Maps, Maps, Maps

I love maps. It is a pretty intense situation, my love. One of the best things about my job is that I get to look at maps all day long. Looking at maps to find people, to find cities, to find townships, to find stores or addresses, to find land marks or highways or intersections.

It is surprising and kind of funny that no one ever really knows where they are (with all the access we have to maps these days.. right?). But I get to pull up my best friend GoogleMaps and search away! Last week, using my map skills, I was able to find a road that no one else could find! Good old Shirley-Leominster Road that is like one foot long.

Since people are always driving everywhere, I get to learn about some of the most captivating places. I can take one call, google map it, and then spend the rest of my shift learning about a new place (in between other calls and work of course).

Anyways, I figured I would share three of my recent discoveries with you! Take a gander:

Did you know that Old Oaken Bucket Road in Plymouth, Massachusetts actually has a world famous poem written about it, and also has a Big Ten college football trophy named after it?!

Who knew that off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine lie a small gaggle of islands known as the Isles of Shoals? These were discovered by John Smith in 1620, used as fishing villages populating up to 1,000 people, then as an artistic colony, then resort getaway in the 19th century, and now sit mostly uninhabited except for a lighthouse and Star Island which is owned by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a camp ground. (Maybe a few ghosts as well)

In my own Smith Hill neighborhood lies an entire historic DISTRICT! This was quite surprising to learn about from Google maps, as I pass these little houses a few times a week. (Since this picture was taken, they have all been painted different colors). This district, called the Andrew Dickhaut Cottages Historic District, consists of 18 homes on Bath, Orms, and Duke Street in Providence built in the 1800s. They were small worker's cottages built, owned, and rented by an entrepreneurial butcher from New York City. Here you can see the names and professions of all those who lived in these cottages in 1892, which is super interesting! That link also references information from the National Register of Historic Places.

I am hooked. And haven't even begun talking about the wonder of Google Earth.


Have you ever discovered something new from a map? 


p.s. even one of my favorite songs is called "Maps" (by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.)

Experience New England: Lowell

Adam, Niki, Sarah, Hannah, Chris

Lowell, the fourth largest city in Massachusetts, has been on my radar for a few years. The christian student fellowship of University of Massachusetts Lowell is pretty involved in the same circles that Johnson & Wales campus ministry was, so I know a few people from the area, but I've never had a reason to visit or learn more about the city.

 Until now. My good friend Sarah (who also happened to live with me a few summers ago) moved to Lowell to work as a semester missionary on the UMassLowell campus, and a couple of us from Providence decided to head up there for a little day trip to explore the city and have little reunion with Sarah! 

Before my trip I did some research on the city. All I really knew was that it had a lot of mills (simply because everything there has "mill" in the title), and that it was in the Merrimack Valley (a AAA term).

Well, yes it is on the Merrimack River, and about an hour and a half drive north of Providence. And the city lays home to many old mill buildings, many reconstructed into lofts and apartment communities.




We started off in the historic down town at Brewed Awakenings, and our friend Sarah gave a grand tour (coffee included) of the fascinating historic district. We wandered down to the Riverwalk, a delightful walkway right next to the famous Merrimack River. A few little children passed us on bikes with their parents meandering behind. There were ducks and geese along the river and a wonderful evening view of industrial bridges and landscape.

We made a giant loop near City Hall, past an old train turned into adult play ground, back to our cars. Sarah gave us a driving/walking tour of the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus, which was a pretty large campus, and where we topped the hill with the best view of Lowell around:

Holy Moly!

Dinner was at the unique Egg Roll Cafe, where we each picked out some delicious egg rolls and curry soups to try. (Everything from pizza to Buffalo to Chicken egg rolls) Yum! And we walked over to Sarah's apartment to hang out for the rest of the night.

Lowell is definitely an beautiful little city that I want to know more about. In the summer there is the Lowell Folk Festival, and many other out door activities. Sadly the Visitor Center was closed when we walked past, but I, of course, want to check that out too and get a few post cards.

