September 17-23

Warning: You will not get through this post without hearing about Newport again.

Oh, Block Island…  If you have been here, you know exactly what I mean…

 

 

 

Touted by the Nature Conservancy as “One of the 12 last great places in the Western Hemisphere,” Block Island is almost perfection to me.  It is big enough to provide a wealth of things to see and do, but small enough to explore its entirety in one day.  It is close enough to get to without spending a whole day traveling, but you feel as though you have left civilization behind.  It is quiet enough to give you the peace and serenity for which most of us strive, yet it has a friendly and lovely community of permanent residents and a smattering of shops and restaurants.  It is down-to-earth and welcoming and about as unpresumptuous as you can get.  In addition to visitors who have summer homes on the island, there are always boaters in the Great Salt Pond, day-trippers who come over on the ferry from Point Judith, RI, and vacationers who stay at the historic inns in town.

Block Island is perfect for semi-split-personality Gemini’s like myself.  In the summer, it is bustling in the town (though that might be a bit of an overstatement), where the ferries, shops, hotels, and restaurants perch over the harbor.  But if you rent one of their awful, dilapidated bicycles (an absolute must), you can wobble out of town in search of Block’s quiet side (and don’t even get me started on winter, when it is desolate and deserted: love it!).

A jaunt south takes you past the pounding surf, beautiful weathered shingle homes, quiet dirt roads, and right up to the Southeast Lighthouse.  A stroll across the grounds is entertainment enough, but you can also pay to climb to the top of the lighthouse and see the working Fresnel lens up close.  If you are a photographer, you must do this.  The rainbows created by the prisms in the lens are reflected on every surface.  The ironwork staircase is gorgeous.  And the original woodwork and hardware inside the lighthouse is amazing.  Oh, did I mention the view?

This year, we rented bikes with our new friends aboard Quartet, a 50’ Lyman Morse built sailboat.  Bethany and Chris Fay are on vacation this week with their children, John and Claire.  They are from Bristol, RI, one of our favorite stops, as you know.  Since our children are about the same age, we dinked over to them the night before and made plans to get together for the day.  We had a great lunch at Mabel’s in town before heading to the lighthouse.

Aside: We’ve been having so much fun that I am far behind on publishing our posts.  I am writing this post on night watch on passage from Sag Harbor, Long Island to Annapolis, MD.  We are just off Atlantic City, heading south towards Cape May.  The views of Block Island and the view I have now, while different in almost every way, bring me such a similar kind of feeling.  It is a grandeur that elicits an understanding of the vast, beautiful world around us.  I have this type of connection with the world and nature around me every day now and it is truly changing who I am in many ways.  I appreciate it and can only imagine how many other moments like this I will have in the next nine months.  It’s pretty neat to have “grandeur” as part of my everyday vocabulary…(as you can see, Claire understands Grandeur as well!

Ok, where were we?  The lighthouse.  Well, enough of that.  If you hop back on your bike, and continue on, you will get to Mohegan Bluffs.  Just drop your bike anywhere (trust me, no one will want to steal it) and enjoy the even-more-incredible views as you walk down the hundred and something steps to the beach below.  Don’t worry.  You will be so preoccupied with the gorgeous beach and sea below that you won’t even think about the fact that, eventually, YOU HAVE TO CLIMB BACK UP.  At the bottom, you have to scramble down the rocks or use the rope that is there to help you down to the sand.

Visitors have used the rocks along the beach to build Rock Piles.  Porter and I made one for our family and then he made a few of his own (I tried researching these “cairns” on the internet, but didn’t get a solid explanation.  Chris and I first saw them in Aruba on our honeymoon and were told that they were wish piles where each rock has a meaning.  One was for a wish about family.  One was for a wish about health.  One for money, etc, etc.  Other internet sites say they have native american roots.  Anyone out there know?).

The other kids went about the business of getting all their clothes soaking wet by balancing on rocks as the surf crashed over them.  They made a valiant effort at first, rolling up their pants and feigning to run away when the big waves came, but being children, they were soon dripping wet and smiling broadly as they laughed and splashed.  Since no child can handle JUST having wet clothes, they soon started digging in the sand so that they could be wet AND sandy.

