The second morning in RI was even nicer than the first. The sun was shining and the wind was not blowing quite as hard. A quick trip to Double D, then back to sit on the beach before I had to check out. I sat and sipped on my coffee and soaked in the warmth of the sun, the sounds of the ocean and watched the seagulls. After an hour or so I really needed to check out and head into the city. I was meeting some friends in Providence for lunch. My best friend Katie and 2 great friends, Tracy and Wendy I knew from Cumberland Company. Several years ago downtown Providence got a face lift and it really looks nice. We met at a restaurant in the mall. The food was fine, but the company was great.
The reunions kept going all week long! That evening it was time to catch up with another friend from high school at a pizza place we worked at when we were seniors. Angelo's Pizza Palace was a great place to work, I ate lots of pizza and not only worked with Tracy, but Katie as well. Several years ago they renovated Angelo's to a full service restaurant. It is still owned by the same wonderful woman...Christine! I was fortunate to be able to see her on this trip too....like I said, the reunions kept going. After dinner Katie, Tracy and I went to a bar to watch the Red Sox (of course) and catch up. By the end of the night my stomach hurt from laughing!Saturday morning was another beautiful day. I was going to meet my friend Beth...she and I were very close in junior high. She was in eight grade and I was in seventh and I believe we met while walking home from school. We both attended Goff in Pawtucket and we lived on the same street. We were pretty much inseparable for the remainder of the school year. Of course we reunited thanks to facebook....she has been through a rough divorce and her ex husband is being a jerk...I would use another word, but you never know who is reading this. I decided to take a tour of homes that afternoon. I thought it would be fun to take pictures of a few of the houses I had lived in.
There was Home Ave. in Cumberland, Archer Street in Pawtucket, and Houtman Street in Cumberland. There are other houses I lived in, some I do not remember. 
I had reserved a room in Providence for the next 3 nights....that would take me to the end of my trip. So after my tour of past domiciles I headed to downtown Providence...I got a great deal on Priceline! I had about an hour before I could check in so I walked across the street (actually under a bridge) to India Point Park. 
I put on some good tunes on my iPod and enjoyed. The next reunion was just a couple hours...and I couldn't wait. The kind of annual, semi annual, bi annual...whatever you want to call it..Cumberland Company for the Performing Arts reunion! Folks came from various parts of RI, NH and of course I was in from Georgia. Someone asked if I came all the way to RI because of the reunion...No, I explained, we were having the reunion because I was in RI. It was so great to see so many friends and meet new ones. We danced and sang, laughed and joked....even the fire department came! Never a dull moment! 
The party was a huge success and we all vowed to do it again next year! I am already looking forward to it!My next reunion was with family. Because I live in Georgia and most of my cousins live up north we are not able to spend much time together. So it was important that I try to see some family while I was there. My cousins Peggy and Cathy and I met for brunch at a cute place called Brickway on Wickenden. It was small but the food was good and the conversation was great. I really enjoyed chatting with my cousins and hope to do it again next time I am there. After brunch I headed to Katie's mom's to watch the New England Patriots game. We had a great dinner...turkey and mashed potatoes and dressing. It was great to see Kate's mom...I have known her since I was 4...called her mom most of my life. She was such a huge part of my childhood.
The game was over and the dishes were done it was time to say good night. I was so close to the beach I had to stop by one more time. I made my way back to Scarborough beach, I wanted to hear the ocean one more time...my trip was quickly coming to an end, I only had one day left.
Monday morning was a very chill day. I had been going non stop since I landed and it was catching up to me. I spent part of the day reading..and watching the weather channel. I was enjoying the wonderful New England weather while my family back in Georgia was dealing with an unbelievable amount of rain. It had been raining for days, they canceled school and parts of Atlanta were underwater.
One last reunion for the trip. I planned on meeting up with the Durkins, a family I used to live across the street from and babysit for, but Mrs. Durkin was dealing with a toothache and had to get it taken care of. So I met with their daughter Jessica instead. Jessica and I are not that far apart in age, but I used to watch her. We were able to eat dinner outside because the temperature was still so mild. It was great to talk to her....I think we both got a lot out of our meeting...it is amazing when you talk to people you realize how much you have in common. I have talked to her several times since....we have started a friendship that was a long time coming.
Back to the hotel and a quick stop at the bar to have a beer and watch the rest of the Red Sox game. Wow, I was heading home tomorrow...bitter sweet. I missed my family, but I would miss everyone here too....Until next year!
And one last thought...if you ever head to RI sometime between Memorial Day and the beginning of October, be sure to find a Del's....you won't be disappointed.
