On the border....

...breakfast.

Or should I say, over the border breakfast?

Yes, we actually left the state for a late morning breakfast out today.

The south easternmost town in the state, Westerly, shares a river with the state of Connecticut and we ate at The Primetime Cafe which is just over the border on the other side of bridge(the restaurant is practically on the bridge itself, it is so close to the river).

Mr. F had banana pancakes, R(that's her in the red cardigan, and doesn't she look great in that shade of red?) had the famous Coconut French Toast(supposedly, this is what Conan O' Brien has ordered here--don't know if they still do, but his parents have a house near here and he has been spotted in town in years past when his show was in New York), and I had the Cinnamon Almond French Toast. Plus perfectly cooked home fried potatoes. Talk about overloading on carbs!

Typical April day, it was threatening rain under a grey sky, but warm. We walked back to Rhode Island and strolled through Wilcox Park. Not much blooming and the fountains weren't yet running, but it still looked pretty there. I managed to get R on the much-climbed-by- children-and-photographed "Goodnight Moon Bunny" sculpture. At first she was embarrassed, but then she obliged. When she was three years old, I had to help her up onto it and I was afraid to let go of the waistline of her pants in case she slid off(it is made of a slippery metal). Now I think her legs are as tall as the sculpture itself(or almost as tall).

I also was able to buy some art supplies at a place in Westerly, to restock my depleted supply of acrylic paints. Yesterday, J commented on an unfinished painting I have had up on an easel since....October.

My ghost painting.

In a way, I like how it adds to the ghostly look, being uncompleted. But J was sweet enough to nudge me towards painting again , when he found out I was low on paints. He was the one who suggested I buy some more paints today.

So, that has been my day pretty much--aside from my decluttering and cleaning out my closet and drawers.

And to make the day that much more exciting--I have a 7:30 PM mammogram appointment waiting for me. Whee....

Spring Fever with Martinis

These pics are from last Sunday, when Mr. F and I spent the afternoon strolling around Newport and had a few martinis at The Red Parrot. All in all, a slightly indulgent, barely warm(cool breeze off the harbor) early spring day. I took these photos, mostly on Spring Street(walking on the sunny side of the street, of course) as we walked back from the Red Parrot.

This centuries old house appeared to be vacant and abandoned....

Masses of purple crocuses blooming in a little square in front of the White Horse Tavern, which at one time was once run by a pirate!--a little history:

Frances Brinley constructed the original building on the site in 1652. In 1673, the lot was sold to William Mayes, and the building was enlarged to become a tavern. The building was also used for large meetings, including use as a Rhode Island General Assembly meeting place, a court house, and a city hall. William Mayes, Sr., obtained a tavern license in 1687 and William Mayes, Jr., a well-known pirate, operated the tavern through the early eighteenth century. The operation was named "The White Horse Tavern" in 1730 by owner Jonathan Nichols.

During the American Revolution, Tories and British troops were quartered there around the time of the British occupation and the Battle of Rhode Island.

After years of neglect as a boarding house, Newport's Van Bueren family donated money to the private Preservation Society of Newport to restore the building in 1952. After the restoration, the building was sold and once again operated as a private tavern and restaurant. As of 2011, it still remains a popular drinking and dining location.

Mr. F's white chocolate and espresso martini.

I had a French Martini, made with Chambord, vanilla vodka(yeah, I had no idea there was such a thing, either), and pineapple juice, and I liked it so much I have since made it at home.

**

*1 1/2 oz vodka

(I used vanilla vodka since that was how they made it at the Red Parrot)

*1/2 oz Chambord Liqueur

*2 oz Pineapple Juice

**

Shake this really well in cocktail shaker with plenty of ice--the pineapple juice gets nice and frothy, making this drink almost creamy.

To end...a Blogthing quiz(haven't done one of these in some time):

You Are a Blue Martini

You may have had a difficult time earlier in life. You are highly sensitive and a little cautious. You are a reserved and careful person, but you don't let that stop you from doing your thing. Old fashioned and conservative, you carry yourself with dignity. You don't embarrass yourself. You are attracted to powerful people who have a good deal of influence. You wouldn't mind some of that rubbing off on you.

What Color Martini Are You?