Hopefully that will happen this summer!
Have you been to Lowell? Do you have a favorite restaurant, hang out, etc?

New England Fall Adventures I Hope To Have

As fall slowly creeps in to New England (finally.. wait.. is it even here yet?! IT'S OCTOBER!), and the air begins to prick your skin with it's cool breeze, now is the time to make a list of all the fall/winter wild adventures!

1. Providence Holiday Market

A selection of local vendors featured on Grant's Block featured to showcase Rhode Island crafters, farmers, and culinary geniuses. Every Saturday from Thanksgiving to mid December. 

pic from Creative Commons

2. Vermont's Route 100

"One minute, it's slaloming along a rocky riverbed through dense cover of birch and maple; the next, it's soaring up to a sudden vista as if God has suddenly pulled away a curtain. There's a reason this stretch of highway -- some 200 miles from Massachusetts to Lake Memphremagog -- has been called the most scenic in New England." -from Yankee Magazine

A restless foliage peeping route. Sounds perfect. Now, to get a car.

From gregcookland.com

3. Steel Yard Iron Pour //October 28th 

"Each year, the Steel Yard teams up with the Iron Guild to demonstrate the industrial arts in an exciting, accessible way. Our annual Iron Pour is a luminous spectacle in celebration of the fall season here in Providence. This year's performance promises to be in keeping with the dramatic displays of the past with a monster theme."

Um, awesome!

4. 3rd Annual Family Day at Neutaconkanut Park 

October 22 2011

Forests, bonfires, storytelling" all perfect fall activities in a hardly known but amazing park in Providence!

Here are some helpful resources:

*Rhode Island Events Calendar of Tours, Talks, and Trails

*New England Fall Festival Calendar

What events or annual fall activities do you have on YOUR New England calendar?

Experience New England: The Kennebunks!

My sister and I have desired to go to Kennebunkport, Maine for quite some time now. It's coastal charm called our names, and finally we planned the trip!

Located on the edge of Maine just 90 minutes north east of Boston, the Kennebunks are a group of about 5 towns that stretch across the shoreline.

From a tourism perspective, I was blown away with the breadth of niches that the Kennebunk area was able to fill. They are a perfect destination for families, nature lovers, beach bums, foodies, romantic escapes, and girlfriend getaways. Everyone was always friendly and helpful, parking was never a frustration, the bathrooms were numerous, free, and clean, and we never felt like we were caught in a tourist trap.

There are many resorts, cottages, cabins, and villas to choose from, but we decided to set up tent at Red Apple Campground in Arundel, Maine (literally 3 minutes from KBP). It is small, but one of the top rated campgrounds in the country. I was IMPRESSED with the hospitality of the staff. We arrived and the man in the office hooked us up with tons of information on the area. He also was kind enough to show us where everything was on the map! Our tent site was a good size for two people, and came with picnic table and fire pit. The bathrooms were astoundingly clean and never busy. It is definitely a family camp, but we didn't mind because we were usually only there when it was dark out and everyone was sleeping.

We only had about two days, and we had two dedicated activities that we wanted to do. Everything just fell right into place!

Our first afternoon was a little overcast, so we went into the downtown shopping district and walked around. So many neat little shops, restaurants, and art galleries. We wandered to the nearest Hannafords in Wells to buy bug spray (with the coupons included in the campground welcome package), then looped 'round to briefly check out Wells beach, saw some glorious summer homes right on the water in kennebunk, and by the time we got back to the campground it was time to start a fire, cook up some hot dogs, and then get to bed!

The next day we woke up with a plan. We started off on the road north to Cape Porpoise. Since it was already noon when we hit the road, we stopped and grabbed lunch at the Cape Porpoise Kitchen (best turkey reuben of my life) and hit the beach, Goose Rocks Beach. The sand was fine, the water was cool, and the sun was a blazin.

After getting a nice bronze, we headed down Ocean Ave to see former president Bush's summer home on Walker's Point.

