NEWPORT

Back in 2014 and 16 saw me in Newport,  Rhode Island. For me and most East Coasters, it's a fast and easy get away, one which I highly recommend. A great option right now considering the pandemic restriction of traveling aboard. Newport is so beautiful and a very chic town. The views are great off the coast, there is sailing, and if you love architecture, past times and mansions...then you'll love this town. My favorite was the  Marble House,  a Gilded Age mansion. Designed as a summer cottage for  William Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who gave it to his wife, Alva Vanderbilt for her 39th birthday. (I reeeeeallly need a rich man). The society architect Richard Morris Hunt,  was it's creator. It was unparalleled in opulence for an American house when it was completed in 1892. It's construction began in 1888. It is a Gilded mansion that has 50 rooms. If for sale today,  it would cost someone around $660 million for the house and land. What blew my mind in many of the  houses, was the level of detail and craftmanship. The house features more that just the white marble accents, which haven given it  it's name. There are marble sculptures that add a lot of interest to the house. The architecture and paintings on the ceiling were all hand painted. The designer included plenty of marble in the home in a variety of spaces. Yellow Siena was used inside the mansion in many places. It also features pink Numidian marble in the dinning room, which was very opulent. Alva had Parisian decorator, Jules Allard do the walls in the Numidian marble, and the rest of the room French style. The dinning chairs the family sat upon were of solid bronze, and then covered in gold leaf, and each weighed 75lbs. It took a footman to move them. The house featured a really cool kitchen, which we don't get to see often....that I suspect Ms Patmore would have loved. The home also featured other styles like Gothic Revival and Rococo design, which I'm fond of. Alva also had a Chinese Tea House built by the seaside, to par take of afternoon tea.

It's almost a shame we don't see good quality craftsmanship anymore. I suppose there are a few craftsmen who still have a very good skill set and take pride in their craft.

THE SEA NYMPH RETURNS

Hello everyone!

I've arrived safely back home...

It is always wonderful to return home, but I must admit, it does get very hard with the scale of service and accommodations one becomes spoiled with! While I was gone, the Casa was getting repainted and some updates done, so it was a perfect time for a get away. And boy oh boy, did a have a wonderful time. I shook my maracas but good. The first part of the holiday started in one of my favorite beach towns of Rehoboth Beach with Mistress Maddie's #1 Fan.  This lovely little spigot of land,Rehoboth never became synonymous with homo-hideaway the way Provincetown or Fire Island did; rather, it took a cornucopia-type route, merrily absorbing the latest strand of middle America and weave it into its laid-back,friendly, and increasingly diverse fabric: gay and straight, black and white, young and old, etcetera and one can't forget it's award winning taffy and fudge shops!!!! Or some cock-and-tails at the always lively Blue Moon.

Gratuitous MM#1 Fan shot warning......

Yes...we did take a ride together.....

Rehoboth was pretty relaxing, but there does tend to be much debauchery and late nights, and happy hours, and the social scene you know. Upon being back a day, Daddy Warbucks met me at the Casa and the next day it was off to Newport RI.

The Elms as seen on one of our walks.

I always loved visiting Newport, it was an old fishing port town before the wealthy decided that this was the perfect place to escape the heat of the cities… for just a few months a year. Then, they built… and built… mansions. Beautiful mansions with meticulously landscaped grounds.Their determination to outdo each other resulted in a collection of estates that rivaled the palaces of Europe.

 

Few Americans had ever seen such a display of wealth and opulence and few will ever see it again. These were palaces drenched with valuable furnishings, art and antiques and adorned with rich architecture. They called these places “cottages” and connected them via a Cliff Walk, so us passer bys could see them. The Cliff Walk wound from one estate to another on a path high above the ocean. I especially love walking Cliff Walk in the mornings, inhaling the fragrance of the wild shore roses and the brine kicked up by the waves hitting the rocks. To read about my first trip to Newport back in 2014 just click Newport in my labels for other entries. The main reason for a return for me was to go back and see Beechwood, the Astor's summer home...but alas, it is not open to the public anymore as it has been sold to a private buyer. But none the less, a good time was had by all. Daddy Warbucks had us beautiful lodging at the Ocean House Hotel

Ocean House was meticulously reconstructed to pay tribute to its storied past and offer exceptional personal experiences for guests, members and residents. Open year-round, Ocean House's celebrated hotel and residential accommodations, uncompromising service,and beachfront location all pay homage to New England's golden age of hospitality with timeless elegance.

While Ocean House offers a wide array of top-notch amenities, the two I decided to try was the Afternoon Tea and a spa day.I couldn’t have been happier with the ambiance, the atmosphere, the tea and spa. Afternoon Tea is served in the “Living Room”, which is centrally located. It’s certainly a formal setting, yet the stylish couches are comfortable, the stone fireplace makes it cozy, and the harpist who played throughout the duration of our tea added a celestial element that made the rest of the world fade away. Can't say I ever had a beach day and then took tea!!!

The massage, facial and body scrub was pure heaven. And don't get me started on the room. Warbucks did enjoy watching me take my baths....

One of the seclude beaches we found...and a hike down. Met some interesting people there.

Another day I was entertained by Warbuck's friend Jimmy on board Warbucks's boat he keeps docked up in Newport. I wasn't sure at first about this as yours truly can't swim, but after a gin and tonic or 8 ,who cared. I was just hoping he wouldn't tilt that damn boat on it's side.

The yacht Club

One can see the rooftop of the famous Vanderbilt house, the Breakers, in the background, among other "cottages"

In town one day for some exploring....

 

Loved this big fish above the bar at The Morring, one of two of my favorite places to eat....

And the other was Brick Alley Pub.....

I sooooo need this sign for the Casa!

There is no denying....this was a great first vacation for the summer on both trips, and as usual Daddy Warbucks wouldn't let me hardly pay for anything, which always manages to ruff me. But if your wondering, he was treated very well in my hands!!!! I still couldn't be more relaxed...it was much needed.

 

Ciao for now

💋