Rhode Island... Holding Its Own

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When we arrived in Rhode Island on Tuesday night it was very dark. We had had a great flying day. When we were traveling to the Salt Lake Airport the weather was a little dicey with snow coming down lightly and the visibility was poor. But we jumped on and off we went after deicing. Not much turbulence and 140 miles an hour tailwinds out of Phoenix got us here nearly an hour early. That was a nice thing. It is always fun for us to see Robert and Laura's new house wherever they are stationed. They always have such nice and comfortable homes allowing us premier vacations in exotic places. How's that for seeing the silver lining in having them always so far away? When we returned to Rhode Island, I was a little leery as once you have been to such a favorite place you almost fear being disappointed the next time because of your wonderful memories.

But Rhode Island seems almost better this time except for Robert not being here. One thing is the kids moved into a bigger, really wonderful home so they have adequate space this time and to spare. I'll put some photos of the interior on my next post.
When we woke up and looked out windows, the first morning we saw this. Rhode Island is beautiful no matter what the season. As you can see the kids live very close to the water. It is actually a finger of the ocean although it is quite gray in this photo we are hoping for some sunny days starting tomorrow which will make it look very blue.

One of the things I love about this part of the country is the open space. There is just a lot of land that sits unoccupied by houses and cars and people's junk. No fences are my favorite thing and that the homes are placed randomly on the lots, not in rows with equidistant spaces between them like we are use to seeing in the west. It creates a feeling of neighborliness and oddly, relaxation that we just don't see much at home. This random placement of houses is actually a design principle for a more casual look inside a home and it works exactly the same way outside. For a more formal look you want a geometric or linear look and symmetry. Neat how that works, isn't it?

The part of the island they live on is rather hilly and this just makes it so interesting topographically. Driving into the little town you meander up and down and in and around these big, beautiful homes along the road. It is very picturesque and quaint.

The front of their house

Back of the house

View from their deck and also their study
on a sunny day looking east to the water.

Backyard

Neighborhood houses
Random houses along the way to school for the boys.

Love this one...
Their neighbors on the north side

So much breathing room!

So we are having a wonder-filled time and lots of school and church activities have kept us busy. But next week we can just do whatever we want and haven't even had time to plan that all yet. So until next time, hope you are all having a great pre-Christmas time and that you have all the hard stuff done ahead of time so you can just enjoy the spirit of it all.

Love to all, Bonnie & Jim

Life on the Island

Once we got settled in, life on the island was really fun. It is so green, uncrowded, uncomplicated there. They are just off the beach by about a block and a half. A nice friend of theirs lent Jim his bike and that made it really nice for Jim and the boys. Each morning they would get up at 6:00 for a bike ride with their destination being the beach, before breakfast and school. They go with Laura normally but this became a special time for a Grampa and his grandboys and gave Laura a little break.

The beaches seemed pretty rocky~ a little boy's paradise!

They love searching for sea glass and shells
and have an on going rock collection.

Jim caught some beautiful sunrises on the camera.

The surf was unpredictable, some days calm,
others quite wild.
The weather was also unpredictable
but one thing you could count on,
sea breezes, everyday.

In the basement they have their school room. It is so perfect for home school and they are really blessed to have such a good teacher. The one to two ratio has its definite advantages, one of them being so much more can be accomplished, in less time. Also they can work at an accelerated pace and have chunks of time off school. That really was nice during our stay. It is just perfect for them to be near all the historical sites in New England as they are studying US history this year. It is just an ideal situation, albeit a lot of work for Laura, it is worth it for them.

This is one corner of the classroom~love the wall words.
They also have a nice table, a big white board
and lots of books and a computer.

During school, the kitchen becomes
the break room for the boys!

The boys come up from the basement school
room for a little treat and a break each day.
Most days they brought up a book to read for pleasure.
Both love reading.

A typical road on the island.

A typical home on the island.

A quaint Inn on the island.

The LDS Chapel on the island

War College Museum

War College Yacht Harbor

Jim by the mighty Anchor
near the Museum

So there are a fraction of the fun things to see and do on the island. The kids can enjoy it for the next several months before they get their new assignment and move on. Military life is not easy for all the relocating, but it sure keeps things interesting. It also gives us a new and exciting destination every couple of years. Every challenge has its upside! And they make such a lovely home for their family no matter where they go. You'd think they've been here for years instead of less than three months.