Narragansett, Rhode Island

On our second day at the beach, we met Joe Depitrio, a sculptor and "rock balancer". For years, the McCarthy’s have seen Joe’s work–rocks balancing on their tip toes–wondering who was peppering the rocky beaches with these awe inspiring acts defying gravity. The mystery was finally solved and worth the wait.

We introduced ourselves to Joe and asked him a few questions. In return, he offered up his words of wisdom. We asked him how he started his balancing act and he told us like all good things, in an effort to impress a woman. He didn’t get the girl but he’s been balancing stones around the world ever since. We questioned his method and asked what’s the trick? He responded with the trick to life is finding your center of gravity with a solid foundation and once you do that anything is possible. He continued to explain that rocks have been around for millions of years and have been taken for granted. That they are beautiful and unique, just like people.

At the end of the day, he rode off on his motorcycle shaped like a horse and tipped his cowboy hat. Little did he know we’d spend the rest of the night talking about him. His words are so applicable to the beginning of our new chapter as we set off for the west coast. We spent the past few weeks strengthening the foundation of relationships with friends and family and are using this road trip to take a step back and find our balance. It also confirmed the fact that some of our best memories on this trip are going to be those conversations that happen by just saying hello and the things we find by stopping on the side of the road.

While Joe was definitely a highlight, we had a great few days in Narragansett with the McCarthy's eating as much seafood as we could find, soaking up the rays and clocking as much family time as possible. If you are heading to the area, we highly recommend grabbing a picnic table at Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House and eating just about anything on the menu. We also stopped by the Cliff Walk in Newport to take our final view of the Atlantic Ocean and gawk at mansions we'll never own. It was worth the drive and the cliff walking.

Bridges Crossed: 3
Tunnels Driven Through: 2