My Unexpected Home

Having lived away from Rhode Island for many, many years, I have had the opportunity to live and travel to a lot of great places.I went to prep school in northern Massachusetts, in the low-lying mountains. I spent my college years in Boston – a place of beautiful old architecture and cobble stone streets –bitter cold winters -- where -- the memory of the wind whipping by as I waited for the ‘T’ still brings a chill to my body.
I was lucky to spend my junior year in college going to school in Paris, France. I traveled extensively while there. Back pack on, euro-rail pass in hand…my friends and I traveled to every corner of Europe, and northern Africa as well. Each country has it own flavor, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Holland, Luxemburg, Monaco and Belgian. The architecture, the charm, the history and the romance of it all remain with me to this day.
After college I moved to New York City ---

jam packed with High rises, office building and town houses. Still the beauty of the façades of the buildings are so impressive…and Park avenue, especially in the spring time when the gardens between up town and down town are planted with magnificent tulips, was always my favorite welcome to the change of season. I would always try to travel up Park to get my spring time fix of color. It was elegant; it was always worth going out of my way to see.

And now I find myself in Rhode Island --- where I find the romance and splendor of the old world right here in Rhode Island. Whether I am driving down Ocean Road in Narragansett,

through the Towers past the magnificent ocean front homes, or crossing the bridge to Newport, I find the streets are full of charm, grandeur and history. The old world architecture is utterly majestic. The beauty of the rolling land is only surpassed by the site of the land meeting the sea …and the twinkling lights of the many bridges that light up the sky in the night.
As I drive along the coast line and look out I see the very perfect looking vision of the Newport bridge, connecting one island to the next. It really is as pretty as Monte Carlo.

Bellevue Avenue at Christmas time is a site to behold.
Each mansion is beautifully decorated for the holiday – looking ever so grand when lit for the evening. It could be Paris, the Champs Illese, the Arch de Triumph, but it is historic Newport. It was always here, always beautiful.
.

I feel a little like Dorothy speaking to Toto. Sometimes one has to move away, and then return to see what has really been here all along. I have to say, I am continually struck by how very beautiful Rhode Island is, in an almost story book kind of way.

Good Dog

On Christmas Eve, we lost one of our beloved family pets, Rocky.

A big dog with reddish-blond, course hair and a heart as big as the sky, he will always be remembered for his love and devotion to his family.

My daughter and son-in-law, Jen and Luke, adopted Rocky from the New Haven dog pound about 15 years ago when they were just a young and carefree couple, years before they were married. But Rocky made them a family right away. In his later years, he was slow and feeble but in his younger days he was a force to be reckoned with.

On one of his first days home alone, Jen and Luke left him at Luke’s parents’ beach cottage – he tore the curtains off the windows and broke through a screen door and generally tore the place up. He had some adjusting to do.

A few years later, when Jen and Luke wanted a canine companion for Rocky, Luke brought Rocky to the pound with him to make sure that the new dog and Rocky would get along. Luke was checking out the dogs and Rocky actually lifted up his leg and peed on Luke. I think it is easy to figure out what was going on in his little brain. “This is my person, This is my Dad” I know we tend to project human emotions onto pets but, really, something was going on there. Casey came home with them that day and now he is bereft and misses Rocky as much as we do.



In his hay day, Rocky loved his Kong. A red, rubber thing, he would carry it around in his mouth, nudging your hand and head-butting you until you took the slimy thing out of his mouth and tossed it as far away as you could. In two seconds flat, he was back at your side, ready for another round. He never tired of chasing it and with his sweet, brown eyes looking up at you, it was hard to resist obliging him.

Before Jen and Luke had kids and all the kid accessories that literally fill up an entire SUV, Rocky would always come to visit me. He loved Narragansett Beach and would run and swim in the surf, if it was not too cold. He was always welcome at my house.

Rock-Star had a great life. Acres to run around on, with an invisible fence that even extended into a woodsy area, he had the time of his life protecting his family, playing and chasing squirrels and chipmunks. When you saw him barking at a stone wall, you knew some little chipmunk was in there teasing him, just out of reach.

And so although we are heartbroken, we are lifted up by the big love he unfailingly gave us. You are part of our family, Rocky, and always will be.

Good dog, Rocky. Good dog.

Jingle Bells

The Christmas season is always a time of maximum self-absorption for me. At no other time of the year am I more keenly aware of how I feel. What I want. At any given moment during December my consciousness is filled to bursting with details about my shopping list, my to-do lists, frustrations about my time pressures. I worry about my finances. I invest massive amounts of energy strategizing on how best to implement my ideas about how the holidays should be spent, as opposed to those of my husband, a man seemingly bent on defying me at every turn. And then there’s all that running around, driving to and fro across the state, strapped in behind the wheel, trapped in the bubble of your own mind, ostensibly in the service of others but in reality being driven like the proverbial dray horse under the lash of your own feelings & inclinations…wondering where to park, irritated because your fingers are cold, crabby because you’re running late, indignant about the party you have to attend…not to mention the unceasing stream of decisions to be made. Scotch pine or Douglas fir? Poinsettia or holly? Roast beef or turkey? Boots or heels? Medium or large? Credit or debit?

One of life’s most evil ironies is that the more you try to think about others, the more firmly focused your attention – by necessity – stays on yourself. Which is why I’m so grateful to the Salvation Army.

