Remembering Summer: Newport, RI

We have reached our last stop on my summer memory lane and if you guessed, Newport, RI. You know me well.

Newport will always have a special part in my heart. I have wonderful memories and keep creating more each summer.

This year was super special because my hubby surprised me with a helicopter ride for our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I admit, I panicked when we arrived and I started texting some of my friends in case anything happened to me.  Yes I know, a little dramatic.  We had arrived early but the crew at Bird's Eye View Helicopters were ready for us right away, they gave us a rundown and next thing you know, we were in the helicopter.  All I remember is telling my husband, "I didn't finish sending my farewell texts!" Once we reached our altitude, I couldn't believe the views. The city I love so much was breathtaking.  I was able to enjoy it from a aerial view that trust me when I say, the pictures do no justice. We had a smooth landing and were given very specific instructions on how to walk away from the landing pad.  The force of the propeller was very strong and loud. We were offered to get a DVD recording of our flight.  We bought it as a souvenir but my advice is that you skip that offer.  It doesn't show you everything you saw while you were up in the air and to us it wasn't worth the money.  Everything else was superb! And I survived the flight!

Next, we drove into the city and visited the Rosecliff Mansion. For the most part, I have visited all the mansions throughout the years but I'll never get tired of going back to admire their beauty and hear their stories. The Rosecliff Mansion was a self-guided tour and the best part was that you could actually take pictures at this one.  Movies like the Great Gatsby have been filmed here.  Even if you're not interested in visiting the inside of the mansion, you have to at least visit the grounds.  The landscape at the Rosecliff Mansion is beautiful.  It would be a perfect location for a photoshoot.

Finally, to wind down, what a better spot to visit then my favorite vineyard in the area, Newport Vineyards. We signed up for the wine tasting, I almost ate the entire jar of wine biscuits, man those things are addicting! I tried ice wine for the first time, where have I been all these years? Amazing!!! We then settled at the back of the vineyard with our glass of wine and enjoyed our little picnic that we had packed.  I felt I was in one of my favorite movies, A Walk in the Clouds, it was the perfect end to our beautiful day.

Thank you for coming down summer memory lane with me this week.  These were just a few of my summer highlights You can still visit all these areas during the fall, they each have their own charm during the colder season. Let us know what you think.

Now, let the fall adventures begin....

Waving summer good-bye.

Love, Organized Chica xox

Remembering Summer: Block Island, RI

"Sail Away in the Block Island Ferry, 

Take a trip to carefree times, 

Leave today, Block Island awaits you

Just leave your troubles behind"

Try to read that without singing the jingle if you are a true Rhode Islander....lol Next stop down summer memory lane is Block Island, RI.  

I had first gone to Block Island when I was very young but I remember being very impressed by it and always wanting to go back.  Finally this year I made that come true.  My husband had never been so I figured I would organize a nice day-cation for us so we could explore the island.  We drove up to Point Judith and chose to ride the High Speed Ferry to Block island versus the Traditional Ferry.  Although you pay more for the High Speed Ferry, it was worth it because we didn't want to risk getting sea sick. We also wanted to take advantage of our day on the island, not be stuck on a boat.  The trip takes 30 mins vs 60 mins.  If you are in no rush and care to save, then taking the Traditional Ferry may be your best option.  

Once you arrive on the island, you have many means of transportation available to you.  You can choose a taxi, bicycle, mopeds, or just go on foot if you'd like.  We started our day off at a local breakfast shop, Persephone's Kitchen.  This shop was highly recommended so naturally I wanted to give it a try.  All fresh ingredients and healthy for you.  Donuts can be healthy for you, right? 

After a very satisfying breakfast, we walked over to the Island Moped Bike.  For the most part, all the rental shops give you all the same prices so it really depends on where you want to rent from, just make sure to check out their websites or travel brochures for discounted coupons or deals.  We rented a tandem bike.  Now for those that don't know me, you need to know that I don't ride a traditional two wheel bike.  It wasn't until this year that I started riding a tricycle.  So the idea that I had to ride a two wheel bike and try to keep my balance was not very appealing to me.  I think I was yelling for the first 10 minutes of the ride, I refused to look up.  My eyes were focused on my pedaling.  My poor husband was such a trooper and he made sure I was safe.  I now have to say that it wasn't that bad at all but boy I'm I out of shape.  

Next, I had the brilliant idea of visiting the North Lighthouse.  That's another fun fact about me, I love lighthouses.  I am fascinated with their structure, history and purpose.  I love photographing them. Now let me just tell you, if you are out of shape, like I am, the ride on bike to the North Lighthouse will kill you so we had to make several stops so I could catch my breath.  I felt so bad for my hubby when we had to peddle uphill and he wasn't only carrying his weight but mine as well.  Definitely a good leg workout.  The scenery to the lighthouse was totally worth the ride.  All the homes and their landscaping were so dreamy.  We finally made it to parking lot of the lighthouse.  What I didn't know was that you had to walk about half a mile to the lighthouse. Now that may not seem a lot to you, but that day the weather was in the nineties, we didn't have anything to drink and most of the walk was on sand.  The kind that you sink into with every step so you have to work twice as hard to continue walking, but we made it.  The view was beautiful.  So worth the walk, in my opinion, others may feel differently.  The lighthouse is also a museum that you can tour but you guessed it, it was closed when we arrived.  So make sure you check the operating times if visiting the museum is something you want to do.  