We stopped a few times along the drive to admire the rugged beauty of the ocean coupled with whatever it was playfully interacting with whether it was sailboats, the chapel on the sea, a man with his painters eisel, or just the rocky shore.

Later that night, we arrived at our anticipated destination, The Lobster Bake and Fourth of July Celebration at the Nonantum Resort! We had been so excited for this- with the live band, fresh lobster, sand bar, ice cream, fireworks over the beach. It felt like we were at a picnic with 500 of our closest friends. Everyone was having a great time hanging out, cracking open lobsters, and enjoying the weather.

This trip went by too fast, that's all I can really say to sum it up. We are thinking about making it a tradition, and I think Kennebunk is definitely a place I would like to spend more time.

Experience New England: Purgatory Chasm

“Purgatory Chasm is a bold and unique landscape. Hikers beware o the dangers of this trail: slippery and deceiving rocks. The trail is one half mile long and climbing is involved.”

So reads the signage approaching Purgatory Chasm, located along route 146 in Sutton, Massachusetts. Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is a state park with 2 miles of hiking trails, creeks, boulders, and a deep chasm of granite bedrocks full of caves, crawl spaces, and crannies to explore. The daring landmarks that lie within the chasm itself are given romantic or haunting names such as “Lover’s Leap,” the “Devil’s Coffin,” and “Fat Man’s Misery.”

This park is open year round, and both summer and winter hikes are full of great views. Some of the rocks are up to 60 feet high! I was really taken a back by the beauty and the size of the rocks. I felt so small climbing among godzilla boulders!

I went to Purgatory Chasm with some friends, and would definitely recommend it as a fun place to go hiking. There were many families there with younger and older children, as well as people with dogs, even strollers (though I imagine they stayed on the flatter trails). I liked that there are multiple trails to choose from, they are clearly marked, and none of them are terribly hard to complete.

The trails are all definitely fun and diverse!

 The park has picnic tables, grills and a gazebo, along with ample parking. Definitely wear good shoes, bring bug spray, and a bottle of water. Do not make the mistake that I did and wear flip flops, thinking you will successfully conquer the Chasm! What a rookie mistake.. ugh! Anyways, I cant wait to go back soon!

Helpful Links:

• A Map of the Park
• Blackstone Valley Family Fun Tour
• Reviews from other hikers
• Top Ten Other things to do in Sutton

Have you ever been to Purgatory? Planning to go? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Downcity Delights: Tazza

My roommate and I have been taking a culinary tour of new (or kind of new) restaurants in the Downcity area of Providence. Wednesday I tend to get out of work a little early before class and we both just happened to be around, so why not?!!

 Our first adventure was Tazza Caffe. They describe themselves as "[a] combination of the qualities of a traditional espresso bar with a funky atmosphere and placing it all in the center of Providence's Arts and Entertainment District."

My roommate is a longtime fan of Tazza- I am a more recent convert. Their ice coffee enamored, Open Mic Night rocked out, love "Movies on the Block," and it was a cool place to just go and hang out (unless you are going with a friend and they light the candle thinking you are on a date, but that is another story for another day).

THEN. Tazza renovated. Whatever is there now, is not the same Tazza. It is new, it is steely and modern. No more comfy couch atmosphere. I cant see a place for music or performances. (Is there a secret back room that I missed?)

My roommate and I were saying that if we hadn't known Tazza before and had stumbled across this place, we would totally love and embrace it- but since we know the old, it's going to be a struggle to come to love the new Tazza. I cant imagine just going there to grab some coffee and hang out with friends, write a paper .... But oh my, what a delightful surprise: the food is DELICIOUS (not that it wasn't before, but WOW!)

I had the Vegetarian Tomato Bisque with parmesan croutons, grilled chicken panino, and hand crafted fries. My roommate had the margarita pizza. Both were delicious. Check out the menu here. I am dying to try their local ceviche, and the pork shoulder taco sounds divine!

Lunch was around $11 (including tip). For a poor college student it is a little pricey, but in my opinion it is worth the random (or planned) splurge.

