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It’s Not Over Yet: Stretch out those Summer Days!
Photo by Kari Curtis
September 2014 EXTRA
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
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From Seed to Plate, planted, grown and harvested right here from our own farm.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
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Cottage Industry
Johanna Ross in her Chapel Street store Island Mist. She is flanked by some of the many island-inspired and largely island-sourced health and beauty products she creates and sells, from natural bug sprays and poison ivy remedies to face creams and bath salts. Photo by Kari Curtis
By Isabella DeLeo The beauty of Block Island can be as arresting as a siren’s call: rolling hills, salty air, the resplendent smell of Rosa rugosa. It’s no surprise then how many island visitors and residents make a habit of walking along the beaches and inland paths to soak in the life-affirming sights and smells. Johanna Ross, owner of the Island Mist store on Chapel Street, takes things one step further. While walking her three Labrador retrievers Ellie, Stanley, and Ranger on the eight acres she owns near the Island Cemetery, Ross collects plants to use in bath and body products. She sells her creations at Island Mist so that visitors can take a bit of those Block Island sensations home with them. Johanna has spent summers on the island since she was a baby and says by the time she was ten she’d decided this would be her home. Fast forward a couple decades and we find Johanna living in New York City, visiting the island whenever possible. On those visits, she says she would take walks and sometimes gather a few of her favorite things — a clump of seaweed, beach rose petals, an ocean rock. Back in the city, “I’d sit in
Johanna Ross’s Island Mist
the tub with my seaweed and my rock and my rose petals and think of Block Island and ask myself how am I going to move out there?” Little by little as it turns out. “I started by moving to Fairfield, Connecticut. But I did not care for that,” says Johanna, “and then I moved a little closer to Madison, Connecticut. But that still wasn’t close enough, so one day in December my husband at the time and I just got up one morning and moved out here.” After interning with an herbalist in Warwick, Ross started to develop her Island Mist line. She still sells her first product inspired by those baths in New York: Taste of Summer Sea bath salts with beach rose petals, sea salt, and seaweed. She has continued to let the inspiration for every Island Mist product come from her own experience of Block Island. Her Ocean Scrub & Facial Mud Mask, for instance, contains seaweed, sea clay, lavender and lemon – among other things. The Healing Salve, an oil infused with island plantain, chickweed, cleaver, and marsh mallow can be used on any skin problem from cuts, rashes and burns to scarring and stretch marks, says Johanna.
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At her Island Mist store you’ll also find natural, pesticide-free bug spray, a poison ivy remedy made with island jewelweed and blackberry leaf, as well as salves, chest rub, massage oils, face mist, a “Sinus Steam Herbal Vaporizer” to open up nasal and air passages, skin toner, lip balm, body butter and pretty much anything you might desire to make you look and feel good. And, although bath and body products are Johanna’s specialty, Island Mist also sells art, clothing, home goods and the like from other artists and companies around the state. She says that some of the greatest joys of her job come from traveling around the state, meeting the people who make these products. From the company’s inception, Johanna has been passionate about providing customers with an authentic flavor of the home that she holds dear by creating fragrant, healthy, environmentallyfriendly lotions, creams, salts, perfumes, and more. She honors the island and her customers by ensuring that all of her products are chemical-, preservative-, and pesticide-free and handmade using local ingredients whenever possible. According to Johanna, making the
Co-Publishers................................ Fraser Lang/Betty Rawls Lang Editor........................................................................ Lisa Stiepock Production............................................................Christopher Izzo Contributors.................... Isabella DeLeo, Brooke Hammarskjold, Cindy Lasser, Renée Meyer, Susan Middeleer Mleczko, Joshua Moldanado, Lily O’Gara, James Stevenson, Paula Taylor, Judy Tierney, Meg Vitacco Copy Editor...............................................................Renée Meyer Photographers................................... Tom Adams, Gerard Closset, Kari Curtis, Malcolm Greenaway, Annie Hall, Lesley Helterline, Robin B. Langsdorf, Kate Ryan Advertising............................. Betty Rawls Lang, Shane Howrigan Advertising Design..................................John Barry, JM Swienton
switch to natural, homemade products can provide the health benefits many people seek. “Bodies want to be in a natural state of health,” she says. But household items that people rely on — many shampoos, soaps and toothpastes, for example – can contain toxic elements. Island Mist, she says, provides healthy alternatives. Johanna says that whenever she walks with her dogs and finds her mind wandering over the stresses of the day, she attempts to block out that destructive inner voice by concentrating on the senses — perhaps the smell of honeysuckle or the sound of footsteps over stone. Doing this she finds she can transcend negativity and connect more fully to the island. It may not be quite the same as these walking meditations, but the products at Island Mist do allow her customers to quite literally absorb the natural wonders of Block Island. Find Island Mist products at the Chapel Street store, at the Block Island Farmers Markets, and online at www. islandmistnaturalproducts.com. In addition, Johanna’s Rose Hips and Lavender lines, including the Rose Hips face cream and healing salve, are now being sold at the Whole Foods store in Hyannis, Mass.
