Thursday, May 16, 2013

Newport

Pablo attended three months of Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island -- our first real separation. He actually got the call from the Navy just a few hours after Rosa was born. Being apart was agonizing, but also a good "test run" for me of what life will be like while he's on deployments. He excelled at OCS, which was no surprise to me! The littles and I flew up to Newport for his graduation, and it was such a delight to re-visit the Northeast (though it couldn't hold a candle to the excitement of seeing Pablo again!).

My dad had six weeks of training in Newport when I was six years old, so I have distant but fond memories. I couldn't go back without visiting the Breakers!




Luckily for me, Newport overflows with Colonial and Gilded Age history -- which happen to be my two favorite America historical periods. Walking streets once paced by founding fathers is an experience that those of us confined to the South are unfamiliar with.

While the beauty of The Breakers was overwhelming, both Pablo and I found it rather excessive and gaudy -- we much preferred the "downstairs" kitchen and butler's pantry.




Here's a gratuitous shot of my handsome Ensign (with six week of growth on his noggin; candidates' heads are kept closely buzzed for the first seven weeks). Obviously, it's taken me a while to post these, as I doubt it's snowed in Newport recently. I couldn't believe that I got exactly what I wanted in terms of weather -- several inches of snow fell while we were there, but none of it stayed on the roads! Snowy roads sound terrifying to me...




I just couldn't go to Newport without getting lobster, which I'd been craving for a while. His name is Ralph, by the way. Please don't ask my why I named him before consuming him...




Sadly, we didn't get to do much sightseeing, since we were all exhausted (especially Pablo) and the wind was insane almost the entire time. But we did have a walk-about or two, and did a bit of driving. Here's the famed Trinity church:




Newport took my breath away with street after street of gorgeous homes -- tree-lined avenues in the "mansion district", endless streets of Victorians and Queen Annes, and stately rows of Colonial dames. I'd love to go back with more time and more energy.




 I'm always glad for an excuse to do a bit of globe-trotting! And now that we're in the Navy, I'm going to venture a guess that there's quite a bit more of it in our future.

4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your post! It makes me miss Massachusetts dearly--I haven't had lobster since we moved here about 11 or 12 years ago! And I miss the beautiful old home and churches and the snow... Thanks so much for posting photos! It was a blessing to see a bit of New England again. And I look forward to reading about more of your globe-trotting!

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  2. Congratulations to your husband! What a fun trip to both see him graduate and to visit Rhode Island. I loved your pictures! I was born in Warwick and spent my childhood (til I was almost 11) in Rhode Island and just-over-the-border in Connecticut, just outside of Westerly. So these pictures immediately transported me back "home". I loved visiting The Breakers - I just wish while we had lived there we had done more sight seeing. Now that we live in the midwest I realize *how much* we missed seeing just because it was so everyday and always there. I didn't know what I had til I didn't have it anymore!

    Best wishes to your family as you start on this new adventure. My dad was in the military and I have huge respect for military families. God bless you all!

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  3. Hannah, while the closest I got to living in the Northeast was a few years in Chester County, PA, I've always loved New England! Perhaps because it reminds me of "Old" England? :-)

    Sarah Jane, I didn't realize you grew up in New England! I know exactly what you mean -- when you live somewhere, you take for granted that you'll see the "sights." The church we attended while in Newport met in a grange built in the early 1900's, located right next to the village green. *sigh*

    Blessings,
    Shannon

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  4. Oh, Shannon, I still haven't forgiven you for coming to Rhode Island and not visiting me. ;D

    Congratulations to your husband and his new role. And he's the most dignified snow remover I've ever seen!

    Lovely pictures! I love Newport. Especially the skyline on Second Beach. I have some pictures of Josh and Amelia that I took there that I adore! Next time you visit, I'll show you. Ha!!

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