Air Force One and the POTUS in RI

President Obama flew into T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, RI to attend a fundraising event in Newport yesterday.  Given the fact that my top (and most unattainable) bucket list item is riding in Air Force Once coupled with the fact that my boys are avid history buffs, my oldest being very interested in Presidents, we decided to go to the airport to view Air Force One fly in.

My own fascination with Air Force One began after I saw the movie of that same name featuring Harrison Ford as the President and Gary Oldman as one of the terrorists who hijacked Air Force One.  Since that day, I've dreamed of seeing this fantastic plane that only a few have the privilege of traveling in.  Even though I know it will never happen, I've never taken it off my bucket list!

There would be no motorcade as President Obama would be flying on Marine One (helicopter) to get to Newport, RI, but we still wanted to see the plane even though there would likely be no sighting of the President.  Ordinary people like us don't usually get the opportunity to meet a President, not with a $15,000 price tag to attend these fundraisers.  My sons would be thrilled to meet a President of the United States, as would I, but we most likely will never be afforded that opportunity, so we were content to be in Warwick getting a glimpse of the POTUS fly in on the plane.

The coast guard helicopter was in the sky as the Warwick Police patrolled the area in cars and on motorcycle.  

Obama was scheduled to come in at 6:10.  A few minutes early, a plane flew  by in a different direction than the runway.  I took a photo and zoomed it in on my camera viewer and saw the American flag on the tail.  

Once Air Force One landed, we could make out people descending down both the front and rear stairs.  Several minutes later, Military One, another helicopter and three military helicopters flew off to whisk the group to the Newport fundraiser.  

Though it wound up being the smaller of the 2 Air Force 'Ones', my sons and I were thrilled to watch the plane fly in.  And I still retain my bucket list dream of sometime riding in this gorgeous plane!

Where Has The Summer Gone?

There's a cool breeze out today for mid-August.  It actually feels like autumn today.  We are finally home and I spent this past weekend organizing the literally thousands of photos from this summer, reliving the fantastic days that have flown by.  I realize that as we get older, time seems to fly faster, but this summer passed by at warp speed.  There were only a couple of days of rain during our month at the beach, which was filled with sun, sand, ocean, sunsets and fun (except for the whale watch when we all got sick)!  

We saw old friends, made some new friends, watched the super moon rise out of the ocean, set off fireworks for Fourth of July, made s'mores but more importantly made wonderful, heartwarming memories.  

After the beach, my family went on our yearly trip to Vermont.  Again we visited with old friends as we trekked all over the state to visit some favorite spots and discover new places we hadn't yet seen.  We ate great food, watched the dragon boat festival in Burlington and spent an evening on Lake Champlain for a beautiful sunset sail.  The antique car show in Stowe fell on our weekend to leave but we found a last minute cancellation and extended our trip so we could attend the show.

  

As I unpacked from Vermont, I simultaneously packed for a couple of days to spend with my daughter who recently rented a house on Yirrell Beach, a private beach in Winthrop, Massachusetts.  My friend Linda, my sons and I took a train up to Boston, then the T to avoid the crazy traffic and got there in just over an hour.

We toasted marshmallows, celebrated my daughter's birthday with a lobster dinner, searched for sea glass and walked around Deer Island.  We watched a red moon rise over the ocean and then set our alarms to get up and watch the sun rise the next morning.  

Everyone is sleeping in this morning.  School starts in a week.  I will be working on my summer photo book soon, but for now, I am sipping my coffee and wondering where has the summer gone?

Farfalle with Grilled Chicken, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives and Capers

My high school friend Pat shared a recipe of her mother-in-law's with me when she saw a Facebook post of my shopping cart from Trader Joe's loaded up with lots of good food including several packages of their frozen artichoke hearts.  I made the pasta earlier in the week and we loved it, but the second time I made it, I added grilled chicken. (Pat said her mother-in-law must be spinning in her grave! But what the heck is wrong with grilled chicken??)    

The oohs and aaahhs just kept coming, so I guess this will become a staple in my household!  I actually split the dish, omitted the cheese to keep it allergy friendly for my boys who are allergic to dairy.  I also substituted black olives in their plate because the jar of kalamata olives listed lactic acid and I was unsure if it was derived from vegetable sources or dairy so we decided to err on the side of caution. 

When Pat gave me this recipe, she didn't give amounts of ingredients, I just threw in what I thought looked and tasted good.  I tried to adjust the amounts to something measurable, but you may want to adjust to your own taste!  This made approximately 6 hearty servings and I accompanied this with a garden salad.

Farfalle with Grilled Chicken, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives and Capers

Box of Farfalle  (1lb)

3 whole boneless chicken breasts cut in 1/2 (or 6 thin sliced boneless chicken breasts)

1 envelope of Good Seasons Italian Dressing

olive oil

1 - 2 packages of frozen artichoke hearts (or 1-2 cans of artichoke hearts)  or if you are daring, use fresh artichoke hearts!

several cloves of garlic (to taste)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup white wine

capers (to taste)

crushed red pepper (to taste)

salt and pepper (to taste)

Fresh parmesan cheese

Wash and trim chicken breasts.  Place in a bowl.  Mix 1 envelope of Good Seasons Italian Dressing with 4 tablespoons of olive oil.   Pour over the chicken breasts, mix well to coat chicken.  Grill, chop up in bite size pieces and set aside.

