on the road: rhode island

All photos by Cactus Huggers

Last Friday I was blogging from the Berkshires, and today I'm blogging from a small seaside town in Rhode Island—both are part of my husband's and my exploration of areas to move to. I'm sitting here contemplating the huge contrast between these two places: mountains vs. ocean, deep tree-laden forests vs. sprawling, open green fields, country charm vs. seaside suburbia, hiking/skiing/white water rafting vs. sunbathing/sailing/sand castle building, natural food co-ops and farmer's markets vs. ritzy boutiques and tourist towns. 

Rainy Day at the Beach by JLM Photography

 Rose Island Lighthouse, Newport RI by 630 Photo

Newport Clamshell by JLM Photography

Neither I nor my husband have ever seriously considered living in Rhode Island (growing up right next to it makes it less appealing), but we wanted to experience this stark contrast to give our decision on where to move some more depth. Although I think the ocean is beautiful (I am human after all;), and my last 4 moves have been to ocean-side locales (San Diego, Tiburon, CA, San Francisco and Stamford, CT) I find myself longing for mountains, trees, lakes and rivers……perhaps I just need the change? I'm not sure how other artists feel about change, but I crave change, I need to uproot everything and rearrange it every so often in order to keep my creativity flowing, I need to experience opposites and I need adventure. Something tells me that I will be back to longing for the ocean in a few years, after I've been nestled deep in the woods for a while. Sigh.

September Sunset, Newport RI by JBW Photography

Oh, the fun to be found in decision making! I'll be honest, I hate making decisions. But, it's a vital part of life. So, here's our choice (and Colorado should be on this list because it's my ideal location, but it's too late for us to see how the job opportunity there pans out):


Small town, great art scene, close-knit community at a very small/rustic private school where my husband would be working, beautiful river, mountains, hiking galore, ski mountain in town, remote, close to family.


OR


Seaside suburbia, 20 minutes from the city (Providence), affordable ocean-front properties, beaches, gorgeous, affluent school on the water where my husband would be working, farther from family, quite similar to where we're living now but without the snobby pretentiousness.


Be part of our decision! What would you choose and why?