June 17-22                            Boston, Massachusetts

Despite predictions of rain, we left the marina and caught a tour bus to see the city.  Unfortunately, we chose one with an uncovered top deck. A light shower soon became a windy downpouring of rain which forced us inside with a limited view.  The guide was great on history but knew little about architecture and Boston’s multitude of beautiful and diverse buildings.  We returned to the boat, drenched and ready for warm drinks and naps.

We had early reservations at Euno, a favorite Italian restaurant in the North End.  The rain stopped and we Ubered into that charming and unique area of Boston.  As usual, it was a crowded scene.  Dinner was superlative!  I ordered my favorite item on their menu, a veal chop which was large and perfectly cooked. Euno is a favorite with locals for its great food, service and old-world charm.  Waiters have been there for decades and it is truly like going to a small restaurant in Italy.  The rain began again and ended our plans to walk back to the boat.  We were amazed to see a long line of people under umbrellas waiting to enter Mike’s Pastry Shop.  Their cannoli are legendary.

Sunday was sunny and perfect for our trip to Cambridge and brunch at Alden and Harlow.  Their menu was limited and very innovative.  It was different but we enjoyed our selections.  At Harvard Square, we were amazed to see a wild turkey strolling nonchalontly down the sidewalk and ignorning the people watching. 

Afterwards, we Ubered to the Harvard Art Museums, now combined in a renovated building designed by Renzo Piano (familiar to Kimbell Art Museum followers).  Their collection of paintings, from medieval to modern, is exceptional.  The Asian galleries are noted for the rare and beautiful screens, scrolls and ceramics.  Charles and David patiently listened as I went into my “docent mode” and gave them an impromptu tour of the Wertheim collection of Impressionist art (once exhibited at the Kimbell many years ago) and then retired to the coffee shop area to wait while I continued to peruse the galleries.

Afterwards, we walked the beautiful campus of Harvard University, admired the architecture of the enormous Widener Library building, and went through the arch to the Harvard Book Store before Ubering to the boat. I retired for a nap while the guys returned to the North End to see more of that area before walking back to the boat.  They refused to stand in the even longer line at Mike’s to bring me cannoli! Dinner was at a nearby Legal Seafoods restaurant.  Crowded with numerous family groups (it was Father’s Day), we were fortunate to have a great table away from fussy children.

                            

Monday was a great day for cruising.  We left at 6:00 AM on a sunny morning with light wind and little traffic in the harbor area.  Without incident, we arrived at Wickford Shipyard at 4:00 PM and were delighted to find dock help waiting for us.  Our journey to Boston was a fun experience but it was good to be home!

Tuesday, we went to the Newport Car Museum (which is actually in Portsmouth) and spent several hours admiring and salivating over their exceptional collection of automobiles.  It is an amazing and beautiful facility which is privately owned and operated.  

Our farewell dinner for Charles was on the aft deck with two dozen oysters from the nearby seafood store.  A lingering sunset was a beautiful ending to his visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 30-June 16                                      Boston, Massachusetts

We spent several days completing boat tasks to prepare for Charles Martin’s anticipated visit and our planned trip to Boston.  Dan came to repair the temperamental generator and Rube came to clean and polish.  Of course, unexpected difficulties took additional effort and time.  Finally, we were ready.

Charles arrived at midnight on June 14 at Providence, a 25-minute drive from our boat.  We were delighted to have him visit us again in Rhode Island.  Charles is a long-time friend, a retired very successful home builder and an avid, experienced boater and competitive fisherman.   On The Bottom Line, he graciously assumes the role of crew member.  We enjoy having his help and expertise as well as his delightful company.

After a lengthy breakfast on the aft deck, we went to Newport and visited the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS), the premier marine trades and technology training facility in the United States.  Although students were gone, we were warmly greeted by personnel in the shop and the library and given a great tour of the facilities,

We later toured Rough Point, the beautiful Doris Duke estate,  Built by a Vanderbilt heir in the early 1900’s, it was later purchased by Doris’s father, the head of the American Tobacco Company.  She spent most of her childhood here and later returned as an adult to renovate the home and install priceless art and antiques. Lunch/dinner was at Matunuck Oyster Bar.  Always crowded and always excellent. David and Charles are determined to eat every oyster in Rhode Island!

At 5:15 Friday morning, we left the dock at Wickford and began our journey to Boston.  The day was sunny with light wind—a great day for cruising.  Charles had never been through the Cape Cod Canal and was excited to see this famous passage from Buzzard Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.  Navigating Boston Harbor can be challenging even on a clear day, but we made it to Boston Waterboat Marina without incident. 

Located in the heart of the waterfront area and only blocks from the North End and numerous restaurants and attractions, the marina is small, family owned and a perfect location to see Boston. Dinner was at the Chart House which was adjacent to the marina.  Jerry and Jill, our beloved friends in Boston, joined us and we had delicious seafood dinners.  Our server was a pretty, amiable young lady who completely charmed the guys.  Jill and I teased them about flirting with her, but they showed no shame!

 they showed no shame.+

 

                                                            2023

 

May 18-May 25          North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Stephanie graciously agreed to take us to the airport to make our   5:15 AM flight to Rhode Island.  We arrived shortly before 4:00 AM, waited for the ticket counters to open, and then waited 30 minutes for them to correct a computer problem.  The agent was concerned and took us to the front of the line in Security.  At that time, we were notified our flight was leaving from a different TERMINAL.  Fortunately, we caught the only operating cart in our area who took us through the labyrinth passages from Terminal A to Terminal C.  We arrived at the gate at 5:05 AM just as the doors were closing.  The remainder of the trip was great.  Our luggage arrived as scheduled and Rupe, our good helper from Wickford, met us.

The Bottom Line was clean inside and out.  A lovely floral arrangement was on the galley table and a special ladder had been installed for easier access.  Wes, the marina owner, surprised us with a delivery of coffee and breakfast the following morning.  It was great to be back!

David engaged Rube to do various projects on the boat and dinghy and happily supervised as he cleaned, varnished, and painted.  Soon all were ready for our Memorial Day weekend.  

A long parade of decorated boats passed us in the harbor only hours before our friends, Jerry and Jill arrived from Boston.  Always a delight, we enjoyed great conversation before leaving for East Greenwich and the Providence Oyster Bar.  With multiple choices of area oysters, David and Jerry ordered a dozen each!  We were very pleased to see that Jerry had recuperated well from his broken hip and looked great.

John and Maria, fellow boaters on the North Star, a beautiful 65’ Hatteras docked near us, came briefly to greet us before their family arrived.  We plan to see more of them soon.   To our delight, Maria came after Memorial Day with her third-grade students.  They were having a final day of school outing to the neighboring beach and then ice cream treats on the North Star.

We spent a delightful evening with another boating couple who were temporarily docked near us.  They had sold their 55’Onshore boat and bought a much smaller one in preparation for making the Great Loop.  They were experienced boaters but were apprehensive about the many locks they would encounter on the Erie Canal and Oswego Canal.  To my surprise, Wes had given them copies of my articles in Ensign Magazine which detailed our journey through those waterways.

The weather has mostly been beautiful with sunny, cool days.  We are enjoying the abundance of fresh seafood and trying some new recipes.  My scallop seviche was a great hit!  Looking forward to a visit soon from Charles Martin, our Houston friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

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!