October 1-8                              North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Our journey back to Rhode Island had been a pleasant experience as we continued to go through small towns and large expanses of tall trees whose foliage was beginning to change to red and gold.  Wickford greeted us with sunny, warm weather which belied the storm which would soon envelop us.

Saturday through Tuesday brought torrential rains and high winds—often more than 25 mph.  The bay was showing white caps on the water. This abrupt change was due to Hurricane Ian which had moved northward.  Fearing we might fall on slippery docks; we chose to remain on board. 

Delightful sunny weather and blue skies returned on Thursday and many of the large boats began to leave the harbor.  Probably heading south for the winter months.  We prefer to keep The Bottom Line in Wickford with winterizing and shrink-wrapping protecting the it from the winter elements. 

Preparations have been made, bills have been paid and we are planning a farewell dinner with John and Maria at a favorite Italian restaurant in East |Greenwich.  We leave on Saturday to return to Fort Worth.  Once again, we have had a wonderful five months on The Bottom Line and sincerely hope we will be able to repeat it next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 27-30            Massachusetts

We enjoyed very much spending two nights at The Williamstown Inn, a lovely new building which houses a hotel established more than one hundred years ago.  We gave it a five-star rating. 

We traveled only a few miles to North Adams to visit MASSMoCa, an awe-inspiring collection of contemporary art exhibited in several renovated factory buildings.  One of the largest museums of its kind in the country, it attracts major installations from many known artists.  Several galleries are devoted to the intricate wall drawings of Sol LeWitt and a huge gallery contains a complex work with LED lights by Jenny Holzer.....

I research museums and David researches restaurants.  At Lenox, he found The Portico at The Wheatley.  Located in a magnificent country setting, The Wheatley is the former home of the wealthy Cook family of Boston.  It is a lovely Mediterranean style mansion now a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.  They graciously accepted our last-minute request for lunch and we dined in splendor!  A reservation was made for dinner on the following evening.

Stockbridge was our next destination and the Red Lion Inn, a former stagecoach stop, was our hotel.  It was old (naturally) and quaint with a birdcage elevator dating from the late 1880’s.  Another modern one was available but less convenient. With roses on the wallpaper and a tall, four-poster bed, our room was small and shared noise with the traffic on the street below.  Nevertheless, I found it charming; David was far from thrilled.  Stockbridge is the quintessential New England town with tiny shops, large impressive churches and tall trees.

The next day was busy.  Our first stop was The Mount, the lovely country home of Edith Wharton, the renowned author.  Located on acres of magnificent wooded terrain, the house still maintained its grandeur after being neglected for many years following the exodus of the author and her mentally deranged husband (they divorced).  The grounds held a large collection of contemporary art (for sale) and was worth a visit.

The Norman Rockwell Museum of Illustrative Art is near the artist’s former home in Stockbridge and is a favorite tourist destination.  We joined the crowd to view his many oil paintings meant for magazine illustrations as well as more than 280 framed actual covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.  It was a sentimental experience for us.

We were impressed with a large exhibition (sponsored by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas) depicting Black people in illustrations through the years.  Who did not know Aunt Jemima or Uncle |Remus? Of course, Rockwell’s depiction of the little Black girl accompanied by Federal marshals in New Orleans was the show stopper.

Our final evening was a return to The Wheatley for a special prix fixe four course dinner with several amuses from the chef.  Presentation, service, food and ambiance were outstanding.  It was a memorable evening and a great climax to a wonderful trip.

 

 

 

September 13-September 26               Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Lovely Fall weather brought more boats into our marina and so the boat parade continued.  Many boaters are now heading south to Florida and the Bahamas.  A beautiful Fleming ’60 is docked beside us and will soon be leaving.  The owners (much younger than us) have sold their home and will liveaboard for several years as they journey up and down the east coast.  He will maintain business interests from his office on the boat.  We hope to see them again next year here in Wickford.

On September 26, we began our long-planned road trip to the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts.  Shannon came again to care for Pretzel.   Both were happy to reunite.  

 We tried to avoid the Interstate Highways and travel the state roads which took us through the smaller towns on our route.  We were amazed by the vibrancy of the downtown area and modern construction ongoing in Worchester. Northampton, home of Smith College, was postcard perfect with large trees, rolling hills and many large, stately homes.

Williamstown was our destination.  Williams College dominates the small town with a wide-ranging campus that reflects its origin in 1793 to the present.  The enrollment is less than 2,000 students, the endowment is greater than Baylor University and its alumni list is very impressive.  We visited their small Museum of Art in a beautifully re-configured building that provided ample space for their contemporary art collection.

