Craftopia
Hope Artiste Village
1005 Main St.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island

There's an inch or so of water in our basement, which is small potatoes compared to the disaster-level flooding happening in parts of Providence, Warwick, Pawtucket, Westerly and other Rhode Island locales.

Scott Quillin
North Kingstown, Rhode Island

I had the pleasure of meeting Scott and his wife at the Newport Tweet-Up last month. Scott is a singer/songwriter/composer/musician, and has branched into video production as well. He writes and records a song each day for his Web site/blog.


The story: I've been groovin' on Sligo Creek by Al Petteway since I first saw The National Parks on PBS. I knew I wanted to do a write-up on Scott, so I asked if he had written anything similar to Sligo Creek that I could feature. That was yesterday morning. Last night Scott had completed "Buttonwood Creek." Now that's a sharp combination of creativity, versatility and dedication! I was really impressed that he was able to turn it around so quickly.

Be sure to check out Scott's site and his music. If "Buttonwood Creek" isn't your style, you're sure to find something that is.

Little Rhody Cafe
5 Day St.
Providence, Rhode Island

You wouldn't know it was there if you didn't make a quick right onto Day Street to avoid the Killingly Street/Manton Ave. intersection traffic. Little Rhody Cafe is a small almost-shed of a place, right next to Little Rhody Hot Dogs. This is their retail cafe, and they serve breakfast and lunch.

Think you don't know Little Rhody Hot Dogs? You do. They're served in N.Y. System wieners, and all over the area. You can even buy them in bulk right from the manufacturer.






We stopped in for Sunday morning brunch a couple of weeks ago. It's a no-frills place, and the staff have a comfortable, casual relationship with the regulars - and there are plenty of regulars. Everyone was friendly, and the owner was there to make the rounds. He told me his family has been making Little Rhody hotdogs, wieners and sausages for more than four generations. The cafe has been around since about 2001.

We had breakfast. Eldest and I had sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, and Bear had her beloved Monte Cristo. Everything was served quickly, satisfying and tasty. We definitely plan to stop back. And I'll be picking up some German Snappers for barbecue season.

Secret Door Projects
PO Box 244
Providence, Rhode Island


Jean Cozzens creates great prints and posters at reasonable prices. Most of the available prints focus on Providence, including Mills, neighborhoods and landmarks. The prints are colorful and fun, and very affordable. A great variety as well.

Visit the online store at Secret Door Projects.

Aggierays
Rhode Island

Aggieray makes purses and "purselets," primarily with the same structure - flat top and pleated bottom - but in a wide variety of sizes and fabrics. I think this one is adorable!

A purselet is "smaller than a purse, but bigger than a wristlet." I'm not familiar with wristlets, and I do like me a good-sized purse, but the dimensions on the medium size (above) seem generous.

Aggieray also makes pillows and keyfobs, but it's no surprise to regular readers, the purses got my attention.

232 Westminster St.
Providence, Rhode Island

Saturday afternoon was quiet at Art for Chile, the silent art auction to benefit rebuilding Chile after the series of earthquakes and tsunami.



There were a few lookers when we checked in, and some of the donated works had already sold. Even more had a few bids already, with a full day to go before bidding closed.

I haven't yet heard an announcement about how much was raised, but if the bidding is anything to go by, it was a successful venture.

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery #65
aka Sand Hill Cemetery
South Killingly Rd.
Foster, Rhode Island


Not much to say about this small cemetery, except that it holds far too many babies and young people. Thank God for modern medicine.

Foster Town Pound
Pole 15, South Killingly Rd.
Foster, Rhode Island

Bear was fascinated by this old (1845) stone fence enclosure.


According to the librarians, it was used to house wandering cows, and possibly sheep, until their owners could come to claim them.

Foster Public Library
184 Howard Hill Rd.
Foster, Rhode Island

Near the Town Hall and Town House, atop a gently sloping hill, is a little red schoolhouse. It's adorable. Too small for realistic modern use, you'd think it was a museum. No, it's the Foster Public Library.

Impromptu Blog Meet-Up
Bank of America City Center
Providence, Rhode Island

Foster Town Hall
181 Howard Hill Rd.
Foster, Rhode Island






Right beside the Foster Town House is Foster Town Hall, the seat of town government. It was closed when we were there, but it looks like a huge building.

Foster Town House
180 Howard Hill Rd.
Foster, Rhode Island






On the first sunny day in Spring, Bear and I took off on a road trip to Foster, taking advantage of the extra hour of daylight. Our first stop was Foster Town House.

