The Traveling Writer Sees Quirky Things in Rhode Island
By Norma Jaeger Hopcraft
Last week I shared my Louisiana music festival with you. I
want to recommend Zydeco again! A week ago I invested in a C.J. Chenier live
recording made at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. I’m glad I did. His showmanship is obvious even when
he’s not making music on a stage. And his Red Hot Louisiana band doesn’t play a
single note that isn’t red hot.
While attending the Rhythm and Roots music festival (the largest gathering of Louisiana musicians outside of Louisiana) in
Charlestown, RI, I stayed with my sister in a bed & breakfast in Kingston,
RI.
We went for a walk one morning and found out it’s a college
town, the University of RI at Kingston. We drifted onto campus and found an
arboretum with a fantastic assortment of exotic trees. They were all labeled
with their English name, Latin name, and area of origin.
Everyone in my family is a plant nerd, so we really
appreciated that somebody, at some time, planned this place, took care to ship
in trees that were likely to survive Rhode Island winters, and took the time to
make sure each tree had a label.
This arboretum is a great, humane legacy that some person or
persons created and shared. I admire that legacy-building instinct, and I’m
grateful for it.
Let me share some quirky pictures of the weird trees. I have pictures of the
labels for some, not all. Then we'll get into the bed & breakfast.
Look! A tree in camo!
This tree has beautiful bark in flowing lines.
This blue beauty is a Korean fir.
Here it is in close-up.
Not sure of the name, but it sure looks like green fireworks.
This is a larch, from Central Europe. A bit quirky-looking.
There were neat gates and structures throughout the arboretum.
Not sure what this is, but it sure does have strange roots.
The Traveling Writer Recommends the Sheppard B&Bs
We stayed at Sheppard’s Campus B&B,
run by the Sheppard family. It was in an appropriately Victorian house and decorated
with antiques. I always enjoy looking at this type of house and furniture,
and I enjoy even more thinking how glad I am not to have to take care of any of
it.
We had two terrific breakfasts and enjoyed the company of
our fellow guests. We also enjoyed exploring the grounds.
A splendid house, both inside and out.
I love the weathered brick.
A compass rose built into the porch floor.
Tons of antiques and healthy potted plants.
A bird cage from India. Felt quirky to find it in Kingston, RI.
Close up of the front door.
Splendid hydrangeas, and all kinds of other beautiful plants, in the gardens.
One of the Sheppards had created a lovely garden around the
house. Since I used to be a passionate gardener, and my sister developed one
worthy of a House and Garden spread, we made a point of exploring the garden’s
paths and noting the different foliage combinations that this gardener had
fostered.
I sat in one of the seating areas to make a phone call and
to just soak up the sight of sunlight on leaves. This is something I starve for
in my life bouncing between Brooklyn and Manhattan. It’s one of the most
gorgeous sights on earth, and this peaceful garden filled my soul up to the
brim. Then a groundhog came out from under the porch and sat in the sun, to top
it all off.
How about you? Been to a good B&B lately? Comment below!
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