Correction Policy
Advertising: This newspaper does not assume any responsibility for an error in an advertisement. Editorial: This newspaper will correct errors in reporting. Opinions expressed in columns or letters to the editor in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper. The opinions expressed by the cartoonist are not necessarily those of the publisher. The Block Island Times Summer Times insert is published four times in June, July, August and September.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
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I Tried It!
Full Moon Paddle
By Brooke Hammarskjold On July 12th, as many admired the super moon (a full moon that appears even larger than usual because of its closeness to the earth) from their houses, I was lucky enough to be out on the Great Salt Pond, part of a group of kayakers on a tour led by Corrie Heinz, owner of Pond and Beyond Kayak Tours. Heinz started Pond and Beyond
seven years ago and now, in the summers, she leads up to three kayak tours a day mostly to tourists and people renting houses on the island. She began the full moon kayak adventures several years ago after seeing them advertised elsewhere. At first, she says she thought they might be scary and somewhat dangerous, but was surprised at the serenity and beauty of kayaking at dusk.
“It’s a completely different experience at night, I think it’s very different than what anyone has done before,” she told me. Tonight there are seven of us, including Heinz, a mix of island residents and tourists each paddling his or her own kayak. We leave the Pond and Beyond “office” behind Smuggler’s Cove around 7 p.m. while the sun is still out and the
harsher winds that crossed the pond earlier that day have settled down. We first head toward the former Weather Station, past Rat Island, the tiny piece of land right off the pond’s shore, and under the bridge that crosses Ocean Ave. A little further south, Heinz stops the group to discuss westerly winds and island ecology, while admiring the egrets Continued on next page
Above: Pond and Beyond owner Corrie Heinz stops to talk with the group about the ecology of the Great Salt Pond and to point out interesting plants and animals. Top: Having watched the sunset from the mooring beds in the Great Salt Pond (facing page, far right), the group headed up Trims Pond to watch the super moon rise from Harbor Pond.
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that stand among the dunes on the edge of the pond. As the first signs of sunset appear, we turn our kayaks around and head back toward the harbor, stopping among the boats moored near the Oar restaurant. On these full moon tours, Heinz says she often brings the group further into the pond to watch the sunset, but a somewhat heavy breeze tonight keeps us on the eastern, more protected, side of the pond. No matter, as we spend about 20 minutes watching a spectacular sunset that paints the clear night bright pink and orange, while Heinz talks about the history of the pond and development of the channel and harbor from when both Native Americans and colonists occupied the island. Afterward, Lauren Christiana, who was visiting her aunt on the island, told me she really enjoyed “all the fun facts (Heinz) gave along the way.” As the sunset colors begin to fade, Heinz leads us up Trims Pond, where we soon spot the massive, bright super moon peeking over the island’s eastern beaches. As the moon rises, we pass under the bridge near the intersection of Corn Neck Road and Beach Avenue and make our
way into Harbor Pond. This part of the tour was a favorite of several members of the group. “Watching the moon rise, especially as we went under the bridge, it was spectacular,” said island resident Gail Ballard Hall (Lauren’s aunt). After chatting for a bit and admiring the moon some more, our group begins paddling back to Pond and Beyond. As it becomes darker, Heinz points out small fluorescent moon jellyfish glowing in the dark. They are somewhat hard to see under the shadow of the bridge, so Heinz shows us how to wave our paddles in the water to make the jellyfish come up to the surface. This spectacle turns out to be a highlight for several members of our group. “I think my favorite part was watching the phospholipid jellyfish under the rising moon,” said Emily Lindon of Washington D.C. By the time we return to shore, it is already 9:15 pm and has quickly become dark. Although many of us are becoming cold, we are still marveling over the beauty of the night and don’t want to leave. “It’s just nice to get a different perspective, I loved the views, the nature and the relaxation,” said Emily’s daughter, Heidi Knoll.
