August 19-24                  North Kingstown, Rhode Island

The weather continued to be sunny and pleasant so we planned a trip to Portsmouth, Rhode Island to the Newport Auto Museum.  Located on an expansive campus in a large building, this exceptional museum is privately owned.

The enormous interior is beautifully decorated in red, black, gray and white. Visitors are greeted by a model of the first automobile ever made, a Benz from Germany.  It is the only antique on display—the remainder are exceptional models from the past 70 years.  All are in pristine condition and shown like crown jewels with special lighting and raised platforms.  Most are American-made but there are several exceptional Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Jaguar XKE’s.  David owned three XKE’s in 1970-1980’s and he was heartbroken when he sold the last. The Shelby Mustangs, muscle cars and fin-designs from the Fifties were awesome. 

In addition to the automobiles, iconic seating by significant designers, Frances Knoll, Arne Jacobson, Mies van de Rohe and others was displayed throughout the museum.  The entire facility was beautifully maintained and everything was first class.  Blake and Winn were especially delighted to try the simulators which provided an experience of driving any automobile on a track or in a road race.  Neither proved to be a Mario Andretti or Dale Earnhardt!

August 20 was our sixty-fifth wedding anniversary.  To celebrate, I gave David a new stern thruster (already installed), he gave me a dozen beautiful red roses and we gave Winn a large box of Legos that included a boat similar to ours.  The Lego project was a challenge for both he and his dad.

That evening, we went to Fresco’s, a lovely Italian restaurant in East Greenwich for our anniversary dinner.  It truly was a special occasion and we were delighted to have with us two of our favorite people.  The following day, we drove to Boston and reluctantly left Blake and Winn at the airport.

August 17-18                North Kingstown and Newport, Rhode Island

The new plastic curtains were installed and the aft deck was now complete.  The old curtains were in place more than ten years and had become worn and inefficient.  Rupe, our very capable handyman, applied two coats of non-skid on the surface of the deck, varnished the trim and thoroughly cleaned the sides and ceiling.  With the new nautical lamp and red rug, the area has never looked better.

David took Winn to Walmart and bought more Legos to add to his extensive collection.  These kept him occupied and happy for hours.  In the meantime, we made plans to test the new stern thruster by going across the bay to Newport.  We booked at Newport Marina, a newly built facility in a great location.  We left Wickford on a beautiful day and dodged a regatta of sailboats which filled the approach to Newport.  As the sailing capitol of the East Coast, sailboats of all sizes and varieties are always in abundance in this area during the summer months.

Our allotted dock space was at the head of a channel lined with other boats.  David had to make a difficult turn to get into position.  With the help of his new stern thruster, he maneuvered easily into place and impressed the dock help with his expertise.  The main streets of Newport were crowded with hordes of tourists, cars and buses.  After perusing the shops, eating great seafood at a charming place on Bannister’s Wharf and buying toys for Winn, we returned to the boat to survey the harbor scene. 

Winn enjoyed the heated pool at the marina while we made plans to leave the following morning.  A 250’ yacht with a 36’ beam would be docked behind us and the channel exit would be too narrow for our boat to pass.  Heavy fog delayed our departure but cleared before the yacht arrived.  We were happy to return to Wickford and the active harbor scene opposite our dock.

That evening we ordered three dozen oysters from Gardner’s Seafood Wharf across from our marina for dinner on the aft deck.  We took the dinghy across to pick up the oysters and, as the evening was cool, we made a long dinghy ride past the marinas to the town dock before returning to the boat.

Blake, Winn and David  happily ate three dozen oysters, shucked and placed in trays of ice, for dinner.  Local oysters from Rhode Island waters are plump and tender.  I prefer mine to be fried but the guys were very pleased with the raw ones.  Two nights later, we had Gardner’s steam five lobsters  for another feast on the aft deck. 

August 5-August 16       North Kingstown, Rhode Island

We were delighted when wonderful friends, Jerry and Jill came from Boston.  Good friends from Southwest Harbor and wonderful company!  Our plans to again visit Matunak Oyster Bar were aborted when we arrived to find cars lining the road and hordes of people waiting.  An article in the New York Times only a day or so before had mentioned the place as one of Rhode Island's outstanding restaurants.  We opted instead for The Coast Guard House at Narragansett and enjoyed a delicious dinner and a beautiful evening.

The stern thruster installation was more difficult than anticipated.  Running electrical lines from the helm to the stern through a complex system of wires, pipes and walls took two weeks of work by three men who were often working face down in the bottom of the boat.  They persevered and finally the job was done. 

Simultaneously, we had workmen checking the five A/C units for sufficient Freon.  To insure the three heads would work properly, old lines were removed and new ones installed.  The boat was a hive of activity and we were eager to have the work completed before our grandson, Blake and his six-year-old son Winn arrived on August 13.

Logan airport in Boston is noted for delayed flights and Blake and Winn finally arrived after 10:00 PM.  We were delighted to see them and they were excited to once again be on the boat.  Both are easy guests who adapt quickly and happily to most situations.

