Winter in Rhode Island

I love my hometown.  It's a quaint little stretch of beach right on the Rhode Island shoreline.  While summers in the ocean were my favorite, I also always loved when the tourists packed up and it was just us "townies" in the winter.  Mike and I never forget to stop by my boarded-up town beach when we make trips back to the Northeast around the holidays.  This year, the sun was shining and the weather was perfect - almost 60 degrees!  

Unfortunately, my favorite mini golf course is now just sand (thanks to Hurricane Sandy), but it'll only be a few more months until the snack shack and my favorite ice cream window are back open for summer 2016.

dress (similar) ||| monogrammed vest ||| earrings ||| pineapple necklace |||

bracelets ||| booties (similar) ||| nail color

My Beach: 3 linkups with 1 posts ;)

It seems like the beach is the theme this week!  Today is Home Town Hop [and I haven't done a summer beach post, so why not?!] and today's topic for the North East Bloggers' August Blogging Challenge is to describe your favorite beach!  On top of that, tomorrow is favorite summer destination.    Well, for all of these, the answer is my home town of Westerly, RI.   - The beaches are beautiful. - It's one of the few beaches in the North East that hasn't been commercialized. - They are only 5 minutes from my parents' house. - It's where all of my childhood memories are. ALL of them.

Oh, and it's where Mike and I had our first date!  The photo below was our third or fourth date :)

Home Town Hop: Hartford

I realized that for the last three Home Town Hops, I've highlighted Rhode Island.  While I did live there for 18 years, I haven't lived there full-time for 6 years.  Living in Connecticut now, I thought I would share Hartford with you!

I have to be completely honest, I've lived here for two years aaaaaand I don't know a whole lot about Connecticut, or Hartford to be exact.  Here are a couple things I do know:

- Hartford is an internationally proclaimed destination for skateboarders.  Basically, it's an insurance/financial city and there isn't too much action downtown.  So, on the weekends, everyone clears out and the skateboarders come in.

- We have the oldest arch in America - the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch [third photo].

- The Hartford Courant is the country's oldest continually published newspaper

- Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain are from Connecticut!

- And that's about it! Oh, the state house is really pretty too this time of year!

My new favorite place in my city, where Mike brought me recently, is the train bridge that goes over the Connecticut River, just north of Hartford.  He used to go there in his teens [that makes us sound old haha], and do crazy stuff.  It's a little scary to walk out on, but the views are amazing!  We had a fantastic time and will be going back soon! 

Hometown Hop: Hurricane Sandy - 6 months later

I cannot believe it's been 6 months since Hurricane Sandy.  You probably heard a lot about this hurricane, probably about New York or New Jersey, but my poor little hometown was destroyed in the storm.  Rhode Island starts basically at Long Island's eastern point.  That's the reason Connecticut has [no offense] ponds and rocks for beaches and Rhode Island has great waves with smooth sand.  The downside of this?  Rhode Island gets pelted with weather.

Westerly is a small town of 23,000 or so during the winter, but in the summer, the town swells to over 50,000.  Tourism is the main industry.  Growing up, all of my friends worked as life guards, beach parking lot attendants, food shack cooks and servers, and at little boutiques.  Almost all of that was destroyed.  

I do have to say one thing about my little town, it sure is resilient.  The washed away dunes are rebuilt, the beach shops and restaurants are almost complete, and the town is advertising for a Spring Festival [this weekend] and Memorial Day Weekend [the unofficial start of the season].

Here are a few photos from my recent trips back home.  If you want a real look at Westerly immediately after the storm, watch the video at the bottom from the day after Sandy.

my favorite mini golf course, across the street from the beach

yes, those are people next to the sand brought in to rebuild the dunes

sifting through tons of garbage 

dune rebuilding

and creating tons of walls along the beach for future protection

Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach from Chris Walsh on Vimeo.

- Those images for the first minute and a half with the bulldozer and man running? That was a road. 

- See where the water is at 3 minutes? There used to be dunes there, and the water is usually back another 500 or so feet.

- That's a house in the middle of the road after the 4 minute mark.

- At 4:12, look at how low the stop sign appears to be to the ground - that's how much sand is on the road.

Here are some photos from my hometown newspaper over the course of the storm.

Linking up with Heather and Ashley for Home Town Hop today.

Home Town Hop #2: The Food

After telling you all about the ocean last month on Hometown Hop [here is that post if you missed it], I thought I would tell you about my next favorite thing in Rhode Island: the amazing food.  Westerly is in the southwest corner of Rhode Island, about 20 minutes away from any major highway.  If you live in Westerly, you don't leave to go "out" to eat, nor do you go to any "chain" restaurants... since there aren't any.  When thinking about my favorite foods [that I not only go to when I'm home, but also bring back with me], I realized we really only have four types of restaurants: Italian, Chinese, beach shacks, and delis.

I'm sorry this post is so long [just look at the photos, if you want haha]... you know how much I LOVE food, plus add that to my favorite little corner of the Earth, and I have a lot to say :)

1. Italian
I am half Italian [well, half Austrian, but they lived on the Italian border, so they spoke and ate Italian... I've been over this before haha], and so is my town: split right down the middle with Italians and Irish.  I especially love the Italian restaurants because they tend to be cute little hole-in-the-wall joints.  They usually have a few tables or booths, but have the best food in the world!

