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A few random shots of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine… because we were driving through there recently and it’s pretty.
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The Bush compound, summer retreat of the President’s family.
Not my photo as the husband drove by too fast for me to snap one this time.
😉
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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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Newport, Rhode Island is famous for its Gilded Age “cottages”. These stately mansions line the waterfront on an avenue appropriately named Bellevue… ‘beautiful view’ in French.
And cruising down that graceful tree lined avenue is indeed a beautiful thing.
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Ornate wrought iron gates guard impressive estates.
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Some are owned by the Preservation Society and open to the public …
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Some are still privately held.
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Some look like the Addams family could live there, but trust me… they’re all spectacular.
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It’s like stepping back in time.
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Before all those pesky taxes, regulations and workers unions ate into the homeowner’s stash of cash.
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We were told Larry Ellison (founder of Oracle) just bought two adjoining properties, tore one house down and is doing 150 million dollars worth of renovations to the other. In a city that worships its history, this is akin to wholesale slaughter.
Needless to say he will not be receiving a welcoming apple pie from his neighbors.
Continuing down Bellevue Ave, we took the scenic route on Ocean Drive.
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Where large waterfront homes and properties rule the day.
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Jay Leno has a big spread here.
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And is said to drive his cars around town, popping into local restaurants and pubs quietly and politely.
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This is a gorgeous area.
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Scenically beautiful.
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And if I had that kind of money?
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I’d live here too.
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Stone is a favored building material. And turrets are popular.
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Because who doesn’t love a turret?
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Continuing across the bridge, we headed for Jamestown.
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First established in 1678 by the Massachusetts Bay Company on Conanicut Island, it’s the second largest island in Narragansett Bay.
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And though it has impressive waterfront homes like Newport…
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It’s a quieter, more laid back, rural town.
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I’m not sure why you’d want a deck around your chimney, but these people did.
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The coastline is very similar to ours in Maine.
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And they do love their stone walls.
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Crossing another bridge, we ended the day at a brewery in Middletown.
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Where I had a blueberry beer with actual blueberries in the glass. Shame it didn’t taste anything like fruit.
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An old photo on the wall paid tribute to the popular beers of days gone by. And though we were surrounded by Narragansett Bay on all sides, and Narragansett beer was on every tap in every restaurant…. the brewery itself is inland, in Providence and run by a New York company.
Boo to that.
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After an excellent clam chowder and French onion start…
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And the annoying lack of adverbs, the meal was sub par and not close to photo worthy.
But on the drive back to the resort?
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The ever present geese.
They never disappoint.
😊
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Our second day in Newport dawned bright, sunny and of course… windy. Not breezy mind you, but knock you off your feet gusts. It took some getting used to.
Seeing as our resort (blue dot) was right across from Goat Island, a drive over there was our first stop.
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Goat Island is small, and so is their lighthouse.
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Since the wind felt hurricane force, we opted to enjoy it from the car.
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The lighthouse is a popular wedding destination as it sits on the end of the giant Newport Harbor resort that takes up half the island.
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(Internet photo, I didn’t suddenly sprout wings.)
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The other side of the island is a private gated community so we opted to walk along the marina instead.
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You’re never very far from water in Newport and it’s all about sailing here.
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The masts are sky high and hella impressive.
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Back across the bridge we headed for Ocean Drive, a scenic byway that loops along the shore at the bottom of Newport.
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We found geese on walls.
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Geese on lawns.
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And geese in the air, flying by some stunning waterfront homes.
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The rugged shore is very like ours in Maine.
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And like Maine, the wealthy build their homes in the best spots.
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And while I never thought anyone could beat the amount of stone in my fair state…
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Rhode Island can certainly give us a run for our money.
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Friday dawned sunny and relatively warm so the husband and I jumped in the car for a drive to the mountains.
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Heading west to try a new brewery that had popped up since our last visit.
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And while the hilltops were free of snow, the lakes were still frozen.