Swampin'

Pussywillow (Salix discolor)

After dropping R off at here driver's ed. class at 8:00 at the University campus in Kingston this morning, I met my sister for a walk(turned out to be a two hour long one!) through the Great Swamp Management area nearby.

This 3,475-acre property near West Kingston in southern Rhode Island includes 2,600 acres of forested wetlands in the floodplains of the Chickasheen, Usquepaug, and Pawcatuck rivers. Red maple, Atlantic white cedar, red oak, white oak, white pine, and American holly are important tree species. The Great Neck, a higher-elevation drumlin near the center of the WMA, was farmed and pastured before being abandoned in the early to mid-1900s. The Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife manages Great Swamp WMA for wildlife conservation, hunting and fishing, and compatible public recreation. Waterfowl, American woodcock, ruffed grouse, Northern bobwhite, whip-poor-will, osprey, Northern harrier, New England cottontail, Eastern cottontail, beaver, bobcat, river otter, fisher, coyote, red and gray foxes, and white-tailed deer are some of the wild species inhabiting the area.

from http://www.timberdoodle.org/node/74

Swampdog

Lucky Jewel got to come along, and was in all her glory as a true bird dog on the trails and along the shores of the swamp itself, sniffing out waterfowl, deer and who-knows-what-else scents. She also had fun chasing Canada geese into the water . We spotted osprey(fish eagles) overhead, some carrying giant branches to add to their nests. Although, from these photos, not much looks alive and green and growing yet, the trees were full of birds and their birdsong, and we spotted some trees--shadbark and I *think* witch hazel(not entirely sure)in bloom.

This is me sitting on a (cold as) stone "chair" along one of the trails.

Some green showing in a boggy place among the still-bare trees.

Vernal pools, unseen, deeper in the woods were the source of "spring peeper"(Pseudacris crucifer) frog sounds(one of the earliest signs of spring here, and usually loudest--a true chorus--at night). Interestingly, while looking up the correct Latin classification name for the this frog, which all my life I had always only known them as "peepers", I learned that on Martha's Vineyard they are called "pinkletinks". Heh.

Listen to the peepers here.

Typical New England woodland --rocks and stones all over, sometimes with trees growing out of a split rock like this one.

Yes, the landscape is flat.

Jewel, sniffing away, and my sister, Angela.

Views from the Hood

Even though I didn't go far yesterday because of my banged up car, I was still able to take my dog for her daily walk through the neighborhood. All six of our feet were in fine working condition.
I had my camera in my pocket this time, so recorded a few sights along the route we took.
Closest to our house, I saw these vine-covered trees. There is a small empty lot next door(which we tell ourselves has to be much too small to ever build a house on since we like this buffer zone that creates a real sense of privacy in an otherwise "crowded-with-houses" neighborhood) that is all overgrown and looks like a miniature jungle.
Last year, A tree service did come and cut down some of the brush and choking vines (after the vines caused some smaller trees to actually topple over and crash down onto our wooden fence and crack a portion of it open), and the remains of these once living thick vines can still be seen.

My lucky number posted twice on a telephone pole at the end of our street.

Ever since I got Jewel(about seven years ago) and have been walking the same old streets with her, I have watched the progression of a certain neighbor's garden over the years. It started out small, but she now has a lush, slightly over-grown cottage garden full of blooms seven months out of the year. I really liked these tall sunflower-type blooms she had growing outside of her fence.

There was even a 10K Ironman race in our nieghborhood, I discovered as I walked with Jewel to the southern end. And this flag waving, hula hooping lady was the turn-around point for the runners. There was no way they could miss her!

My camera can't convey another sweet neighborhood happening, though. On Saturday afternoon, while I was cleaning up the kitchen after putting a spice cake into the oven, I heard singing from...somewhere.

Mr. F said, "Do you hear that man singing?"

And I did and thought it must be coming from R's bedroom down the hallway(she often has her iPod plugged into a speaker in there, blasting her favorite tunes).

And then Mr. F told me this wasn't the first time he had heard "that singing kid with the earphones in his ears", singing rather loudly(and with a pretty decent voice, too), while walking down the street. I had never noticed it before, though.

And, when I looked out the front door, there was a youngish man(19? 20 at the most?), striding along and singing a song. We could hear him long after he passed our house and was out of sight.

Mr. F said "more people should sing out loud like that."

And I completely agreed with him.