DCP [Dunn's Corners Pizza]:
      Where? About two minutes from my parents' house
      Best food? Bacon chicken ranch pizza
      Why is it special? I've gone there my whole life, the entire restaurant is about 6 booths, and it's such a family atmosphere.

Yummmm: bacon chicken ranch - exactly like it sounds!

PizzaPlace:

      Where? Downtown

      Best food? Chopped pasta salad 

      Why is it special? My friends and I discovered this place when we used to spend our weekends studying across the street at the library in high school.  Now, when I go home, it's the expected place for us all to reunite and have dinner.  

I love our library - so much history - and right across the street.

chopped pasta, chicken, bacon, gorgonzola cheese with homemade creamy garlic dressing!

2. Chinese
We have a lot of Chinese food restaurants in Westerly.  Most of them have your typical foods, but there is one thing that makes them special.  When I was little, we used to go to a great Chinese buffet in the downtown, but it closed so this has become my favorite!

Chen's:

      Where? Down the street from my high school

      Best food? Duck sauce

      Why is it special? Just the best!  It's owned by one of my high school friends and everyone is just so friendly!

Last time my parents came up, they brought me a pint of Chen's duck sauce.  Have you ever seen duck sauce like this before?  Was that a no?  I bet - because no one [except for in my town] has ever seen duck sauce like this - soy sauce color but a little thicker and SO GOOD.  I make rice in my rice cooker and drench it with the sauce :)

3. Beach Shacks
We do have over 7 miles of beach, so there are a lot of them!  My parents and I went to the beach almost every summer day as I was growing up.  We usually always brought a lunch with us, but the days we got to eat there were so much fun!

St. Clair's:

      Where? Watch Hill [a section of my hometown]

      Best food? Popovers for breakfast and lobster rolls for lunch

      Why is it special? It's a family business and my family has known theirs forever.  It's a small table-service for breakfast and counter-service for lunch and dinner kind of place, plus all of the ice cream is homemade - over 25 flavors!

a winter shot of the little block it's on

lobster roll /// popovers [with homemade strawberry lemonade!]

4. Delis

Every town has to have some of these, right?  Well, remember how I said Westerly is half Italian/half Irish?  The Irish restaurants tend to be delis, but they are as good as any other Westerly food!

Kelley's Deli:

      Where? Down the street from my high school [next to Chen's]

      Best food? Sandwiches and their macaroni salad

      Why is it special? Every summer in high school, my dad and I used to go here every Tuesday and Thursday between playing golf together and my afternoon job. 

I usually don't like mustard or mayo but this macaroni salad is AMAZING - not sure what's in it [trust me I've tried to get their family recipe], but here's how much I bring back to CT with me :)

Bess Eaton:

      Where? A few locations around Westerly

      Best food? Tanks of iced tea and donuts

      Why is it special? Bess Eaton was a Westerly-based bakery chain with a location down the street from my babysitter growing up.  On special occasions we used to walk there and get mini donuts.  Then, early in high school, it went bankrupt and Tim Horton's streamed in.  My friends and I spent countless hours there eating, studying, and just chatting.  It was okay, but we all missed Bess Eaton.  Then, a miracle happened, a couple of years ago, someone bought all of the old recipes and it's back!

St. Patrick's Day donut from the last time I was in town!

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Heather and Ashley for hosting!

If you haven't, don't forget to go wish Heather a very happy birthday!!

Hometown Hop: The Ocean

"We are tied to the ocean. When we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or watch - we are going back from whence we came." - John F. Kennedy

Simple photos of the ocean.  That's what I will be sharing this month for the "HomeTown Hop."  I am from the Ocean State after all.  I had originally planned a post on the food particular to my town, but today, the tranquility and beauty of the ocean are what I'm craving.  

For those of you who do not know, I grew up in a small oceanside town in Rhode Island.  It was a wonderful town to spend 18 years, but as I went to college and found a job after college, there was nowhere I could follow my passion in this remote place.    Now, I live a couple of hours away, and unfortunately, I cannot have the same relationship with my family and friends in RI.  

That's why my second family, Mike's family, has been so important to me over the last couple of years.  Please keep them in your prayers, especially his mother who is the strongest, most positive, and kindest person I have ever met.  I have been spending a lot of time with them recently, so please excuse my absence.   

Now for some pure beauty:

 I love Rhode Island sunsets

And a few photos from past beach days:

Mike and I when we first started dating, 3 years ago

Me and two of my college roommates on a summer trip - the one in the middle is actually Mike's sister [Have I ever mentioned that?]

Sandcastles [or turtles] with my best friend growing up

Three pieces of "housekeeping:"

1. If you haven't yet, you should link up this month with HomeTown Hop.  Heather is a great blogger friend, and I look forwarding to following Ashley, too!

2. I'm so excited that I just received my #CaraBox matches for this month.  The theme this month is the first letter of your name, and Kaitlyn matched us all by name.  I will be sending to Mallory and receiving from Megalin "M" boxes.  The encouragement part is what I am most excited about this month, and these ladies seem fantastic!

3. And of course, because it's Wednesday, linking up for Wednesday Walkabout!  I'm sponsoring Jane this month, so definitely make sure you stop by and say hi :) And surprise, my Cara Box partner Mallory is mystery hosting today!!

I hope to be back to blogging more regularly soon, and I hope you all have a nice week!