Newport Shopping and Closet Construction

My Wife in Downtown Newport

Yesterday my wife and I decided to head down to the Navy base in Newport, Rhode Island.  The stated mission was shopping in the Base Exchange to replace my favorite jeans that met their demise zip lining in California (see earlier post).  It turned out to be a great day of time spent together.  We remarked how great it was not to have an agenda or timeline and to just wander.  Instead of just grabbing our usual quick lunch on base we went into the town of Newport.  If you’ve never been there it’s a great day trip.  I’d recommend a spring or early autumn though because the summer can be a mad house of tourists and summer people.  Yesterday was perfect, if a little breezy.  We ended up having lunch in Buskers Irish Pub.  During an earlier sopping trip by my wife, a friend and I spent a great afternoon there enjoying the ambiance and beer.  Today we had a leisurely, very companionable lunch.  My wife ordered a curry chicken which certainly smelled like curry.  It brought back some unpleasant memories of a dish my mother used to make regularly when I was growing up.  I hated it but was forced to eat it anyway – so not the best memories associated with the smell.  “Luckily” my wife boxed up part of the meal so I got to smell it in the car for the rest of the 2.5 hour trip and she had it for dinner, sitting right next to me on the couch.  The base exchange seems to be in the midst of reorganization and there was not the selection that there used to be so I don’t know if we’ll be going back any time soon.  We did score the jeans due to the diligent shopping of my wife, who asked if they had any more in the back room after my size wasn’t out on the racks.  I ended up out in the car reading and listening to the Red Sox (who’ve won three in a row!) while my wife completed her agonizingly slow (for me) shopping pace.  On the trip home I had her snap a picture of the house from the movie “Me, Myself, and Irene” (where Hank raised his three sons).  We stopped at a Home Depot on a whim and my wife finally used a series of gift cards she received at Christmas.  She bought a series of closet organizing shelves which I spent the evening putting together for her.  For some reason I enjoy doing that, go figure.  I know it sounds like a mundane day but we actually had a great day, just hanging out with each other. Today I have the day off because in Massachusetts Patriots Day, commemorating Lexington and Concord is a state holiday.  We had so much fun yesterday that we’re going to head up and just wander around southern New Hampshire this afternoon.

Our Lunch Destination

The Irene House on Left

The Assembled Closet System