The Newport Blog: Jobs & Apartment Update

Stephen is working for A4 Architecture. He has been hired as a design intern and is currently working on the expansion of home here in Newport. He has also modeled a series of 1830s furniture on the computer for an ongoing project.

Ginger has started working as a substitute teacher for Rhode Island K-12. She is mostly teaching at the high school level and may get a certification to be a drafting teacher.

Stephen and his dad drove a moving van from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Newport, spending one night in Austin, TX, and one night in Nashville, Tennessee. 2600 miles!

They brought Stephen's furniture, antiques, our books, my bike, more kitchen supplies, and other assorted things. We have sorted everything except wall decoration. 

So now our apartment is quite full!

 

Yet, this is only the beginning. We have many plans...

Already done:

1. installed washer/dryer unit in closet. (special thanks to Rene)

2. primer on the walls (Ginger was alone for four days, and sad.)

Renovation Plans:

1. Paint the walls and cupboards (and install new handles on the cupboards) 

2. retile the tub

3. refinish bathroom walls

4. refinish backsplash in kitchen

5. Stephen will finish re-upholstering two chairs.

6. install new light fixtures in kitchen, bathroom, and over fireplace. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Newport Blog: Kapalkas Visit

Ginger’s parents Ron and Nancy visited. They rode Amtrak from Montana to Pennsylvania, where they visited some friends and family, then Amtrak to Rhode Island. They brought all of our wedding gifts, carrying six crazy suitcases from train to train. Thank you.

Our first day we walked the Newport Cliff Walk (3.5 miles one way, so 7 total). Along with a wonderful view of the ocean, the Walk crosses over many beautiful homes and historic mansions. 

Next we drove to Plymouth, Massachusetts to see the pilgrim site- Plimoth Plantation. They had reconstructed both a pilgrim and Wompanoag village. Also, they built a copy of the Mayflower, and in 1957 a small crew sailed from England to Massachusetts on it. 

We toured two mansions in the Preservation Society of Newport. The Breakers is the most famous, home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. We also visited his brother William's summer home, Marble House. 

 

We also visited an old seaport village in Mystic, Connecticut. (Both of these locations are only about an hour's drive from Newport.) 

Ron steering a sailboat, Stephen steering the Charles W. Morgan, the last whaling ship in the US. (It is currently under restoration.)

That weekend, we left Stephen at the airport to fly to New Mexico, while Ginger and her parents drove to Rye, New Hampshire to visit Holly and John, friends of Nancy from college in Montana. 

We toured the Warner House, an historic home, which was built by a sea captain in 1721. We spent a lot of time watching the waves, which were extra high due to a storm at sea. They drove us to Maine (just across the river!) to see some lighthouses, shops, and other beautiful coastlines. Holly and John also treated us to a lobster dinner- apparently, lobster is cheap in that area this season. We attended their church where John is pastor, Rye Congregational Church. 

New England fall colors and coastline.

The Newport Blog: Final Destination

Newport, Rhode Island

Four weeks to the day we left Lubbock, we took an apartment #9 (from previous post) in Newport, Rhode Island. We're still looking for furnishings.

Living on camp chairs, camp air mattress, and camp dishware.

We can bbq on the fire escape!

Stephen's dad came to visit us for his day off from National Guard training in Pennsylvania. 

Newport was founded in 1639. It is on the southern end of Aquidneck Island (Middletown and Portsmouth just above it.) We visited the edge to see the mansions and rocky beach. 

Then we walked around downtown. (some delicious hot cocoa for me and cappuccino for Stephen.)

Newport is also the home of many old churches (we only visited the synagogue on our first visit). The oldest is Trinity Church, built in 1726. When the British occupied Newport during the Revolutionary War, they burned every church except this one, because it was Church of England (Anglican) and had a crown on the steeple. Like the Puritan church, it has box seating for pews. 

The Newport Blog

About Us
Stephen & Ginger Montalvo
We've settled in Newport, Rhode Island. Stay tuned for ongoing adventures!

Newport Blog Entries

Final Destination 11 September 2009
Kapalkas Visit 19 October 2009
Jobs & Apartment Update 22 November 2009
Life, continued... 19 January 2010
Montalvos Visit 28 April 2010
Billings MT + Powell WY May 2010
Boston 22 May 2010
Quechee VT 4 July 2010
Kapalkas Visit 26 July 2010
Folk Festival 1 August 2010
Apartment Finished 10 August 2010
Daily Life November 2010
Thanksgiving NM 25 November 2010
Christmas MT + Mandy's Wedding 31 December 2010
Anniversary Block Island RI 29 May 2011
Updates + Seattle WA + Portland OR 20 June 2011
Montreal QB Canada 4 July 2011
Kristian Visits 8 July 2011


additional photos of our Newport adventures available at my flickr site

Austin to Boston: Apartment Hunters

Apartment Hunters

Waltham MA

Apartment One:

Location Waltham, MA
Rent $800
Aprx. Size 1 bed, 1 bath, living room and formal dining room
Condition: fixer-upper

Pros: It has a treehouse! Backyard opens to a heavily wooded park.
Cons: Downtown Waltham is not historic.

Apartment Two

Location: Hingham, MA

Rent: $1200 (or $1500 furnished)

Aprx. Size: 2 bed, 1 bath

Condition: recently updated

Other notes: Located in downtown on second and third floors. (no photos, sorry.)

Apartment Three

Location: Hingham, MA
Rent: $1000
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: tidy

Other notes: Located downtown, above a flower shop. Very cute, has a spiral staircase.

 


 
Supposedly, a queen size bed fits here.


Apartment Four

Location: Hingham, MA
Rent: $1200
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: updated

Pros: Duplex unit shared by landlords, who are super-nice people and have sweet puppies. Shared backyard, landlord will do trash delivery and allow use of laundry machines in basement.
Cons: Not near downtown.

Then we also drove back to our other favorite town...

Apartment Five

Location: Newport, RI
Rent: $1000 (possibly $900)
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: updated

 

Pros: back porch, personal washer & dryer. Furniture can be be taken out.

Apartment Six

Location: Newport, RI
Rent: $1000 (possibly $900)
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: updated

Pros: The most beautiful. Tall rooms, fireplace, well colored, foyer.

Cons: no bathtub??

Apartment Seven

Location: Newport, RI
Rent: $800
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: outdated?

cons: 10,000 linear feet of mesmerizing wallpaper, no bathtub. Here's the spot where a bathtub could be...

Apartment Eight

Location: Newport, RI
Rent: $900
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: fine

So what you're saying is, pre-furnished means pre-cluttered?

Apartment Nine

Location: Newport, RI
Rent: $750
Aprx. Size: 1 bed, 1 bath
Condition: fixer-upper in progress (new countertops, new plastered walls)

Pros: fireplace, free giant plant, wood floors.

Cons: Living room/dining room/kitchen = all one big room

Apartment Ten

We have considered that before...

 Quote of the Day:
"Northeasterners can be a little mean... it's just because we're so cold!" -Hingham landlady