The bucket list

I have been adding to my bucket list for years now and I finally decided it is time to start emptying it. It is very easy to let the deadlines, projects, obligations and life get in the way but there is no time like the present to start scratching items off of that list. With all that being said I am still digesting the 10 days I spent in Italy during the month of August with 5 of my kids.

It was truly a memorable experience on many fronts. For 10 days there was no TV, text messages, video games, friends or anything else, it was just us. Playing cards on the Trentalia Train from Rome to Naples was just one of the 100's of card games we played during our vacation. We spent hours walking the streets of Rome, talking, taking in the sites that lurked around every corner and living the history of Western Civilization together. Some of the lifetime of memories we shared together were a blend of the spectacular and others much simpler. Climbing to the top of the dome at St Peters Basilica was truly memorable, the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Pompeii and of course the Colosseum. However, we will also take with us many of the simpler but wonderful experiences we shared together. The crazy bus ride along the Amalfi Coast, the 15 minute vertical hike to our villa in Positano, spending time on the Mediterranean beaches, the interesting personalities we met and the small shops and stores that became our reality for our time there and many more.






One of our Favorite stops was the "Bar Internazionale"in Positano. It is pictured to the left with my kids sitting out front. It is one of those shops that we managed to go into numerous times per day and by the end of the stay we felt like family. It is a small shop that seems to have nothing and yet everything. Some of the best characters we met were cabbies. Claudio, the hand waving ever complaining about other drivers cabbie who introduced us to Capri. Raffaele, who is the man to go to for any trips from Naples to Amalfi and everything in between who is good friends and highly recommend by Rick Steeves, the travel guide guru. Our favorite restaurant of our stay was La Tagliata in Positano, if you travel to the Amalfi Coast you must make it a point to have a least one dinner here, you will not forget it!

So put that remote down, reach down next to that couch and grab the bucket. Stop adding and start doing. It will be the best choice that you have every made as you put those ideas in the bucket for a good reason, they are life changing!

Another Way Out

One of the habits in my household is to leave the French doors that open onto the back patio wide open. No screen doors between us and the great outdoors. Just sun, gentle breezes and easy access in and out for kids and dogs and so nice when entertaining. It’s very pretty and I like bringing the outside in and blurring the edges between in and out. The back garden becomes a true extension of living space. So nice! No bugs, either, except the occasional bee.

Last Saturday, I had a couple of quiet hours. Hurricane Earl had failed to materialize but people had not made appointments to look at houses and so I had a free afternoon. I relaxed in my favorite reading corner and was transported by a wonderful book. It was quiet and lovely.

After an hour or so, I heard a small commotion in the living room. ‘What are those dogs up to now?’ I barely gave it a thought. Then I looked down – one dog on my left, one dog on my right. That’s everybody. Uh-oh, who’s making the racket???

A bird – a blackbird was in my house and frantically trying to get out. Poor thing! I was horrified. ‘Please don’t get hurt’. He by now had made his way up to the sitting room on the second floor and was banging himself against the highest windows. I had the Lubera’s in the week before to clean the windows and they were crystal clear. All he could see was blue skies, puffy white clouds and bright green tree tops. The poor thing was hyperventilating. So was I, actually. I could not reach him. He was about 20 feet up. I said a little prayer that he not hurt himself.

I already was formulating a rescue plan – I was taking him to Dr. Bird’s (honestly, that is her name) Wildlife Rescue Clinic in Wickford. She is my pets’ vet.

I had never seen a bird pant before. He was panting and screeching and quickly overheating. The sun shining through the glass was making it very hot, so high up. It was just a bad scene all around.

Directly opposite from where he was now pecking against the window panes are two, big double-hung windows. I was inspired! I ran across the room, jumped up on the back of the sofa, pulled down the tops of the windows and popped out the screens. I nearly fell out of the windows when I lost my balance. Then I took one of the big screens and tried to shoo him over there. It didn’t work. He thought he was being tormented further.

After a minute a little breeze started blowing through the open windows and I think it got his attention. He flew over to the windows and perched there for a few seconds to catch his breath and then to my utter relief and delight, he flew away into the welcoming, cool leaves of the big maple tree in my front yard.

I’ve been leaving those French doors open from April to October for a couple of years now. I thought my Tibetan prayer flags fluttering would keep the birds from getting too close. I have to rethink things now.

The more I thought about the bird the more I saw that sometimes we all are up against that transparent pane of glass, banging away trying to get out and it is just not going to happen that way. All we can see is the goal in our tunnel vision, people swiping at us (maybe they really are trying to help us??) and it’s getting hot in here.

That’s when we need to calm down, take some time to re-evaluate and hopefully see that wide open window just across the room. Another way out.

Jamestown-a Vibrant Arts Community

Art lovers---!!!

