Wednesday, July 22, 1987

1987 Local RI (7/22/1987)

Sunday, July 19, 1987
Kent’s parents left today, having arrived on Wednesday, July 15, bringing Kyle and Erich back from a week and a half in Ohio.
5-leaf clover (7/15/1987)
Later today, my parents arrived! They checked in to the Town ‘n;’ Country Motel in Seekonk, MA, and I went to get them to watch slides and have dinner. Tomorrow they would be on their own as I had to work.

Tuesday, July 21, 1987
Had the day off and wanted to take my parents to Alex’s Family Restaurant for breakfast, but they were closed. So after a quick McDonald’s breakfast, we took I-195, crossed the Braga Bridge, and headed south on RI-24, then RI-81. It was already so hot at 9:00!
Went down to Adamsville and turned left to find the Rhode Island Red plaque across the street from the Abraham Manchester Restaurant.
Abraham Manchester restaurant
Rhode Island Red plaque
The plaque commemorated the breed established in 1834 and honors the famous edible commodity which gave the poultry industry to the world, according to the RI guide! On another corner was a large house with an interesting gate house of about three stories.
Adamsville Salt Shaker House
We next headed to Goosewing Beach, entering the wooded drive after the stone columns at the gate.

Entrance to Goosewing
We were the first car at the beach at 9:20!
Goosewing farm and parking lot
Walked out towards the water, and Mom & Dad collected stones for a woman back in Cleveland.
Goosewing Beach
We left as many cars started arriving.
Goosewing cattle
Goosewing pond
We worked our way to Little Compton Common with the Congregational Church and cemetery in the triangular section.
Congregational Church