On the outskirts of Williamstown nestled into a large hilly site bordered by the magnificent foliage of the Berkshire mountains, the Clark Institute of Art resides in an imposing white marble building.  

Several years ago, Tadeo Ando, the renowned Japanese architect who designed the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and additions for the Morgan Library and Gardner Museum in Boston, designed the incredible addition to the Clark.  Seen only from the rear of the main building, the addition provides an impressive entrance and numerous amenities which leave the main building for exhibiting their expansive collection of art.

Many of the Clark’s Impressionist paintings were shown at the Kimbell Art Museum during the construction of their addition.  I especially enjoyed leading tours focused on lovely paintings by Renoir and Monet.  I was eager to see them again.  

The galleries (also renovated) were beautiful and the collection was exceptional.  The Clarks were literally at the right time, in the right place and had the funds available to acquire magnificent paintings.  They loved their art so much that when the original building was completed, it held an apartment for them next to the galleries.  Their ashes are buried beneath the front steps.

 

August 28-September 11                    North Kingstown, Rhode Island

The heat of summer quickly disappeared on September 1.  We experienced cool weather and rainy days (which were welcome as it had been unusually dry). Labor Day weekend was great with a parade of boats, scores of paddleboarders and kayaks. With no guests expected for the remainder of our stay, we focused on neglected projects. 

Nikki, a talented workman from the Granada Islands, did a great job of sanding and re-varnishing the railing and ladders.  Christa, another immigrant to the US proved to be a miracle worker.  One generator had a defective flywheel which prevented easy starting from the time we had bought the boat.  As The Bottom Line is more than thirty years old, parts are not readily available.  A used flywheel was found on line and despite numerous efforts, it could not be installed—until we found Christa.  Following David’s suggestions, he overcame the obstacle preventing installation and achieved success.  David was doing a happy dance all over the boat!

We were saddened to learn our good friend, Jerry had fallen and broken his hip during a brief visit to Southwest Harbor.  Surgery followed in Bar Harbor and after days of rehabilitation, he and Jill have returned home to Boston.  He is doing well—Jill will survive!

Friends from the dock, John and Maria joined us for a steak (prime rib eyes from Costco) dinner.  The fat fro the steaks ignited the grill and the flames frightened someone on a nearby boat.  He took pictures and sent them to the owner of the marina.  David saw him photographing and called the owner and reported the problem.  Of course, the owner laughed and dismissed the issue.  The steaks were delicious!

Maria was raised in a closely-knit Italian family and had the good fortune to receive cooking and sewing instruction from her grandmother.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch on their boat while watching the Patriot game (no Cowboy fans here).    She served meatball sandwiches open-faced with sauce and Parmesan and homemade pizza with an anchovy sauce.  David  made the meatballs and sauce.  They were outstanding and Maria was impressed (so was I). What a treat!

 

 

 

August 21-August 27               North Kingstown, Rhode Island

We were excited about the impending visit of cousins from Fort Worth, Greg and Julie Galier.  After several delays at DFW, they finally arrived in New York and boarded a train to East Orange, New Jersey.  Here they helped their son, Tripp to become settled in his dorm at Seton Hall University.  Tripp, a 6’5” handsome young man had earned an academic scholarship to this prestigious school and is hoping to join their baseball team.  Greg and Julie reluctantly left him (although many phone calls ensued) to ride the train and join us in Rhode Island. 

                                        

 

The week was busy with dinner at Beech in Jamestown, a long tour of Newport on a lovely cool, sunny day, great lobsters and oyster dinner on the aft deck, a cruise on The Bottom Line northward to the Providence channel and a farewell dinner at Trattoria Romano in Wakefield.  Their late flight home on Saturday gave us time to treat them to more seafood at Blu in East Greenwich.  We try to feed our guests well!

 Most of all, we enjoyed their delightful company and sharing their plans to escape the “empty nest syndrome” now that their three children are engaged in career and school pursuits.  They will be selling their home, buying a condo in Dallas and traveling more.  With a new condo in Cabo San Lucas, they have great options for changing their life style.

 

 

 

 

August 8-August 20        North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Once again, we were faced with frequent refrigerator problems.  David did extensive research on the internet to find a refrigerator that met our needs but would also fit through the narrow opening from the salon into the galley and then into the space which held the old one.  Earlier searches had been unsuccessful but he found one at Home Depot that met all our criteria.  It was ordered and plans were made for installation.  No easy task!

