The statewide open house weekend was so successful this past April, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors (RIAR) decided it was time for an encore. So this Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, more properties will be available for viewing than most weekends. And, since it is not supposed to be a great beach weekend, you can squeeze in a [...]

Editor’s Note:  This is part 6 of our weekly gardening series, in which Ian will share tips  and  his experiences throughout the growing season. Pots & containers are a city gardener’s friend. In general, plants need sunlight, healthy soil, water and air to grow, and potting may offer your plants easier access to one or more of these [...]

Even though Saturday was rain, rain, rain!, if you were in Newport this weekend, there’s a good chance you were at the Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-Off.   At least, we were. The Newport Yachting Center, with its slew of festivals and events, is synonymous with summer in Rhode Island, and Saturday’s bash kicked off the season. Despite [...]

Editor's Note: This is part 5 of our weekly gardening series, in which Ian will share tips  and  his experiences throughout the growing season. Turnips are a root vegetable. Although the entire plant may be eaten, their bulb grows underground in loose soil, similar to potatoes or radishes. I planted my turnips on March 17th and according [...]

The Spring real estate market is generally the busiest of the year, and this Spring is shaping up to be the best since the market crashed 6 years ago. One of the most telling indicators is the drop in the number of houses on the market. The National Association of Realtors recently reported inventory in April hit a 6.6-month supply, down [...]

Memorial day weekend is finally here! Although the colleges have been out for a few weeks and the local schools don’t get out for a few more, for most, the last weekend in May is the unofficial start to summer. Finally, the time has come to lay out in the sun, head down to the beaches, and fire up the grill. But if you can pull yourself [...]

In the Rhode Island Association of Realtors recent release of sales data on single family homes for the month of April, they showed the number of homes sold increased but the median price was off. The explanation for the lower median was an increase of foreclosures and short sales.   Looking at the more statistical quarterly data over the [...]

Editor’s Note: This is part 4 of our weekly gardening series, in which Ian will share tips and his experiences throughout the growing season. Days are starting to get too warm for lettuce, so I harvested my mustard greens, black and red lettuces, and arugula, and I ended up with 3 1-gallon bags of mixed greens! I also pulled my last batch [...]

        This Week Steve and I had a great conversation with of my all time favorite guests, James Brayton Hall, the executive director of The Providence Preservation Society.   Historic preservation helps   keep communities   vibrant, and livable, and gives people a stake in their surroundings. It helps to  stabilize neighborhoods [...]