In conclusion: there will probably be another visit. While it is a change to get used to, their new renovation is probably more geared toward their target market and the layout makes more sense.

 So I forgive you Tazza.  

Have you been there since the big renovation? Thoughts?

Tour Blackstone Valley

This past weekend I participated as a volunteer assistant tour guide with Tour Blackstone Valley. This is an annual event that seeks to get native Rhode Islanders out of their bubble and out into a new area to experience and learn. In past years, it was called "TourRI" and there were upwards of 26 different tour packages that could be chosen. This year because of whatever reason, it was only the Blackstone Valley that participated, and there were only 7 tours. Two years ago I volunteered and went on the Block Island tour. It was pretty awesome.

This year my tour was "The Blackstone Valley Sampler," and we were able to visit some various sights across the valley. As the assistant tour guide, I made sure that everyone was on the bus, given their gift bags, had any questions answered, got the right lunch, and received the information packets. We had about 38 tour participants on my tour this year.

The first stop was High-On-A-Hill Herb Farm. It is a lovely farm in the middle of North Smithfield. They grow many herbs, keep bees, have a kennel, and offer various educational classes through the year. They were kind enough to offer us snacks of delicious home made muffins and tea. Then we sat for a short presentation on bee keeping that was fascinating! I never knew that bee keeping was so involved. It was a great stop, and everyone enjoyed being outside for the lovely weather.

Our second stop was to the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center in Woonsocket, RI. This is the home to the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America, and is also known as the "Sistene Chapel of America." We had a tour of the building and they explained the history. The coolest thing was that all the faces in the paintings are modeled after real people who were members of the church at the time. It was quite a beautiful place.

The third stop was the Woonsocket Museum of Work and Culture. (At this point I am almost starting to become enamored with Woonsocket. But dont tell anyone about that.) Anyway, this museum focused on the immigration of the French Canadians into Woonsocket and the industries that resulted. Who knew it would be so interesting? It seemed like a great place for kids and adults alike.

Next we went to a historical "Stone Ender" built in the 1700's in Lincoln, RI. Having never heard that term before, I was intrigued. As we approached the Valentine Whitman House, I could see the reason behind its name. The whole end of the house was made out of stone. There is some historical significance to this, but I think you will have to visit the house to learn more :)

Our last stop of the tour was The Captain Wilbur Kelly House, situated by a preserved section of the historic Blackstone Canal Tow Path in the Village of Ashton (Cumberland/Lincoln Line). I loved learning about how the canal was built (I love canals, after all I am from Lockport NY- a canal lovers haven!). We were given a tour by one of Rhode Island's leading historians. Then we walked through the house and looked at all the displays. Good stuff!

We finished the tour around 4pm and headed back to the home base. The day was extremely fun and I learned so much. The tour guide for our trip was awesome, I met so many wonderful people, explored cool places in RI, and loved the experience of "working the tour." 

Experience New England: Providence Independence Trail

image source: creative commons

Yesterday, May 4th 2011, Rhode Island's Govenor Chaffee and Providence Mayor Tavares unveiled the "Independence Trail." This three mile, downtown Providence trail will

"feature 75 sites ranging from a place where George Washington slept to a statue of Civil War General Ambrose Burnside, whose distinctive facial hair coined the word 'sideburns.'"  (wpri.com)

The trail will also

"cover more than four centuries of Rhode Island history, culture, architecture and folklore – including the birthplace of religious freedom, the site of the first shot in the fight against England, and the spot where Lincoln spoke." (providenceri.com)

According to one article, one of the goals of the Independence Trail is to

"help Providence supplant Boston and Philadelphia as the Northeastern capitals of historical tourist attractions." (mysanantonio.com)

The trail seems like an exciting way to showcase the important history of Providence. It will be a fun way for both native Rhode Islander's and out of town tourists to more fully understand all that Rhode Island has to offer. At each site there will be a number you can call to get a prerecorded description of the importance of the stop. The trail should be fully complete by July 4th, or so says the trail's founder Robert Burke.