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Our destination was Steam Mill Brewing which had a colorful tasting room.
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And a comfortable, laid back western vibe.
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We did a few tastings but weren’t overly impressed with the beer.
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But my Rogue Angel – Titos, elderflower cordial, grapefruit juice, soda water and orange bitters – hit the spot.
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Crab cakes with Cajun remoulade and truffle aoili? OMG. To die for. Some of the best I’ve ever had… and they are always my go to app.
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Husband’s French onion soup? Dark, rich and full of sherry. Yum.
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The vaguely spider like overhead lighting was bizarre.
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But my veal, beef and pork bolognese and his mixed green salad with grilled chicken and warm maple vinaigrette were amazing.
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The town was also running a cocktail competition that, had I lived there, I would have been all over. Bar hop 11 places and taste test their cocktails? Sign me up.
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Naturally I tried Steam Mill’s entry… which, while tasty, was down right deadly.
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On our way out, the rest rooms provided a few laughs.
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Then it was back over the mountains for a scenic drive home.
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A good time was had by all.
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Leaving York Beach the other day, we headed north along the coastal route.
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Past the park…
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And down to Cape Neddick….
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Home to the (famous in these parts) Nubble Light.
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Built in 1878 at the cost of $15,000, Nubble is still in use today and contains its original Fresnel lens.
Fun fact?
Nubble Light is a famous American icon and a classic example of a lighthouse. An image of the lighthouse is included on the Voyager Golden Record carried by the Voyager spacecraft as one of Earth’s most prominent man-made structures or natural features, alongside features such as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal, to be viewed should it fall into the hands of intelligent extraterrestrials.
And though my picture looks like you could just walk right up and explore, the lighthouse actually sits on an island and is inaccessible to the public.
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No matter, the scenery is pretty sweet from this side as well.
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😊
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Continuing north through the Carrabassett Valley on our leaf peeping day trip we passed Sugarloaf,
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A popular ski resort I’ve often heard of but never visited.
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First impression?
It’s huge.
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Long winding valley roads filled with spectacular autumn color.
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It took us a while to find the main lodge..
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And though we were hoping to stop in for lunch and a toddy their annoying restaurant was only serving breakfast and dinner.
Boo to that.
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So we explored instead.
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Past golf courses and condos and glorious trees.
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I love this time of year!
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😊
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🍁🍁🍁
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There’s a hidden road in East Boothbay, Maine that we have to cruise whenever we’re in the area.
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It winds along the rocky coast …
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And offers some stunning views.
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The waterfront homes are really on the waterfront. Sometimes by mere inches.
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The shore is rugged.
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The Atlantic Ocean vast.
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We love it.
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How could you not…?
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💕
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The undiscovered country is always the best.. and when we travel, we love nothing more than stumbling upon a place we never knew existed.
Enter Lake Willoughby in Vermont.
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Imagine randomly picking a road to travel home and finding this.
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Not being in any hurry, we stopped.
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And groaned at the bad grammar.
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But bad spelling aside…. wow.
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There was a path that ran alongside part of the lake and though I wasn’t dressed for hiking, I happily headed out.
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This is a glacial lake and every part of it was glorious.
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My pictures don’t really do it justice, but in spots the colors were positively surreal.
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The wind was ripping and I couldn’t feel my nose, but we pressed on.
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Being careful not to trample any seedlings.
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Mountains, rocks and a glacial lake.
Yes please.
To be continued…
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All good things must end and after a wonderful 5 days in Vermont our mini vacation did.
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Vermont. The state where even private driveways have covered bridges.
As we left the resort and headed for the Northern Kingdom, I found proof it does exist.
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If only I could have found the garden.
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A lonely cemetery.
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The Kingdom is another world. Rugged, mountainous and sparsely populated.
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With some rather odd inhabitants.
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And as we were heading home, we discovered a hidden, and heretofore unknown to us, gem.
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Lake Willoughby.
To be continued…
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River's world..... 