Welcome to Rhode Island!

 Hello from the cool North on a lovely summer's morning. We have been here about 2 weeks now. The Pres seemed to power through most of the boxes singlehanded, so our move went very well once we got here. 

Before we left River's Edge we had a last second surprise party for Fidget and right around that time I began itching all over. Turns out it was not the chlorine, it was an allergic reaction to Amoxicillin- something Fig and I have both had now. We will be steering clear of that from now on, thank you. Those itches lasted two solid weeks, during which we cleaned and painted our hearts out at the old home, and drove North in the 110-degree heat wave everyone experienced here on the East coast at that time. 


When we got here we had the heartbreak of unwrapping one of the Pres' paintings of Fidget, which was ruined with a foot-long gash in it (see top).  It was surprising since otherwise the packers had been very careful- nothing was missing, and we didn't lose many items to damage. We also had Fidget's Captain America birthday. Picture on the giant chocolate chip cookie in princess icing courtesy of the Pres. He can always be counted on to chip in. Fidget adored it.

 After these things we started to settle in to our new home, Harbor View. I got sufficiently well unpacked and organized to start a knitting project.

But it is hard to get anything done indoors when outside it is so pretty and Fidget just got out of training wheels. Suddenly she wants to be riding all the time! We ride first thing in the morning, at lunch, and even after dinner. It is such fun to ride down to the dock, jump in and swim, and ride home dripping wet. For now we share the docks with tourists, but already they're thinning out and soon the place will be all ours!


There's water just two blocks away from home. And no matter where you are around here, you aren't much more than 2 blocks away from water. 

  
We've explored the public water access docks and boat ramps, Boston for the day, beaches, and we've been to Fort Adams (above and below).

We've been to the Cliff Walk and the famous 40 Steps which end at these rocks. After this photo, a man and his dog ran down the steps, out onto the rocks, and dove in the water. I would have been afraid of sharks, for one thing, and of dashing myself to pieces on a rock. But either he and his dog got lucky or they knew what they were doing because last time we saw them they were swimming around down there having a ball.

There is lots of Colonial-era architecture around here. Many private homes are on the National Register of Historic Places. Even many that aren't have a plaque or sign outside with the year and the person who first lived there. This is the Pineapple House. There are also mansions open to the public for tours and a special topiary garden to see. How can we see everything in just one year?

Yesterday we went to Fort Adams again to start painting. There is a museum fundraiser called Wet Paint that Fidget and I have decided to enter. You paint a local scene, turn your painting in on Saturday, and all the art is auctioned off that night and the next.

Here is the scene I am attempting to paint.  The place was beautiful but the breeze kept messing with my paper palette so that by the time I left I was covered in paint. And the water kept calling to me. It was so refreshing. Fidget had so much fun swimming and making friends that she decided not to paint at all yesterday.Who could blame her?