A Captivating Lifestyle

One of the liveliest and most recent art groups to form is the Sakonnet Arts Network.

They have a great website and on it you can find all sorts of interesting events and classes for the artist and for the arts patron.





You can participate in Plein Aire painting – I have seen small groups of local artists set up along the Sakonnet and I always want to join them. You can enroll in evening figure workshops, learn how to make paper incorporating flower petals (love that!), meet for Dancing with Sculpture in Little Compton (sounds intriguing)
or maybe drop in for a pilates or belly dancing class with Barbara, the Dancing Spirit (that’s her studio on Main Road near Coastal Roasters – you have to check it out).

South Tiverton is a short ride from Newport and has so much to offer. Whenever I stop in at the town hall, I linger over the current art exhibit. There is always some new and delightful art to look at on the walls of the meeting room.

Congratulations to Tiverton for being such a lively and artistic locale – when you combine that with all the conservation land and open space, it really is a great choice if you are looking for a new place to live.


Call us – we can show you many beautiful homes in Tiverton.

Little Known and Liking It

While doing some research recently, I came across this great article in the New York Times Escapes section all about Tiverton.




Tiverton is one of those towns that is easy to miss or dismiss because it is not on the 'island' and often takes a backseat to its neighbor, Little Compton. Yet it has the same rolling meadows, historic stone walls, sparkling salt water beaches and thousands of acres of conserved land like the Pardon Gray Farm,
Ruekers Audubon Preserve, and Weetamoe Woods.




There are only 4 stoplights in all of Tiverton! You can spend a whole day just browsing the shops and art galleries in Four Corners. Then get an ice cream cone at Gray's. You won't be sorry.

Tiverton is less than 30 minutes to both Newport and Providence. And highway access to Boston is right off Main Road and you can be in Boston in an hour or less.



You can find houses in all price ranges. Even if you are not thinking of buying a house, I would recommend you spend a day in Four Corners and see what a treasure it is.

Instant Karma

This is just a little story but it is absolutely true. Sometimes things happen in life that reinforce what you already know to be true.

When I was a young woman living on the East Side and putting myself through college, taking classes at RISD and URI, I spent a lot of summer days at the beach. Although I am a Narragansett Beach person through and through, when I lived in Providence I used to go to Horseneck Beach 3 or 4 times a week. At the time, there was a $5 fee - worth it for such a pristine, beautiful spot.



I was living paycheck to paycheck, I had no money saved and was down to my last $5 bill. What to do? Go to the beach and have no money until payday or save the fin and buy food and be responsible.


Back and forth I argued with myself and in the end, I decided one glorious day at the beach meant more to me than 3 or 4 days of mediocrity.

This is the part that always amazes me when I think of it – I got to the beach and waded in to the waves, and I swear to you a five dollar bill came towards me on a wave! My mouth dropped open, I grabbed the fin and KNEW I had made the right decision. Always follow your heart.



This image is always top of mind with me but I was thinking of it in particular because during these somewhat difficult economic times, it is easy to forget that we have to give back to the less fortunate. Don’t forget to feed the birds, donate to the needy and share whatever you can.

I promise, it will all come back to you!

Wine Tasting

A friend of mine, Dave, had a wine tasting at his house this weekend. What fun!

The owner of a small vineyard in Massachusetts, he produces and sells his wine under
the label of Alfalfa Farms. But the wine we tasted at the party is labeled under Wild Goose Point and Unkin and Funkin.



The benefits of wine are well-documented by now and taken in moderation provide all kinds of health benefits. And the plants are so beautiful – he has a couple of vines in his yard and now some of us neighbors want them in our yards, too.



With a son-in-law, Luke, who also produces his own wine, I have plenty of opportunities to taste different wines. Luke and his family have been producing wine for generations but they haven’t labeled theirs yet. Unkin and Funkin will be hard to beat.



Another great thing to do is visit Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, just south of Tiverton, and in 3 seasons you can sit outdoors and enjoy lunch and sample the wines produced there. It is truly special and something I love to do. The atmosphere is wonderful.

You don’t really need an excuse to gather friends and neighbors together but a wine tasting is lots of fun and you get to hear what other people think of various flavors and characteristics.

My favorite? Unkin and Funkin Pinot Noir.

Meadows

While visiting one of my favorite houses recently, I was struck by the sheer beauty of the adjacent meadow, and I realized that it had been awhile since I had seen a true meadow. Unfortunately, they are disappearing.

This house sits on the site of a former farm. Part of the land is still used to gather hay for horses by a neighborhood farmer.

Not simply a field, I have learned that a meadow is a small, flower-rich, grassland that is most likely bordered by stone walls or hedges, remnants from the original farm. Undisturbed areas with grasses, wildflowers, like buttercups and thistle, attracting butterflies and bees, are allowed to grow tall before mowing and baling.

Many meadows have disapppeared over the years and have been replaced with housing developments or if the land is still farmed, with higher yield cash crops. But in Tiverton and Little Compton, you can still come across them. Lots of open space.

If you do happen to be driving about on your busy days, and come across a meadow, please take a moment to appreciate the simple beauty. I did, and I keep thinking about it.