I think that the Independence Trail will be quite an interesting addition to the development of Providence as a whole, as well as the tourism sector. It will give Providence more depth as a destination, and create that connection and education that tourists seek in historic locations. (Even better because I think people will be surprised at the amount of history that is located here.) Personally, I am excited for this.

Click here to see the full size map! 

What do you think? If you are a local, are you going to check it out?

If you arent in the area, is this something that interests you?

Experience New England: My Bucket List

A girl can dream, (and this is the short version of those dreams).


Bucket List: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket".

New Bedford Whaling Museum

The 107 year old whaling museum located in Massachusetts, “it is home to the world's largest ship model, Lagoda, a half-scale whale ship built in 1916 by the aging shipwrights of New Bedford's famed fleet. The Museum displays four species of complete whale skeletons, including a Blue whale, the world's largest mammal plus a mother and fetus of the highly endangered Northern Atlantic Right whale.” How can you beat that excitement? No, Im not joking.

"The Nation's First Sunrise"

Viewing the "first sun rise in the USA" is a  popular activity among visitors of Maine's Acadia National Park. Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise in the fall and winter, and during most of the spring and summer, the sun rises first on Mars Hill, 150 miles to the northeast. This would be invigorating. 

Hartland Brick Church Famous Roast Beef Supper

Maybe I am crazy, but this seems like a really cool thing to randomly do.

“People drive an hour and a half or more to make the pilgrimage, and not just once a year or once a month, but some for nine straight Saturdays starting in January--every year. These dinners take place in the basement of  "the Brick Church" in Hartland, and no matter the weather. A bad snowstorm or driving sleet might keep servings down to 200 or 250; a good night will feed some 400 people.” And J.D. Salinger went to them!

Sandwich, Massachusetts

I have to admit one thing: I have been here before…. BUT, it was at 1am, for ten minutes, and we climbed a tree.. I don’t think that counts. I want to see the boardwalk and watch tugboats enter the Cape Cod Canal at dawn, and then hit up the Sandwich Glass Museum. Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod by the way.  (photo from Yankee Magazine)

Wild Game Supper

Congregational Church's annual "Wild Game Supper" in Bradford, Vermont, comes to mind. The out-of-town crowd at that hunting-season event grew so overwhelming--even at $25 a head--that the church recently set a serving limit of 900. The writer Calvin Trillin once called it "the Super Bowl of church suppers."

Cable Car Cinema

Located on South Main Street in Providence RI, this comfy cinema and café is known for its couches, great atmosphere, fun indie films, and speakers in the bathroom (so you don’t miss TOO much)! Reasonable prices, and a great date or hangout atmosphere. I see this place all the time, and want to go SOO bad.

What about you? Do you have any dreams to travel around New England?

 Any places that strike your fancy?  

 Am I missing something important? Do share!

Experience New England: Latin Fa La La's

Saturday I went with some ladies from my church to our friend Diana's jewelry party. She and her husband have just recently joined Grace Harbor, and it was great to go support her and see some of her wonderful handmade accessories! I would totally recommend taking a glance at her page on Etsy! (and then buy some and give them as gifts!)

Last night my roommate Niki and I headed to the 62nd Annual Brown Latin Carol Celebration! It was held in the First Baptist Church in America and featured choir performances that were simply magical and readings that touched on the season, all in Latin! A woman from our church is studying classics at Brown, and I'm so glad she told us about the event! It was simply awesome to hear our favorite Christmas carols sung so beautifully and in Latin! I hope more people come with us next year, and man, we need to remember to get there EARLY, (starts at 8) because it was mad packed!

Celebrating Advent has been wonderful. I'm a few days behind because of the crazy weekend, but I'm absolutely looking forward to catching up today. It has been a great time of establishing a steady time to read my bible and think. It has also caused me to really think about the glory of the incarnation and what it means. The fact that the holy, perfect, and righteous God would send his son to the earth- the earth full of humans that repeatedly rebels against Him and slanders Him. So that we could then kill Him. But all for our salvation and his glory. Whew.