September 2014
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Sunset colors and moonbeams wash over the paddlers. Inset: The group gathers at Pond and Beyond behind Smuggler’s Cove. All photos by Brooke Hammarskjold
Dinner at The Manisses Casual. Fun. Elegant. Delightful. Delicious. Served nightly in the Gazebo Room, the Gatsby Room, the Garden Terrace, and, of course, the bar.
466-2421 Enjoy flaming coffees & sinful desserts in the Upstairs Parlor. A delicious way to end your Block Island evening.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
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SUMMER
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September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 7
Beach Reads
Top of the Pile
By Cindy Lasser, Island Bound Bookstore New York Times bestseller about a blind All summer long people come into French girl and a German boy whose the store to tell me how good certain paths collide in occupied France as both books are, to tell me I simply must read try to survive the devastation of World War II. this or that. But summer on the island is “Deftly interweaving the lives of so (happily!) busy for island shopkeepMarie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates ers that I don’t get around to reading the ways, against all odds, people try to most of these recommended books until be good to one another. Ten years in the winter. Winter on the island, now that’s writing, ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ an entirely different story in terms of is a magnificent, deeply moving novel free time! from a writer ‘whose sentences never By late summer my fall/winter readfail to thrill’ (Los Angeles Times).” ing recommendations list is quite long. I thought I’d share with you what’s at the very top. Since these are books The Paris Architect customers and friends have suggested by Charles Belfoure (insisted might be a better word!) I read, “In 1942 Paris, gifted architect I’ve turned to Indie Booksellers (www. Lucien Bernard accepts a commission indiebound.org) for plot summaries — that will bring him a great deal of money anything in quotes comes from this and maybe get him killed. But if he’s favorite site of mine. clever enough, he’ll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hidWe Were Liars ing place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most by E. Lockhart Kids are reading this book and lovdetermined German officer won’t find ing it so much they are telling their parit. He sorely needs the money, and outents to read it. This girl-meets-boy story witting the Nazis who have occupied is apparently full of many twists and the his beloved city is a challenge he can’t last one is so surprising, readers need to resist. talk about it immediately — even if it “But when one of his hiding spaces means talking to their parents! Here’s fails horribly, and the problem of where the teaser from the back of the book: to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, A beautiful and distinguished family. Lucien can no longer ignore what’s at A private island. stake. The Paris Architect asks us to A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, consider what we owe each other, and political boy. just how far we’ll go to make things A group of four friends—the Liars— right.” whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. The Signature of All Things Lies upon lies. by Elizabeth Gilbert True love. Well, this one’s in the pile but I The truth. can’t swear I’ll get around to reading it. Despite knowing that I did not like either All the Light We Cannot See of her last two books “Eat, Pray, Love” by Anthony Doerr and “Committed,” my friends are insist“From the highly acclaimed, muling I read this one. Because it’s a return tiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a to fiction, I just might give it a chance. beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant From the Indie Booksellers site:
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“Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, ‘The Signature of All Things’ soars across the globe — from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. “But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who — born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution — bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers.” We’ll see!
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summer people in a small New England town. Troubled by the feeling that she belongs nowhere after working in East Africa for fifteen years, Frankie Rowley has come home — home to the small New Hampshire village of Pomeroy and the farmhouse where her family has always summered. On her first night back, a house up the road burns to the ground. Then another house burns, and another, always the houses of the summer people. “In a town where people have never bothered to lock their doors, social fault lines are opened, and neighbors begin to regard one another with suspicion. Against this backdrop of menace and fear, Frankie begins a passionate, unexpected affair with the editor of the local paper, a romance that progresses with exquisite tenderness and heat toward its own remarkable risks and revelations.”
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Strings & Things Celebrating Over 28 Years of Cool!!! **************************** *Washable Linen. Hemp; and Comfy Cotton Clothing *Seaglass. Shell. Natural Stone & Block Island Jewelry *Incense, Soy Candles, Cards, Giftware and so much other “Really Cool Stuff!!!” 104 Water Street (near Rebecca) 401.466.5666 www.fullmoontide.com
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FINN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Fresh seafood simply prepared in a traditional New England style Food and cocktails on the deck overlooking the harbor Bring the kids! The largest selection of lobsters on the Island!