Built in 1796 and still in use for town meetings, Foster Town House is the oldest town building in continuous use in the United States, according to Visit Rhode Island.

At first, I thought this building was Town Hall, however Foster Town Hall is next door. The Town Building is used for meetings, etc., but doesn't house the town government.

The building was locked by the time we got there, but I was able to snap a shot of the inside through the window.






For some reason, I found being able to look into one window and see all the way through the building and out the other side to be fascinating.

The bunting adds a nice touch, and the candles in the windows are charming.

Alamode Designs
Providence, Rhode Island


Purses are a personal weakness of mine. I love them, and would have a different one for every day of the year if I had the money and the space. I especially like messenger bags. They can be worn cross-body, which leaves your hands free, and you don't have to worry about it sliding off your shoulder and dragging on the ground when your hands are full.

This messenger bag looks like it would stand the test of time. Made of seatbelt material, in a cool weave, it's big enough to hold whatever you need without being bulky or slouchy.

Alamodestuff also makes other types of purses as well as jewelry and other accessories...but this particular one is on my save-for list.

Pawtucket City Hall
137 Roosevelt Ave.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island



Pawtucket City Hall was built in 1933 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Bear and I were there for the St. Patrick's Day parade on March 6, 2010. The building looks huge. I wonder if there's a lot of empty offices inside.

Silent Art Auction
Whole Foods Market
University Heights
Providence, Rhode Island

Art for Chile
March 18-21
232 Westminster St.
Providence, Rhode Island


A vacant storefront in Downcity Providence will turn into an art gallery and silent auction, with proceeds benefiting Chile's earthquake recovery. The benefit runs from March 18-21. It's a great opportunity to enjoy some beautiful art for a good cause.

Visit Art for Chile's Facebook page and Web site.

via Rhode Island Monthly

The Museum of Westminster Street
Providence, Rhode Island



On Saturday, March 6, Bear and I stopped in Downcity Providence to see the Museum of Westminster Street. The Museum Online had created a museum out of a two-block segment of Westminster Street between Dorrance and Union Streets. Buildings, fixtures, even the sidewalk itself had placards describing their history, and what had been there before them. There were old photographs to give a sense of how the street had changed over the years. It was an interactive experience, and visitors were welcome to wear a sticker that said "Current Exhibit" and a placard stating something about their relationship to Westminster Street. Bear and I did, and we still have those placards at home. We still had them on while skating at Kennedy Plaza, which allowed us to let other people know about the event. I hope they went to see it!

The installation was very fun and informative. We learned a lot about the street and the people on it. Even though Bear and I have walked and shopped Westminster Street many times before, we still discovered architectural details we hadn't known were there.

This is my favorite:

The O'Gorman Building

Just above the O'Gorman sign, you may see a bird. Here's a closeup:


Behind the bird is a blue line that you follow up, up, up four stories, you see its crowning glory

A peacock tail!

We also wandered into a few of the businesses on Westminster Street, including Farmstead Cheese, where we tasted an amazing sheepsmilk cheese called Ewephoria (more on that another time).

This was such a great experiment. It really got people interested in the history and beauty of an important Downcity street, and w hope it's something they repeat in other parts of the city, and even turn into an annual event.

Purple Pear of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island


At the Wintertime Farmer's Market I stopped by the Purple Pear of Providence table. The owner, Margaret, is a very nice lady, enthusiastic about the integrity of her product.

She sells candied pecans in three delicious flavors - buttery, cinnamon and ginger. The buttery is nice and smooth, and the ginger has a zing that would be awesome with peaches, but my favorite is the cinnamon. Just the right blend of spice and sweet that compliments the pecans perfectly.

Her Web site has some great serving suggestions, as well as a list of retailers that carry her product. It's well worth the splurge.

originally posted October 29, 2009
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

In The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell takes another stab at American History, this time focusing on colonial New England. She follows the turbulent journey of the "saints" from England to Massachusetts, and takes us along with them as they bicker their way into forming Rhode Island and Connecticut.

For those living in Rhode Island, Roger Williams is hard to miss, but Vowell goes into a bit more detail than the National Parks Service. It's a roller coaster ride, but it's nice to learn more about Williams than just that he founded the first colony dedicated to religious freedom.

We walk in snowy exile with Anne Hutchinson to Portsmouth, and witness the Pequot War with the wry humor of 350 years' worth of hindsight.

Most of the history is well-researched and fleshed out in vivid detail. However, the end of the book seems slapped on, as if she were in a hurry to finish.

