Little Rhody

Aunt Claire and her family visited us in July and helped mind the older girls one day while Dave interviewed for a new job. Schedule-heeding families that we are, an ambitious day was planned. Not all activities were completed, however we did do the death walk, much to the kids' enjoyment. Haven't heard of death walk? You'll have to visit 12 Taft Ave to find out more.

We spent 2 nights in Charlestown, RI, an area that we had never visited before. It was a great place to vacation, namely because there were no crowds, and the beaches were fantastic. In fact, because the coast is outside of the Long Island Sound, the waves proved to be too big for swimming, but just right for playing in the surf.

On our first trip, the evening of our arrival, the kids weren't wearing their suits

Rowan is a soggy-bottom boy

Erin learned the hard way what getting thrashed by a wave means

Caroline got wet but stayed clear of the sand...

...possibly due to her efforts at water-bending

Hey look, a picture of Dave!

Brooke and Rowan are always ready to smile

That's what we call a deserted beach

Back the next day, the weather was perfect, even if we did spend most of the time in our shade tent

Watch Hill, RI, has an old carousel where riders can reach for rings

Pulling the brass ring entitled the rider to another free ride, and Brooke got it twice in a row

Nice form, Caroline

Erin, too

Loot from the candy store

Watch Hill lighthouse

Back at the Willows Inn

C'mon Erin, where are those teeth?

Erin's clamshell became her new best friend

Sorry to cut you out, Rowan

 On the way home we stopped in Newport to visit the Touro Synagogue NHS. Little Rhode Island does its best with historical figures. Their most famous Revolutionary War hero is Benedict Arnold - whoops - and for the War of 1812 Newport has a statue of Commodore Oliver Perry. Who, you say? Well, his victory in the Battle of Lake Erie earned a place on the 2013 quarter, so it must be important.

The girls have lots of stuffies, too

Fun in the surf