Life Rocks when your living room rolls
I was looking forward to spending time in Rhode Island as this was where my Dad lived since I was 3 years old so most summers I spent at least 2 weeks visiting him. We decided to stay further north as I haven't seen much of this part besides when my dad took us to Newport to see the mansions once. Otherwise, we stayed more south as he lived in Westerly. Since my dad passed in 2007 I have only been back in 2017 when I dropped my son off at Souther Connecticut State University and stopped at Misquamicut State Beach with my daughter on our way back to Vermont. Even though he isn't around being in Rhode Island made me feel closer to him. Monday Chris did a normal workday. We had planned to take the Super 73 to Newport to see Bellevue Street and do the Ocean Walk. This was about 12 miles bike ride but as we started going we realized it was through a few busy streets. We made it about 7 miles and decided to turn around as it was too dangerous to keep going. We stopped at Coddington Brewing Company for dinner on our way back. I tried a blueberry and watermelon beer for the first time which were pretty good. Then they asked if I wanted a Snakebite? This was the blueberry beer with a splash of Downeast Cider. That was super tasty I must say! We chatted with a few locals that were also sitting at the bar then we noticed the sun was starting to set so we needed to head back to be sure we make it home safe. When we pull in it is dark but we are glad to be home. Even though our plans didn't work out as we had set we still enjoyed our time. On Tuesday we purchased tickets to take the Block Island Ferry and spend the afternoon there. My dad had taken us here once before (we took a cigarette boat over and I remember sitting on the boat for hours as he was at the bar with his buddy). My sister, brother and I walked around a little bit while waiting but mostly we just sat on the boat. I drove so Chris could keep working and at 2:30 we boarded. It was in the middle of a bunch of fishing boats. They were so cool to watch as they come in and clean up or get ready to head out. Pulling up to dock in Block Island I had this feeling come over me. I am not sure if it was just remembering the last time I was here I had my dad or feeling so blessed to be living the life I am but it was powerful. I saw the hotel/restaurant/bar my dad was at that day and couldn't do anything more than smile. As a mother, I couldn't image leaving my kids to go into a bar and drink all day but that was who my dad was. He knew we would be safe and even today I think of it and remember it as a good day. We didn't do too much on the island. We walked to have a drink at the bar where my dad had his. I went to take pictures of the waves from the bar. Then we walked around the island and went into the shops. We stopped for another drink and were going to get a small bite to eat but we had to be boarded by 6:30 and it was already 6 so we just kept with a couple drinks. It was time to head to the boat and board. We find a great seat at the back. The sun was just beginning to set. We take a selfie to remember this day. As we pull out into the open ocean and I get that powerful feeling again. This time it brings tears to my eyes. I give my thanks for all that I have and talk to my Dad asking him to watch over Chris and me as we continue this journey, my children as they grow to become wonderful adults, and my sister, brother, nieces, and nephews. I watch as the island turns into a black shadow but you can still see the lighthouse light lit up. This day was everything I needed in my life. When off the boat we were going to grab a bite to eat at a local seafood restaurant but after dropping our backpack at the truck and walking over we found it closed. We locate another restaurant, Pancho O'Malley's, off the next exit and stop there. We walk in a back door and every table is full of folks playing cards. A woman yells out, "You need to go through those doors to get to the bar." Walking in there you would have thought we had 10 heads, everyone was staring. I guess they don't get outsiders too often. We sit at the bar and order our drink. We are looking over the menu and a guy says to me, "you look familiar". I'm like, nope, I'm not from around here. He says, "what High School did you go to?" I said nowhere you would know. He has now walked up and is standing next to me. Another man comes up and pulls him away and tells him to stop bothering us. We order the Taco Tuesday special and eat them all up. We pay our tab and head back home to settle in for our last night in Rhode Island. In the morning we get to put our RI sticker on the map. We have officially finished all of the New England states 🎉. On to New Jersey we go tomorrow. This blog is dedicated to my dad, John E. Blondin "Buddy" I love you and miss you everyday ❤️
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