August 29, 2012.

Pumpkin in 2.

We slept late this morning, had breakfast in the “My Fair Lady” dining room, got tender tickets, and waited for our turn to go ashore in Newport, Rhode Island.

We passed St. Paul's UMC which advertises they are the world's oldest Methodist church with a steeple and a bell.

We walked around with two objectives: to find a used bookstore which advertised “fine old books”; and to find “Wood Pizza” – an eatery which advertised wood-fired pizza.  We located both, and as my old Daddy used to say, “Nothing extra.”  In fact, Wood Pizza was closed.  How rude!

I bought a Star Trek novel, since I had finished reading the book I brought on ship, and Bonnie looked, unsuccessfully, for crocheting books.

We passed Cairn Stadium (I think that’s spelled correctly), the home of the Newport Gulls.  The Gulls are in a developmental league, like the Wilson Tobs, college players who play from May until August, honing their skills with extra playing time after the college season ends.  It’s a great old ball park, representative of by gone days.  The last time we were here, the Gulls were in town and we watched a couple of innings.

The harbor in Newport is not deep enough for cruise ships to dock, so tenders must be used to get passengers ashore.  We tendered in when we were on the Dawn Princess several years ago, preparing for our Atlantic crossing.  In recent days the city government has put in a new law “no wake” law which requires all ships entering the harbor to travel no faster than 5 miles per hour, thus making a 5 minute trip into a 20 minute one.  But it’s their harbor, and I guess they can do what they want.

We did find another gun for Mac.

I am happy to report that I inflicted the Hub Cap Joke on another table of unsuspecting cruisers.  They are my favorite types to abuse – they’ve spent more days at sea than Noah, and the alternately brag and complain about every ship, every port, every meal, every cruise director ... you get the idea.

Well, time to get this posted.  I’m not sure if there will be a report from sea tomorrow or not.  Time will tell, but what is time to a hog (pictured is a variety transplanted to Bermuda from England and hunted to extinction).

TTFN.