September 8-October 11        North Kingstown, Rhode Island                 

We had Covid inoculations to prevent that dreaded disease.  David had no reactions, but I became ill.  For almost six days, I mostly stayed in bed sleeping.  David was an excellent nurse and cleaned, cooked and gave me TLC. 

Except for a few windy or rainy days, we have had beautiful fall weather.  The trees are changing color and downtown is a scene of red and gold leaves.  Sunsets are sooner so we are planning dinners on the aft deck much earlier. We have developed some great seafood recipes that are easy to make so cooking on the boat is frequent.

We remember great times with guests on The Bottom Line this summer.  Kennedy and Taft were delightful and we are anticipating the birth of their daughter in December.  Julie and Greg are always welcome guests and we are pleased they come annually to visitl.  Eric, our neighbor in Fort Worth, made a short stay on his trip to Massachusetts. Jill, our longtime friend who lives near Boston, came for visits that lasted only a few hours but gave us opportunity to share good memories.

 We enjoyed dinner with John and Betsie at Il Milano and with Cecil and Bob at The White Horse Tavern in Newport.  We celebrated Maria’s birthday with a festive dinner at The White Horse Tavern.  The following weekend, they treated us to a wonderful dinner at Trattoria Romano in Johnston, a suburb of Providence noted for being a Mafia enclave.  The restaurant was elegant, and the food and service were excellent.  As Maria and John once lived nearby, they enlightened us with information about the Rhode Island Mafia. The Italian influence was evident in restaurant choices.

On Sunday, October 3, we were treated to a dinghy tour of the harbor by John and Maria who were considerate and thoughtful to provide needed help into and out of the dinghy.  Our tour included a visit with Jen, a Wickford resident who was sunning with a friend on her 120-year-old sailboat.  Once a pirate ship in the Caribbean, the boat was beautifully restored by Dominic, Jen’s significant other (a local favorite who wears a ponytail and is always barefoot).

  We enjoyed the diversity of the boaters we met this summer. Most are interesting, intelligent and adventuresome people who come from different places.  Some like Betsie and John, Cecil and Bob, Joan and Mike and Maria and John have become good friends. 

Stephanie arrives today to celebrate her birthday and help us pack for home.  We plan to go to Providence and explore the Italian area of Federal Hill with a celebration dinner at a special restaurant.  The following day, we pack and say goodbye to friends.  Rube comes on Saturday morning to drive us to the airport and return our car to the marina.  Our five month stay on The Bottom Line has been a lovely, memorable experience.