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Time flies—we had been in Rhode Island for over a month! Speaking of flying, we took a quick trip back to Tucson at the end of June. Our trip served multiple purposes, we visited with friends and family, we helped Joel and Adria unload their moving truck, and we met with clients (besides, we missed the heat!). As always the trip seemed too short but it was wonderful to see everyone.

We flew Southwest, the airline that has a reputation for being laid-back, slightly irreverent, and inexpensive. Our pilot on the way to Arizona should have been a comedian. After takeoff he asked us to please keep our arms and legs inside the plane at all times. As we began our descent into Phoenix he seemed to enjoy telling us the temperature; up where we were it was roughly 100 degrees below zero, on the ground it was about the same above zero. Our plane was continuing on to “Lost Wages” as he put it and he reminded those passengers to sit tight, “As soon as we get directions and gas, we’ll be on our way.”

It was an enjoyable flight, and the worst part of flying—that annoying wait after landing before you can deplane—was practically non-existent. Our plane taxied up to our gate faster than any other plane I’ve ever been on (don’t worry, it was safe) and the door was open before the seatbelt sign turned off. We loved it! The trip back to Rhode Island was a bit more sedate but it was at night and we were able to watch fireworks from above. Amazing how small they were, but it was still fun to watch. Though the question remains, why were there fireworks shows on the third of July?

Our last day in Rhode Island was the fourth of July and everyone gathered at Uncle Rich and Aunt Lois’s house for a cook-out (also known as a BBQ elsewhere in the country). It was a wonderful afternoon, full of good times and delicious food, a nice way to end our time in Rhode Island. In the evening we drove to our next location, Wompatuck State Park in Massachusetts just southeast of Boston.

Although it is a bit late I think now would be a good time to talk about this section of the country, known as New England. New England is made up of the following six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. If you add up all the acres of land in New England it would rank 20th in size in the U.S. If you add up the population, the area would rank 5th behind Florida. As you might have guessed, New England has three of the country’s four most densely populated states.

A few random tidbits: New England’s diverse terrain, from sandy beaches to tall mountains, was shaped by ice sheets which retreated about 10,000 years ago. New England averages between 40 and 60 inches of rain a year and snowfall can exceed 100 inches. The only true constant in New England weather is its unpredictability. Of course, the area is also known for its spectacular fall colors.

The English were the first Europeans to settle in this area. The first attempt was made in 1607 when New England was part of Virginia. That settlement failed and the native peoples were left alone until the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620. The settlers adopted a name for their new territory, Massachusetts, an Algonquian term meaning “at the range of hills.” In 1636 both Rhode Island and Connecticut were founded as separate colonies but the rest of the area remained part of Massachusetts. New Hampshire became a separate colony by the late 1600s, followed by Vermont in 1740. Maine remained a part of Massachusetts until it was admitted to the Union as a state in 1820.

This common, shared history has led to the creation of a unique New England culture. Take for instance “candlepin bowling,” New England’s slightly exasperating sport, which I had never even heard of before. It is similar to bowling but the pins are narrower and the balls smaller which makes it quite a bit harder to play. The highest score ever recorded was 245 out of a possible 300! And let’s not forget the omnipresent “Boston” accent.

Then there is the food. Obviously seafood is a mainstay, with foods like New England clam chowder, clam cakes, lobster rolls, and New England clam bake. Lightly sweetened jonnycakes, made from corn meal, are frequently served for breakfast. Often they are smothered in New England’s own maple syrup. The ubiquitous cranberry is found in everything from muffins, to juices to soups. A unique New England beverage, especially popular in Rhode Island, is coffee milk, made from a sweetened coffee syrup and milk. A relatively new creation is the fluffernutter, a sandwich made with peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff (a type of marshmallow crème). We have yet to try one of these but I do like saying the name…

New England may be small in area but there is nothing small about its cultural and historical importance. New England is home to four of the eight historic Ivy League schools; Harvard University in Massachusetts, Yale University in Connecticut, Brown University in Rhode Island, and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

The region can also claim the following people who were instrumental in the founding of the U.S.: John Hancock, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Benjamin Franklin, and General Nathanael Greene.

Since the Revolutionary War New England has produced many heavy hitters in the political and business worlds: Milton Bradley, Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy, John Quincy Adams, Susan B. Anthony, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Daniel Webster, Ralph Nader, and J. Pierpont Morgan.

Now, here’s an amazing list of some of the famous authors who were born in (or lived a significant amount of time in) New England: Robert Frost, E.B. White, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry W. Longfellow, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, H.P. Lovecraft, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Updike, Stephen King, John Irving, Dan Brown, Louisa May Alcott, Horatio Alger, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Dr. Seuss, Jack Kerouac, and J.D. Salinger.

Finally, it would be a shame to leave out artists from other genres: Gilbert Stuart, Andrew Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Steven Wright, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Bette Davis, Geena Davis, Olympia Dukakis, Jack Lemmon, Leonard Nimoy, Kurt Russell, Uma Thurman, James Taylor, They Might Be Giants, Moby, John Mayer, and Ken Burns.

So there you have it, a short look at what makes New England special. As we continue our travels through New England, we’ll be sure to share our insights and cool findings. Though we had a wonderful stay in Rhode Island it was time for us to move on, especially if we wanted to get to Maine and explore before it started to snow!

Recipe: Make your own delicious Jonnycakes.

Photos: View our two photo albums from the Rhode Island area: Rhode Island 1 and Rhode Island 2.

Related entries: For more about our time visiting Rhode Island, see Welcome to Rhode Island and Touring Rhode Island and Surrounds.