The Newport, RI area is loaded with gorgeous places to walk, observe wildlife and commune with nature. A few of these spots, like Sachuest Wildlife Preserve, experienced severe tidal-surge damage from Super Storm Sandy, but they will be back, and in the meantime, there are many nearby alternatives that are undisturbed and fabulous still.

Just north of Sachuest Wildlife Preserve and Sachuest Beach the 330-acre Norman Bird Sanctuary offers winding forest trails, meadows, wetlands, ponds and streams. Countless native species inhabit this magical area, and wildlife enthusiast, Bob Weaver, has counted 542 bird species here so far. A walk through these woods rarely disappoints.

Last winter a lucky few encountered a rare Snowy Owl who frequented the sanctuary for a couple of months. Fred MacDonald of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says they are Arctic birds and only appear in RI every five or six years. Overpopulation and lack of food have forced them to migrate south. The owl attracted the attention of many RI residents who came to catch a glimpse of this rare and beautiful predator.

Another fabulous walk in the woods is the new Sakonnet Greenway Trail. I took a stroll here last weekend with beagle, Sam. Thanks to the hard work of the Aquidneck Island Land Trust, Sam and I experienced a beautiful 10-mile walk through woods and farms. The trail stretches from Glen Farm in Portsmouth to the Wyatt Rd. in Middletown. It has been painstakingly assembled through the acquisition of open space on the east side of the island. It's beautifully marked and open to everyone.

Lucky us.

Newport's Brenton State Park on the Ocean Drive is another favorite stop. A visit to this hidden gem was a weekly excursion when my children were young. After dropping off my little student counselor, daughter #2, beagle puppy, Sam and I would kill time by wandering around Brenton Park's labrynth of trails. There's a look-out tower, the ruins of an old mansion (very cool) and some of the prettiest paths you've ever seen. One day we encountered a howling pack of beagles followed by their master, Bob. He hunted his hounds competitively (who KNEW such a hobby existed?), and they came to the park to hone their skills. They barely noticed us as they sniffed around madly trying to pick up the scent of a rabbit. Beagle, Sam, had no idea what to make of it all.

Just across the Drive the rocky coastline is home to shore birds, raptors and seals. From fall to spring low tide brings hundreds of migratory Harbor and Gray Seals to Seal Rock where they can be seen sunning themselves, diving for fish and playing in the waves.

Just down the road a bit are the salt marshes at Gooseneck Cove and Ballard Park. The park consists of woodsy trails and an old granite quarry which drops off precipitously from the trail. The quarry floor is now a lovely meadow where friends of the park organize summer concerts, outdoor movies and yoga. In the fall there's a fabulous Halloween Pumpkin Tour featuring jack-o-lanterns of every shape, size and configuration. Next door, the salt marsh teems with waterfowl including Canadian Geese, Black Ducks, Buffleheads and Mallards.

We really do have it all here on Aquidneck Island. In addition to amazing open spaces, we have charming, historic Newport, wonderful cultural events, delicious seafood, lots of organic farms, a pristine bay and a harbor that ranks among the best in the world. It's perfect for RI luxury vacation rentals, or a RI beach home. So pay us a visit. You might just decide to stay, and we would love to help with that!

In my day-to-day real estate activities in Newport, RI, I straddle a world between everyday folks like me and the buyers and sellers of luxury homes many of whom occupy positions of authority in large corporations, banks, law firms and the like. As I get to know these highly accomplished people it's not unusual to learn that they avoid all forms of social media. In fact, many have almost no online presence - no Facebook, no Twitter, no blogs, no Google results. A few have profiles on LinkedIn - often "because the company requires it" but they simply don't use them. So what's up with this aversion to social media among these high-achieving peeps? And what's a luxury marketer to do?

My best friend is a highly accomplished investment consultant. She has absolutely NO online presence, and she likes it that way. It gives her a certain cache with her clients who cherish anonymity above all else. Another very successful friend - an insurance executive - cautioned me not to leave her messages on LinkedIn because she never looks at it. She reluctantly created a profile to comply with a company mandate. (I actually felt a little unworthy for finding her in this way!) To these elite performers social media lacks dignity, threatens their privacy and removes a social filter they really want.

