The day had an inauspicious start. Evan discovered an oil leak which delayed us by 45 minutes. On our way we stopped at Jiffy Lube in Gainesville (they had done the oil change ten days before) so they could fix the problem. It was just a loose screw. Then we were off. Not long after we realized we forgot the two pre-filled bottles we had in the fridge. We only had two clean bottles on us so that meant we'd have to clean bottles multiple times a day on vacation but more immediately, how were we going to get Iris her formula? At our first planned stop, a Wegmans in Pennsylvania, Evan was able to find a ready-made bottle of Similac. But Iris was not having it. I think she's pretty sensitive to changes in her routine and so she did not want to take a bottle on the road. We ended up giving her lots of teethers and food pouches to keep her hydrated. She didn't have any more formula until we got to Narragansett at 9:00pm.
Our VRBO was great. It was a big, well-appointed house with two full baths and four bedrooms. The only downside is that the bathrooms were separated by floors and if my parents wanted privacy (they did) that meant that my dad took a twin bed on the bottom floor and my mom took a couch. Aura and I were in one bedroom upstairs and Evan and Iris were in another bedroom upstairs. The third bedroom upstairs, with a twin bed, became our changing table. The biggest critique I'd make is that the bathrooms, ours in particular, could use an upgrade or at least new caulking. The host was extremely kind but a little too...verbose? She sent me many texts as we were driving up to Narragansett, all very lengthy, and they didn't stop while we were in town. Then one day she actually showed up while we were all at the house just to water her plants! It felt a little intrusive to say the least but I tried to let it roll off my back.
The trip was decidedly low-key. It was initially planned as a getaway with the four Q's and my parents but at some point my brother invited himself, his wife, and daughter to meet up with us for the first couple days of our trip. About a week out his wife and daughter came down with Covid and Evan and I put the kibosh on their participation. I don't think he was happy about that but that's the decision we made to protect our kids.
We didn't get around to doing too much. One big thing we had planned but weren't able to do was orb-hunting on Block Island. We decided that it would mean too much time away from Iris for Evan, Aura, and me. The ferry ride would've been an hour there and an hour back and that doesn't include the drive to/from the ferry and then the orb-hunting and probably lunch. It's a bummer, particularly as this was the time that Iris finally made friends with my dad - she stopped crying every time he picked her up and decided he was a trustworthy ally.
Toward the end of the trip I started to lean back into the idea of touring one of the Newport Mansions after telling myself that all rich people's homes look the same but it just didn't come together in the end.
This is probably a consequence of the pandemic and isolation but Aura is pretty sensitive to change. She was really excited about going to RI and screamed and yelled in excitement when we arrived but was fairly subdued the week we were there. She seemed keenly aware of being in a different house, bed, bathroom, etc. and she kept saying she missed the cats. She also became extra clingy, asking to be picked up almost constantly and having multiple meltdowns when things didn't go her way or she became jealous of attention Iris was getting. It was pretty exhausting. Aside from a really great and carefree day at the beach right before we left, I'm not actually sure how good of a time she had. That makes me sad and I hope we can turn that around by traveling more and more.
Overall, we didn't have great food on this trip. Twice and from two different establishments I ordered Eggs Benedict and both times the yolks were hard. I mean...I guess Rhode Islanders have a hard time poaching eggs? So weird.
I sincerely doubt we'll be back to RI ever and probably not to Cape Cod either. I've always had this (unrealistic, I imagine) fantasy of Cape Cod but how can it be that different from or better than Narragansett or Newport? I imagine the beaches are even rockier and the beach-goers just more snooty. I think the next time we go to the beach we'll go somewhere close like Cape May. It's a place we know, like, and it's geographically desirable.
The house/grounds:
We spent a lot of time relaxing/chatting on the porch. We even brought Iris out there in her play pen and I think she enjoyed the fresh sea air on her skin. We also saw chipmunks and bunnies in droves around the house and nearby.
From Ocean Drive in Newport:
This was fortunately, our only "bad"/gloomy weather day.
The host had some Narragansett beer in the fridge and it was quite tasty! An old friend of mine from Manassas recommended I try some so I'll have to let her know I followed her advice.
I did finally get to the do the Cliff Walk, which is something I regretted that Evan and I didn't get to do on our ill-fated cruise's stop in Newport. Unfortunately, Evan and I didn't get to experience it together. Aura got distracted by the beach so Evan stayed with her while my parents, Iris, and I did the Cliff Walk. We got further separated when my mom left the walk early to rejoin Evan and Aura. Iris then decided she wasn't into the walk and started to caterwaul until I held her in my arms. The group at the beach had to leave abruptly so that they could pick us up with the car and that inspired an ugly exchange between Evan and Aura that put a pall over much of the day. Putting all that to the side, the walk was lovely.
The Breakers, the famous Vanderbilt "summer cottage". This is the one my mom and I would've liked to tour. Oh well!
One place we went to several times for sandwiches, ice cream, and cookies is Sweet Berry Farm. It was a very pleasant place and actually, the best tasting and highest quality food we got while in RI.
Another day we went into Providence to go to the Roger Williams Zoo. It's a very small zoo but it was charming and easy to navigate. There wasn't a torrent of people and it felt very relaxed. I'd say we covered about two-thirds of the place. It was a hot day so that's why we cut our visit short. I thought about returning to see their lanterns at night but it was enough to see them during the day. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get much of an impression of Providence.
Another day Evan, Aura, and I went to Green Animals Topiary Garden. It was very small and we went through it rather quickly but it was a nice opportunity for us to have one-on-one time with Aura.
Aura is so good at finding things. She stumbled upon a hand-sewn heart that was hanging on a fence post. My immediate mom reaction was to tell her to put it back, that it wasn't ours. Upon further inspection I noticed that there was an attached card that instructed the finder to, in fact, keep it. It provided a website and #IFAQH (I Found A Quilted Heart) so that finders around the country (and maybe beyond) can track their whereabouts. Neat!
On our very last evening there was an, unbeknownst to us, organized fireworks show. Based on the direction and distance I have to assume there were set off from a barge. Anyway, the view from our bedroom window couldn't have been more perfect. Aura was mesmerized and Evan and I were able to enjoy the show vicariously through her. What a nice way to end the trip!
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