They (the naysayers, that is) can say what they wish about Rhode Island but we who have traveled and lived elsewhere know our little state is where we want to be…for perpetuity (my ashes will be tossed—elegantly, I hope, off Rhode Island waters, while he’ll be ceremoniously interred in Veterans’ Cemetery.) 

For many years, we’ve lived in the Cowesett section of Warwick, whose delightful stone walls and expanses of tree-studded lawns, run along, right up the hill from Main St. East Greenwich. In other words, we’re a stone’s throw from coffee shops…restaurants… a perfectly fine grocery store, even a shoe cobbler, for God’s sake. Not every town in Rhode Island has a town center for gathering (note that—does yours?).

If we wish to go to another favored destination, we can easily jump on the main connector, route 95, to Mystic, in Connecticut (38 mins away), while lovely Little Compton is 45 mins. in another direction.

As Rhode Islanders in every season, we enjoy estuaries, salt marshes (I love how the tall sea grasses turn a pinkish hue in fall)… We ride the back roads to discover houses we’ve never seen before…houses that delight for their individuality. I shoot photos of these. They needn’t be impressive, size-wise…just unique.

Then we top off our quest with a gustatory delight at our favorite ice cream store, next door to the diner in Nowhere, Exeter. They serve our most preferred—Gifford’s maple walnut (can’t even get it in most of the South.) We’ve studied each of these dairy emporiums. Some we find too chalky…some too sweet…Even one in nearby Connecticut (yes, we cross borders) actually loads too nuts in the ice cream. We look for a perfect balance…

A close second in quality and price is Clementine’s on Main St. East Greenwich (we also like the 3 year owner/operator Warren). Clementine was their cherished dog whose picture graces one wall of the interior.

So… quaint towns…marshes…proximity of all we love…ice cream gustatory delights (and we’ve sampled them ALL) to top it off. Our needs are simple. 

These are just some of the reasons we came back “home.”