468. Persevere

468. Persevere
Definition: (v) to persist even in the face of difficulty
Location Placed: Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/3/12 at 10:41am





We started out with a nice leisurely morning before we made the hour drive to Mystic, Connecticut. I certainly enjoyed Newport, even though it was a bit more touristy than I prefer. We had some great food, had an interesting ghost tour, saw a bunch of mansions, toured an old military fort, and walked around a bit by the harbor. All and all, a pretty awesome leg of our journey. The only thing I wish we had done was walk the Cliff walk, but the weather just would not cooperate between the heat and the fog!

467. Reputable

467. Reputable
Definition: (adj) honorable, venerable
Location Placed: Kingscote Mansion, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/2/12 at 2:47pm





This house was definitely different than the others. It wasn't on the same mansion scale, although quite large and grand on its own. I appreciated the older touches and unique charm. It had summer bedrooms and winter bedrooms. Additionally it had quite charming (and original!) furniture as 3 generations of widows lived in the mansion. There also appeared to be lots of wonderful art work and family photos that were sprinkled throughout the place. It certainly didn't hurt that we had a few fellow tourers that were exclaiming each and every detail to be "astounding" or "amazing" or "impressive." Always nice to see people equally as excited for these tours!

466. Thorough

466. Thorough
Definition: (adj) complete, perfect, entire
Location Placed: Rosecliff Mansion, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/2/12 at 2:00pm





Mostly it was the women of Newport that ran these summer houses. They would spend between 8 and 10 weeks there each summer. Activities were planned for guests (archery, croquet, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, etc.) and each house was run like a business. Parties were planned with such great thought as it was seen to be classless to seat the same people next to one another at subsequent parties. Gosh! Imagine the planning that must have gone into living in Newport and being high society. As pretty as the houses are, I'm not sure if I could keep up!

465. Competent

465. Competent
Definition: (adj) efficient and capable
Location Placed: Marble House Mansion, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/2/12 at 1:21pm





The third house on our mansion tour was certainly up to snuff with the others. Listening to the stories on the audio tour of people that had been in these mansions, had grown up around these mansions, had been to lavish parties in these mansions had tons of interesting tidbits. Stories of children (and occasional adults) riding down grand staircases on serving trays. Tales of children sneaking food and running through halls late at night. Accounts of costumes at themed parties. I can't even imagine spending time in places like these, let alone spending whole summers in them!

464. Talented

464. Talented
Definition: (adj) having an aptitude or gift for something
Location Placed: The Elms Mansion, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/2/12 at 12:15pm





Having seen 5 mansions in one day, I definitely had a bit of trouble keeping them all straight. I can't remember which one had gold leaf on their walls and which decided to have platinum on them. I know they were all wonderful and elaborate, but I can't remember which family inhabited them back in their heydays.  I don't even remember hearing one fact that someone else heard about their lives in the mansions (must have 6 parties of 60 or more people and 2 balls of a few hundred or more people.) But I do remember feeling that all these places were so grand. That it would've been quite the experience to go to one of these houses back then. Quite the experience indeed!

463. Adorn

463. Adorn
Definition: (v) to make beautiful or more attractive
Location Placed: The Breakers Mansion, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/2/12 at 11:01am





We decided that the major draw of the day would be seeing the mansions of Newport. You can't go to Newport without at least driving by, not to mention there are signs all over the place for them. Aside from a bit of repetition (the women of the time could change outfits up to 7 times in one day!), the houses themselves were quite resplendent. Adorned with all sorts of things to make them beautiful and unique, the mansions were definitely a sight to see!

462. Punchy

462. Punchy
Definition: (adj) having an immediate impact; forceful
Location Placed: Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island
Date Placed: 8/1/12 at 2:39pm





This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I'm also super impressed by how forts are built and the precautions that were taken in terms of fortifying themselves against enemy forces. The tour guide also took us on a little roundabout tour of the internal caverns that soldiers were posted in to hear if enemy troops were trying to dig their way into the fort. Quite the tight fit in those tunnels, I'll certainly say that. The fort is one of the largest, fitting several other more well known forces within it. Plus it was quite picturesque surrounded by all those sailboats!