 

 

You would have thought that the kids had been best friends since birth the way they got along.  As we chatted with Chris and Beth, exchanging the typical life details along with the deeper thoughts and experiences of living that seem to be shared easily amongst boaters, we discovered that Bryson and John are very similar, as are Reese and Claire.

We eventually peeled ourselves away from the Bluffs and back up the stairs (no matter how fit you are, your legs will be protesting at the end).  We hopped on our bikes, surprised that they still work (the bikes AND our legs), and the Fays showed us one of their favorite spots.  A resident has set up a small putting green on his front lawn.  There is a bench on the side, with putters and golf balls.  The sign says, “Sit Your Butt or Take a Putt”.  That’s right.  Just for fun, someone set this whole thing up for those who happen along this quiet, meandering road.  This is Block Island.  We had a great time and then headed back towards town.

After returning the bikes and stopping by the fudge store, we went back to the boat to rinse out the twenty pounds of sand that we had stolen from the Mohegan Bluffs.  After showers, we hopped in the dinghy and headed over to Quartet for dinner with the Fays.  It was our first boat dinner invitation and we were so excited.  It was quite something to be taking your dinghy 100 feet to the next boat for dinner!

Quartet is simply beautiful.  Those of you who appreciate classic lines and traditional styling and materials will know without me describing it what this boat looked like.  Vintage hardware, a beamy interior, a chef’s galley (the freezer is under a hatch in the floorboards!), and hand-crafted woodwork throughout made her a joy just to be on.  Add to that the hospitality and company of the Fays and we almost couldn’t bring ourselves to leave.  Chris cooked us a gourmet meal that we lingered over for hours.  Bethany fed the kids up top and they kept themselves busy until we realized it was after eleven!  We quickly took our leave and made plans to play again the next day.

That is, after we all got some sleep and some schoolwork done… By 1100 we were all ready to head over to Crescent Beach.  We loaded up the dinghies with all our gear and crew and anchored them on the shore of the Great Salt Pond.  A walk across the road took us to this lovely beach.  Since it is after Labor Day, the beach was quiet and cool with a nice breeze.  The kids played in the sand, boogieboarded, and had a ball together.  The adults sat on the beach talking, and eventually, I got my wetsuit on to take a swim.

Frankly, I was more than happy to just sit on the beach, but after the decadent dinner the night before, I figured I was due some exercise.  I swam out past the breakers and started to swim when I felt something slimy in the water running past my hands.  I figured it was seaweed, but it didn’t feel like it.  I popped my head up, treading water, but couldn’t see anything in the dark waves.  I put my head down again and started to swim.  It felt like I was swimming through tapioca. (Tracy, you might want to stop reading RIGHT NOW.  You are NOT going to like this part.)  I eventually realized that my hands were scooping through solid schools of baby jellyfish (the clear, egg-shaped ones).  We had seen masses of these jellyfish babies washed up on the shore.  Once it occurred to me that I was swimming through billions of them, I decided that the biking and step-climbing yesterday was fitness enough and I GOT OUT OF THERE AS QUICKLY AS I COULD!!!   Is anyone starting to see a pattern here with me and creatures?  First the flies.  Now the jellies?

Meanwhile, Chris put us all to shame by taking the stand up paddleboard out into the waves and teaching himself how to surf with it!  It was exhausting and painful just to watch him and he came back all kinds of beat up and tired, but he loved every minute of it.

The Fays had to head back to Bristol the next morning, but we convinced them to join us for dinner at The Oar, the famous restaurant/bar at the Block Island Boat Basin.  The Oar is best known for its Mudslides, a frozen drink that resembles a chocolate milkshake.

 

 

The sweetest part of the night was that the kids got to sit at their own table.  After the waitress took their orders, she came over to us and told us how cute and polite they all were.  They had asked her about the prices of the meals and expressed concern that they didn’t have any money.  Apparently, they were under the impression that they would have to pay since they were at their own

table.  They wanted to know if there were free refills on the beverages and Porter told her that he didn’t know WHAT to order.  She was quite taken with them all and we thought the whole thing was adorable.  Much as we tried to have a quick dinner so they could get back and get ready for an early start, we didn’t bid them farewell until 2130.  We left them with promises to keep in touch and see each other again someday.  We were quite taken with the Fays, and they reminded us all too strongly that this year would be full of difficult goodbyes.

