The Powells Hit Rhode Island

The house seems very quiet after the recent departure of Team Powell. Philippa, Chiff, Barney and Martha arrived in the evening of Monday 8th April and departed, today, on Wednesday 17th April. Needless to say, the best day, weatherwise, was departure day when everything is sunny, warm and spring-like. We've had more rain this last week than I can remember for the whole of my time here so far; all the same there were some nice sunny periods, very evidently from the tomato-like state of my face after falling asleep in the sand dunes of Scarborough State Beach ! Of which, more anon

In any case, we prevailed against occasional fog and rain/drizzle and had a packed and eventful few days. Two of those days, I worked just as usual while they did a trolley bus tour of Newport and bravely took a trip back to Boston for a look around. Of course they visited 'Old Ironsides,' the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor.

The guides always say that this ship is the oldest commissioned ship still afloat (which is true since HMS Victory, which is 60 years older, is in dry dock).They also extol US frigate victories over the Royal Navy in the War of 1812, but don't usually mention that their frigates were bigger and stronger, had more guns and a larger crew than the British equivalents, such that the odds were about 3 to 1 in their favour. And, in any case, they lost the war, failed to take over Canada and got the White House burnt ! Take that Donald Trump

The nautical theme continued in Newport of course. We got in some sea-time with a seal-watching trip to Rose Island on a very misty, drizzly sort of day - just us, in a conservation society's little boat. The seals were just distant grey blobs in the fog although they were cavorting around to entertain us, the guide said. Barney got one shot of a seal in the air, very impressive!  I, on the other hand, was hugely taken by the lighthouse which we visited, especially with the Keeper's quarters in the middle of the lighthouse which they rent out for a night or two to people who fancy some complete isolation and peace. Local enthusiasts have rescued the island and done much to restore its 1920s atmosphere. In all the fog, it was certainly atmospheric. Newport is full of very expensive yachts of course, all wrapped up against the demands of winter, and for years the port was the site of the America's Cup yacht race, so there are plenty of waterside walks, bars and restaurants. The Black Pearl, on one of the wharfs, has been always been one of Cherry and my favourites - and it didn't disappoint this time either !

Equally quintessential is American baseball of course and Chiff took us all to see the Pawtucket Redsox take on the Boston Orioles at a stadium near Providence. I think all of us except Chiff who is an expert in these things enjoyed the many incidentals more than the game, which struck us a being on the tedious side (all that throwing of balls and missing) but the organisers cater for such  philistine reactions by a lot of razzmatazz before, during and after the match. A lot of celebration of the military we noticed, and endless processions of schoolkids to be recognised and applauded. It was a very community centred event. And there were hot dogs and all that to eat ! Thoroughly enjoyable, but, to be honest I'm not sure I would do it again. Chiff would though, definitely !

Of course, I took them into the Navy base, showed them where I worked - before we went bowling. Great fun was had by all. I was pleased that despite Chiff's years of bowling alley experience I managed to press him quite closely - though I must admit we all had insisted that he bowl left-handed, even though we were next to a couple of rather good US Marines getting strike after strike and national honour was at stake ! The whole experience was great - quintessentially American- not least the food. 'Loaded dogs' may be junkfood but they are truly outstanding !

I also took the family to Bishop's 'Fourth Street Diner' in what looks like an aluminium railway car by the side of the road leading to the base, that Cherry and I used to frequent. Again it was so good, that we went back a few days later for another of those gargantuan but delicious breakfasts that leave one with a sense of achievement for having mastered a reasonable proportion of it. For balance, we did some rather more stylish eating as well and Philippa and Chiff tried out the White Horse (America's oldest tavern- 17th Century) where Cherry and I also used to go  

Newport is also famous for its Mansions - the 'Summer cottages'- that the likes of the Vanderbilts and the Berwinds built for themselves in a festival of totally ostentatious display in the late 19th Century. Despite their astronomical cost they were only used for a few weeks each year when the heat of New York became too much. Cherry and I have done them all over the years, most several times and, for me, they have a lot of associations with her. At one of them,  'The Breakers,'  when looking down through the window of the upstairs loggia at the garden below I spotted the ornamental urn that Cherry posed gracefully by in the 1990s.

I must admit that seeing it looking empty and bare was a bit of a shock. So, naturally, we had to repopulate the urn with family later in the tour - doing the same for much-loved growling photo of Cherry by one the Lion Dogs outside the Chinese pavilion of 'Marble House.'  Team Powell also had fun building much newer associations such as finding street names that were obviously named after them.

We had had some doubts about how many of these Mansions the children would allow us to visit, but the arrival of audio-guides by which one can set one's own pace and exposure are a Godsend and we managed no less than four of them, including one visited twice in order to take in the Servant's Life Tour as well as the standard house tour, with absolutely no trouble at all. They are pretty amazing and jaw-dropping places, and all quite different. Great enterprises with legions of servants (mostly Irish, English or other new European immigrants I was surprised to find out) and industrial level support systems (such as house coal brought in by underground railway) all designed to make each house appear as serenely calm as a swan gliding effortlessly down a river. They had personal stories to tell like the hostess who went slightly dotty at the end of her life, drifting around the sumptuous ballroom of 'Rosecliffe' ordering the dispensation of champagne for guests that only existed in her imagination. If to that you add a plethora of European artworks and some astonishingly over-the-top house design and effects, the Mansions are indeed quite something !

But of course, what the children probably liked most was the coastline, the beaches  and the sea even out of season. Within easy walking distance of the house there's the famous Coast Walk and Bailey's beach both of which are fun to scramble over and explore. Martha did some of her amazing dance movements on top of various rocks of course. One day we went over the spectacular bridges to the Rhode Island mainland and Barney got his brief swim in waters of 47 degrees Fahrenheit and Philippa bravely paddled.

This was at Scarborough State Beach which of course we had to go for if only because of the name. While here the kids did some major sand engineering, we all dozed in the sun and I got sun-burnt. What more could you possibly want ? Afterwards to the little fishing port of Galilee where we sat upstairs in a little café and looked over the water at Jerusalem. Only in America !     

Finally, as a footnote, here's the photo of the laughing Admirals from last time which I claim shows that my lectures aren't as boring as they sound !