On August 15, we woke early, breakfasted, dressed and were at the Wickford Junction train station an hour before departure at 9:15 A.M.  I do not like to be late! The trip to Boston was a little more than an hour and we exited at South Station near our destination, the New England Aquarium.

We were awed by the enormous displays of penguins, manatees and sea rays.  Winn was enthralled and listened intently to the guides who were placed throughout to provide information.  It was a great experience for all of us. 

Lunch was at The Chart House, located on Long Wharf in an historical building.  Winn ate his first raw oysters and declared them to be delicious. 

Afterwards, we visited the nearby Boston Tea Party Museum.  A marvelous cast of actors in authentic costumes were adept at engaging children. We had a great time becoming enactors who protested unfair taxation, disguised ourselves as Indians, boarded the boat and threw bundles of tea into the harbor. The facilities, church interior, boat, dock, and theater were beautifully constructed and the program was well presented. 

With only minutes to spare, we Ubered to South Station and hurriedly boarded the train for Wickford Junction.  Winn finally stopped talking long enough for the adults to have short naps enroute!

July 29-August 4    North Kingstown, Rhode Island /Quincy, Massachusetts

All the parts finally arrived to complete the repairs and install the new stern thruster.  The boat would have to be on the hard for three days.  We decided to use this time to explore the coast of Massachusetts and again visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Making a leisurely trip off the Interstates through small villages, we admired the pristine countryside, small farms and lovely colonial and Cape Cod style homes. We wanted to discover if The Bottom Line could go into harbors at Plymouth, Scituate and Quincy.  We had considered doing this several times rather than making the long route into Boston, however, our guidebook had indicated these areas were either too constricted or shallow for a 58’ vessel.  This trip gave us the opportunity to judge for ourselves.

Plymouth was a lovely surprise.  We had expected a touristy spectacle of Pilgrims and Indians but instead encountered a lovely little town, obviously proud of its importance in American history and desiring to display it in a tasteful manner.  The renowned Plymouth Rock was housed in a columned shelter open and easily accessible to all next to the beautiful harbor.  Shops, restaurants and homes maintained the colonial or Cape Cod architectural style.  The harbor was extensive and filled with boats; however, we determined there was little room for larger boats.  It could be done but might be difficult.  We would have to tie to a mooring ball and use the dinghy to go ashore.

The long, winding road, lined with tall trees and stone walls took us to Scituate, a typical small New England beach town.  Their harbor was scenic and expansive but also too shallow for our boat.

Quincy was our final destination and a Staybridge Suites hotel was a perfect choice.  With the Red Sox on a winning streak (which did not last) and playing at home, Boston was booked.  Quincy, only a few miles away, promised all the amenities we wanted:  a great hotel, free parking, easy access to historical sites and the T (subway) only a block away. The hotel shuttle took us to the Marina Bay area for a delicious dinner at Siro’s overlooking the bay and the Boston skyline.

With the heat escalating, we shuttled the short distance to the T station, studied the map and quickly boarded.  We made a change to another line near downtown and were soon standing in front of the MFA.  The current exhibition featured the work and times of Toulouse-Lautrec.  His body of work consisted mainly of sketches and posters of Parisian notables.  His life was brief and his work was limited.  Although the show was interesting and exhibited very well, its appeal was underwhelming.

The collection of the MFA is extensive and recent changes have been significant.  Enlarged galleries and new additions make it necessary to use a map in order to find one’s way through the warren of halls.  Getting lost can be fun, however, as an unexpected surprise may be discovered.  I was shocked when I stumbled upon a beautiful Botticelli painting discretely hung in a corridor.  A masterpiece by an Italian Renaissance legend displayed in a place to be easily overlooked!!  The Asian Galleries displayed several Yuan porcelains made in the ancient kilns of Jingdezhen located in interior China and highly prized by collectors.

We left for the T in time to avoid the afternoon rush and arrived at our destination station in time to see the dark clouds, high wind and rain approaching.  We quickly made it to the hotel as the storm reached our area.  For several hours, the rain and wind continued and the intensity of the wind caused Logan Airport to close for the evening.

On Thursday, we took a trolley tour (operated by the National Parks Service personnel) to the two early homes of John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.  Another home on the tour was a grander house occupied by both Johns and their descendants from the early 1800’s until the 1930’s.  Filled with Adams memorabilia and furnishings, it was a wonderful introduction to this remarkable family.  A separate stone building, resembling a chapel, adjacent to the home housed the extensive library with volumes from generations of Adams.

We were pleased to return to Wickford and find the boat back in the water.  Although dusty from the work done in the interior, it was a welcoming sight.  David was delighted when later that evening, Pretzel came to the door.  She had  boarded with Shannon ( who kept her while we were in Europe) for three days and obviously had been treated well.  She spent time sadly looking out the door after Shannon left.