Day Trip to Newport, Part 1

So happy to report a beautiful day, finally, with perfect temps, clear skies and a delicious breeze.  Of all the local bucket list items, Newport, RI was the closest so I hopped in the car and headed down there.  First, let me say that the streets in that town confound me.  Whoever laid them out must've also done Boston, another city in which I do not like driving.  To say that I was winging it in Newport was an understatement, even with a map.  

After the highway ended onto the city street, I just kept driving south about 10 miles and ended up downtown.  It was still kind of early and a weekday, so free two hour parking was pretty available. 

Didn't venture up and down the side streets or anything but the downtown core is pretty cool.

Funky blends with historic.

Newport City Hall

The back of this building intrigues me.

Friends Meetinghouse (Quaker) which is now a museum.

White Horse Tavern, oldest in America.

I had no idea where the mansions were in relation to the downtown core, so I asked someone who gave me really great directions.  But it sent me through another cool part of town so of course I had to stop and check it out.  Stay tuned.

Escaping from the Gypsy Moth Caterpillars

The day I had to get a cupcake to calm my nerves after the gypsy moth caterpillars landed on me, I wandered into Cape Kaleidoscopes at the Mashpee Commons shopping area.  They have the most beautiful stuff ever....gorgeous stained glass discs for beautiful wood kaleidoscopes.  If I won the lottery I would buy every single one of them!!!  They did, however, have a really great selection of $9 scopes, so I picked one up.  Then took pics through it after I got home.

Also started my Rudolph character ornaments kit.  "Hello, Clarice."

Hermie & Santa

Rudolph

Sam Snowman

And my absolute fave monster EVER, Bumbles!  Isn't he the cutest?  I may have to leave him out year round.

I am in love with this Four Seasons Tree diamond painting.  Tiles in every shade of the rainbow.  It's been a delight to work on.  Tsing really makes the best kits.  Here it is at the halfway point. 

Some of my friends tell me that I must have a lot of patience, but it's really so much easier than paint by number and it goes way faster too.

Ta-Da!!!!!  Done!  This was so much fun.  Addictive.  I even found a space on the wall for it.  Still have to frame that peace sign though.

Now that my diamond painting is done, I can start working on some beady things.  Soon, my pretties. Soon.

How Is It June Already?!?!?!

I feel like I just put the Christmas decorations away and it's already June.  Time's going by just waaay too fast.  

We had a quiet Memorial Day weekend.  We've had a ton of rain around here so when it was sunny, we had to take advantage of it.  The Saturday of that weekend, we went to the Wareham Flea Market and scored these 2 super cool, unique glass bottles.  They're so heavy....they must weigh a ton when full of liquid!

It was nice to be able to sit on the deck in sunny weather too, till the gypsy moth caterpillars arrived. Those things gross me out so bad.  We were visiting my inlaws and they were even inside the gazebo. Two of them landed on me and I about had a nervous breakdown, so Russell suggested I go treat myself to a cupcake, so I did.  

Pink flamingos looking worse for the wear after a couple of winters.

Gnomey is happy it's warm

Ebenezer

I thought this huge dragon fly was dead cause it looked like his wings were stuck in the web strands.  He was soooo still.  After I took, this I pulled a couple strands away, and it flew off!  

At least the rain has made for some pretty clouds and skies.  A huge and bright double rainbow was seen all over the Cape one night.  The pics posted on Facebook were beautiful.  I just get a lot of clouds which is fine too.

We got home from errands one day to find that Sagan had gotten ahold of an almost full package of lofthouse cookies, ate every single one and left the empty plastic clamshell on the floor.  I'd obviously left it too close to the edge of the counter.  The next day, however, we came home to THIS.  

We were sooooo not amused.  Sagan wasn't even sorry.

Hubs and my stepson trimmed the branches off of a tree for my mom.  The three of us worked really hard.  

It was way more of a job than I thought it'd be and now we have to cut up all the branches that were unloaded on the other side of the driveway.  

Cute li'l chipmunk.

We decided to check out a butcher shop up in Plymouth.  It's in an older, quieter part of town and I never stopped here thought I've driven past it a lot.  Piantedosi's is small, but packed full of delicious, fresh food, meats and Italian groceries.  I got a cheese lasagna that is to die for, and we were so pleased with the chicken wings as well.  Russell got some steaks too, and I picked up meatballs & sauce to make subs.

Walked around a bit.  Loved the signs in this part of town.

Russell told me that he used to deliver Coke at this old supermarket called Perry's, but he doubted it was still open.  We drove to where he said he remembered it was, and it was still open.  I wish I'd gotten pics of the inside cause it was like walking back into 1974.  He got a steak at their butcher dept. too, which he cooked up when we got home.  I even had a small piece and it was amazing.  He was literally in heaven!

Now I need to make some time for serious day trips!