Did you know that Jamestown has a vibrant arts community with almost 200 artist/designer/musician/architect/writer residents living all over the island? Hard to believe but true. Jamestown also boasts 2 very different Art associations-the Conanicut Island Art Association (CIAA) and the Jamestown Arts Center (JAC)....An embarrassment of riches for a small community!
Each group offers different possibilities for its local residents and members and for off-islanders and non-members too.
The CIAA hosts monthly, juried, Town Hall Art Exhibits open to members and non-members alike with Openings free to the public, gives yearly scholarships to students who wish to attend Newport Art Museum's classes and workshops, as well as other scholarships to students who will be attending colleges in order to study the visual or industrial arts. The CIAA also organizes the Annual Art show at the Recreation Center, the Annual Craft show and the Holiday Craft show in December as well as showcasing local Artist's works at the Jamestown Philomenian library. And new to the CIAA is the Annual "Paint Beavertail" silent Art auction organized with the collaboration of the Beavertail Lighthouse Historical Society. It was wildly successful this summer. Artists were seen gathering with their brushes and easels, from all over Rhode Island to....."paint Beavertail!" This event turned out to be a terrific fund-raiser for the lighthouse and great fun for everyone involved.
The budding Jamestown Arts Center (JAC) offers year-round art classes and workshops for adults and children and will be hosting dance and theatre festivals in the future, as well as fund-raisers for the renovation of their new building across from the Jamestown Library.
We have several art and crafts galleries on the Island too, attracting visitors from all around Rhode Island and other locations.
The natural beauty of our island inspires all kinds of artistic vision. It is not only a "Sailor's Paradise" but an idyllic mecca for artists and art lovers too.

Masquerade at the Narragansett Towers

MASQUERADE BENEFITTING THE CONTEMPORARY THEATER CO.

Narragansett– Experience a unforgettable magical evening at the Contemporary Theater Company’s upcoming Masquerade Gala and Auction at The Towers in Narragansett.

Recently voted Rhode Island’s “New and Yummy Theater Company” (Providence Phoenix, 2010), the Contemporary Theater Company will celebrate the completion of its fifth anniversary season by hosting a magical evening with food, drinks, silent and live auctions, music and more.

Join the fun and support the Contemporary Theater Company with hors d’oeuvres by Kabuki Restaurant, a full bar and music by the acclaimed La Bella Musica – frequent collaborators of the Contemporary Theater Company. Take the opportunity to showcase your finest masquerade costume, or purchase one of the custom masks available at the door, although costumes are not required.

While celebrating the company’s successes and plans, the event will also include auctions featuring donations from local and regional businesses. Auction items include a fine necklace by Adornment, a custom coffee tasting session by Taylor’s Landing Coffee Roasters, and a private party at Jennifer’s Chocolates. Other guests will take home an autographed Bobby Orr hockey stick, a family portrait session, an overnight suite at The Pearl Boutique in Newport, dinner & show packages and over fifty other items.

Special for the occasion is the opportunity to have a personalized romantic Wakefield Riverfire prepared just for you on a date of your choosing, complete with a live musician.

The Masquerade Gala and Auction will take place Sept. 16. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, music and drinks. A live auction follows at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. The Towers is located at 35 Ocean Rd. in Narragansett, RI and is handicapped accessible. Parking is available on the street and in the nearby lot. For tickets or more information visit http://www.thecontemporarytheater.com or call (401) 228-5175.

Fall Farm Fun in Rhode Island: Escobar's Highland Farm Corn Maze, Sweet Berry Farm, and More!

It may be time to pack away the white pants and linen, but fall fun is just around the corner.

Last weekend marked the official opening of Escobar's Highland Farm Corn Maze. This is a treat for the entire family! Be sure to bring some water and walking shoes.

Fall is also a great time for apple and peach picking. One of my favorites places is Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown.

If picking isn't your thing, check out some of our local farmer's markets. You can find a complete list at Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

So get out there and enjoy the cooler weather! But don't pack away those shorts just yet; we're bound to get a few more warm days before Halloween.

Hurricane Earl

Looks like Rhode Island is about to get hit with it's first hurricane of the season. Hurricane Earl is expected to pass by Newport around 4:00pm tomorrow; we should expect rain, winds in excess of 50mph, rough seas, and dangerous surf. If you're new to the coast and this is your first storm there are a few things that I have learned since moving to Little Rhody:

• Make a trip to the grocery store. Rhode Islanders aren't making a joke when they say the store will be out of milk and bread.
• Don't forget batteries, candles, and canned food. You might also want to fill up the propane on your grill if you have an electric stove. You'll find yourself cooking all sorts of things on the grill should you loose power.
• Grab some ice and pack your fridge. No sense in losing all that food if the power goes out!
• www.abc6Hurricane.com has all of the latest weather reports.
  
• If you or someone you love has special needs be sure to register with the RI Department of Health's Emergency Registry. This will help local first responders quickly identify your needs in case of an emergency.
• Finally, check out the Red Cross Hurricane Safety Checklist.
• Red Cross Phone - 401.831.7700 - Program it into your cell!

Good luck and have a great weekend!