Call or check our website for hours • 466-2473 • www.finnsseafood.com Bar Special: Make any sandwich a Meal Have lunch at the main bar between 11:30 and 4 Monday-Friday and for $3 more we will add cole slaw and French fries to your order.
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September 2014
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Rediscover at Red Right Return
Page 9
Clockwise from top: A customer inspects glasses hand blown by Eben Horton (of glass float fame); the Westinghouse Oven Roaster sits next to a collection of vintage Pyrex; “Please don’t play dress up with the hats”; the author says every day starts with the construction of a “tablescape” out front; vintage toys include a Talking View-master and games. Photos by Renée Meyer By Renée Meyer Some say going to Block Island is like stepping back in time. Stepping into Red Right Return on Dodge Street is like taking a second step back. There’s no signage indicating “Antiques Store” but that seems to be how people describe it. “I’m at the antiques store” is an oft uttered phrase into cell phones by shoppers, or should we say “browsers.” Many people liken it to being at “Grandma’s house.” And then there are the ones who say: “I had this when I was a kid.” Technically “antiques” should be 100 years-old. So in a way, this is more of a vintage store. Or curiosity shop. What it is not, is a haggler’s paradise. A sign reads: “Please don’t ask. Prices are firm. This isn’t American Pickers or Pawn Stars or Storage Wars.” Still plenty try. There are beautiful things (vintage jewelry), whimsical things (a Talking View-master) and practical things (Foley food mills). I was in search of something in the latter category when I stopped by one day late in June. Store-owner Judy Clark needed someone to work weekends during the summer and upon being asked if I would be interested, I happily agreed. I do after all eagerly tune into PBS each Sunday at 8:00 p.m. to watch “Antiques Road Show,” no matter how pixilated the picture on the television. And so my foray into the way-back machine began. Judy warned me that while girls will look, boys will pick up everything. And they do. So do the men, often lingering for a while after their spouses have moved on to the next clothing store. When they come back looking for them I tell them: “They’re in the toy section.” It’s not all colored glass and tea pots. There are old, mysterious tools, antique fishing gear, and vintage cameras. Some of these things lend themselves to a little game I like to call “guess that gadget.” Such is the mystery of the old nail-puller and the slate roofing hammer.
Michael Pollan, in his book “Cooked,” although writing about cooking the old-fashioned way says: “I doubt it’s a coincidence that interest in all kinds of DIY pursuits has intensified at the precise historical moment when we find ourselves spending most of our waking hours in front of screens – senseless, or nearly so.” Perhaps this explains the surprising number of young people exploring the store. Most have a unique style about them. Many are showing up in straw fedoras or trilby hats. Yes, they’re new, but could they be decked out with a vintage pin? I’ve noticed a keen interest in old film cameras and accessories. One day there’s a young woman who has just graduated from high school, where she has studied photography for four years. She is moving on to Boston University, where she hopes she can find a darkroom to develop her black and white film. She’s looking for a camera. On another day there’s a young man with a vintage Polaroid camera slung on his hip. Previously someone has told me one can’t get Polaroid film, but this guy says that is not so. Fuji has acquired the rights and sells it. And then there’s the couple on the lookout for cameras for their six year-old nephew. He is autistic and loves photography, however he needs two cameras of the same type: one to take pictures with and one to take apart so he knows how it works. Speaking of two of the same type, one day a man comes up to the counter with a vintage Foley food mill. “It makes the best mashed potatoes” he says. It’s not for him though — it’s for his grown son who wants to make mashed potatoes as good as he got at home. When I tell him there’s another in the back of the store, in case he wants to compare the condition, he ends up buying both. He has two sons. In summer there are of course a lot of boaters visiting Block Island. Often they
