On this date, there was a $35 parking fee (good for all day) - cash only

Below: There were several places with nice flowers begging to be photographed.

Below: A sign that is so true - Sisters are definitely more important than things. All Family is important.

Below: Life-size bronze organ grinder and a goofy monkey -- who wears a little hat -- sculpted by Kay Worden in 1983.

Below: Ilse Blahak and Karen Duquette at the Hurdy Gurdy statue. Ilse really loved the little monkey.

Below: A Historic Bell installed at Hammetts Wharf, adding to the city’s historic attractions.

Below: Lee Duquette discovered that the above sign is partially wrong, because there was NO bell on this date. He was disappointed because he likes ringing big bells whenever he can.

Below: Then it was time for a bite to eat at The Landing

Below: Karen and Ilse both enjoyed he clams.

And as usual, Lee Duquette enjoyed deserts. Lee does not like clams.

Below: Then it was time to take a cruise on The Coastal Queen, which actually turned out to be a bit boring.

Lee Duquette, Karen Duquette, and Karen's sister Ilse Blahak went on a narrated cruise aboard the spacious Coastal Queen and viewed Newport Harbor and the East Passage of Narragansett Bay up close. The boat has a weatherproof interior that can be heated on chilly days and a covered top deck with clear curtains that roll up for catching the ocean breezes or rolled down for warmth. (obviously not needed on this date)The grand, teak wood bar offers your favorite beverages. This boat tour departs from 5 Bowen's Landing on Bowen's Wharf, Newport, RI.

Below: A very cheerful Captain Thomas with Karen Duquette on the Coastal Queen

Below: Ilse, Lee and Karen chose the front row seat. At first, Karen was concerned because of the sign to remain seated because of the view. BUT then Captain thomas announced that it was alright to stand up unless he stated otherwise during the trip.

Below: People were working on the roof of this house as the boat cruised by.
The house is called "Clingstone, the House on the rock in the middle of the Narragansett Bay". It was built in 1905 by J.S. Lovering Wharton, son of the famous industrialist Joseph Wharton. He built Clingstone after the government condemned his first summer house to build Fort Wetherill. He summered at Clingstone until his death in 1931. For over 20 years, the house lay vacant and abandoned. It survived the great Hurricane of 1938 and large hurricanes Carol in 1954 and Diane in 1955.

In 1961, a Boston architect, Henry Wood, purchased the house for the back taxes owed on the property which at the time was only $3,600. At the time of the sale, all 65 windows on the house were smashed and vandals had fired marbles into the interior shingles. The house was missing its roof. He slowly repaired the house.

In a New York Times article from 2008, it mentions that all of the black porcelain doorknobs are salvaged from houses torn down in Boston’s South End, the lights are from an old slaughterhouse in Roxbury (near Boston), and that all of the labor to restore the house was donated by friends of Henry Wood who wanted to help him out.

Henry Wood’s family still uses Clingstone for much of the summer, but if you have a spare $8,000 hanging around, you too can rent out the House on the Rock for a week. This might sound expensive, but with ten bedrooms, Clingstone offers one of the most iconic rental properties on the market.

Below: The cruise provided views of several sailboats.

Continue on to Blithewold Manor Gardens and Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island
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