And lastly, Red Mountain Music has a new cd that is available to stream or download on their website. They have really wonderful, gospel centered hymns. Oh man, so good. Especially the song "All Things New," which I think is the first track. Perfectly fitting for Advent as well :)

Experience New England: To the Golden Shore Tour

If you havent heard me talk about this book already (have you been living under a rock?) then let me just quickly introduce it to you. "To the Golden Shore" is a biography about Adoniram Judson, written by Courtney Anderson. Judson was the first missionary sent out from America to another country. He went to Burma. Its an amazing book and everyone should read it. The leadership team for Christian Student Fellowship has been reading through it this trimester, and I'm really getting a lot from it.

Travis, our campus minister, decided we should take a day trip and explore some of the points of interest from the book. Most of the book takes place in either New England or Burma, and so we were able to explore quite a few interesting places! Let me share a few pictures, following with relevant quotes from the book:

"

Tabernacle Congregational Church, Salem Massachusetts

"Next Thursday, February 6, 1812 by appointment of the Prudential Committee of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Messangers Adoniram Judson, Samuel Newell, Samuel Nott, and Gordon Hall are to be set apart by a solemn ordination at Christian missionaries to carry the Gospel of Salvation to the heathen. The public exercises are to be holden at the Tabernacle in this town, and to commence at 11:00am..."

-Samuel Worcester (pg 106)

Salem Harbor, Massachusetts

"It proved impossible to load the Caravan in time to sail on the tenth. She lay at the end of the Crowninsheild's Wharf- closest to the sea of all of Salem's wharves- until the 13th."  (pg 116)

Beverly, Massachusetts

"Jaunting the few short miles to Salem, as they must have done often, Adoniram and his father would not have gone far through Beverly's streets before unmistakable evidences of wealth began to appear everywhere."  (pg 21)

First Congregational Church in Wenham, Massachusetts

"In Wenham the church chose the pastor but the town employed him and paid his salary. Immediately after the church made its decision, a town meeting was held. The town voted to invite Mr. Judson to be its minister..." (pg 16)

Judson House, Plymouth, Massachusetts

"But the Judson's did not settle on this side of the Town brook. East of the brook, in the direction of the new church and the Training Green, the land rose upward into what was then known as 'Watson's Hill.' ... A crude Road in front of it, scarcely more than a wagon track, became known as 'the way to the new meeting house.' Later it was called 'the way to the Judson's house'; still later, "Judson Street"; and today, 'Pleasant Street.' The house still stands, Number 17 Pleasant Street."   (page 27)

It was a great little excursion. It was so amazing to be able to see all these places up close, places where people lived out hard decisions, decisions that cost some of them their lives as they set sail to unknown lands.  The Salem Tabernacle church even had a specific room full of all sorts of historical artifacts relating to Adoniram Judson and similar people like the Newells, Samuel Worcester, etc. I recommend this day trip to anyone with an interest of church history. 

Experience New England: Rhodey Staycation

This weekend my family drove down from upstate New York to vacation with me in Providence. It's a great situation for everyone- they get a great vacation, I get a great "staycation."  If you have never heard the term before, well, it means staying in ones own locale and exploring new things, instead of spending loads of money going elsewhere.

When they come down, I always do a little research of some new and exciting things that I have never taken advantage of, and of course things I know we will all love. They are still in town until Thursday, but I thought I would do a little recap of our Rhodey Vacation/Staycation 2010, days 1-3, in hopes that you will discover some awesome places to check out!

Nicks on Broadway
For some reason I cant imagine why I have never been to this eating establishment. Located on Broadway in Providence, Nick's boasts delicious, local, seasonal cuisine that is both highly rated and approachable. Their Eggs Benedict was out of this world, coming on top of two savory biscuits with delicious handcut ham slices. Their salmon breakfast sandwhich on pesto wheat bread was pure glorious, and vadalia onion corned beef hash blew me out of the water. Go there now.

