Life Matters

Oysters and all

By LINDA PETERSEN
Posted 9/11/19

Because it was a special occasion (Hubby's birthday) and we were somewhat limited in funding, we packed a suitcase this weekend and made the long trek to southern Rhode Island. I hadn't been there since my parents took us camping at Burlingame Park. We

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Life Matters

Oysters and all

Posted

Because it was a special occasion (Hubby’s birthday) and we were somewhat limited in funding, we packed a suitcase this weekend and made the long trek to southern Rhode Island. I hadn’t been there since my parents took us camping at Burlingame Park. We have traveled and seen the sights in many other states, but had never partaken (partook?) in the beauty of our own beautiful southern shoreline.

To make it extra special, we chose a hotel that had a two person Jacuzzi room, like we used to do when we were first married. Nothing beats the enjoyment of sitting next to a loved one amongst swirling lemon raspberry shower gel bubbles. This hotel had the extra attraction of a large screen swivel television aimed right at the Jacuzzi, guaranteeing Hubby would not miss a repeat episode of “Two and a Half Men” or “The Greatest Catch” (featuring crabs not beautiful women.) What fun was had that night!

In the morning after breakfast, our car headed in the direction of Watch Hill. This affluent coastal town, technically in Westerly, boasts huge, waterfront homes. Unlike the Mansions in Newport, this area seemed much more private and these homes were large “cottages”, with well-worn wooden shingles and glassed in porches overlooking the ocean waves. Current homeowners there include Taylor Swift and Conan O’Brien. (Henry Ford, Albert Einstein and Clark Gable were residents during precious decades.)

The huge, bright yellow Ocean House towered over the peninsula, with a host of tuxedoed valets and bellmen waiting at the private entrance to answer to the whims of every guest. (Somehow, it struck me as an inappropriate facility for me to run in and ask to use the bathroom.)

Nearby is the Flying Horse Carousel, said to be the only such carousel in the country. The horses are held aloft and swung around, not tethered to a floorboard like conventional carousels. It must be safer for them to swing in the air because this amusement ride has survived a multitude of hurricanes and disasters for over 125 years.

It has been said that sunsets are magnificent in this most southern point in Rhode Island, but we were not about to wait around that long. As it was past lunchtime, Hubby steered the car in the direction of a restaurant whose commercials had his mouth watering, the Matunuck Oyster Bar. Led to an outside veranda, we had front row seats to the whole oystering operation, from the arrival of the oysters from the bay, to their travel down the conveyer cleaning and measuring system, to the kitchen for preparation and then our plates. I had never even considered eating oysters, let alone becoming an oyster connoisseur as I did on this date. We ate raw oysters, grilled oysters, bourbon oysters, fried oysters, cucumber oysters and the grand finale of Oysters Rockefeller, baked with spinach, bacon, cheese, breadcrumbs & fresh herbs. I will never make a scroungy face at oysters again!

Our trip to Southern Rhode Island was a huge success. It was extra nice to pack a bag and stay over for a night so that we would truly have time to see the sights (it would have been too much traveling to do in one day!)

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