find themselves in need of something or other. One man needs a cheese slicer, because what else could be as pleasant as having cheese and crackers on the deck while enjoying the sunset over the Great Salt Pond? One woman is in search of a small hammock for extra storage on her boat. Yes we have that. Another needs a creamer – just the small metal type one finds in diners. We have that too. In fact we have three. I have learned that when someone asks “Do you have any…?” to say “I don’t know, but come back in 10 minutes because I’ll probably find one right after you leave.” There is so much in the store, and Judy seems to sneak new old stuff in every morning before my arrival. Plus, things seem to move around. What was that Foley food mill doing in the front of the store when it should have been back in the kitchen gadget section, anyway? One day it’s: “Do you have any door knockers?” I respond with my spiel about the ten minute thing. I don’t think I have ever considered just what a door knocker might look like when not attached to a door. So, I don’t actually go out looking for one….However, within the ten minute time-frame, a man who overheard my comment finds one — a brass door knocker in the shape of a fish. Turns out, the woman was his wife, and she does come back in ten minutes. Unfortunately, the woman in search of a salt spoon did not. I found several after her departure. My favorite shopping success story though is that of the young man and the trumpet. The trumpet has sat, in its open case, on a stool where many knock into it, for a few weeks. It’s not that old, rather it’s a used student trumpet. One day about eight male teens enter the store, seemingly all at once. Most are together, and they don’t seem like the type who will stay long. But one, still in that gawky, skinny stage, is the lingering type, and he’s not with the others. I look up and catch his eye. He’s looking at me while
testing out the trumpet’s valves. There’s a smile in his eyes, and I smile back. And then he disappears, only to come back a bit later, full of excitement and with his father in tow. The trumpet costs $130, but dad only has $110 and so goes off to find his wife for another $20. While he’s gone, we get to chat. I am of course curious as to why he wants that trumpet so badly. Does he want it to play in the summer? “No” he says. He doesn’t have time in between playing summer sports. He wants it for school. He lives outside of Montreal and must take an hour train ride each day to get there. When he gets off the train, he still has a 20 minute walk to go. Now he doesn’t have to tote his school-issued instrument back and forth every day, truly a score for him! Personally, my favorite item in the store is the Westinghouse Oven Roaster, circa 1954, complete with manual and baking dishes. It’s a lovely, aquamarine enameled electric oven, with the “door” on top, complete with its three original baking dishes. (And it works.) The idea is that one can cook an entire three course family meal at once. Or, remove the baking dishes and rack and it becomes either a turkey roaster or a cooking vessel that can make a dish to serve 50 people. Of course the manual has recipes included, and this is greatly amusing to peruse on a quiet day. The tuna fish and noodle casserole is particularly fun. It calls for, among other things, eight cans (seven ounces) of “tuna flakes” and eight cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup. Oh, and eight cups of crushed potato chips or corn flakes. Make sure to make Red Right Return a destination this September. There’s always something fun to discover. Just make sure to follow that old adage: “if you love it, buy it,” because as many have found, it may not be there tomorrow. Red Right Return will be open weekends and on rainy days this September, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
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A great egret with its distinctive yellow bill and black legs. Photo by Stephanie Baute
Wading with the Birds at Andy’s Way
By Judy Tierney It’s never hard to convince me to go on a bird walk at Andy’s Way with Kim Gaffett, director of the Ocean View Foundation, whether it is a Crazy as a Coot meet-up or another OVF activity, it’s always fun and informative. I’ve done a few and will likely do many more. They are almost always at low tide, and on July 11, the tide ebbed around 11 a.m. The day was overcast and the birds were not cooperating by flocking to feed in the flats, but we watched and waited for an hour or so and were rewarded with a smattering of birds to watch, including beautiful egrets and night herons.
Gaffett was assisted by Megan Bernier, OVF’s summer eco-worker. I chatted a bit with Bernier, who is in her early twenties and has been summering on the island since she was a girl along with her two triplet sisters and the rest of the family. She says this is her idea of the perfect job. “What other job allows you to work here during the day exploring nature?” she asked. I could think of none, other than maybe landscaping, but then, that would not bring one to Andy’s Way. Watching a flock of terns hovering over the sand along the flats, Bernier said, “My mother calls that a prayer meeting.”
