Phase 2: Rhode Island

After three BUSY days in NYC we loaded up the car and headed for Rhode Island. Along the way we drove the coast of Connecticut. We stopped off in New Haven to this nice little Lighthouse Point. We all breathed a big sigh of relief as we got our first view of the ocean....the city was fun, but this is what we really love. There is nothing better than the salty, sea air.

The kids headed right out on to the rocks to explore and search for critters. Tony LOVES tide pools, can you tell by the smile on his face???

After seeing the lighthouse we ventured into town for lunch and a quick tour around Yale University. How cool is that? The best part of this trip is seeing all the sights we've read about or seen on TV. So much fun to see the real thing.

We were wandering around looking for a place to eat lunch and we happened upon a nice gentleman who was in town to help organize the big Alumni Reunions about to take place. He just so happened to have a "magic card" that opened all sorts of "secret gates" and gave us a neat view of the school and found us a great local spot to eat lunch. By the pictures on the wall it was a frequent haunt of the Bush family. When Chris sports his new Yale cap, I told him he kind of reminds me of "W". ha ha. Anyways, it was a neat little pit stop and the campus is very beautiful and historical.

Here we are at the Misquamicut Beach near our little Sea Shell Motel. We enjoyed near perfect weather in NYC, but it took a turn as we headed to the coast. It was cool and misty the entire time. A bit of a bummer, but on the bright side we literally had the whole place to ourselves....not a sole around. We all agreed the ocean is just as beautiful in this weather as when it is sunny. Besides, we'll get enough HOT HOT weather here in Nebraska in about a month.

We wandered to Watch Hill Beach and were AWED by the homes in the area. No words can describe them really...and not a sole around. Hard to comprehend having homes like this and only using them a few times a year. They were all dark and empty. I went on Realtor.com when we got back and along this beach, homes are in the $6-8 million range. gulp. If I had one of these I would NEVER leave. Never.

A nice look at the Watch Hill Beach Lighthouse. You can see by the flag it was a bit breezy.

Nonetheless, we got busy playing in the rocks and looking for sea glass. This coast does not have a lot of shells, but the rocks are amazing. I guess this is a big area for granite and we came home with a nice variety for our rock garden at home. By turning over the big rocks the kids discovered they'd find all sorts of little crabs that would scurry around. Great fun!

Because the weather wasn't great, we spent a lot of time just driving around the area. I am totally in LOVE with the rock walls of New England! They are everywhere, literally. Chris was tired of hearing me exclaim as we drove by them...each one better than the last. Can you just imagine them being built hundreds of years ago, one rock at a time? Amazing.

Some of them went on for miles and they are made without mortar. They are so skillfully crafted that they will be around forever. I went on Amazon and found several books written on them so I can learn more about the history and craftsmanship. In my brief research it seems they actually have had problems with people STEALING them and "rich" people building homes in RI will often buy them for their new homes. Here's the start of a new obsession....

Of all the places we have traveled we love the beach the best. It just wasn't the same without Gramma Sally as she has been on all of our beach vacations with us! There is something so pure and joyous in watching your children play on the beach. The sound of the sea and their laughter is something I could never tire of. I could totally live here, totally.

Sunbathing, New England style. :)

Although it was cool, the kids were brave, rolled up their pants and spent a whole afternoon frolicking in the Atlantic Ocean. We were the only 4 people out there as far as the eye could see.

Can't you just hear them SQUEALING???? They had so much fun.

After hot showers, we wandered to Mystic for dinner and some more sightseeing. We stopped at a local Clam Shack and Chris and I enjoyed crab cakes and fried clam rolls. The kids opted for traditional cheeseburgers, but the owner brought them out a lobster just for fun.

Here is a shot of Mystic Seaport....what a beautiful, quaint town. It was pretty quiet when we were there but summers must be crazy.

Everything is so green and lush on the coast. These bushes were everywhere and it almost hurt to look at them they were so VIVID! I didn't think my camera could capture the color, but it did a pretty good job.

After Mystic we stopped in Stonington to see the sun set. This is a lighthouse museum that I thought was so neat. You can't see, but when we pulled up there was someone at the top lighting candles. I was sorry it was closed by the time we got there as I would have liked to go inside. The history along the coast is amazing....towns were settled in the 1600-1700's and remain so authentic. We really enjoyed our stop in Rhode Island and would recommend it to anyone as a travel destination.