Rosecliff Inspired Mansion Open House on Valentine's Day

Inspired by the location of their wedding, Rosecliff Mansion, the owners of Crawford Court built this romantic home as a tribute to their everlasting love.

This Valentine's Day, come visit this unique home with your special someone. You'll be swept away by the attention to detail in this exceptional Newport home.

The Open House, located at 8 Ledge Road, will be held this Sunday, February 14, from 1 - 3 PM.

Apple's Newest Gadget - The iPad

Yesterday Apple announced the upcoming release of their newest product, the iPad. The iPad is a tablet computer that will connect to the internet via Wi-Fi or cellular 3G networks. It is compatible with all working iPhone apps, so everything you've downloaded to your iTunes account will work right out of the box. Yep, that includes the ever popular games, guides, and real estate applications! The iPad also includes a new application, iBooks. This virtual bookstore and reader will compete with Amazon's Kindle.

I'm a self-proclaimed Mac, so this news excites me. But I'm not sure why I would need the iPad. Oh sure, I know why I want one, I'm just not sure I need one. My days are spent in front of a PC (at work) and when I go home I use my iPod Touch to listen to music and my Macbook to play games and surf the web.

Of course, if I traveled more I could see the appeal. Connect to the internet, read email, watch videos, read a book; all of this available on a tablet with a screen size as big as piece of letter paper. No more squinting at a little phone or iPod screen. Sure, it doesn't have MS Word or Excel, but you can use Google Docs for that; and access them anytime, anywhere.

I have to hand it to Apple, every new gadget seems to bring us one step closer to the Star Trek future I thought the new century would usher into existence. I for one am personally looking forward to the iJetPack and iFlyCar. Beam me up, Scotty!

Help Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. Lives were lost, children orphaned, and homes destroyed.

Here are a few ways you can donate to aid recovery efforts:

Text

• Text “HAITI” to 90999 to make a $10.00 donation to the American Red Cross.
• Text “YELE” to 501501 to make a $5.00 donation to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts. Yele is a grassroots organization started by musician Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti.
• Text "HAITI" to 45678 to make a $5.00 donation to the Salvation Army.

Online

• Google has a page set up so you can donate directly to UNICEF and CARE. CBS News also has a list of charitable organizations that offer aid to Haiti.

Happy Thanksgiving!

'Tis the season for giving! Our Newport office just dropped off the baskets for the Child & Family Services Thanksgiving Basket program. A BIG thank you to all of our staff who donated so generously this year.

It's not too late to give. The RI Community Food Bank is always looking for donations, as well as many other local food banks.

Wishing you and yours a very Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tractor Santa

Little faces peer out of every window in Portsmouth as the children eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus. He can be heard from blocks away, but not by the typical "Now Dasher, now Dancer". No, this Santa is blasting Christmas carols and is pulled through the streets by a tractor. He starts his tour of Portsmouth December 1 and continues every night until he's finished.

We bundle up in our winter coats and stand outside with the rest of the neighborhood children. Squeals of delight, shouts of "This is the best Christmas ever!", and nervous giggles can be heard up and down the street.

When he finally arrives in front of the house the children are delighted. Santa graciously accepts letters, has his picture taken, and hands out candy canes. Then it's off to see the rest of the children in the neighborhood.

My children will talk about the visit from Santa for days. Their eyes will sparkle and their smiles will get me through all of the hectic lines at the stores. To me this is the official start of the Holiday season and I look forward to it every year as much as the children.

Thank you Tractor Santa for all the magic you will bring to our lives this holiday season. We will see you next week.

To see when Santa will be in your neighborhood visit: http://www.onaquidneck.com/santa/index.htm

Caught by a Train

Lately, Chicago has been all over the news, and last night was no exception. As Obama supporters gathered in Grant Park and reporters interviewed locals, the Chicago accent washed over me and transported me home.

I grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. I'm a mid-western transplant who sometimes has a hard time relating to New Englanders. You see, I don't drop my "r's" when I say "car" and I've been known to ask for a "pop and a sack of chips" or"do you wanna come with". I can't understand why anyone would want to eat a lobster or why I can't find a good steak at the market. And don't even get me started on the Cubs and the Bears! But I'm always amazed at the puzzled looks I receive when I recall getting caught by a train on my way to school or the store. "Oh my goodness, were you hurt?" No, why I would I be hurt, I wonder. Then it dawns on me that most people in New England, especially on Aquidneck Island, have no idea what I'm talking about.

No, I'm not referring to a terrible accident, or the T coming in late to the station. I'm talking about freight trains slowing down your entire day. Put the car in park, turn off the engine, open the windows (on a warm day), and start counting the cars. Sometimes, if the train looked especially long, we would get out to stretch our legs. I can remember being delayed as long as 20 minutes! And forget trying to outrun the train. As soon as you thought you had beaten the train to the next crossing the gates come down and here comes another train in the opposite direction.

Click-clack...click-clack...9...10...27...click-clack...click-clack...35...41...47...click-clack...click-clack...CABOOSE!! Quick, back in the car, start 'er up, buckle in, and go about your business.

Sometimes I really miss watching the cars go by, the forced break in an otherwise busy day, and the sound of train as it sped down the tracks. Come to think of it, that sound is almost as lulling as the sound of waves breaking on the beach. Almost.