Whew, summer in Newport has seemed a long time in coming! But once that sun appeared and the breezes started, there was already a varied selection of guests, get togethers and goings-on inked on the calendar. So this seemed the perfect opportunity to share a taste of life, Newport style, in the summer for those who can’t be here this year. I chose this capsule peek to take in the busy ten days coinciding with the Newport Flower Show and capped off with fireworks in Newport Harbor, to include a combination of private spaces and favorite landmark haunts.

JUNE 20th…A meeting of the Newport Garden Club to prep a range of entries destined  for the Newport Flower Show.

JUNE 21st…Casual cocktails and champagne (of course) to meet new friends at a special Texan’s wonderful compound…

with a most unusual view of Lily Pond that can only be appreciated from the few homes overlooking this pristine pond.

JUNE 22-24th…Sharing the Newport Flower Show weekend with three special North Carolina friends, from dinner Friday night on the front lawn of Rosecliff to Martha Stewart’s talk for the Saturday luncheon.

JUNE 23rd…An early morning stroll through the garden with a contingent of New Orleans friends before they went on to the Flower Show. Their thoughtful gift of an old-fashioned tin of chocolates (decadent and divine) had me pleading “Y’all Come Back.”

JUNE 27th…Cocktails in the garden at Parterre for members of the Huntsville Museum of Art (see feature image at top) and turning the tables on a favorite Newport photographer, Nick Mele  (trying out the Parterre Bench).

Followed by dinner at a Newport spot that is the center of our boating world. Mmmm!

JUNE 29th…Lunch at Castle Hill. Like many views on the island, this iconic sight is singular to its location — the long channel leading from the ocean into Newport Harbor.

And back again that night for dinner with my Huntsville friends.

JULY 2nd…The week of the fourth provided not one, but two reasons to celebrate the outcome of the American Revolution (which played large in Newport’s history).

Overlooking the water, an evening party focused on the invaluable role that France played in helping the colonies gain their independence. The setting was appropriate also — a private, French neoclassical-style “cottage.” Love the bunting!

JULY 4th…Starting the Independence Day festivities early with lunch around a friend’s poolside setting that well compliments her period carriage house.

And finally, in the harbor on the Fourth aboard ‘Enticer,’ a cozy restored private antique wooden yacht, for “D, D and F” (drinks, dinner and fireworks).

A little image that somewhat resembled how I felt at the end of all this out and abouting — “tired”roses dropping their petals.

Hope you had a fabulous fourth!

Featured Image Credit, Nick Mele Photography.