Amen! Her mother, Joanne Bernier, was along for the bird walk and told us about a huge horseshoe crab she’d seen on Mosquito Beach, “an old and crusty” one. Stephanie Baute, who arrived with her long lens camera (see her pictures above and at right), mentioned that she’d found some horseshoe crabs mating over in Cormorant Cove in early June. This morning, we spot a small brown willet dining on a fiddler crab. The National Audubon Society website (birds.audubon.org) describes this bird as gray-brown with a long straight bill and identifiable in flight “by their flashy
black and white wing pattern.” A great egret was also dining out there in the shallows. As I am a fairly new bird watcher, I asked Gaffett how to tell the difference between that white bird and great herons in their white phase. The egret has a yellow bill and black legs and feet, she told me. Even more detail can be found on The National Wildlife Association website page entitled “Is this a heron, egret or crane: Wildlife Promise” (http://blog.nwf.org/2011/03/is-this-aheron-egret-or-crane/). They describe the white phase heron’s legs as lighter than those of the great egret. Continued on next page
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Continued from previous page
All this aside, when I examined the bird through Gaffett’s long scope, I forgot to look at the features, and succumbed instead to my joy at taking in this elegant and graceful being standing alone in the shallows. I frequently watch egrets crossing the Great Salt Pond from my front deck. In flight, they remind me of pictures of the famous modern dancer Isadora Duncan draped in long white skirts that swoop around her like wings. We sighted a yellow crowned night heron, a bird that to me looks to me more like a stocky game bird one would find in a hay field than a graceful heron. It has a
yellow triangle on its head, and a plump blue-gray body. All the talk of horseshoe crabs mating must have affected us because when Bernier spotted some lady slipper shells, she mentioned they are hermaphrodites. They congregate on piles with a female on the bottom topped by a male, and when the female dies the male atop her turns into a female. There could be lots of them upon one another, she told us. I will think of that every time I find one on the beach. Next month birders, be watching for the great fall migration. Then hopefully we will be seeing many songbirds in flight and gorging on the berries of the Block Island brambles.
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Clockwise from above: Joanne Bernier and Stephanie Baute, photo by Judy Tierney; the author fixes her scope on an egret, photo by Stephanie Baute; OVF eco-worker Megan Bernier displays a lady slipper shell, photo by Judy Tierney; a yellow-crowned night heron, photo by Stephanie Baute; the early egret gets the seaworm, photo by Stephanie Baute
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Page 13
Judy’s Picky Picks
Aldo’s Seafood and Pizza Restaurant and Sara without an H
Above, Ila with her birthday cake. Left, from left: Sarah with an H, Carol, and Sara without an H. Sara without an H is Judy Tierney’s great niece and one of the authors of this piece. Photos by Shelley Topf by Sara Rubenstein and Judy Tierney Andiamo (C’mon, let’s go) to Aldo’s Seafood and Pizza Restaurant for this month’s Picky Pick. There are many good restaurants on the island, some even include a few Italian dishes on their menus or serve pizza, but there is only one full menu Italian restaurant and that is Aldo’s. I’ve been there for dinner for two, and I’ve gone on nights when they have an oldies duo serving up songs to dance to, but I especially love to go there when a whole gang of us wants to get together for the evening. So when Marty Schulman rang up my husband Ron to invite us to a birthday party for his wife Ila at Aldo’s, I said, “Andiamo!” Marty was even kind enough to include our 16 year-old great niece Sara, who was visiting us from the California high desert in Riverside County. I asked her afterward to write up her thoughts on the evening and on Aldo’s and was surprised to get a very lovely description of the night, instead of the expected sharp rants about a herd of old folks trying to have a celebration. Sara is known for her hilarious point of view on life, but that night at Aldo’s hit her sweet spot. “I thought I was going to have a bad time, but I had a good time,” she announced the morning after, though only one other person there was under the age of 55 and even she was slightly over 30. But, then, why should I have been surprised? We’d been seated outdoors under Aldo’s roof canopy where the many members of the Leone family, old and young, with children and babies, often gather for their own dinners, relaxing together after a busy day of work. At the head of our cobbled together long table, was Leo Leone, owner Anna Papa’s brother, imparting a Leone ambiance to our gathering. Everybody knows your name... Aldo’s Restaurant has been an island favorite since the Leones’ parents Aldo and Maria started out with a small pizzeria and sub shop here more than 32 years ago. Daughter Anna and her husband Steve now own the restaurant and bakery, and both of their children, Christina and Steve work here summers. Their embrace of the whole Leone family as important, even necessary to their daily lives, makes Aldo’s a comfortable place for the rest of us to bring family as well as friends together for a relaxed celebration or just a night out together. On any given night,
