Love Newport Style! Chapter 2

Trains...check! Helicopters...check! Trucks...check!

So happy you came back for the continuing saga of my anniversary adventures in Newport.

And now please allow me to pick up where I left off...

Friday of our big weekend arrived. It's weird but I felt so excited, the kind of buzz I always feel on day 1 of a big vacation...the butterflies in the stomach just thinking about boarding an airplane to fun! Except this time, we were boarding hubby's pickup truck to travel a mere 45 miles from home.

Hubby and I packed up our suitcases and hauled them out to our pickup. We gave our dogs a cuddle and bid them adieu. (Probably the only downer part of the whole weekend...we just hate leaving them behind - and even worse knowing the hotel we were going to is "dog friendly" so any other time we could have taken them.) We pointed the truck south and headed off down the highway to the city by the sea...on Aquidneck Island...Newport!

Now Where Was I

Um, yeah. Where was I?
I think my last post was about my wedding anniversary adventure in Newport...back in February...um yeah... there.
I know I promised there'd be more to come. Well, in a way there was. It's called life. And it always seems to get in the way...yeesh! You'd think I would have learned by now...finish the post while I'm working on it. While the iron's still hot. While I still had a clear thought in my head.
I really hope you haven't been holding your breath...lol!
I WILL finish. I WILL put together the conclusion of my Newport tale. And I WILL post it to this blog...I promise...
To be continued................

Love Newport Style! Chapter: 1

33 years. That's how long I've been married. It seems both unbelievable and surreal - all at the same time. Depends on my frame of mind, I guess. My gosh, I can remember when I was 33 years old like it was yesterday so how could I be married for that long? And yet, some days I feel sooo old that being married more than 30 years isn't all that far fetched.

Since our big 25th celebration (complete with a gathering of the kids on the official date and the romantic honeymoon of our dreams to the exotic islands of Tahiti), we've settled into going out on our big day with just dinner at a nice restaurant and small gifts to mark the occasion. And that's ok.

But this year, hubby came up with an outstanding idea. He wasn't going for just a dinner date this year. We needed alone time. Get away from home time. Us time. With no distractions. This past year has been very stressful for both of us and boy did we need to get away for some r&r.

Usually celebrating our anniversary by going away overnight somewhere in the Northeast in bitter cold snowy February...sucks. Many of the local fun tourist type places are either closed or running on very reduced hours. Take the year we tried to indulge in a romantic weekend hotel package on Cape Cod. "Cuddle & Bubble" read the advertisement. Well, it sure didn't live up to its billing.
First - they were out of the bubbles. The champagne kind. So we were given a bottle of wine. Hmm, ok.
Second - we couldn't take part in the "other" bubbles...the kind for the bathtub. Seems they had a bit of a problem...no hot water. Ummm, not taking a cold bubble bath...nope. (And definitely wasn't about to take cold showers...on a romantic getaway? oh no no no.)
We headed out into the dark, dreary cold to find a local tavern we could kick back in, have a few drinks and a nice hot meal. Ugh...everything in walking distance was...closed for the season. Since we were out anyway, we strolled to the beach where we almost turned into human icicles. Brrrr...
And I guess that would be where the cuddle part comes in. We hugged each other close for protection from the icy wind that blew in from the ocean and stayed glued to each other throughout the long cold night in our room.

Ok - see what I mean? Unless you're into sporty ski weekends, New England sucks in wintertime. (And before you ask, yes, we did try those too. After we took lots of ski lessons cuz neither one of us knew how. Hubby did great...me? not so much.)

Which led to my skepticism and the raised red eyebrows I sent hubby's way when he pleaded: "No, no. Listen! This could be great." He described a winter festival taking place in one of our favorite cities, Newport. All kinds of fun events. "We should get a hotel. Stay overnight," he suggested. Ah, alone time.

No twisting my arm needed. I'm onboard with this idea, oh sweet hubby o'mine! Heck yeah!

I found a great weekend package at the Hyatt on Goat Island. Buffet breakfasts - included. Mansion tickets - included. Shuttle service to downtown (AWEsome! ever try to find parking in Newport during big events? then you'll know how happy shuttle service made me!) A few of the major festival events were taking place at the hotel: comedy night and Beatlemania! Yay!! for partying it up at hotel events with only a quick stumble back to our room. And to top it off: an outdoor bar made of ice with sweet tropical pineapple drinks to slurp and enjoy by the fire pit! Yum and mmmm!

But we did so much more than that!

I'll close for now...but check out my next post for all the juicy adventurous details!

Here's a hint ... trains, helicopters and trucks. ☺

My Backyard - Rosecliff Mansion, Newport, RI

Another day. Another mansion. And another happy day for this blogger!

Hubby and I grabbed a rare day off from grandkid duty and hightailed it out of our house. (i.e. NOT a mansion.) It was no surprise where we wanted to go. One of our fav places to head to on a bright, warm sunny summer day - Newport. The place just calls to us. The water. The sail boats. The food. The history. All of it.

First stop:  The Corner Café. If you're ever in Newport, for whatever reason, you've got to try this place. An unassuming little restaurant in the center of town. Maybe seats 40 diners? And almost always a wait. On this particular morning, we were told it'd be about 20 minutes. So we gave our name to the hostess and strolled down the sidewalk and down a side street. Just meandering and chatting. Enjoying picture-perfect weather that seemed to be tailor made for our spur of the moment excursion.