Providence

Just before New Years, Mini Bear & I took a bus trip through New England and we spent a delightful afternoon visiting Briggsy, the coolest person from Rhode Island (it's a proven fact).

First stop was Providence's expansive and impressive Wall of Hope. Hard to believe it's already been ten years.

Briggsy drove us around on a great tour of the city where we saw the beautiful Rhode Island State House and countless buildings dating back hundreds of years. Briggsy took Mini Bear & I to see this lovely statue which had a great view of the city. He entertained us with stories about hanging out at this statue back in high school...

...but he didn't know who the statue represents! So Mini Bear did some research and can now tell you that this is a statue of Roger Williams, an Englishman who came to America in the 1630s. He founded the city of Providence in 1636 on the platform of separation of church and state.

Briggsy's tour included seeing some of the great work he's done with his local community as a member of Habitat for Humanity. It was clear this work means a lot to him and I am certainly proud of him for his dedication and passion.

Fun fact: the state bird is the Rhode Island Red Hen, which is really just a fancy way of saying chicken.

The next time we're in Providence, we'll stay long enough for Briggsy to show us the nightlife! Thanks again, Briggsy!