you can see islanders sitting at tables in the outside area, or when the weather turns chilly or rainy, filling up the indoor seating. Whenever we have a large crowd getting together at a restaurant, Aldo’s is our first choice. The food is good, the prices are reasonable and we can go as we are and laugh out loud without disturbing anyone else, and we do do a lot of laughing. Sara writes... I am often anxious around people in general, whether they are young or old. So when I found out that there was a gettogether, I was tempted to tell Judy that I would stay at home out of fear of imposition. But I decided that since I am on vacation, I would sit back and enjoy whatever was planned, and immerse myself into the Block Island culture. When I arrived, I was surprised that you had to go down stairs to the seating area. Back home in California, basements are not something that you see very often. Everything is ground-level and up. So even the few steps down into the restaurant were a new experience for me. And then I saw the area where we were to be seated. I was shocked at its size. How were all of us going to fit in such a small space? But despite what I initially thought, we were all comfortable and had room to move. I went around the table, smiling and nodding while being introduced. I felt that I was in the way, mostly because I was not a friend of the host, nor was I a friend of any of the other fifteen guests. When I sat down, I tried to keep to myself, something that is near impossible with Judy sitting close to you. When she noticed a lull in conversation on our side of the table, she would bring up an interesting fact about me in an attempt to keep the conversation going. It isn’t often that I feel very comfortable around others, but with Judy’s help, I was able to loosen up in what felt like only a few minutes. I could feel my body language changing as I faced everyone, smiling and chatting with the wonderful women next to me. I loved hearing their stories, whether they were about earlier parts of their lives or about their current experiences on the island. I was also concerned at first about the food. Back home I don’t have access to many Italian restaurants. The few that are in my city are, for the most part, terrible. As I’m sure you’ve heard, if you
haven’t had the opportunity to try it yourself, pizza on the west coast is, for lack of a better term, awful — cardboard crust, dry cheese, flavorless sauce. I was pleasantly surprised with the food at Aldo’s. I started off with a salad, which I shared with the two women next to me. It was off the “Specials” menu: crisp lettuce topped with goat cheese and apple slices, with a tasty dressing. Then it came time to order my own meal. After quite a bit of thought, I decided that the safest bet was the fettuccini Alfredo. When it arrived, it looked like fettuccini Alfredo should. The first thing I noticed about this particular dish was how large it was. It could have easily fed two people. When I took a bite, I was shocked at the taste. It was delicious. The sauce was a wonderful consistency. It was not soupy, but it also was not overly thick. It was just right for this dish. It was obvious to me that the chefs at Aldo’s have put a lot of time and effort into perfecting their dishes, they seemed invested in the happiness of each and every customer. At the end of the night, I was able to turn to Ron and Judy and say, completely honestly, that I had a wonderful time. I loved getting to know those who sat with us, and getting a feel for what life is like on the island with the locals. There is a wonderful community underneath this tourist veneer, and it’s quite lovely. I am thankful that I got to witness it, and even say that I took a small part in it, even if only for an hour or two. I sincerely hope that everyone who attended the dinner enjoyed it the way that I did, and that this group has many, many more reasons to celebrate in the future. It’s obvious, even to an outsider like myself, that these get-togethers are treasured evenings. All in all, I had an awesome time celebrating with such a great group of people, and I look forward to my next trip to Block Island, when I might just be lucky enough to see everyone again. Judy writes... We ordered off the menu, and Ron and I shared a house salad to start, described as for two, but really for three. We tried to share it with our Sara, but she already had some of Carol’s. Carol is a close friend and employee of Ila’s and she was sitting directly across from me between my Sara and the 30-something Sarah, who also works for Ila and is the niece of our friends Norman and Shelley.
