Tag Archives: travel

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You get a stone wall. And you get a stone wall. Everyone gets a stone wall….

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This is the area where we did most of our exploring while in Rhode Island.

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We stayed in Newport at the end of one peninsula but drove up and over and down another through Tiverton, Little Compton and Sakonnet.

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Beautiful places all, but one thing that always stood out?

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The stone walls.

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Everywhere.

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In front of every house.

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Some beautifully maintained and manicured…

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Some tumbling and overgrown.

I live in Maine, we know stone walls. Our home alone has three, well… four if you count the one you can’t see down back in our woods… on our property. Our neighbors have none.

But in this section of Rhode Island?

They’re everywhere.

On both sides of the street… for miles.

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In Maine, some stone walls have been in place for hundreds of years. They came about when farmers needed to clear fields for planting or livestock. The stones were dug up, hauled away and used as fences.

Necessity, meet invention.

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But today if you build a house and want a stone wall? Prepare to pay.

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We had a friend who built them for a living and did very well.

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We haven’t had contact with him for almost decade but I remember the last time we saw him on a job in 2016… he was charging $1,000 for every 10 feet, plus the cost of the stone which will make you gasp.

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I can only imagine what he charges now.

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Antiquing, and a scenic drive.

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No vacation with my husband is complete without at least one trip to a junk filled hovel an antique store.

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The Newport area doesn’t have many but he found this one off the beaten path on the way to Tiverton.

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I’m not sure what crime this plant committed to be locked up in a cage, but it seemed relatively happy.

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Calling this place an antique store is a stretch. It had no name, no organization, no clever displays …

There was just stuff, a lot of it broken, everywhere… piled on top of each other.

My husband was in heaven.

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He found a stash of old BB gun air rifles and was transported back to his (more than slightly dangerous) childhood.

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I spotted an old phone similar to one I wanted for the man cave/Barn Mahal… but like everything else in this place it was useless, the guts had been torn out.

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Husband found a gun he wanted to buy but didn’t want to overpay. Since we were in a cell phone dead zone, he couldn’t look it up and had me take a picture for later.

Continuing our scenic drive we made it five minutes down the road, past a vine covered pole in the shape of a tree…

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When he pulled over to research the toy gun. Turns out it was worth 3 times the $50 asking price so he had to have it. Whipping the car around, we went back to the crap filled hovel store… only to find the old lady had closed. At 2:20 in the afternoon, on a Tuesday.

The husband was bereft. He searched the door and windows in vain for a phone number, but found only cobwebs.

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We drove on.

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Down through Tiverton…

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Past Little Compton…

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To Sakonnet Point, where this stack of rusted anchors reminded me of our resort’s artwork.

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Lovely waterfront areas all.

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And in case you’re interested? This house is for sale…

https://www.compass.com/listing/1660-main-road-tiverton-ri-02878/1755162903387237009/

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For a mere $13,250 a month.

If you buy it let me know, we can meet for cocktails on the porch.

😉

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Because we missed His Lordship and I have a patient husband.

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Have you ever been to a cat cafe?

I hadn’t, but always wanted to… imaging myself sipping a cup of tea surrounded by purring felines. So when I saw an advertisement for one right on our planned route for the day, I had to stop.

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Mind you… though the husband loves cats, he wasn’t totally on board with this plan.

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It was a small place, with everything appropriately cat themed.

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And though I wanted iced tea, all they had was chai… which was grossly over sweetened.

No matter… we were going to pet some cats!

Or were we?

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Turns out my dream of leisurely sipping and petting was ill formed as the actual cats are not allowed anywhere near the food and beverages. They’re in a separate room, which because we always have bad timing… was hosting a book club that wouldn’t be done for another half an hour.

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At that point the husband wanted to leave, but he loves me and indulged my desire to stay. With 30 minutes to kill we ordered overpriced sandwiches to go with our overpriced beverages and settled down to wait.

When the book club ladies started filing out of the chambre des chats, we disposed of our trash and made for the door… where we found a sign.

