7/8 Newport Rhode Island

Today I went on one of the longest day-trips of my life (6:45 am-10:45pm) to Newport, Rhode Island.

Newport was the pleasure island of the rich and richer during the height of the gilded age. I wasn't sure what the sentiment was supposed to be going through these ginormous houses....wow? that's grossely overdone? I want this for myself? Wow, I should work harder to get this? This is beautiful?

The other thing that struck me was the Preservation Society. In Newport there is a large group of people who put a lot of effort into keeping these old homes open. Not just a lot of effort but tons of money--and volunteer hours. This got me thinking about the nature of volunteerism. Sociologists would tell us the idea of "volunteerism" has been born in a lot of ways out of white priviledge and separating the haves and have-nots in society. Often minority culture doesn't qualify the helping, its just duty or the right thing to do.
But in regards to the arts, its interesting how someone can volunteer, I guess put their time towards something of good-end (preservation of art, history and culture), and still never encounter the poor. I guess a lot of charity things do this. But volunteering is always seen as so honorable, such a "good thing to do," but this kind of volunteering is such a high-class form of volunteerism, you'd have to be somebody in order to snag this unpaid gig anyway.

Just thoughts.

Rest of day was good. Saw 2 mansions. Went on a 2 hour hike around the coast of the Atlantic, gorgeous rocky beaches I've been dying to see! Ate clam chowder, some dish called necks in a shell?, and drank Narragansatt Beer, a local beer. Watched the sunset from an Anorandak (sp?) chair and spoke with two older, recently retired women. It was a good day.