I found this book less funny than her other books, Take the Cannoli, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, and my favorite, Assassination Vacation. Still, it's a good time and a quick read.

We came across Pawtucket's St. Patrick's Day parade completely by accident. I was dragging an unenthusiastic Bear to the Pawtucket Library to hear a Rhody author speak about his book on the history of our fair state...but as we exited the car, Bear was sure she heard band music.

Upon further exploration, we discovered the parade and watched from the sidewalk near City Hall.

I don't know who this group is...sadly, several of the groups we saw didn't carry a banner. But this young lady led her troupe like a queen on progress.

A group of unicyclists from the parade. I think Bear got most excited about this group, which I find amusing. Bear likes unicycles.

There were the obligatory bagpipers (at least two companies, maybe more) as well as clowns and pistol-firing pirates.

    
    
and lots more.

It was a fun surprise, and a nice reminder of how much I like parades.

SeaFind Designs
Providence, RI

I stumbled onto SeaFind Designs while doing an Etsy search for Rhode Island craftspeople. They have a great selection of sea glass and beach stone jewelry ranging from classic elegance to off-beat. I like the organic look of the sea glass especially, and just love the cage and "in a bottle" styles particularly.

This piece reminds me of the moon on a cloudy night.

Bank of America City Center
Kennedy Plaza
Providence

Urban Greens is trying to launch Providence's first food co-op. Join them at the launch party at Loie Fuller's March 16.

Elegant Reflections
2224 Plainfield Pike
Cranston, Rhode Island

Hairdressers either love me or hate me. I let my hair grow until it irritates me by either getting in my way or becoming unruly, or I just get tired of it. Then I show up at the salon.

Here's how the conversation usually goes:

Stylist: "How would you like your hair cut?"

Me: "Well, the curl is natural, which makes it unruly. I'm tired of the length. I'd like a cut that flatters the shape of my face, but I'm a wash-and-go person. I don't want to put any effort into maintaining it. Also, after a new haircut, I tend to go back to get the cut trimmed for maybe 2-6 months, then I get tired of all that and let it grow out for a couple of years. So I need something will grow out well."

Stylist: "So...how would you like your hair cut?"

Me: "You're the expert. Surprise me."

Timid stylists tend to trim, or maybe take off a couple of inches. One stylist gave me a fun, short, edgy style that got lots of compliments. Often the stylist will ask "do you trust me?" Honey, I wouldn't be sitting with my back to you while you've got a sharp pair of scissors at my neck if I didn't trust you.


Andrea at Elegant Reflections was one of the stylists who started out timid, but when she understood that I really wanted her to be creative, she had fun with it. She started out saying "I don't want to take off too much." I told her "I'm looking for a change. I'm not worried about losing length. It grows back."

She really came through. My hair looks and feels great. It's a real boost. I feel like I look younger. Bear asked if I was losing weight! I'm very happy with the cut, and will happily recommend Andrea to anyone who wants a stylist who has a good eye not only for hair but for how it impacts your overall look, and fits in with your lifestyle.

A big thanks to Laura, the aesthetician who did my eyebrows, too. She did a great job, is knowledgeable about skin and a pleasure to talk with. Since I used to work with dermatologists, it's easy to tell when someone's selling a line rather than knowledgeable.

Southern Rhode Island Home Show
Ryan Center
Kingston, Rhode Island

This weekend Bear and I went to the Home Show at the Ryan Center. We were impressed by the number and variety of vendors. From gutter guards and shingles to finished basements and hot tubs, from indoor plumbing to outdoor gazebos, there was something for any conceivable home building or repair need.


We rent, so there wasn't a lot there that was relevant to us, although we did find some very nice lighting and a new RI business to check out.

Bear and I went to the South Kingstown Winter Farmer's Market. While we were there we saw our very first goose eggs. We were very impressed by the size and weight of the eggs, and the vendor told us they are equivalent to 2-3 chicken eggs. Naturally, we had to try this exotic thing.


The yolks in the goose eggs were bigger than a whole chicken egg! We decided to do a taste comparison, and made a basic egg-and-milk-only scramble out of the goose egg and another of the chicken eggs.


The goose eggs cooked up a brighter yellow than the chicken eggs, and it really did size up about 3-1. The goose eggs tasted a bit stronger, a little more thick than chicken eggs, but really so similar that if we weren't doing a side-by-side test, we probably wouldn't have known the difference.

We had a ridiculous amount of fun doing this. We're so easily entertained.