They're right, of course, that social media is all about putting yourself out there and relinquishing control. It is fraught with danger because you don't know who might learn more about you or, heaven forbid, try to be your friend. As I think about my own online profile, I realize I am powerless to put my own online genie back in the bottle. I don't like that, but I understand I must accept the risk if I want a slice of the sub-50 demographic. I confess, sometimes, when I stop overthinking things, I actually have fun doing it.

Still, I like my highly accomplished clients, so I will happily accommodate them with old fashioned emails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings because the truth is, if I could afford it, I would choose be anonymous too. It's the ultimate luxury.

Picture a sea of green sparkling faces, wide eyed children, green antennae, curl-bouncing step dancers, miscellaneous clowns, police, military, firefighters and, yes, even a man in a morphsuit and you begin to understand the mayhem that is the Newport, RI St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Today is the day we say good-bye to winter, hello again to our neighbors. We celebrate as locals before our population quintuples with the arrival of the "summer folks." We dress up our dogs, cheer for the firefighters, laugh with the Shriners, admire the fire trucks and run silly contests. (This year we are electing our favorite "Sullivan.")

The local teens dressed in all manner of greenery rock to the beat of the latin, celtic and marching band music. Hockey / soccer / football moms come together with toddlers and grandparents catching candy for the little ones and waving at the big kids riding on floats, trucks, antique cars, wheelbarrows and the like. The Shriners delight the crowds in their fezs and mini cars and everyone's a Hibernian. Except maybe that guy in the morphsuit. :-)

2011 was a banner year for Hogan Associates Real Estate of Newport, RI. The agency added an office on Bellevue Avenue, participated in Rhode Island's highest residential sale of the year and averaged 14.3 sales per agent - more than twice the number of their closest competitor and nearly 4 times the regional average of 3.8.

Leading the charge was Matt Hadfield, the firm's top producer closing 37 transaction sides totalling $12,615,000. Matt was also the top producing agent for Newport County selling more homes, condos and commercial space than any other individual agent on Aquidneck Island.

Leslie Hogan walked away with the firm's top award for 2011 dollar volume with transaction sides totaling $15.2M. In addition, she was acknowledged for her participation in Rhode Island's highest residential sale of the year - a $6.4M sale of a luxury waterfront home on the island of Jamestown. Leslie has consistently ranked among the top producing agents in Rhode Island exceeding $10M in sales for the last 8 years.

The Top Team Award went to Chuck Spencer and Jim Manson for completing 40 real estate transaction sides for properties in 13 Rhode Island cities and towns.

Hogan Associates is a full service real estate brokerage firm with offices Newport and Middletown, RI. The agency specializes in residential, commercial and new development sales in the coastal communities of southern Rhode Island. They are members of Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate, a global collection of the finest luxury real estate brokers in the world, with more than 70,000 professionals in more than 85 countries and annual real estate sales in excess of $190 billion at an average sale price of $2,450,000.

Today I traveled from my usual haunt on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island to Warren, a historic, waterfront town where I photographed St. Mark's, a lovely old Episcopal church about to go on the market.

The Diocese of Rhode Island assumed responsibility for St. Mark's a couple of years ago when the congregation could no longer support it. A member with whom I served on a board recommended me, and although the request gave me pause, I was intrigued at the prospect of finding someone to breathe life back into this 1830s house of worship now sitting empty and dark in a densely populated neighborhood.

Today I got started. It took several tries to get the key to turn in the stubborn lock. As the heavy red door creaked open, I entered a dark vestibule that opened to a knave filled with light streaming in through enormous stained glass windows. It was quiet and cold as I walked up the aisles inspecting the little doors on the painted pews with upholstered kneelers, bookshelves with missals still in place and ubiquitous red carpet on the floors.

As I photographed the altar, the choir loft, the baptismal font and the glass it occurred to me I might be the first person in 180 years to look at this place with the intention of repurposing it. As I climbed into the pulpit I couldn't help wondering about the clergy who stood there before me and the congregants who came to hear them all those years. I suspect many former members still live in the neighborhood, and the empty presence must weigh on at least a few local hearts.

So I hope I can find a church group in need of a new home or a creative soul who wants to live among the spiritual legacies and community spirits of old St. Mark's.

If you have any stories of successful Second Acts for proud old churches please pass them along here!