Dad's "Doolie Day Out"

Jace and I took a trip down to Newport, RI to visit my Dad during his break from Direct Commission Officer Indoctrination Course at Newport Naval Station.  For those of you who don't know, my Dad joined the US Navy Reserve Dental Corps this past September and currently drills (pardon the pun) at Navy Operational Support Center Tucson.

Attention!

This weekend marked the halfway point of his 12-day crash course in Navy customs and courtesies, proper uniform wear, Navy command structure and all that good stuff.  Such a trip down memory lane for both Jace and me as he told us how he's currently sleeping on top of his bed (but not in the sheets) because it's made to spec and he doesn't want to mess it up and how their room was torn apart after they spent hours preparing for inspection (SAMI anyone?)! We couldn't quit chuckling and shaking our heads all weekend.  I've gotta say I never imagined I'd be buying my Dad edge dressing and teaching him tricks to getting a high-gloss shine on the toe if his low-quarters!  Wow ;)

31 weeks, 3 days

Once Dad had successfully won the battle with the high-performance dryers in King Hall we headed out to grab some lunch and check in at our hotel. After getting settled in our rooms the guys took a quick walk down the street and hunkered down at Buskers Irish Pub to watch some hoops while I did a quick cruise through J.Crew and Gap.  No purchases though as my big-ole-belly isn't quite ready for cute spring gear yet...and how disappointing because J.Crew's spring stuff is amazing!  Anyway, I made my way to the pub for the second half of the Wisconsin/Ohio State game and a healthy afternoon snack of chocolate cake and ice cream! Oh how I'm going to miss these eating habits...

After the game it was back to the Marriott where we all squeezed in a respectable 2.5 hour nap. Heaven!!!  Around 6:30 PM we all started moving again in anticipation for our 8:30 PM dinner reservation at 22 Bowen's Wharf.

Ready for dinner

Bowen's Wharf was excellent!  If you're ever in Newport it's absolutely worth stopping in for a meal.  Jace ordered the salmon and I kept with my current full-calorie focus and went with a tasty 8 oz., filet mignon (preceded by an iceberg wedge salad...yes with bleu cheese if you were wondering).  The star of the evening, though, was DT ordering a 2 lb steamed lobster.  Gotta love the "When in Rome" spirit! Dad informed our waiter of his "lobster rookie" status and got a quick overview of how to crack the shells. Before we knew it huge chunks of lobster were quickly making their way to the melted, clarified butter and a big smile filled Dad's face :)

Dad's lobster

A lobster rookie no more!

Sunday morning started early for me because I couldn't sleep.  It's funny, on work days it feels like I could easily sleep until 10:00 but on the weekends and days off I'm up and ready to go at 7:00! So I let the guys sleep and headed out to take some early morning pictures and grab some coffee at Panera.  Here are a few of the shots I took right around sunrise - no laughing, I'm fully aware of the fact that I have NO idea what I'm doing yet.

We finally got checked out of the hotel and headed off for some breakfast and sightseeing.  First stop was Atlantic Grille for their Beaches specials - lots of eggs, sausage, home fries and pancakes made us all very happy (and feeling incredibly gluttonous).  From there Dad wanted to see some of the Newport mansions and other home along the water so off we went. We were on a mission to find the house where his sister Nancy stayed while her husband Gene completed Officer Candidate School in Newport.  Apparently Gene and my Dad are now both intimately familiar with King Hall!  According to the info my Dad got from Aunt Nancy here are some pictures of the house where she stayed...Nancy let me know if we got it right!

We continued our tour of Ocean Drive and eventually found our way back to the base.  It was time for the LT to get his shoes shined and to catch up with his company to hear how they spent their 48 hours of freedom.  It was a great visit and I was so glad to be able to see my Dad one more time before I turn into a frazzled parent!  Good luck, Dad, on your last week at DCOIC!!

Love you, Dad!!!!