Supposedly the grave of Elisabeth Alden Pabodie is here with other original settlers. She was the daughter of John and Priscilla Alden, and was the first white girl born in New England.
Little Compton
We stopped in the general store for postcards, and headed out to take RI-77 north. Passed through Tiverton Four Corners of shops after passing the Sakonnet Vineyards. Took RI-138 and the bridge over to Aquidneck Island. Followed RI-138 over to the Newport Bridge with a toll of $2. On Jamestown Island we made a quick detour to the windmill, built in 1787. We crossed the Jamestown Bridge to take RI-1A south, passing several detours due to construction. We parked near the Towers in Narragansett, and looked over the wall at the fairly calm Atlantic Ocean next to the Coast Guard House Restaurant.
The Towers
We circled the Towers that arch over the road with the wrought-iron date of 1885. The Towers are what remain of the Narragansett Pier Casino (designed by McKim, Mead & White, landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, constructed 1883-1886, and burned down in 1900). The Towers are of stone and the rest of the casino complex was made of wood. Across the road was a green with a gazebo in the center, and a limestone statue of Historical Narragansett Tribal Chief, Canonchet, sculpted in 1977 by Robert F Carsten.
Gordon in the green
Historical Narragansett Tribal Chief, Canonchet
We walked up the street, stopping in the Federal-style post office with wood and brass fixtures. We wandered through the shops, including a bookstore with only a few books, but lots of cards and gifts. Stopped for lunch at J&B’s Sandwich Shop at noon, getting chicken or tuna salad sandwiches with ginger ales.
We returned to the car and drove along Kingstown Road towards Wakefield. At the corner of Sprague Park was the Narragansett Indian Monument, an Indian head carved from a single Douglas fir by Peter Toth. It is 23 feet high and is one of a series of 41 through the country honoring the American Indian. In Wakefield, we looked for a couple camping stores to buy topographic maps. The addresses were obsolete, but we did find one business. However, they no longer sold maps. We returned to Narragansett Pier and headed south on Ocean Road past old Victorian houses and mansions hidden behind hedges, walls and gatehouses. Drove right down to Point Judith and the Coast Guard station. Walked over to see the lighthouse and look across to Block Island.
Point Judith Lighthouse
The lighthouse was an octagonal brick building erected in 1816 and is still a functioning beacon. Earlier the coast guard and beacon were maintained during the revolutionary War. An original lighthouse was built in 1806, but blown down by a hurricane in 1815. The last German WWII U-Boot/submarine was sunk two miles off shore from here. There was also a weather corrosion test site next to the station, with samples of paints, hinges, circuit breakers, etc. angled up towards the sun.
Could also see the breakwaters for the Galilee Harbor.
View of Galilee Harbor
Next we drove to Galilee and parked near the Dutch Inn to walk along near the docks. Numerous large fishing boats probably readying for the huge Blessing of the Fleet this Saturday.
Galilee docks
Fishing boats
Watched the Block Island ferry dock and unload.
Block Island ferry
We drove north on RI-108, which took us through Wakefield again, and also Peacedale, full of old stone buildings converted into an industrial park.
We took RI-138 past the stone buildings of the University of Rhode Island, a state land and sea grant university, established in 1892. We took RI-2 that had more construction detours, then RI-4 to I-95 into Providence. We passed the giant blue termite of New England Pest Control. He is mentioned in a book about American roadside attractions, and is 32 feet long with 42-foot long wings, for a total length of 58 feet. We also saw the smaller, but still impressive, metal horse made from auto parts. We took the Exchange Street exit and drive past the Civic Center and bus station. Circled around to the Biltmore Hotel, now an Omni hotel, and parked in their ramp. Walked over the skyway to the hotel and took the glass-enclosed elevator up to L’Apogée restaurant. It was open so we were able to enter to take a look out the windows at the city below.
Kennedy Plaza bus station
RI Statehouse and vacant old train station
Kennedy Plaza
After taking photos, we went down to walk along Weybosset Street to look for another map store. Its location was being vacated by another business. We wandered through the Arcade and up the Westminster pedestrian mall, looking for public telephones with phonebooks. Since we didn’t find any, we returned to the hotel where the concierge had a phonebook. We found the Map Center had moved to Broad Street, and there was still a place in East Providence, although none in Cranston. We paid $3 for parking and drove to the Map Center where Dad was able to purchase three topographic quadrangles. We then hopped on I-195 to go over to Waterman Avenue near Meeting Street School. At this store, the fellow selling maps had retired three months ago! We went to the Town ‘n’ Country Motel to freshen up, and went to Carrie’s, this time to sit down and eat in the restaurant with its simple décor. Dad tried the seafood bisque that was full of seafood and apparently very good. He also had six big stuffed shrimp with roasted red potatoes and sautéed yellow squash. Mom had the broiled Digby scallops with a salad, and I had Carrie’s Special, mussels, littlenecks, crab, squid, shrimp, and scallops in a garlicky Fra Diavolo sauce over linguini. We left $40.
Now we headed to the waterfront area of Providence, parking near the Hot Club to see the Corliss Landing shops and condos.
Corliss Landing
Hot Club
We looked over the water at the hurricane barrier.
Providence hurricane barrier
We drove over to Fox Point to walk around a bit, before driving to the Seekonk Newport Creamery for ice cream. Mom had a coffee milkshake, which was coffee in milk that was shaken. “No ice cream,” the waitress warned! We tried to go to Lechmere to buy film, but they had closed at 17:00 for inventory. (I was able to run a couple rolls of film to them the next morning before they headed to NYC.) Returned my parents to the Town ‘n’ Country Motel, and I got home at 22:30, beating Kent who had a business dinner with ISPO regional managers.

Sunday, July 19, 1987

1987 Grandparents Visit

Kyle and Erich with school awards
Sunday, July 19, 1987
Kent’s parents left today, having arrived on Wednesday, July 15, bringing Kyle and Erich back from a week and a half in Ohio. Photos by Ada of their activities in Ohio:
Kyle and Erich with the Stegosaurus at the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Erich and Kyle at the Museum of Natural History
Erich and Kyle at COSI (Center of Science and Industry)
in Columbus, OH
Kyle and Erich at COSI
Kyle with a baby chick
Erich with a baby chick
Kyle and Erich at Rocky River Park
Kyle and Erich
Ryan, Kyle, and Erich during
lunchtime at the grandparents'
"I'm too big for this..."
Grandpa with Erich
Grandpa with Kyle at Jeanne's pool
Grandpa with Erich
Kyle, Erich, and Grandma play croquet

We went to Goosewing Beach on Thursday and Friday, and Saturday.
Goosewing Beach season pass
Kent’s parents took the boys to the waterslides in Westport, MA while Kent and I went to Mary B's wedding to Ed R.
Kent and Tamiko before (photo by Ada)
Kent and Tamiko after (photo by Ada)
Erich and Kyle with Grandma S

