vine.

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Mind you the family was only here for 6 weeks in the summer so it would have been in full bloom and pretty then, not the dormant skeleton we saw.

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Exiting to the rear of the house, we strolled the grounds.

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Which retain only a fraction of their original size.

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And on the back lawn?

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The ever present Canada geese.

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My husband was impressed with the nicely trimmed shrubbery.

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As well as the art.

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These really are grand old buildings…

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And well preserved portals to the past.

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What?

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You don’t have a life size bronze sculpture of a tiger killing a crocodile on your lawn?

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Don’t feel bad.

Neither do we.

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An elm tree, from whence the house was named.

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Newport – Day 5… the Elms’ (not quite a kitchen) kitchen, a wicker toilet and the table that weighs a literal ton.

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Continuing our tour of the Elms, we learned some interesting history of the home before entering the breakfast room.

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When the sister of the original owner passed in 1961, she left the estate to her nephew. Not having the money for its upkeep… he auctioned off all the furniture and sold the property to a developer. Three days before the entire house was due to be demolished, the Preservation Society stepped in, raised funds for purchase and opened it to the public in 1962. Over the decades the Society has bought back a lot of the original furnishings you see here.

But back to the breakfast room. It’s walls are 18th century K’ang Hsi lacquer.

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Superb examples of the art form, this is one of only a few surviving lacquer rooms in the world.

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Next door is the butler’s pantry… where food would be plated before serving.

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The electric dumb waiter connects to the kitchen below and to the upper level of the pantry where the china was stored.

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The silver safe.

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View of the dining room from the pantry.

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Heading up the stairs to the second floor.

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In the center hall sits a large and extreme heavy ( two and a half tons! ) marble table.

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It was sold at the auction of furniture in ‘61… but proved too massive to move and was set to be demolished along with the house.

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The family’s private rooms are on this floor.

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Bedrooms.

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And baths.

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Please note the wicker “throne” in the masters bath below.

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Fit for a king of industry?

The sink is white onyx..

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So, perhaps.

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🤣

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These light fixtures made me smile.

Not sure why.

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Along with the bedrooms, we found the family’s personal sitting room.

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Downstairs was for guests.

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This was a private space, and filled with donated family photos.

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Let’s play.

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Continuing with my cat theme..

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten steals my ponytail holders on a regular basis. If I take one off and place it on a table?

It’s gone.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten steals the bookmark right out of my book. It has ribbon on the end and if I lay the book down?

It’s gone.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten loves bacon and has been known to swipe sandwiches off my plate. If it’s within reach?

It’s gone.

What does your cat burglar steal?

And if you aren’t lucky enough to be owned by a feline… what does your dog, bird, iguana or hamster burglar steal?

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We’re getting closer to a decision.

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I liked this bed, my husband didn’t.

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He liked this bed, but I didn’t.

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I liked this bed, the husband didn’t.

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He liked this bed, but I didn’t.

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Neither of us liked this bed, but Lord Dudley Mountcatten would have loved to scratch and shred it.

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Basically the decision we made is to just buy a mattress and keep our old bedroom furniture for now.

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And to be honest, that will probably cost more than our entire room of solid mahogany furniture we bought (many, many) years ago.

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So as much as my menopausal night sweats cried out for this icy cold pillow?

I couldn’t justify the $300 price tag.

$300.

For a pillow.

😳

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Newport – Day 5…. The Elms, a working man’s cottage ( so to speak), a mahjong conservatory and some painstaking restoration.

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Since we still had one “cottage” left to tour on our ticket… we visited The Elms on our fifth morning in Newport, Rhode Island.

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The Elms was built by a self made man. A son of German immigrants turned coal magnate, Edwin Julius Berwind.

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Completed in 1901 for approximately $1.4 million, the equivalent of $50 million today.

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A mini sphinx by the front door?

Why not.

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While this house is grand by any standard, it’s not over the top ornate like The Breakers or The Marble House we visited the day before.

Upon entry?

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My husband, talking.

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I peeked into the ballroom as he was chatting.

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As the docent was called away, he resumed our tour.

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Mr. Berwind’s library.

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And if I remember correctly, Mr. Berwind.

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The conservatory was a nice room and would have been filled with palms and exotic orchids in its day.

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Bridge parties and mahjong were played here by the lady of the house.

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The view out back from one of the large windows.

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Can’t say I’d mind spending time in here with a cocktail.

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And as my husband continued to talk, I admired the table.

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The drawing room.

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I’m trying to imagine Lord Dudley Mountcatten chasing a catnip mouse down this hallway.

Nope. Can’t see it.

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The ballroom.

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The neighbor lady from across the street in period dress.

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Restoration in these homes is a constant and never ending process and is funded by donation as well as ticket sales.

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The dining room.

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To be continued…

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