We headed back into town for the afternoon where we enjoyed lunch at Ballards.  Amazing! You need to go.  One of the best lobster rolls and crab cakes I've ever had. You can actually spend the entire day at Ballards if you'd like because they have their own beach and hotel.  Sit back and relax or have a drink at their tiki bar.  This place gets packed so if you want to avoid the crowds, go earlier, if you don't care, then enjoy the atmosphere. This made it on our "favorite" list and we hope to stay here one summer. 

We had to end our day on a sweet note.  Nothing like some good old ice cream from the Ice Cream Place.  Hands down, best ice cream in my life! You will need to visit and decide for yourself if it's that good.  

Here are my recommendations if you plan on visiting Block Island:

• If you get sea sick, make sure you take care of your motion sickness prior to boarding.  I took Dramamine and I was absolutely fine
• Dress in light layers, depending the weather.  I was able to take off layers when I got hot but was able to put my sweater back on when I got chilly
• If you are going to walk, bring comfortable shoes
• Take water with you if you plan on being further away from town
• Keep track of the time so you don't miss your ferry, time flies when you are having fun 

.....and Stop to enjoy the view

I plan on returning next year because I still have so much more that I need to explore. Definitely worth staying overnight as well and making this into a family vacation spot.  Hope you enjoy the views below. 

Next stop, if you know me well, I'm pretty sure you can guess where my summer memory lane will take us..... Up!Up!and Up we go! 

Happy Summer!

Love, Organized Chica xox

A little R&R in New Hampshire

So this past weekend my friends and I had the crazy idea to go up North to see more snow!! Trust me, the same day we took off we were all questioning ourselves why we didn't make plans to go to Bermuda or the Bahamas instead of heading up North into colder temperatures. Crazy I know! But after three days of being all together, having a fun and relaxing weekend, no regrets here! The focus of our trip was to go snowmobiling. Have any of you done it? It was on my bucket list after I tried jet skiing in Miami a few years ago so I figured snowmobiling had to be as fun.  

First of all let me tell you, if you are going to try this sport out, especially in 2 degree weather, to wear many layers of clothing and a face mask.  Second, take nips for after the ride to warm up quickly! Did I just say that? No way! Hey, no judging! It was 5 o'clock somewhere and when you can't feel your extremities, you need to take some type of measures.  Might as well be a tasty one. 

The experience was awesome! But I do have to admit it can be scary.  You need to have the upper body strength in order to control the snowmobile, if you don't, you can easily loose control and have an accident.  Just like anything, drive with caution.  Know your limits and you should be fine.  We did a self guided tour so we were able to stop whenever and wherever we wanted on the path.  

Side note: read the fine print when signing away in order to ride the snowmobiles.  Make sure YOU inspect your machine before mounting, take pictures of it. DO NOT rely on the staff doing it for you.  We learned this the bad way. Once you return from your journey, all vehicles are inspected by the staff and they found a broken part in one of our snowmobiles.  We were told we had to hit something hard in order to have that break but we didn't hit anything.  So to us there was some shady stuff going on there but we did sign the paperwork and we had dish out the money to cover the broken part.  So learn from us, do your homework, inspect the machine yourself, take pictures with your cellphone.  It can save you money.  

Despite of that small incident, we had a blast and would do it again.  Here are some images from my trip.  

Here's a short video of me in action!!  

We finished at a good time so we decided to make the best of our day.  We went for an afternoon stroll and I wanted to snap some shots with my DSLR.  My friend Marie took a picture of me while I was playing with my settings.  Weird to be in front of the camera instead of behind it.  

Proven fact: never too cold for ICE CREAM!!  So yes, we couldn't help it but stop for an afternoon snack.  Ready to drool?! Keep scrolling down! 

My group of friends waiting patiently for our treats while I was snapping away.  You know you have great friends when they pose for you willingly after a hundred pictures.

If that wasn't enough, we ended our night visiting this magical place, Ice Castles in Lincoln, New Hampshire. This was beautiful! These images don't do any justice.  The images below were taken with our cell phones.  It was way too cold for my DSLR. It resembled Elsa's castle from the movie "Frozen".  

Peek-a-boo!!! Can you see me? This is how cold it was! I was only exposing my eyes!

This was a very needed mini vacation and I'm so happy that things worked out for my friends and I to enjoy.  Major shout-out to my HB and friends for making this weekend happen and for letting me photograph our moments together.  When is our next trip?

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend.  Stay warm friends!

Love ~ Organized Chica xox