The Calm Before the Storm

 We went biking and swimming first thing this morning. We're hearing the hurricane may be on its way and to brace ourselves for the storm. For now though it's days as usual and all is calm.

Our house is so close to this pier that we ride here several times a day and go swimming. We are calling the new house Harbor View. Fitting, don't you think? The Pres came up with it. I think this is the first house he's named. Though he wouldn't have given any suggestions if I hadn't asked, still, he's come a long way. Or, I'm wearing him down after all these years. :)

 Just beyond this pier is another water access park. Sometimes people jump off and swim pier to pier, or over to the beach area.

 I love this periwinkle wicker chair set that we pass every day. Such a luxurious, comfortable porch. I bet the owner would be surprised to come home and find us sitting up there! So far, we haven't succumbed to the urge.

 A side view of the Anglican church.

 A lovely old bed and breakfast.

 Rhode Island is big on hedges and historic fences.

 Front of the Anglican church which is almost always open. This morning we stopped in briefly.

 It has some gorgeous stained glass pieces in the front entry.

 A neighbor's gated hedge always intrigues me as we go by.

 We got to Rhode Island in time to see all the multi-colored hydrangeas blooming. They are past their prime now, but still  beautiful to look at as they dry on the bush. The one at Harbor View is green, not as flashy as some bright fuschia and deep purply-blue ones, the soft pink ones that turn to green and the pale blues that deepen over time.

We also have roses around the door, which sometimes dress up our dinner table. They are so cheering to come home to. Sometimes we get a chill, especially when the breeze cools us in our wet clothes on our way home from the afternoon and evening swims. Then it's the perfect time for a cup of tea.

Wet Paint

Here is the peaceful scene I painted in last week. I don't know how Monet and those guys kept up that plein air (aka outside in the open air) painting all the time. Although there's nothing like being in the fresh air and the beauty of nature, there is so much to lug from the car! Then there's getting the wet canvas back home undisturbed. I can't imagine walking in from home or using a bicycle. 

That day I had a recalcitrant easel and I didn't have one of Monet's handy portable camp stools either so I had to set up on a rock where my easel could sit below and I could sit above. I painted one day on site and 2 back home where I had a comfy seat and a hot cup of tea at my side.

Here's the finished product. I was happy with how it came out. It was hard to give it away. It was fun to go to the Wet Paint show Saturday night and see all the wet work lining the walls. The bids were low from what we saw, including on mine, with just a few exceptions. We did not go back Sunday afternoon for the live auction they held for the work in which there was great interest (and high Friday night silent auction bidding). I am sure my painting was already gone by then. I hope it's in appreciative hands.

Even thought it was hard to give it away, it was good practice, and humbling to see the very low bids on it when we were there!

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?

One Last Painting

Hello again, in what may be my last post from River's Edge. We'll be packing up in a week and there's lots to do before the movers come. But I wanted to share the painting I did this week of 'Willa Marie', the dog next door. I think you can see she's got a lot of personality. I did a bit more touching up on the painting this evening after dinner, so it doesn't look exactly like this. It is such fun to keep working on something. I love doing paintings like this. I would love to do a bunch more when we get to our new house!

The Red Dodger

Good morning from River's Edge! It can't be all painting and yard work around here. This weekend we took a break from the usual and Fidget picked out a recipe to make. Gingerbread men in July, you ask? But of course!

Fidget has decided she is no longer superhero The Tiger Kid. Instead, she is The Red Dodger. Has a ring to it, don't you agree? Since we weren't interested in getting the gingerbread man and lady cookie cutters out of the basement, we used the angels, frog and bear cutters we keep in the kitchen. Here are some of the results. The Pres drew a lovely sketch of the Red Dodger in his sketchbook so I tried to capture a bit of the look in one of the angel cookies. The recipe turned out to be a dud but we had fun decorating!

Painting Progress

We have been busy house hunting and are now back and sick here at River's Edge. I've got bronchitis and a sinus infection. But I wanted to show that I've finished the oil painting of the Smith home. Mr. Smith is supposed to come pick it up today and I hope he still wants another since I have a few more weeks til the move. I am still knitting, and doing yard work and a newsletter when I can. I will show other things as they're finished. But for now this painting is the biggest news. I like the way it came out and was pleased that it caused me relatively little heartache while I was working on it. I hope the Smiths like it too!

Fidget's Latest Accomplishment

I am in a hotel room in Rhode Island as we are here looking for a house. It's been too long since I've written here though so I wanted to share a picture of Fidget from last week. 

We had an ever so long, tiring and exciting week of camp together. She was in the sports side of the camp and I was in the art teaching side but we ran into each other every day and that brought me joy. The campers stole my heart, especially a little girl named Cecilia, and I hate to leave her, but that's how it is in a military family. You meet people, you love them, you leave. But that's another excuse to write- as if I needed an excuse.

Anyway, back to last week. At the end of the week Fidget had her green belt test in karate. After such a tiring week we were extra proud to see her go through all her steps, punches and moves with confidence. Even though I saw her yawning during the test. She had to recite 10 Bible verses and know the lengthy student creed as well. And she did it!

This picture of her with a favorite sensei, Lindsay, shows Fidget in her last few minutes of being a Little Dragons black belt. She did earn her black belt in the little kids' class in February. But now she has graduated to her first grown up karate belt and we are very proud of her. It is just as well we are house hunting and skipping school. This kid has earned a big break!