Sunset at Beavertail State Park, RI
Narragansett Bay on a winter afternoon.
Taken from Beavertail Rd, Jamestown, RI
How to Carve a Spectacular Jack-O-Lantern at Home
Probably the most frequently asked questions about the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular have to do with carving technique – what are the secrets of the Spectacular’s expert carvers? Here are some tips from the experts on how to get crafty with pumpkin carving.
Carve the hole and gut your jack o’ lantern from the bottom of the pumpkin, not at the top. This will provide more stability for your jack o’ lantern as it gets softer and it will make it much easier to light. 
Use the features of your particular pumpkin to your advantage. For example, if the pumpkin has a long, curly stem, place the pumpkin on its side and use the stem as a nose.
Use a specialized carving tool, such as those used in ceramics, to peel the pumpkin skin in different thicknesses to make for more detail, rather than just carving holes into the pumpkin.
Practice peeling more or less of the skin away. By peeling different thicknesses of the rind away, you can create a 3-D shading effect when the light shines through.
Use markers to draw your design before you carve and to provide detailing to the finished carving.
To help your pumpkins stay fresh longer, spray the outside with a diluted bleach solution. (Of course, this means there will be no pumpkin pie made from that pumpkin later!)
Last year I discovered The Jack-o-lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park and Zoo. It’s a carved pumpkin trail lit only by the glow of thousands of pumpkins.
And last year I went alone to see what it was all about. This year I suggested to my friend Nancy that we take her two young children, Dawn (5) and Alex (7).. The only problem is that since I work weekends we would have to go on a weeknight aka school night.
Nancy decided it was worth it to keep them up so at 4:30 I was pulling into their driveway and we were bundling the kids into the car.
This year there was a new theme: All-new theme for 2011! The theme of this year’s show will be “A Journey Around the World.” It will include scenes from the Seven Wonders of the World (Taj Mahal, the pyramids and Sphinx, Mayan ruins, the Great Wall of China, and others) as well as representations of nations around the world, including a “European Vacation” and a trip through the Great White North complete with falling “snow”! And of course the famed centerpiece of the display, the “Laughing Tree,” will be back in all its spooky splendor. Visitors will be dazzled by hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns on the ground and in the branches, from tiny sugar pumpkins to gigantic gourds reaching up to 1600 pounds! (From RW web site)
We stopped at MacDonald’s and the kids were really wired. This was exciting for them then it was back on the road. We made one wrong turn… a slight detour that made me think of my sister’s philosophy…we’re not lost, just sight seeing…and then back on track it wasn’t long before we spotted the swan boats.
A bit farther along and we were being directed into a parking lot. Boy was it full! Even so we didn’t have to wait in line that long and were soon on our way to the start of the trail.
At first Alex was a little whiney..I’m not really sure why and Dawn kept saying she was scared but before too long we got to a section with music and from that point on the kids were in their element They danced the rest of the way.
According to the web site Photography is allowed on the trail when it will not impede movement on the pathway.
EXCEPTION: flash photography, tripods and monopods may not be used out of consideration for other people enjoying the magic of the trail.
I struggled along trying to get pictures with a long shutter without support..a near impossible task, while many people around me used their cameras, flash and all. Last year the No Flash Rule was strictly enforced but this year it seemed everyone was using flash.
I don’t know how long we took to walk the trail. The web site says it’s 45 minutes. It seemed to go fast to me but it was late when we got back to the car.
The kids were out cold before we were out of the parking lot. I had a great time and can only hope the kids did too. They were so tired when I dropped them off that I think they would have said yes to just about anything. 🙂
I guess by now you know I like bridges. I get a thrill out of driving over really steep bridges like the Mount Hope Bridge in Bristol, RI
even the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal
and I just love photographing little wooden bridges or iconic covered bridges.
To me, bridges are just cool.
I remember being a passenger on a huge combo bridge tunnel when I was a kid. I think we were in the south maybe crossing Chesapeake Bay. I’m going to find that bridge and drive it for myself one of these days.
But today I wanted to share what I have learned about the Newport Bridge also know as the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.
First of all it is a suspension bridge. One of those bridges where the bed is held up by cables running down from vertical supports also called “Suspenders”. I think they look so fragile and beautiful.
The Bridge is operated by the RI Turnpike and Bridge Authority and spans the east passage of Narragansett Bay. Newport RI is located on Aquidneck Island. The only way into or out of Newport is over a bridge of some kind. The Newport Bridge connects Newport RI with Jamestown on Conanicut Island, RI. The other bridge connecting Jamestown to the mainland is Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, which is also a neat bridge that may be a subject for another time.
But back to the Newport Bridge, it is a modern 4 lane highway, 2 lanes in each directions and is part of RT 138. The bridge is the only toll road in Rhode Island. The toll is $2.00 / axle so for cars that makes it $4.00. It is also unique because Rhode Island residents with a Rhode Island EZ Pass pay a deeply discounted rate.Nonresidents pay full price. This discount is so unusual because it is the only toll in the US that gives a resident discount to non-adjacent neighborhoods.
The main span of the Newport Bridge is 488 meters (1601 ft), ranking it number 70 among the longest suspension bridges in the world, and making it the longest suspension bridge in New England. The overall length of the bridge is 3,428 meters (11,247 ft). Its main towers reach 122 meters (400 ft) above the water surface, and the roadway height reaches as high as 66 meters (215 ft).
The bridge was constructed from 1966-1969 at a cost of $54,742,000.
At night the bridge is illuminated by strings of lights that follow the graceful sweep of the suspension cables. I’ve been checking maps to try to find a good spot to take a night picture.
Bicycles and walkers are not allowed on this bridge. However I may have just discovered a loophole. On Sunday, November 13, 2011 A fund-raiser called The “Inaugural Citizen’s Bank Newport Pell Bridge Run” will debut. The entry fee is $50.00. Proceeds from the run will benefit several local charities including the Special Olympics of Rhode Island.
Now I’m no runner but maybe I can be a “walker” if I pay the fee and that will get me on the bridge for pictures…maybe? I am going to have to make some calls and if I get the OK then I will have to try to get the day off from work. The race starts at 6:30 am!
I promise if it am successful you will be the first to know! 🙂