 

 

Before we met the Fays, we had an easy ride to Block Island from Newport, catching and releasing two false albacore.  On our first full day, we went to town and had lunch at Rebecca’s.  We stopped at a cute little bookshop and I bought I Feel Bad About My Neck, by Nora Ephron.  I read it in one sitting on the beach the next day.  I love her writing and hope that, someday, my writing is as witty, direct, and full of wisdom as hers was.

On the way back from town, we passed the Block Island Power Company.  I felt a field trip coming on and suggested to my adventurous family that we stop in and ask for a tour.  “Let’s learn all about how to power an island in the middle of the ocean!” I yelled out loud as I ground to a halt on the sidewalk.  They, of course, looked at me like I was insane.  Their feet hurt from all the walking we did, we were carrying bags of groceries from the store, and, did I mention that there was a huge storm on the way?  No Permission Slips? No worries!  In we went to the main office and we were lucky enough to catch the plant manager right at the front desk.

The manager was pleased to show us around and took us first to the garages that hold the six gigantic generators used to power the island.  The first thing we learned was that Block Island is not connected to the mainland with underground wires.  They generate, distribute, and maintain their own power year round.  Fuel is brought in on ferries to run the generators.  At peak season, up to 10,000 gallons of fuel are used each week (or maybe every day.  Or maybe every two weeks.  I don’t really remember because the generators were making such a racket.).  The generators are loud but he told us that they are now able to be monitored and controlled from the office using computers.  He showed us his control station as he explained to the kids how generator power is distributed to the residents.  The biggest challenge seems to be handling the large swing in usage from the summer months to the winter months.  He told us how they handle power outages and showed us photos of the windmill that used to be used years ago.  He even shared his thoughts on how electricity will be produced for the island in the future.

It was a great visit and it reminded me of the fun we had with Fred and Jim at the Portland Fish Exchange.  I look forward to more of our spontaneous field trips.  In addition to being interesting for all of us, they are free, they truly seem to bring some delight to people who are just going about their typical days, and they are extremely educational, whether you are homeschooling or not.  If anyone at home is inspired to walk into their cable company, supermarket, town hall, college campus, bagel shop, or any other interesting place you’d like to see “behind the scenes”, let us know and we’ll share your story!

Back to the boat we ran, for the storm was brewing.  We battened down the hatches and got Patronus shipshape for the gale force winds that were forecasted.  We had been getting reports all day from friends and family at home who said the rain and winds were really bad.  We stripped the decks of anything that might catch the wind.  We even removed our canvas bimini top, which is quite an ordeal.  We triple checked our mooring and considered setting our anchor as a backup.  The skies were dark and stormy, which made for some cool pictures.

Exhausted, we settled in for the night.  The kids watched Finding Nemo on the laptop.  It’s the first time they have watched “tv” on the boat.  I worked on the website at the nav station, and Chris made me read the wind speeds to him every time we heard the wind whistling through the mast, which was about every ten seconds.  It sounded worse than it was, because when all was said and done, the winds, while sustained through the night, only reached a max speed of 33 knots (around 39 miles per hour).

We spent our last days on Block Island getting work done on the boat and enjoying Crescent Beach.  Oh, and, since I can’t seem to really and truly leave Newport, I took the dinghy, my feet, the ferry, and Lana’s car to Rhode Island to celebrate her 41^st birthday with her.  Chris and the kids went to the beach while I watched my friend play in her soccer game, got a ride in her dad’s convertible, and enjoyed a barbeque with her friends and family.  Dave was kind enough to drive me back to the ferry after a long day of racing.  As always, the day with my friends was full of fun as well as moments of deep connection and love.  It’s no wonder it’s so hard to leave.

The next morning, I was so tired from my whirlwind day of travel that I only poked my head up to look out of the porthole as we slid out of the harbor.  Goodbye, Block Island.  We love you…. (Note: more photos to follow in a separate post.  So much fun and beauty on such a small island…)