Daytrippin', yeah.
Arturo (Peter's brother), Cathy and William were in Charlestown, RI. They had rented a nice house near the beach for a two-week vacation. We drove down to spend a cloudy day. This a different kind of coastal area. No long stretches of coastline to drive along. There are several marshy inlets — saltwater ponds between the beaches and the highway. Very nice, these form a buffer zone and separate the access roads out to the beaches.

Arturo & Cathy had packed all kinds of good stuff and we headed to the beach. The clouds worked in our favor — there weren't many people and we had some breathing room. It was very peaceful, no wind and neither hot nor cold. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the atmosphere; usually I need sunshine to feel upbeat. But the company was good, and a break from the norm (heat and blistering sun) was welcome. The filtered light created a neat glow on the sand and water. Block Island was due south (on the horizon in the top picture).

I took note of how Arturo & Cathy were able to relax on vacation (Peter was envious), hopefully picking up some pointers in that area. They took us out for a nice dinner later — thanks again!

More New England.
Another day trip with Mom — this one through eastern Connecticut, to Stonington on the southern coast. The village is on a peninsula that extends out into Long Island Sound. We followed the narrow main street to its end point, and visited the Old Lighthouse Museum.

The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1840 from the 1823 original that had been battered by storms. And it became a museum in 1927. It's small, but has some nice exhibits on lights in LI Sound, ships, fishing and pottery made locally. I climbed the narrow, winding iron stairs, then a ladder to get to the top of the tower. It was hot up there, but the views were nice.

The village is full of gorgeous old houses, many historic, well-maintained and set off on tree-lined streets. And there's a stretch of small main road shops (no temptations because we didn't stop).

But we did go to the Stonington Vineyards, on our way back north. It was on scenic high ground with a store and wine tasting. Of most interest to me was the adjoining gallery with some nice watercolors. I tried all the wines, confused as to which would taste good to someone who knew what they were doing. I've come to sort of appreciate red wine, but these were all white, and not for me. But I bought one (eeny, meeny ...) hoping Peter or friends would appreciate it. And for me, a jar of blueberry jam — that I get.

The eastern Connecticut countryside is rural and beautiful, traditional farms combined with unique New England architecture, stone walls, road markers — mmm, so special. It was a breath-of-fresh-air trip.

Surprise.
Out of the blue, Peter suggested we go shopping ... this is what we came home with:

Good ending.
The last day of August was a nice one: Betsy came for a visit. We had lunch on the deck then went out for a mini-hike and an unexpected climb to Lookout Rock. It was good to see her and talk about her upcoming trip: she's off to the southwest for some serious hiking — across the Grand Canyon. And if I know Betsy, she'll do it in record time — have a great vacation!

And Peter & I are headed north, to the Maritime Provinces of Canada — stay tuned. Thanks for visiting my summer journal pages.

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