Today is a day about love. But when I stopped to think about why I really had no idea. I think most of us forget the “St” portion of the title, yet it is on every calendar every year. I could not let this go without doing some research.   The more reading I did the more confused I became. I do not care for that. Best I can figure it, this Valentine guy was pretty great. Apparently saint like. The specifics aren’t clear and go on for many, many years. There could be more than one and from more than one era. Here is the story I liked the best, from www.history.com : On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed

On my final day of my vacation I spent the morning driving around Newport saying goodbye looking around for last minute souvenirs. I ended up walking around the Wharf again. This time most shops were closed because it was so early on a weekday but I found it so endearing. By now I had gotten so use to driving around the charming little streets and really come to love the neighbor. It is amazing how fast you can adapt to life some place else. My visit was so short but it remains so close to my heart. I fell in love with Newport and will always have a soft spot for it. It will have to be a place I go yearly. Among my purchases I got Christmas ornaments of each of the mansions I visited and a bag of coffee, which is some of the best, I have ever had. I will be ordering it when I run out for sure. I also got a picture frame. Frames and ornaments are my go to gifts to bring my trip home with me. They form a unique collection that when put together displ

So now that I had toured my heart out, what was left to do, everyone say it all together: EAT! It was time for my birthday lunch. I knew just where I wanted to go: La Forge Casino Restaurant. It is a great place in the heart of Newport. I went there the last time I was in town and it is just a local restaurant with a great menu that never disappoints. You never have to wait for a table, the service is great, and the food is delicious. Last time I tried a lobster roll for the very first time and the Food Network recommended this one. It was amazing. This time I went for a burger with avocado. It was definitely one of the best I have ever had. It was moist, not over cooked, just right. It wasn’t anything fancy but when something is done right it is just right. There is nothing better than that. But the part that I loved the most has nothing to do with the food. I love that it is next to the International Tennis Hall of

I have a love affair with old, historic, and gorgeous homes. I find it incomprehensible that families lived in them as part of their everyday lives. I find it more unbelievable when these amazing models were only used sparingly as escapes from their main houses. These were merely “summer cottages”. I have never heard anything described more inaccurately in my life. There is no way to look at any of the mansions on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island and mistake them for a cottage. When I think about these beauties and especially when I look at their pictures I am barely able to breathe. They are enormous and not just in size but in detail. Every last touch has been considered. There is nothing, not one room, not one piece of décor, not one staircase, that isn’t there for a reason. Everything has a purpose. It has a meaning to those for whom the house was built. Even the landscape the house was built on, the lot that was chosen, how the grounds were groomed, and ho