RISD Museum of Art
The last saturday of the month is a freefor all at the RISD Museum, and so off we went! Quite larger than I imagined, there were some wonderful exhibits on display at the museum from classical style to extremely modern, something for all art lovers to enjoy. There was also an interactive art class open to the public in which you created answers to question promts with their provided suplies, for example, "write a love letter to a part of your body." We were slightly crunched for time, and I image this museum is ten times better if you are not crunched for time. Parking stinks, but it was all free, and I cant wait to check it out next month!

The Mooring
Get the Seafood Pie. This restaurant located along the Thames St, Newport Bay area is a great special dinner kind of place. It is quite upscale, but they serve some of their sides and apps in brown paper bags for an interesting twist! We sat out on the balcony and had a wonderful view of the Newport Harbor. I'll be going back.

Rhode Island Bay Lighthouse Cruise
This one is a show stopper. I random'y found an advertisement for this cruise on a billboard somewhere, and it is worth every single penny. ($25 a person). Leaving from Quonsett Point, this cruise takes you through the Narragansett Bay area, around the Jamestown Island, and into the Newport Harbor. This light house cruise is absolutely wonderful, providing narration and indoor and outdoor seating. Absolutely picturesque, up close and personal views of the ten lighthouses and other interesting sights, along with a perfectly sunny and breezy day spent with family, how could you go wrong? I would recommend this for everyone- kids to elderly, native rhodeys or out of towners. Seriously.

We also checked out WaterFire an artsy festival type performance art where giant cauldrons of wood floating on the river are set ablaze. Its pretty amazing.

I Love Rhode Island.
Let me know if you have any other awesome ideas for things to do or see in New England!

Experience New England: Whoa, what a rush

So this past weekend my friends visited me. I havent seen them since March, and its been a long time coming. I honestly cant believe they made it here, and I was so excited to see it happen. Bryan, Janelle, and Casey left New York around 10pm Wednesday night and arrived here in Providence about 5amish. We slept for a lonnngg time and got our day started around 3pm. haha. We went to Trader Joes, played with some puppies at the Rumford Animal Store, and did random running around. We made a huge dinner of broccoli lo mein and Beef on Weck and Matt, Jon, and Eileen were able to join us! Friday we headed up to Boston to do some exploring. We ended up walking alot of the Freedom trail and discovered the Boston Green Festival going on! It was a bunch of tents and displays all set up in Gov't Center. There were free samples of all sorts of tasty "green" foods, as well as live music, and nice people. Im pretty sure it was about 3000 degrees in Boston. Everyone was sweating and it was kinda nasty. But oh well. We walked over the the North End and ate some delights at Mike's Pastrys, went to the Old North Church, and Found an awesome farmers market and water fountain to play in!

Saturday we went to the Beach somewhere in Middletown RI. I think it might have been an illegal beach, as we got a parking ticket, and no one else was really at that area. But.. oh well. It was fun and being in the water was absolutely awesome. Afterwards we drove down Ocean Drive through Newport and saw all the swanky houses. We came back, and I had to go to freaking work at the crabshack, and waterfire was that night, so I went to work and met up with my friends later after I closed. Then we walked to Waterfire and met up with a buttload of other people.

Sunday we woke up, went to church, came home, ate glorious delights of eggplant, mushrooms, feta, onions, bacon, and peppers on a sandwhich. Oh my Lord. Good job Casey. Then we rested, made some guacamole to bring to Bible Study and headed over there. After that we drove around Providence, went to a little indian store, and ended up at India Point Park (where else would I end up?). And that was fun. Until we heard gunshots and we headed back.

They left this morning and I'm sad. It was good to see them though, and combine Providence with Lockporty times. I loved that we've kept in touch so well that it wasnt necessary to have huge ridiculous intense times, but it was just like hanging out back home in Bryan's basement.

We actually set up a lair in my living room, pulled in the extra matress, unfolded the futon, and we basically camped in there the whole time. It was soo blazing hot.

Ahh. So fun times. =) I love my friends.