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At this point my husband really wanted to leave as he discovered it would be $20 for us to enter and pet cats… for 20 minutes.

But remember….

He loves me.

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So in we went.

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All the residents are up for adoption.

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And most of them were asleep.

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With the exception of little Miss Attitude…

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And this poor fellow who was thin and looked ill, though we were told he belongs to the owner and is just old.

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There weren’t a lot of cats, maybe 6.

We weren’t allowed to pick them up or sit with them on our laps.

And there was definitely no leisurely sipping and petting.

Conclusion?

Cat cafe – great idea.

Mediocre reality.

🐾

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Outdoor Mer.

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Finished with the indoor tour of Chateau Sur Mer, we headed outside.

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The original estate was 40 acres, but in its current preservation status , 17.

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There are some wonderful old growth trees.

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With low hanging branch seating.

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There aren’t any gardens here,…

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Just expanses of well manicured lawns and trees.

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But there is a moon gate.

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Though the gate is locked and the stairs to the top are cordoned off.

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This is as high as you can climb.

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Giant burl….

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Or hobbit hole?

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Either way it was a lovely place to stroll.

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😊

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Upstairs Mer.

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Continuing up to the second floor of Chateau Sur Mer in Newport ….

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We had to stop and gawk on the way.

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Fabulous woodwork aside, the hand painted crawling vines, lattice and greenery were quite something.

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No one is allowed on the third or fourth floors…

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But there’s plenty to see on the second.

This is the Butternut bedroom, so named for the light walnut bed and furniture.

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As always, the ceiling was so much more than white.

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Various bedroom and private sitting rooms for the family.

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You realize when you tour these mansions, the first floor is for impressing guests…

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The second is for day to day living.

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This mahogany and white tile bathroom is exactly as it was back in the day.

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With hot and cold running water it was pretty high tech.

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Except for the throne, which looks more like an indoor outhouse.

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Here’s the staircase to the third floor which we couldn’t access, though my husband did try.

😉

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More Mer.

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As we continued our tour of Chateau Sur Mer, a photo of the original 1852 home and the subsequent 1873 renovation.

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This portrait of the owner and his daughter creeped me out a bit.

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I can’t give you any specific reason, just an overall vibe.

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The dining room was a focal point of the home , with the upper part of the walls covered in Spanish leather that was stamped, silvered and painted.

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It’s all original and in relatively good shape.

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The matching chairs show a lot more wear.

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The fireplace carvings were lavish.

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With French majolica portraying disturbing scenes of a hunt.

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Cavorting Bacchus figures are enjoying some wine…

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With this amply endowed creature pouring.

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This sculpture gazes longingly at an iced tub of champagne and I got the feeling a lot of drinking went on here.

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Chateau Sur Mer is a house of exotic wood. And in order to prevent it from fading, most of the heavy drapes in the house are drawn. This made for some very dark photos and required me to edit them here so you can appreciate the richness.

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The butlers pantry was fully stocked.

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With some absolutely amazing silver.

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Nothing I own is anywhere near this elaborate…

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And I still have a hard time keeping it polished.

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I wouldn’t doubt there was a servant whose sole job was keeping this collection shiny.

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Finished with the downstairs …

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We made our way around the central hall …

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And headed for the staircase, which was a work of art in itself.

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Chateau Sur Mer

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Day four Newport, Rhode Island trip, part two… morning balcony selfie.

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First thing on the agenda that day was Chateau Sur Mer.

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Meaning Castle By The Sea, the home is a landmark of High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852 until the appearance of the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s.

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One of the first grand “cottages” on Bellevue Avenue, its lavish and extravagant parties ushered in the Gilded Age of Newport.

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From the outside it felt almost gothic.

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And beside the front door?

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One of those marvelous ancient weeping birches I keep admiring.

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This one had a canopy that delivered you into another world when you ducked under it.

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It was fabulous.