Suzanne and Eileen arrived on August 15 after a delay overnight in Charlotte.  They were excited to be in Rhode Island and we were delighted to have them.  Lobster rolls on the aft deck were a welcoming treat.  The following day, we went to Newport and the girls visited the Breakers and we drove the scenic drive along the sea before lunch at our favorite small Thai Restaurant. 

We celebrated Eileen’s birthday with special prime steaks grilled to perfection by David and blueberry pie instead of cake.  The evening was cool and we enjoyed a lovely sunset.  I was very touched when Eileen declared this to be her favorite birthday ever.

 On Friday, the girls and I perused the shops in Wickford before returning to the boat to learn the new refrigerator had arrived early.

Suzanne and Eileen immediately went into organizational mode and began moving furniture to clear a path from the aft deck to the galley.  Four burly guys from the marina easily moved the old unit to the aft deck, lifted it over the railing into a flat-bottomed work boat and hauled it away.  In a few minutes the boat returned with the new refrigerator which was then lifted by these amazing men over the railing and carried to the galley.  It fit perfectly into the allotted space and with some door adjustments was soon cooling with all the stored food inside. Suzanne and Eileen quickly began cleaning, vacuuming and moving furniture back into place.  They were wonderful!.

We had dreaded this day and all our worries proved to be useless.  All went well and we were awed to have our beautiful new refrigerator installed.  A farewell dinner of steamed lobsters on the aft deck was a great way to celebrate.  On Saturday, the girls left for home.  We were distressed later that evening to learn Eileen had soon become ill after reaching home, went to the clinic and was diagnosed with Covid.  It proved to be a mild case.  No one else to date has shown any symptoms

Saturday was our sixty-eighth wedding anniversary.  David had shown a special Italian restaurant in East Greenwich.  It was a lovely place with excellent food and service.  We enjoyed happy memories of  our special day so long ago and the wonderful people (many now gone) who had been a part of our wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

July 24-August 7            North Kingstown, Rhode Island

The lovely cool weather of Rhode Island ended with days of heat and humidity.  Evenings were cool with pleasant breezes across the aft deck but days were increasingly uncomfortable.  Of course, the heat was far less than that in Texas.

To our delight, friends from Fort Worth, Toni and Wade Lowry arrived on August 3 enroute from Maine.  Their beautiful Fleming 55’ docked next to us and we were able to share dinners each night on deck. 

Toni and Wade had not visited this area and we were pleased to show them the charms of Wickford and Newport.  One day was spent touring the mansions, specifically The Breakers, and lunch at The Mooring in downtown Newport.  Toni and I enjoyed shopping in Wickford.   We were awed to see the crowded beaches at Narragansett before lunch at the Coast Guard House.

 After a minor repair was completed on their boat, they departed on Sunday headed for Cuttyhunk, Edgartown and Nantucket.  We were envious!

 

 

July 3-July 23                          North Kingstown, Rhode Island

With partially inclement weather, the Fourth of July was subdued with less boat traffic than expected.  We enjoyed a great fireworks display from the nearby beach. Cleaning and packing for our Netherlands trip began, Shannon, the designated dog sitter came for Pretzel and we scheduled a car to take us to the airport in Boston.

Before leaving, I was surprised to learn the first part of my article on our journey through Canada was published in the American Boat Club magazine, The Ensign.  The title is Octogenarian Odyssey and will be serialized in four issues.  One of my photographs is on the cover.  Sometimes I impress my children!

We arrived in Amsterdam early on July 8, met Joe and Stephanie and took our arranged transportation to Willemstad where our chartered boat was docked.  After our stay in a charming little hotel, we boarded the boat, a 35-foot Linssen motoryacht with two staterooms and two heads.  

Our first stop was Annalind in South Holland but we decided we would go north to the canal area.  We visited Oudewater, Dordrecht, Gouda, several small charming villages on the River Vecht, went through Amsterdam on a lovely summer day with thousands of other boaters, Weesp and finally Delft.  Here our trip was aborted due to serious engine problems.  We spent three nights at the Hilton in The Hague then moving to the Hilton Schiphol before our departure on July 23.

 We visited the magnificent Mauritshuis and the incredible Louwman Car Museum in The Hague.  Our final day in Amsterdam, we visited the Rijksmuseum and marveled at the many changes since its renovation. 

Despite problems with the boat, too many low bridges (or closed bridges) and one day of very hot weather, we had a great trip made even more so by Stephanie and Joe who were delightful companions and always considerate and flexible. 

As with any long trip, one of the best parts is returning home and finding all is well.  Pretzel came the following day and we began unpacking and washing clothes.  Back to normal!