Small states

Both of us have been to Boston but neither had been to Rhode Island (gasp) so we skirted Beantown and headed south. Newport is historic and certainly full of gorgeous mansions and places like the Breakers, plus a nice waterfront, but it just wasn't what we were looking for that day. Didn't take us long to see all we desired (except for Taylor Swift's mansion) and move on to Connecticut.

We dropped into Mystic and enjoyed lobstah rolls overlooking the drawbridge. Then it was across the bridge to visit the US Coast Guard Academy in New London. Sophia is interested in a commission at the Academy, so we looked around and took some photos. Gotta say, there were lots of pretty young women cadets on campus, just in case your son expresses an interest.

Pretty campus, even if it is much smaller than West Point or Annapolis. 

Last stop of the day in CT was at Jimmy "Mongo" and Rebecca Harris' home. They built their own house about the same time we were working on ours and I received a lot of good tips and suggestions from Mongo. But I could never come close to his finish carpentry skills which are evident throughout the house. Check Marina's blog for photos of the mouse hole bed she wants to duplicate when we get home. Their kitchen is also top of the line and we really enjoyed the home cooking and visiting. Wonderful respite from the grind of the road, motels, and restaurants. Thanks a bunch y'all!

That'd be Jimmy wearing shorts in the snow!

We were both surprised by the open space and forests in both states. The towns are long and strung out along the roads but in the rural areas, the large lots are shielded by trees and the Highways mostly avoid major metro areas, so even though we have counties Bigger'n than RI in Texas, it's funny how remote and apparently large it all seems.