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The red b*tch is back and driving our boy crazy.
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Running across the deck railing and making Lord Dudley Mountcatten cackle in frustration.
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He was so agitated I had to take him outside for a closer look.
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He tried….
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But she’s just too quick.
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As our fifth day in glorious Newport, Rhode Island was drawing to a close… we made one final stop.
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Needing a bottle or two of regional wine to gift our pet sitting neighbor upon our return, we ducked into a local favorite.
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I can honestly say I’ve never visited a winery that’s also a brewery, but this place made it work.
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With multiple tasting rooms…
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And outdoors spaces…
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We browsed their large retail shop, purchased two bottles of wine for our neighbor and chuckled at this hard cider I know Mark would love.
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Making our way into the tasting room, we stood on line and ordered a flight.
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Which is when the men who stood beside us paid for it. Thanking my husband for his service and saying Semper Fi started a conversation with one of them which would last until the employees were locking the doors and we were the last people in the building. My husband’s money was no good and stories of the military flowed.
Turns out this fellow was a Commander who was in the Persian Gulf the same time as my husband and an instant friendship was formed.
I’ve been married to my guy for 41 years and have heard his stories so many times I could recite them myself, but there’s something about veterans getting together and talking about their experiences that resonates. It’s special. A brotherhood that civilians can never truly understand.
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Commemorating the meeting with a photo as I always do, our new friend asked me to text him a copy and shortly after we parted ways sent me this message.
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He included this old photo.
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And not that we needed one, but reuniting these two men will be an excellent excuse to visit Newport again.
❤️
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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River's world..... 