Saturday, July 11, 1987

1987 Sturbridge Village (7/11/1987)

Saturday, July 11, 1987
We were putting together a scooter when Gerald arrived at 10:30. Together we drove north on RI/MA 146 to the Mass Turnpike. Paid a 60-cent toll, and took I-84 to exit 3. It was heavily overcast, but the sun came through by the time we reached Old Sturbridge Village. I treated, paying the $9.50 each admission.
Old Sturbridge Village ticket
Old Sturbridge Village map
We began the tour at the Friends Meeting House, and in each building was at least one person in period dress ready to explain anything within the building and village. A man was hewing beams from a tree trunks, and horse-drawn carriages. The Center Meetinghouse was more elaborate, although the candle chandeliers dripped wax on the pews. The town pound was a place to keep lost or wandering livestock until they were reclaimed. A man was leaving the shoe shop with a new pair of shoes. Apparently all the shoes worn by the townspeople were made here. The schoolhouse was fairly full of “students” listening to the master lecture on teaching practices. The potter was at work at his wheel, and there was an amazing amount of unfired pottery. The kiln was not in operation today.
Pottery kiln
Onward to the Freemason farm with someone weeding the garden, and the farmer was sharpening his scythe on a grind wheel turned by a tourist kid. Bulls and sheep. Kent pointed out potato plants in a nearby field, and there was an orchard.
Potato field
The cooper explained indenturing, which happens by contract in Sturbridge Village. The blacksmith was looking for a specific punch, and he had a few glowing embers in his fire. It was getting oppressively hot.
The machines were in operation in the carding mill where wool was carded into batting, or longer strands for spinning. The gristmill and sawmill were not yet in operation. All the mills were run by waterwheels. We circled the millpond and crossed a covered bridge. Why did they cover bridges was the Yellow Pages question (?)!
Covered bridge
We ended up at the snack bar for a bite, across from the tavern where they have a buffet lunch and a cafeteria.
Next to the general store where one tourist wanted to know what every item was, and a kid screamed because there was no ramp to walk up, only stairs. The parsonage was fairly well-to-do, with wallpaper and paintings on the walls with cloth covers to protect the gilt frames in the summer. The law office was tiny and the lawyer was very old. The Knight store had a wide variety of goods, and the metalwork had to come from England since the US didn’t have foundries yet. People admired the sturdy shovels! The Fenno House was “interpreted” as a widow’s home, but had plenty of beds, and a few men’s things in one of them. Several women were making wide-brimmed bonnet-like hats. The Fitch House was more family-oriented, and The Thompson Bank was quaint.
Thompson Bank
The Grant shop was basically a souvenir shop. In the square, kids were rolling wooden hoops.
Village green
Bird nest at the Towne House
The Towne House was rather elegant, where a woman went into a spiel about shoes with a visitor who turned out not to understand English! The young girl with her translated in German dialect. Lots of space in the house, and the bedrooms had sky-blue ceilings, even with stars in one room. A girl played a spinet. At the printer’s, an ancient notice was read out loud. The cider mill was closed for the season. However, they sold cold cider from a barrel across the street. The barrel seemed attached to tubes coming from underground!
There was a fairly extensive glass museum with examples of New England ware. The Bake House was actually a snack shop. The firearms, spinning and weaving museum had a fan! A girl was spinning wool, and the looms were partway through woven items. The summerhouse had an exhibit on the “new” house they are putting in, with a mini-archaeology/architecture lesson, and a few artifacts. The lighting museum was so hot, we hurried past the candlesticks and oil lamps. The basket-maker showed off the strength of his baskets, and a girl nearly dropped the heavily-laden thing. The wool-dying exhibit was just an arbor with a couple pots over a fire, and racks of drying yarn. We wandered through the large herb garden with its variety of smells.
Gerald and Kent in the herb garden
Herb garden
The Clock Gallery was full of New England artifacts and many wonderful grandfather clocks. There was also a toy museum, children’s clothing, a window of pottery and one of brass. We went to browse in the air-conditioned gift shop and bookstore.
We headed home in Kent’s car, which thankfully was air-conditioned! Followed US-20 and stopped at Ronnie’s for a snack. I had a peppermint stick chocolate ice cream soda, and Kent had a raspberry freeze. Gerald had a chocolate and vanilla soft ice cream twist. We arrived in Providence at 16:30.