Oh, for the breath of the briny deep...

Happy Wednesday!  This week is really flying by, signaling that yes, the holidays are fast approaching and once again, all those projects I thought about all summer are...not done.  It's wet and drizzly and dreary outside and evening is now arriving way too early.  My body wants to eat comfort foods and then go straight to sleep.  I think we've entered that gray zone that exists between fall and winter.  The calendar may say it's still fall, but we all know better.  It's hibernation season, except we all have too much to do to hibernate! I'm not quite ready to dive into any ambitious projects while I'm still adjusting to daylight savings time, so I think I'll continue to reminisce about warmer, sunnier fall days from my recent trip out East.

After waving goodbye to Cape Cod, we headed back to Newport, Rhode Island.  That meant we had to cross over the Pell Bridge.  May I just say that while I could admire the architecture of the bridge, it made me want to jump out of the car?

  

This was one long, scary bridge...it felt more like a roller coaster ride, and I am not a fan of roller coasters. 

This picture wasn't taken by me, but I wanted you to see the steep incline!

The views from the top were amazing, though---sunbeams dancing across the water while sailboats glistened in the sun.  It was beautiful, and mercifully a fairly brief ride, as I really couldn't wait to get to the other side. Safely across, we had a lot of fun down by Newport's harbor, browsing through shops and playing tourist.  Here are some of my pictures from the harbor, interspersed with stanzas of A Sailor's Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar, written in 1899.

 

Oh for the breath of the briny deep,

And the tug of a bellying sail,

With the sea-gull’s cry across the sky

And a passing boatman’s hail.

For, be she fierce or be she gay,

The sea is a famous friend alway. 

Ho! For the plains where the dolphins play,
And the bend of the mast and spars,
And a fight at night with the wild sea-sprite
When the foam has drowned the stars.
And, pray, what joy can the landsman feel
Like the rise and fall of a sliding keel?

Fair is the mead; the lawn is fair
And the birds sing sweet on the lea;
But echo soft of a song aloft
Is the strain that pleases me;
And swish of rope and ring of chain
Are music to men who sail the main.

Then, if you love me, let me sail
While a vessel dares the deep;
For the ship’s wife, and the breath of life
Are the raging gales that sweep;
And when I’m done with the calm and blast,
A slide o’er the side, and rest at last.

Enclosed garden at the Sailor's Chapel

May you experience Peace of Mind today, just like the life preserver promises!  And if you need a little extra help facing today, here is a picture sure to make you smile.  This fellow has peace of mind and not a care in the world--lucky dog!