An engagement and three + holidays later......Here we are in 2013.

I skipped writing about Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and probably some other significant and noteworthy events, but I am going to pick up from my latest trip.

I went out to Boston to visit and introduce Greg to the infamous Aunt Maggie, Grammy and the rest of the gang out in Canton.  While we were out there we "multi-tripped", making a day trip down to Newport, Rhode Island to visit his Uncle and visiting a good buddy of his who lives out there.  If that wasn't enough, to top it all off, my sister came out from Philadelphia with Roman and little AJ.

An appropriate transition from my last post is to point out the fact that only a few hours into Boston, we recieved a parking ticket.  For those who might wonder, the parking fine in Boston seems to be $25 and I do not exactly plan to contest this one....

Once we touched down in Boston we soon headed down to Newport Rhode Island.  Greg's Uncle was happy to show us around and point out many of the major areas.  Newport seems to be rich in high society and a popular summer home for many famous.  Being winter, it was quiet;  However, it was our first time seeing Newport and going anywhere new can always hold excitement for a visitor.  We learned about the historic colonial homes, visited the naval complex, stopped for a nice lunch with clam chowder and took a scenic drive around the bay to see the magnificent mansions and homes of the Vanderbilts and Doris Duke.

This is the USS Saratoga.  It is a super carrier for the navy that was decommissioned in 1994.  Currently, it's docked in Newport awaiting it's final destiny.  Deep down, I really hope that it will eventually be turned into a museum, but it does not look very likely.  So there it sits.

We took a long drive around the bay and along the shore.  The East coast is beautiful.  One of the things that humored us was a house called "Cling Stone."  I wasn't able to capture a picture of it, but it sits in the middle of the bay, literally clinging to a giant boulder.  It has no yard and no connection to the land.  You must reach it by boat and we supposed electricity in the home is provided by generators. Somehow I imagine Gatsbyian parties taking place at the house until 4am during summers.  

The trip was very brief, but Uncle Charles' abridged version of 'The Best of Newport' took us to see the oldest library in the country.  It reminded me of the history and enchantment the east coast will always hold for me. 

We finished off the day trip with an order of Americanos and headed back to Boston for the next leg of our trip............

To Be Continued