Cook Farfalle.  Reserve some of the pasta water.

In a medium to large skillet or fry pan, add garlic and artichoke hearts (right from the freezer if frozen) to approximately 1/2 cup olive oil.   Saute on medium heat until cooked, approximately 10 minutes.  

Add 1 cup of white wine (I used a single size serving bottle of pino grigio).  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low/medium.  Add salt, pepper and hot pepper to taste.  Add the olives and capers just before adding to the Farfalle.  Add some of the pasta water if dish needs more liquid. 

Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top!  

Chocolate Sushi

Chocolate Sushi?  Oh yeah...  

Now to clarify, there is no fish.  This dessert is a creative take on sushi and for an admittedly 'not a big dessert person', I am utterly in love with this tasty sweet concoction.

My husband took me to Jamestown for dinner at Simpatico Jamestown, recently renovated and under new management (formerly Trattoria Simpatico).   All of our food was delicious, but when our server listed the desert options, Chocolate Sushi piqued my curiosity.

The 'rice' is actually coconut which circles the rich, chocolate center.  Carmelized banana and fresh berries with whipped cream garnish the 'sushi'.  It was rich, decadent and delicious.  I absolutely must go back soon for more.

Located on Narragansett Avenue in Jamestown, Simpatico is a short walk to the harbor and the beautiful views of the Pell Bridge (formerly the Newport Bridge).   This restaurant is most definitely worth a visit if in the Rhode Island area, but be sure to call for reservations.  And don't forget to try the chocolate sushi!

Woody Allen Brings Hollywood to Rhode Island

Rhode Island is hosting Woody Allen and crew this summer for the filming of a new movie.  Details are pretty hush hush.  No title or plot has been disclosed and locations have not been freely revealed although the move is rumored to be a murder mystery.  This spring, a casting call had been announced for college-aged extras and earlier in July, filming was underway in Newport with Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix.  

A photo was posted of Woody Allen filming in Providence on a Facebook group page in which I am a member.  Since the location was literally 10 minutes away, the kids and I scrambled to the car, camera in hand and drove up to the East Side where they were filming.   The boys were so excited to hopefully get a glimpse of Woody Allen and watch some movie making in action.  

And.....they were out to lunch!

I spoke with a camera woman and a couple of lighting guys who said they'd be filming again at dusk.  We went home, came back a couple of hours later, and they were filming.  It was well before dusk.  Luckily we had decided to return earlier.

Emma Stone was walking down the street with Jamie Blackley in this scene.  Since there hadn't been much talk about what's going on, we hadn't heard that Jamie Blackley was in town at this point and thought at first it was Joaquin Phoenix.

We didn't see Woody Allen.  He was not in the director area that was set up and when the filming wrapped for the weekend, I saw him quickly get into a car, too quick for a photo.  The boys were disappointed, they really wanted to see him! 

However, when Emma Stone came out of the house they were filming in, she graciously took a photo with my sons.  They were thrilled!

Filming continues for the next few weeks so we possibly may get a glimpse of the elusive director!  It's always exciting when Hollywood comes to Rhode Island.  Can't wait to see this movie!

Let's Go On a Whale Watch!

The boys were watching JAWS yesterday while I packed a bag to go out on a whale watch yesterday. The water has been relatively calm and we had been itching to spend an afternoon on a boat, so we figured the whale watch would be fun.   We had no illusions about actually seeing whales, they are really not that often seen around here, but if we did, it would be a bonus.  

I had spoken with some of the locals and asked if it was really a rough ride and everyone said, no, it's fine.  I have been on boats, as have the boys, and we've never had any issues with seasickness.  Of course, my husband rolled his eyes and said I was crazy to do it.  But David and Mikey wanted to as well, so we figured we'd give it a try. 

We were so happy while waiting for the boat to leave.

The ride was 2 hours out, 2 hours back.  The ocean looked pretty calm, however the boat was jumping up and down.  David was the first to hang over the rail.  I was next.  Then Mikey followed.  Apparently, about 1/2 the passengers were sick and a woman whose husband works on the fishing boats in Narragansett, said this crew said it was pretty calm and she was surprised as so many people were sick.

We didn't see any whales, but did see some birds.  I'm not sure what they are but based on my search online, I believe they are either a species of Petrel or Shearwater. 

But most of the time, we were hugging the side of the boat or leaning over the rail.  

Land Ho!  (thank goodness)!

So they say the family that plays together, stays together, or plays together and pukes together or whatever.  I think we may have gotten distracted if we had seen any whales or dolphins or sharks or something, but that just wasn't happening.   

When we got in to shore, we still were upset to our stomachs, but our senses of humor were slowly coming back.  David said, "I puked 5 times."  Mikey said, "I puked 4 times."  I said, "I puked 2 times."  

And when we filled in my husband as to our fun family day at sea, the Monday morning quarterback stated, "I told you."   

But because so many were sick, the crew handed out tickets to every passenger for a free whale watch.  Do you think we should go?