Ah, Newport in the SUMMER!

Um, er, fall...or spring. The weather up here isn't sure what it wants to do yet. It's very cool and I only have summer clothes for myself and the kids! Oh well... Despite the weather, 

we're excited to spend some time with John. He's in Newport, RI "to learn to be the captain of the ship," according to Turner. 

We drove from New Jersey, straight to the "hotel" (aka bachelor quarters). The room is split in to two areas so its better than I thought it was going to be!

We headed straight downtown for pizza and ice cream. The kids really enjoyed running around on the grassy square in the middle of town. 

How does he do that with his eyebrows?!?

Daddy, always the indulgent one.

Bruddahs!

Deacon learned to spit and kept doing it on John's shirt. 

Some wrestle time with Daddy.

Rest time.

John's yacht. Uh, totally joking....

Enjoying a chocolate covered marshmallow, after a dinner of pizza a dessert of ice cream.

I'm hoping the weekend plans include a visit to Boston and Plymouth, MA. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and the kids have already learned the art of bouncing off the walls in the room. There isn't much to do indoors with kids here on the island so I bet I'll be doing a lot of driving around! 

Fall!

Our little vacation to Lynchburg, VA, for Chad and Kate's wedding made me keenly aware of the fall we'll be missing out on this year. Those first cravings for chili, sweaters and all things cozy will likely be forced here -in the name of fall! On the flight home, I was thinking of all the falls I've experienced.

My childhood falls were filled with camping, playing even harder ouside since it was not as hot (note: I did not say cooler). Pumpkins were picked in a "patch" at a church or along side the road and it was imperative that Halloween costumes were light weight because it was almost certain that it would not be cooler than 75 degrees. There was nothing spectacular about fall in Florida. No peak foliage, no scarves, and no bitter good-byes to flip flops. I never knew any different until we started travelling.

Japan was much like living in Virginia, I'd say.

A mild fall, where the leaves changed and you got cozy in your sweaters and scarves. It wasn't the fall I had dreamed of as a kid. I always imagined the epitome of fall to be a magical event that only happened in Maine. I mean, I know it's gorgeous elsewhere. But, Maine...
Our next duty station was Monterey, CA. Fall in that part of California was still on the edge of an Indian Summer. I wasn't complaining, considering the other 10 months of the year it was cold and damp. We did get to experience our first real pumpkin patch! It was neat to pick out a pumpkin that was sitting in the exact spot it grew. After Monterey, we were lucky enough to be in New England.

When fall came it just made me melt and fall in love with Rhode Island. The smells, the feeling of that crisp air and the ambiance (is that true of nature?) make you feel like a kid! I'd give anything to be there right now with the boys the ages that they are. There really is nothing like warming up to soup or cuddling up on the couch and actually needing a blanket. Did I mention that Fall means LAAAHBSTAH?

The Beginning of Summer!

((This blog is called "OH! The Places We'll Go..." because I want(ed) to chronicle the craziness of our Navy life. The moving, the travelling. I didn't name it "OH! The crazy kids I complain about on a daily basis..." With that said...))

Growing up in Florida, I never really understood what the season of "summer" was. The seasons were hot, hot, hotter and hottest. We were out of school for a few weeks but it sure was hot down that dirt road. We didn't bother to get to the beach much because we could lay out in our back yard (on the black trampoline for that matter!). Who cares about ice cream? We ate it year round. Tank tops and flip-flops? Psssshh! Year round! Summer wasn't about 'dogs on the grill, baseball games, and deck parties. It was about staying indoors, avoiding the insane rays and catching up on all those lazy Saturdays you missed out on during the "fall" and "spring."

Living in New England, I realized what summer is all about. It's about waiting for the last weekend in May - Memorial Day weekend. This sacred last weekend in May is, of course, about honoring our fallen soldiers first and foremost but it's also the unofficial start to Summer.

Cue Jerry Mungo "In the Summertime" song! dee dee dee dee dee dah dah dah dah dah...

Summer in New England is running after the ice-cream truck (the one that comes right at dinner time); wearing the least amount of clothing possible and not getting arrested for indecent exposure; soaking in as much of the sun as humanly possible; picking and eating blueberries as big as quarters; enjoying every minute of the bright green grass; grilling out every day; the sound of the A/C unit sitting in your wall; never complaining about the heat because you know the bitter weather that follows; swimming in any body of water that soothes the soul; eating dinner outside; enjoying an entirely fried platter at a clam shack; kids selling actual lemonade; sand between your toes; the smell of the grass in the morning; standing outside with your neighbors because it's not 16 degrees; big, patriotic American Flags on traditional New England houses; and absolutely savoring the season.

Yes! That's a QUARTER, not a nickle.

Before we lived in Rhode Island, I never understood what the big deal about summer was. In California, it was fun to have the "Indian Summer" and in Japan it felt like being in the South: sticky and miserable. Nothing is as sweet as welcoming in the giggly feeling of Frosty Freeze, Clam Bakes, welcoming people to your summer town and seeing your kids' ice cream faces.