Yup, the Salvation Army.

Consider this: Ever since Thanksgiving, those people have been out there in front of your supermarket, Wal-Mart or mall of choice, standing next to that red metal bucket and ringing that bell. They have ever been dressed un-coolly; in place of the clunky, militaristic get-up they used to wear, the organization now favors an equally dorky, too-short red apron, which gives their volunteers the vague, unfortunate appearance of fast-food workers. But who cares. They are there no matter what. In the wind. In the rain. In the snow. When the temperature is 50 degrees and when the temperature is 15 degrees. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, their bell never stops ringing, it rings unceasingly, it rings steadfastly, it rings as earnestly and endlessly as the prayers of mankind rising to an indifferent heaven…It rings in defiance of irony, in defiance of coolness & hipness & self-indulgence. Is there any sound more ancient than that of a ringing bell? That Salvation Army bell is ringing in a sound and an experience from outside time; it’s ringing in reality, ringing out the tenets of our day to day lives and culture. Put money in that bucket and do it often. Because as you cross that snowy parking lot, braced against the wind, the bell rings and rings and rings, and for a split second, you wake up from your dream of self and catch a glimpse into the eternal heart of now. And if that’s not worth a dollar, I don’t know what is.

The Rebirth of a Great Old Lady

In case you have not driven through Narragansett Pier recently, there has been a MAJOR change in the landscape. At 41 Ocean Road stands a glorious period restoration of the Lila Delman Real Estate building, circa 1875. Once known as Sea Lawn, the building was also known as the Reading Room, the Wave Crest Inn and the Tea Room. It was moved in 1899 from Mathewson Street to where it still resides today on a large lot just south of The Towers. The lot was once the grass tennis courts to the Narragansett Casino.

Over the years, the old gal had under gone some changes that were less than ascetically pleasing, however, the aims were probably practical and utilitarian at the time. The old porch had been closed in and that is where, for many years, the real estate office was located. You entered through the double glass doors, which were salvaged by Lila, from a local demolition project. When it rained, the buckets were brought out and certain desks were covered for protection. It was like working in the old curiosity shop, but it was fun. Upon entering, people would come in and take everything into account including the eclectic collection of antiques and other memorabilia.

This great old survivor withstood the catastrophic fire of 1900 which consumed the Towers, the flames licking within steps of the front door, and the great hurricane of 1938 with angry seas which swirled and surged around it.

Flash forward to December 2009! After almost one year of meticulous renovation, under the scrutiny of a gifted architect and a team of very competent craftsmen, it is a masterfully restored Victorian building located in one of the most beautiful settings in the area. People walk by and their mouths drop open as they stop and just ogle the “Great Old Lady”.

The restoration, of this wonderful old structure to its original grandeur, makes it a striking new landmark for the town of Narragansett. It only gets better when you enter the building, you feel so comfortable with all the beautiful old antiques collected over the years by Lila and the newly expanded space. It is further enhanced by the happy group of people who work in this wonderful environment.

We are so proud of our office and are so excited to be a part of this wondrous Renaissance!

An Altered Sense of Time

Some of my neighbors have started to put their holiday decorations up. It started on Thanksgiving – a wreath here, a few lights there, a candy cane decorated maibox – but I’m very conflicted because at my house, I still have pansies blooming.

In my window boxes and in little sunny spots in the gardens, they are still doing fine. Pansies like the cooler weather and so the first thing in my gardens are pansies. The same love of cool temperatures keeps them thriving long after other flowers have withered.

When pumpkins and mums started showing up on front steps, I was not ready for that, either. It seemed like we had only just begun our summer. My gardens were looking good, finally, after weeks of steady rain, and I wanted to keep summer going for
awhile longer. Pumpkins! Chrysanthemums! Forget it! In
hindsight, I was in denial that summer was over.

As the nights are getting colder, I know it is only a matter of days now before the remainder of my gardens is toast, too. And then I can start counting the days until spring. But for now, I think I’ll hold off putting up wreaths and fir roping until my flowers really are ready to go.

Share Our View from The Penthouses at The Residences, Providence

Lila Delman Real Estate extends an Invitation to View these Extraordinary Living Spaces this Thursday evening December 3, 2009 from 5 to 7pm.


Against the exquisite backdrop of Narragansett Bay and located on the top floor of The Residences, these exquisite penthouses offer open panoramic cityscape vistas of downtown Providence and beyond, stretching as far as the Newport Bridge.





Spanning nearly 3,000 square feet, this contiguous space provides the perfect canvas to design and create the penthouse of your dreams. Raw space and fantastic views are two outstanding elements according to designer Julie Lancia, ALX Group, Providence.


A premier position on the top floor of the newly constructed Residences and extensive outdoor terraces, which span from one end of the tower to the other, make these penthouses truly unique.




With indoor access to the Westin Hotel, the Providence Place Mall, the Rhode Island Convention Center and the Dunkin Donuts Center, there is no need for a car, coat or umbrella, making these penthouses by far the most connected address in the City.


Residents enjoy a high level of security, full concierge service, valet parking and full access to the Westin, Providence and all of its hotel amenities, including membership to the Capitol Club Fitness Center and spa services.


Lila Delman Real Estate also offers finished units in a variety of floor plans, where meticulous craftsmanship and high quality finishes grace these extraordinary living spaces.