A Sunday in New England

Sunday, June 7.

Another beautiful day in Massachusetts. And a good day for a drive (back) to Rhode Island.

After a leisurely breakfast (after coffee in bed for some) the four of us headed south to Providence. The plan today was pretty simple: meet up with our friends Andrea and her mom Barbara for brunch at Bayberry Garden. We had eaten there with the same crew last summer and thought the food very good; we also enjoyed the open kitchen and wonderful airy space. Parking was the singular concern this morning but fortunately we found a convenient spot just a couple of blocks from the restaurant. 

It was interesting to be back in my old haunts near Davol Square (look it up) where I worked for some years for Johnson & Wales University. In fact, I used to walk to this neighborhood from our home on Westminster Street. 

We enjoyed another delicious meal while catching up with each other's lives. Oh, and I had the Shakshuka again thank you very much: 

A grand time was had by all.

l-r: Barbara, Dor, Susie, Dick, and Andrea and me

After saying adieu to our friends we made our way to Irregardless (not a spelling error) to pick up biscuits for tomorrow morning. (They ONLY do biscuits.) But really it was to see Joe Hafner, one of the co-owners. Joe and Susan worked together at Gracie's in Providence a lifetime ago. She was the pastry chef and he the executive chef. He hadn't changed much and was still the same ebullient, upbeat guy we had known for so many years. Gracie's was such a defining time for Susie and I suspect for him as well.

yep that's the biscuit place on the right

Susie and Joe

We made a quick stop at Whole Foods to drop an Amazon return off and then it was back to Douglas to relax until supper time.

A large part of the reason for this trip was to connect with family and friends and so far we've been hitting all cylinders. And this evening we were joined by niece Mallory and her dad Steele for dinner, another lovely home-cooked meal followed by lots of warm and lively conversation catching up with people we see far too infrequently.

Susie, Mallory, Steele, Dor, and Dick

After seeing Mallory and Steele off into the night the four of us chatted for a bit before bed. 

Tomorrow it's off to Maine for us to see more family!