June 7-June 19                North Kingstown, Rhode Island

With no one expected to visit until Charles Martin comes on June 26, we focused on boat chores.  With Rupe’s help and David’s supervision, new surface paint was applied to the bridge and bow areas, engine rooms were cleaned, storage compartments were emptied, no longer useful items were discarded and small repairs were made as needed to the interior and exterior.  The Bottom Line is ready for inspection!

With beautiful, cool weather, we enjoyed a steak dinner on the aft deck with John and Maria Carpenter.  It was an opportunity to renew our friendship from last year and learn more about their interesting professions (she is head of the elementary section of a prestigious private school in Connecticut and John is an entrepreneur who manufactures various objects for industrial clients) and delightful family.  Their knowledge of the local scene is extremely helpful.  Maria has promised to take me shopping at some of her favorite places and I am ready to go!

To our delight and amazement, Wes, the owner of the marina, had a railing constructed and installed on our dock after he learned David was worried I might fall into the water.  No one wants to have to rescue a drenching wet octogenarian who has lost her balance.  The railing is very helpful and I am grateful to have the additional safety feature.

My early morning breakfast and reading session on the aft deck was recently disturbed by the muted voices of several guys in canoes fishing near our boat.  Within a period of less than fifteen minutes, one of them caught three large stripers. Suddenly, other boats were joining in the fun and fishermen were vying for what they hoped would be more stripers.  We regretted Lincoln and Lochlan did not experience such luck when they fished off our dock last week.

We were delighted but not surprised when USA newspaper named Wickford the best small historical town in the United States.  With blocks of well-preserved eighteenth and nineteenth century homes, this small community is truly a jewel of civic pride.  The oldest home is dated 1735 and is a charming little cottage which is still occupied.  George Washington could have slept there!  We love being here.

We enjoy a boat show from our dock as magnificent yachts, small fishing boats and commercial vessels pass by to and from the bay.  For a few days, we had a charming little boat, recently restored, as our dock mate.  

With perseverance, an appointment was finally made with a dog groomer for Pretzel.  Apparently, this profession is highly in demand and we were quoted times in late4 July and August.  Perfect Paws in Wakefield had an opening and we left Pretzel there while we enjoyed a Mexican lunch (with a great frozen Margarita) nearby.  It was delicious food and satisfied our need for an infusion of salsa!  Lisa, the owner of Perfect Paws had four assistants and was swamped with dogs in the process of being groomed.  Pretzel, the smallest dog in the room, survived the chaos and was returned to us beautifully clean and trimmed.