Anniversary Road Trip

Though it didn't rain on Wednesday, the sun didn't make an appearance either for our anniversary road trip. Still, the seashore has its own moody beauty on a gray day.

First we stopped at a bike shop for Chris, and then a yarn shop for me. I had been to this shop in its previous home, and it seems to sell the same excellent quality of yarns and patterns here. I can't seem to find a web page to link to it for you.

We then went to our first destination in Watch Hill, RI, the Book and Tackle shop. If you saw the movie Dan in Real Life, you will have seen this bookshop early in the film, set on a dock. The filmmakers borrowed the entire contents of the shop and set it up elsewhere, likely because the shop had been packed up while the real-life building was being renovated. What you see below is the real-life shop in its new home. I didn't find any new books here, but it's only important that the shop is back in its rightful place.

We also visited The Ocean House. Some of my real-life friends have heard the story about how Chris and I were cycling three years ago in the area, and saw that this Victorian hotel had been demolished down to the rocks. It was such a shock, I about cried when I pedaled up the hill. The hotel was built shortly after the Civil War, and I loved to ride by it in previous years and wonder about all the stories of the occupants who would come to take the sea air. I immediately gave up hope and assumed a new luxury condo complex was going up in its place. Then we heard from a local shopkeeper that the developer had salvaged all the light fixtures and moldings, and because he could not save the original structure, was going to rebuild it as close to original as possible. I had wondered, with the bad economy, if this was still feasible. Imagine my happy surprise when we saw this:

Glorious!! They had a webcam I wanted to link to, but it looks like that's been taken down, as the hotel is due to open next month. Someday, I would love to spend even one night there, and soak up the seaside atmosphere. I love the charm and character of old buildings, and am too upset every time one is replaced by a new, soul-less structure. It is like losing an old friend.

Chris and I walked out to the lighthouse, and took photos of the views (all photos except the last are from Chris' phone because we forgot our camera!). It is on a penninsula so you can enjoy water most everywhere you look!

 

 

With your back to the lighthouse, here is the view ahead. The Ocean House is past the big white house on the cliff:

 

A view from someone's garden on the opposite side of the road, with the lighthouse off to the left:

 

Here are some views from the harbor where we sat to have some tea and coffee:

 

 

 

And a shot of the beach roses that were in bloom everywhere:

 

We really did have a wonderful day together despite the gray, and hope to go back again as soon as the sun comes out. I cannot live without the ocean, both here in my town, and in favorite places like Watch Hill and Cape Cod.

Here are some souvenirs of my day:

 

A summery skirt in my second favorite color from Seaport Studios, a cute little clothing shop in Watch Hill, the new Nouveau pattern book from Louisa Harding (there are at least three sweaters I want to make from here!), and the latest Maggie Sefton knitting mystery, Dyer Consequences, that I found in a Borders on the way home.

There is a rumor that the sun is coming out this weekend. It has rained every day this past week, which is making all of us in southern New England a wee bit stir crazy. Chris is supposed to do a race on Sunday, and we are hoping to do a book store crawl with friends if we can keep the books dry. I hope the sun is shining bright and strong wherever you are spending your weekend!

Comments

[Sydney]

It looks like it was a nice trip, in spite of the gray weather. I like the misty of the photos. It suits them somehow. I'm glad they rebuilt the Ocean House. It's sad when they tear down a historic building.

[sarah]

What a nice day out! Glad you two enjoyed it and that you found some new books and pretty skirt!

[Karen]

Oh what a wonderful way to spend an anniversary!! That new "old" hotel - wow!! I'm so happy to hear they tried to recreate it since it couldn't be saved. I love old building too - in fact, maybe I'll look into a trip up there too.

[Dotty]

What a nice anniversary! Our tradition is to head up to Whistler (where we honeymooned), have brunch at our favourite restaurant, and walk around the village. I love the colour of your new skirt. It's the same colour as our new dishes.

[Chris]

I am so glad that it was rebuilt in the same style, to preserve the feel of the area. That makes me very happy.

[Kristen]

It's amazing how quickly they have rebuilt the Ocean House.
I was at Knitwits recently to buy a gift certificate as part of our guild raffle. I didn't win it but scored some other nice stuff.
Happy Anniversary!

[Kara]

What a lovely roadtrip, even in the rain!

[Meredith]

Glad you had a nice trip, even with the rain! That hotel looks so cool - it's great that they are trying to salvage as much as possible.

[Dorothy W.]

I'm very glad you had such a nice day and didn't get rained on. And it's great that the hotel is opening once again. I hope you get to stay there one day!

[Sonya]

That hotel is amazing! You guys should stay there next year for your anniversary. Great pictures. The weather did make for a great mood.

[Lynne]

Oh, to walk that peninsula to that lighthouse! It's a beautiful setting!
Don't you just love Louisa's books?

[Danielle]

Those are great photos--on both posts--now that is where I'd like to go and visit! It's nice to see the Ocean House is being rebuilt as close to the original design as possible. I would far, far prefer to stay somewhere like that--which has personality than most modern buildings, which have none in most cases. Thanks for sharing the photos!