Fort Adams was originally constructed as a small gun fort at the entrance to Newport Harbor during the Revolutionary War. It was taken by the British who left after three years, then was occupied by the French who were acting as allies with the colonials. After the War of 1812, a new and much larger … More Fort Adams

Roger Williams Park is a very nice and very large park in Providence RI. There are several lakes, tennis courts, walking paths, Japanese garden, a museum, lots of statues, and a very nice zoo. From what one of the docents at the zoo told me, this is the most popular tourist location in Rhode Island. … More Roger Williams Park

I would say that I’m camped out near Providence, but Rhode Island is so small that EVERYTHING is “near Providence”.  😉 Weather says a few days of off/on rain this week, so since everything I want to see is “outside”, I may have to work around the weather. I’ll be here a week or so, … More Greetings From Rhode Island

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] So, how do I cook while living in the van? Often, I don’t. Walmart parking lots are usually surrounded by … More Vanlife: Cooking

Harkness Memorial State Park is the former summer estate of Edward Harkness, the wealthy son of one of the investors in the Standard Oil Company. The estate contains a garden, formal lawn, and the manor house known as “Eolia”. The estate was donated to the State of Connecticut in 1950 and is now run as … More Harkness State Park

Technically, Mystic CT does not exist—it is not an independent municipality but is a neighborhood encompassing parts of the cities of Groton and Stonington. It’s a popular vacation destination and one of the most-visited places in Connecticut. Most people probably know it from the Julia Roberts movie “Mystic Pizza”. Some photos from an afternoon in … More A Walk in Downtown Mystic CT

The Seaport Museum in Mystic CT is set up as a typical 19th century Yankee whaling village. There are re-enactors, replica sailing ships, and the only still-existing wooden whaling ship. I had a great time here. Some photos from a visit. ​The Museum. The boat is the tugboat “Kingston II”, built in 1937 ​The “Mayflower … More Mystic Seaport Museum

Nothing beats a nice relaxing day of looking at fishies.  🙂 The Marine Aquarium in Mystic CT is very nice. There were a bunch of summer-camp groups there early in the day, but by noon they all left and I was finally able to get some photos. ​The Aquarium ​Beluga goes zipping by ​Having a … More Mystic Marine Aquarium

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] There is one weather condition about which a van-dweller can do very little: when it is hot outside for a … More Vanlife: Condensation and Cold Weather

Some random critters encountered in Connecticut over the past few days. ​Wood Frog ​Green Frog—he wouldn’t turn around so I could get a better shot   😉 ​Bumblebee on what I think is a Swamp Rose ​Raccoon footprints ​Great Blue Heron ​A gaggle of Canadian Geese ​A tiny fly with very nice colors ​“What are YOU … More Some Connecticut Critters