June 3-June 21                   North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Living on our boat has been one of the great joys of our lives.  Although we rarely cruise, we enjoy being near the water and being part of an active marina life.  Friends we have made through the years are nearby and we share cruising stories.  Boaters are adventurous and interesting people who often have had diversified careers and lives.  We are fortunate to have found such friends here in the marina and look forward to being with them.

Maria Carpenter and I made a trip to the beach near Point Judith to get summer passes.  The clean expanse of sand and the churning surf was  catalyst for swimmers and sunbathers.    Rhode Island has many beaches which are kept beautifully maintained with facilities and lifeguards.   We are fortunate to have a lovely beach within walking distance of our marina.  It hosts free summer concerts in the summer.

Hydrangeas are in bloom.  Everywhere we see large bushes of blue flowers.

Afterwards, we had lunch at the recently re-opened Two-Ten Oyster Bar in Wakefield.  A devastating fire had closed the business most of last year and it was missed by loyal customers (including us).   With a beautifully decorated interior and superb food, the restaurant was a highlight of our trip.  We enjoyed sitting on the deck watching the lovely marina scene.

Several days later, we joined Maria and John for dinner at Beech in Jamestown.  The food and ambience were outstanding.  Elegantly casual.  We are always delighted to spend time with Maria and John and look forward to seeing them often this summer.  As they have a large family nearby, their time is often taken with hosting children and grandchildren on their beautiful 60’ Hatteras boat.

Jill Cohen, our boating friend who lives in Canton outside of Boston, came on Saturday, June 21 for a long-anticipated visit.  Earlier plans to come had to be cancelled due to rain.  We had a lovely cool day to welcome Jill to the aft deck to watch the parade of boats leaving the harbor and to drink mimosas.  Pretzel immediately attached herself to Jill and was content to sit in her lap and be stroked and petted.  Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at Two-Ten (it could become a habit) and learned about Jill’s new interest in making pottery.  Her ceramic birdhouse with yellow feet was charming!  We reluctantly said goodbye and made plans to visit again soon.