Providence haunts | moonieandme

Sweet Day at Suite Tart

Posted on August 22, 2016 by annierhodeisland

As we’ve discovered, our little hero Moonie is a fan of the Suite Tart salon in Providence. When Moonie and I arrived there today, proprietor LuLu Locks and visiting educator Jose Ocana were gearing up to lead a coloring class for fellow stylists, lending welcoming smiles to their color models.

(That was us! Whee!)

We hadn’t been to Suite Tart since they acquired the property adjoining their tucked-away suite, so right away Moonie ran off to explore the new digs. I found him in the front window, entertaining the lovely hair mannequin (he introduced her as “Lola”) with one of his favorite hair jokes.

“How does a stylist make a phone call?” he asked his new friend Lola.
Lola was quiet, so Moonie supplied the punchline.
“She cuts it short!”
Lola remained quiet.

“Come on, buddy,” I said to Moonie. “There’s a lot more to see!”

And there was.
Read More

Ghost Bridge

Posted on February 8, 2016 by annierhodeisland

There’s a bridge over the Seekonk River, off the Fox Point neighborhood in Providence, that has been stuck in the open position since being abandoned nearly 40 years ago.

Some call this the Crook Point Bascule Bridge.

Some call it the Seekonk River Drawbridge.

Many call it the Ghost Bridge for its sense of abandonment.

Moonie, of course, calls it the Whee Bridge.

Short Short Story Film Festival

Posted on December 19, 2015 by annierhodeisland

When you’re three inches tall, you can get pretty excited about short things.

So Moonie was elated about attending Merging Arts Productions’ 9th annual “Short Short Story Film Festival” a few weeks ago. The festival included four screenings – two each of a 17-set of “heartstrings” films and a 17-set of “headtrip” films – followed by a late-night reception, and Moonie was ready to rock.

We arrived a few minutes early for a 7:00 screening at wonderful AS220.

There was already a pretty good crowd!

Moonie found a good seat.

Ice Cream, You Scream

Posted on December 13, 2015 by annierhodeisland

On our way back from our walk to Blackstone Boulevard, Moonie spotted a bunch of people hanging out at Three Sisters, enjoying homemade ice cream on this unusually warm day.

“Ice cream! Ice cream!” Moonie chanted, hopping from foot to foot. He made a good argument, and we went in.

I THOUGHT they made a peppermint stick, but the nice lady behind the counter informed us they didn’t, although they MAY have made it once. She bent over backwards to find a similar flavor for Moonie and me, having us sample the dirty garden mint (the sharpness of fresh mint combined with the richness of dark chocolate chips). Moonie voted that we get a cup of it, and we settled with our ice cream at a little outdoor table.

It didn’t take long for him to ditch the spoon. Sometimes, when something is yummy, you just gotta dive in.

Blackstone Boulevard

Posted on December 13, 2015 by annierhodeisland

Moonie and I are lucky enough to be able to walk to Blackstone Boulevard when we need a nature fix. Today was gorgeous, warm and sunny enough to feel like May instead of mid-December, and we hiked to the boulevard, then around Swan Point Cemetery. It gave Moonie plenty of chances to find cool stuff on the ground.

Like this mushroom.

And these fashionable berets.

#CelebrateDowncity

Posted on December 5, 2015 by annierhodeisland

Moonie and I had a great afternoon at #CelebrateDowncity, a fun event our friend Chris Daltry curated in downtown Providence with a bunch of talented singers performing Christmas songs, plus all kinds of yummy food trucks. We stopped in all the local shops, enjoying wonderful wares, as we made our way to the action.

At Grant’s Block, Moonie got to hang with his little buddy Poco Loco while we waited for our tacos.

He wolfed his tacos quickly so he could go check out Allysen Callery and her daughter Ava. The two of them are super talented and so adorable!

Moonie also admired the little ears sewn into performer Chris Monti’s holiday hat. They were elf-eared twins!

Sidy Maiga and AfriManding

Posted on November 22, 2015 by annierhodeisland

One sunny August evening, Moonie and I were supposed to be running a quick errand downtown when we were both suddenly filled with joy. The sounds of drumming in Burnside Park were calling us, and we answered.

Sidy Maiga and his group AfriManding were playing an extremely spirited set at the Burnside Park Music Series. It’s one of several annual summer music series in and around Providence, and how could we resist its charms? Especially with Sidy’s winsome, welcoming smile to the dozens of people who, like Moonie and me, had followed the sounds of joy to the park.

In no time we’d joined the crowd enjoying summer evening Trinity and Sam Adams brews and bopping to the energetic drumbeats.

ExtravaGansett

Posted on September 9, 2015 by annierhodeisland

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Jaws,” you probably remember Robert Shaw’s Captain Ahab-like character Quint, and how he crushed his can of Narragansett Beer, causing Robert Dreyfuss to crush his little styrofoam cup to try and appear equally manly. ‘Gansett, as Narragansett Brewing Company is called ’round these parts, was founded in Cranston, RI. While the majority of ‘Gansett beer is no longer brewed and bottled in Rhode Island, the name is still a source of pride for folks. This summer, in honor of the 40th anniversary of “Jaws,” ‘Gansett brought back the iconic can design seen in the movie and ran a “crush it like Quint” ad campaign.

They also sponsored a kick-ass “ExtravaGansett” block party at The Parlour in Providence this past weekend, celebrating the unofficial end to summer that Labor Day represents.

Moonie was a little scared of his photo opportunity inside the jaws of Jaws, but I told him the shark’s name is really Bruce and he’s really quite nice and was only scary because he was a good actor. Moonie then happily jumped into my mouth, shouting, “You’re Bruce!”, and had us pose together inside Jaws’ jaws. I sure hope his feet were clean.

Then Moonie relaxed enough to pose for his very own photo, loosening up from the ‘Gansetts he’d sipped. He was cracking himself up with this shark joke:

“Why did the shark cross the Great Barrier Reef?
To get to the other tide!”

Food Truck Friday

Posted on September 1, 2015 by annierhodeisland

My friend Jennifer Jane and I checked out Food Truck Friday at Roger Williams Park Carousel last week, which proved to consist of many, many food trucks and many, many people lined up for said food trucks.

But we did less checking out than Moonie.

I think he sampled every single item. He can swirl like the Tasmanian devil – a tiny, crazy blur but with a flash of pink – and unleash his appetite on anything.

O’Crepe? Not safe from Moonie.

Friskie Fries? Aptly named for my nude little dude.

Careful, folks; before you bite into that taco, or bowl of noodles, or plate of chicken, just make sure a tiny pink-haired dude isn’t already in there, nibbling away at your food.

Unicorn Heaven

Posted on July 20, 2015 by annierhodeisland

This past spring, unicorns descended on Greater Providence thanks to artist Camomile Hixon and curator Helene Miller. Sparkly pink unicorns appeared in libraries by the dozen, while “missing unicorn” posters adorned telephone poles all over Providence offering a reward if the unicorn was found. It’s been nice having a little magic around our fair city between the life-sized glitter unicorns – which dispersed to various places after their installations at the Providence and Warwick public libraries ended – and the search for the missing unicorn, which included its very own phone booth hotline for anyone spotting one.

Moonie, loving anything glitter and anything magic (not to mention pink and purple), has been over the moon for the “unicorns in residence.” Don’t tell him that the project will end this month, because ever since he and I found each other in April, he’s also had a knack for finding unicorns around town.

This was his favorite, because pink and glitter.

But then this became his favorite, because he loves purple as well. And of course the glitter.

And then he found the special unicorn hotline phone booth, which is completely decked out in sparkles.
Read More