Newport 3

It was time for a nature break, so this morning I headed to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge , at the Northwest point of Aquidneck island. While it was foggy, it really was fog, not smoke haze as that has mostly cleared, at least for now. I was able to capture a few birds. I also met Bethany and Lorna on the trail. They told me that I must drive up to Bristol tomorrow to see the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration. They gave me instructions on where to park. More on that later.

I then headed over to the Norman Bird sanctuary , just a few miles away. I spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering the shaded trails (it was creeping towards 85 degrees and the humidity pushing 90%). I captured a few more birds, then drove over to Conanicut Island to check out Beavertail State Park . The historic city of Jamestown is also located on this Island. Beavertail State Park turned out to be mostly a recreational area. This seems to be true of many state parks. There is a lighthouse (apparently the third oldest in America), but it was not particularly photogenic. And it was HOT.

I decided to drive back to my hotel and take a break from the heat. Each day I have been driving through the small historic town of Wickford on my way back and forth to Newport. It is only a few miles from North Kingston. I decided to clean up and drive back out to explore it a bit. It is a very cute town, with boutiques and restaurants, the most prominent being Wickford’s on the Water . I decided to treat myself to a drink and a salad at the outdoor bar. The breeze and some clouds had finally tempered the heat, so it was quite pleasant.

This turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Gina, Jason and Carolyn sat down next to me. We stared chatting and I shared that I planned to go back into Newport tomorrow evening to take a ferry cruise to see the fireworks, but that I was concerned about parking. Carolyn casually invited me to have dinner at her restaurant and then leave my car in the parking lot. It turns out that Carolyn is Carolyn Rafaelian, previously of Alex and Ani jewelry fame, current owner of Bar and Board restaurant and also owner of the Belcourt mansion. She has started a new jewelry business called Metal Alchemist . Gina and Jason are her employees; they could not sing her praises more highly. You never know who you might run into at the bar.

Both they and another couple on my other side cautioned that the Bristol parade would be a zoo and I should arrive very early. While I am not a fan of crowds, they all assured me it would be worthwhile for the photo ops. As always, stay tuned.