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During a conversation with a docent on our previous trip, we asked him which of the mansions was his favorite.

Being a woodworker, he said Chateau Sur Mer.

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Just a few steps inside revealed why.

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A three story 45 foot ceiling with broad balconies draws your eyes up.

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The Italianate library was designed and built in Italy, disassembled and rebuilt here for the owner, William Shepard Wetmore, whose portrait is in the foreground.

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The owl was shocked.

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The home is one of only a few year round residences and I cringe to think what it cost to heat.

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The marble hall served as an exhibition space and gallery for art and sculpture.

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The ballroom was also known as the Gold Salon.

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As the walls and moulding are highlighted with gold leaf.

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Elaborate entertaining was done here.

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With some guest lists exceeding 2,500 people.

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A rustic winery and a first rate second choice meal.

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Next stop… Sakonnet Winery.

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We’re not big wine drinkers but it’s the gift of choice for our cat sitting neighbor… and we have to keep her, and therefore His Royal Highness, happy.

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It was a lovely drive and just when we thought we’d never find it…

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A very large cat.

This winery is way off the beaten path and after a long dirt driveway…

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Another large cat.

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And a large bull.

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There was a barn.

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Some outdoor seating.

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And a tasting room.

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Where we paid $25 for four very small pours.

None of which we really liked.

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But it’s Rhode Island, what do they know about wine?

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Continuing on, we went in search of food.

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Past some lovely old homes in Tiverton.

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Sadly, when we arrived at the much anticipated and highly reviewed Boat House restaurant…

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It was packed to capacity and there was a two hour wait.

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Which is when we turned back and found an unassuming little place called Fieldstone’s.

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It was crowded as well but we snagged a seat at the bar where I ordered a spring Cosmo.

Ketel One vodka, watermelon pucker, fresh strawberry, fresh lime, and a splash of cranberry juice.

Tasty, and potent.

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My shrimp scampi bruschetta appetizer was amazing.

Sautéed shrimp, capers and grape tomatoes in a lemon garlic butter sauce and served over garlic Parmesan toast.

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Husband went with shepherds pie, which was swimming in a rich brown gravy unlike his mother’s bland recipe. I considered that a win, but boys like their momma’s cooking so he was unimpressed.

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On the other hand, my sherried chicken? Ooh la la!

I’d drive four hours from Maine just to have it again.

Sautéed chicken breast with chopped bacon, caramelized onions and crumbled bleu cheese in a creamy sherry sauce, served with mashed potato and broccoli.

Yum!

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A mystery topiary, a really big tree and talking with the expert.

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Continuing on with our exploration of the Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, we left the garden proper and strolled past the house.

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Which was lined with impressively trimmed shrubbery.

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Sadly the home is not open to tours…

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But there’s a big porch with comfortable chairs where you’re invited to sit.

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We opted for a bench under the shade of a giant tree.

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The lawn slopes down to Narragansett Bay, where we spotted another topiary.

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A rather oddly shaped topiary that my husband and I pondered greatly.

I said long legged turtle.

He said hunchbacked manatee.

What say you?

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Walking back around the house we saw some ornate wrought iron and walls in much need of scraping and paint.

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On the other side of the house… a truly magnificent tree.

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A grand old gentleman who no doubt had outlived many of the home’s owners.

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Husband, for scale.

We were so impressed by the tree we asked one the attendants how old they thought it was…. which was when he directed us to the resident expert of all things.

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This charming young lady of 91 actually worked on the estate as head housekeeper for the last living owner. She had some wonderful stories about the place and informed us the tree in question was over 150 years old.

She lives right up the road and walks down to the gardens every day to help the docents …. as well as socialize. She told us she was quite unhappy with the current crew of topiary trimmers. The policeman was too fat, the giraffe was too short and the goose looked like a duck.

Knowing we were talking to the authority, we asked what the mystery topiary down by the bay was supposed to be.

Not a turtle. Not a manatee.

It was a bear.

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Wow.

No wonder she’s unhappy…

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