We’re setting records this morning in the midst of an “Arctic blast” in New England. The temperature outside is -6, with a wind chill temp of -23.

But the sun is shining, our pipes didn’t freeze and there are no trees blocking the driveway despite the roaring winds throughout the night.

There is also no snow. And no ice. And warming expected tomorrow.

Our kids in Austin were out of school for four days last week and the city has been declared a disaster area. Power outages and a gazillion fallen trees and branches have made the Texans’ Arctic Blast a real ordeal.

Meanwhile, back by the ocean, we’re going out to dinner tonight. Just a few miles down the road is the General Stanton Inn, recently purchased and reopened by an energetic couple determined to bring this old gorgeous place back to life.

I very much hope we get the room with the colonial fireplace, originally built in 1667.

Here’s a bit of history from the website:

The Inn’s history begins in 1650 Colonial America. The Niantics, a tribe in Narragansett Nation, rewarded Thomas Stanton property in Charlestown, Rhode Island for brokering a deal to return their beloved Native American princess who had been abducted. The notorious Manese tribe had staged a daring night raid and kidnapped the young princess, taking her to their village on Block Island. Thomas Stanton rowed 12 miles over ocean swells to the island and negotiated her freedom. Upon her return, the Narragansetts gifted Stanton with a four by two-mile tract of land. The General Stanton Inn resides on this land today. 

The Stanton’s were enduring friends and lifelong champions of the local tribes. In 1740, Thomas Stanton’s grandson, Joseph Stanton II, built the Inn next to a small “dwelling” on the gifted land. He converted this small dwelling, which dates to 1667, into what is believed to be the first Native American school in Colonial America. The “schoolhouse” has been preserved in its original colonial-period form.

An early member of the Sons of Liberty, it is believed Joseph Stanton III used the tavern in the 1770’s as a secret gathering place for George Washington’s revolutionary war spy ring. Washington’s trust in Colonel Stanton dated back to their French Indian War fighting days. His nephew, General Joseph Stanton IV would later serve as  the leader of Rhode Island’s first militia, using the tavern to plan Revolutionary War strategies to defeat the British. Having served with distinction, he would later be elected Rhode Island’s very first U.S. Senator.

In the 1800’s the General Stanton Inn became a welcome stop for horse-drawn carriages and stagecoaches on the well-traveled Post Road between Boston and Philadelphia. The Inn also became a hideout for fugitive slaves and clandestine gatherings. In the early 1830’s Brigadier General Joseph Stanton V befriended abolitionist Moses Brown who enlisted Stanton to assist runaway African American slaves traveling north on the underground railroad. 

You can read more about it on the website, http://www.thegeneralstantoninn.com

Last time we were there, in early January, Banjo Man and I ordered the 1740 Prime Burgers and agreed they were the best burgers we’d ever had in our lives.

Definitely worth braving below zero temps for.