The Have's and the Have Not's

Our recent East Coast vacation brought us to Newport, Rhode Island.  The land of the Have's and Have Not's.  It also is the home of the Tennis Hall of Fame.  We actually visited to see the mansions of old, now open to the public for tours.

It is one thing to tour mansions of the past, an era gone by--HUMONGOUS summer homes of the rich--the Vanderbilt's, Belmont's, Berwind's and the Jone's, to name a few.  That was why we came--I love history, historic homes and imagining days gone by with the full gowns, wait staff to heed your every whim--what most historic romance books are made of.  The first two photos were taken at The Breakers...summer home to Cornelius Vanderbilt.  This is the side of the home facing the ocean and the front gates.

The mansions we toured did not disappoint.  The sheer size of the properties, the enviable gardens, marble, gilt, and excess.  We even did a servant tour at The Elms.  One factoid that stayed with me was that it took filling a large, thick marble tub with hot water 3 times before the marble would be warm enough for the mistress to be able to have her bubble bath.  The photo just below is the back of The Elms. Summer home to the Pennsylvania coal magnate Edward Berwind. The grounds were more impressive to me than the mansion itself. The Preservation Society of Newport County does a wonderful job maintaining all of the properties!

I had been warned by a tennis-buff friend that it was the home to the Tennis Hall of Fame (which we did not visit), and it just so happened that a tournament was happening while we visited (to add to our traffic and parking woes.)

The touristy marina shops definitely catered to the well-to-do.  Imagine $80+ shirts, $100+ slacks, prices none of us could afford to spend.  We stuck to our cheap tchotchkes and refrigerator magnets and the rest of the family enjoyed a Ben & Jerry's.  I just soaked it all in and took plenty of photos.  I imagined a backdrop for a future book or storyline.

It was our ferryride to the local island of Jamestown where it really hit home.  The yachts docked in the harbor from London, Australia and Florida, just to name a few.  Well-dressed staff, all expertly decked out, polishing this and swabbing that.  Our boat captain mentioned the size of some of their gas tanks and when we did the math, discovered they could easily hold $55,000 worth of gas for their next adventure.  Again, excess I could never imagine.  Spending in one journey across the Atlantic, what could purchase a small, starter home in the inner city of Milwaukee.

Still, it is the excess we dream of and why I still play the lottery.  Another adventure for my next damsel in distress...