Carol quickly dubbed our niece “Sara without an H” and Shelley’s “Sarah with an H.” Soon pepperoni bread with a mouthwatering tomato sauce was making the rounds at both ends of the table. I remember summers when gluten was considered a staple of life and we used to run down to the restaurant to bring home one of those breads to eat for lunch or at evening cocktails with friends. I do not have celiac disease, and I am proud to say, neither am I gluten sensitive, so I dug into those slices with glee. Mangia! I ordered a dish I only eat at Italian restaurants, veal picata, lightly sautéed in wine, lemon juice, capers and of course, garlic. Ron ordered eggplant parmesan as he usually does here. But he is not that dish’s only fan. Birthday girl Ila told me she ordered it and she eats it every day for lunch as well. “At the end of the season,” she said, “I buy a dozen and freeze them.” I was reminded that genes play an important role in preferences when Sara ordered that fettucine alfredo, a dish I had to learn to make when my son Kevin was growing up, as it was one of his favorites. Genes? Or, could it be neither of them drink milk and need to get their calcium other ways? Perhaps it is just delicious. My friend J whom I often write about was at the other end of the table so I couldn’t observe what she ordered. All I can tell you is she went home with a smile on her face just like the rest of us. The absolute best moment of the evening, though, was the arrival of the chocolate cake ablaze with candles, which we were told the Leone family bakes for their own birthday celebrations. The frosting was thick and very chocolatey, oooh yes. The texture of the crumb was moist but light, perfect. Usually I eat the frosting and leave the cake, as I was raised in a Viennese household where anything baked had a light crumb, a European style that I have subsequently learned originated with Danish bakers, but at Ila’s party, I ate the whole thing. All were pleased with the food and the service. Even Ron was happy (but his stock as el exigente has dropped since that night he declared my burnt and crusted steak the best he ever ate.) We all saluted Marty for hosting us at this wonderful gathering, and Aldo’s Restaurant and Anna & Steve Pappa, for making it special. And, now I know why the adjective “sweet” is attached to the age sixteen. They are, and most especially, our Sara without an H.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
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Page 15
Michael Oppenheimer: Relaxing on Island, Reflecting on Choices and Cautioning the World
Nobel Laureate and climate-change specialist Michael Oppenheimer talks with the author in front of his West Side garden last month. Photo by Gloria Redlich By Gloria S. Redlich Though it’s been many years since I first sat down with Michael Oppenheimer on the open porch of his West Side island home, finding him there several weeks ago felt quite natural. The familiarity of the setting allows us to fall easily into conversation while looking out at rolling hillsides dissolving into an expansive view of ocean and summer sky. For all intents and purposes, he is just an average summer-home owner spending time at a place he, his wife (Leonie Haimson) and their two children have loved since the family discovered the island in the mid-1970s. The not-exactlyaverage component is that he is a worldrenowned climate scientist and Nobel Laureate, immersed daily in the science of climate change and in the policies that may finally bring the seriousness of the issue to the attention of the world. In terms of making choices, Oppenheimer says long ago he realized the importance of joining his science to efforts at influencing governmental policy. Those joint efforts have largely come to define his life’s work. The truth is I have had many conversations with Michael Oppenheimer but with the exception of the first, most were over the phone — reaching him at his mainland home in New York City or office at Princeton University, where he is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs. He has generously shared his time with The Block Island Times and kept us up-to-date on the progress of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and on the general status of international efforts to combat global warming.
Taught early to pay attention to nature
Settling into the comfort of his island porch permits some digressions into nostalgia and the chance to explore the earliest influences in Michael Oppenheimer’s life. His mother was a nature lover and a chemist, “which was unusual for her generation,” he says, recalling that it was
she who taught him “about animals and to pay attention to nature.” He adds, “Science runs in our family. My mother was a chemistry teacher and my brother has a PhD in chemistry.” As to other familial influences, he adds, “My dad was a diamond expert, who was intensely interested in politics.” So, as it turns out, was his maternal grandfather. Thus, Oppenheimer came to identify his own passions in what he calls the “natural systems” of science and politics. He says, “One thing I do recall — an epiphany of a kind — when I was seven or eight years old, we were visiting my father’s employer in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, Connecticut.” They were there to go clamming off the cove, he says. “But one day,” he adds, “I was wandering through a freshwater stream close by, and I found an oyster bed, but when I wanted to eat [the oysters] they were grabbed away.” Even as a child, he couldn’t believe that such a remote and pristine area could be so spoiled. He admits the memory may be so strong because he was forbidden from eating the oysters he very much desired. However, he recalls from a very early age, he says, “The pollution drove me crazy!”
Coming of age in the 60s
“But I came of age in the 60s,” he says. During that decade, there was a great foment of ideas — scientific and societal — and there was a climate of much soul-searching. “Vietnam was well under way,” and Oppenheimer says, like colleges across the country, “the University of Chicago [where he was a graduate student] … was torn apart by dissent.” It was a time in which many moral issues were being raised, Oppenheimer notes, very publicly: “What do scientists (who as a group) develop weapons owe the public in terms of working to avoid their use? What responsibility and obligation do scientists have toward the public? If they have concerns, should they articulate them in the public arena or stick to the lab? Or should they continue such
work but [doing so] publically to make sure their discoveries are used in morally defensible ways.” In the midst of his graduate studies at the University of Chicago, Oppenheimer found that a number of the Manhattan Project scientists were on the faculty there. Though there was a sense that many were in conflict over their participation in the development of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer does not recall their individual views “on their own wartime work.” He explains many were “not involved in publicly expressing their views on such subjects after the war.” Rather he recalls them as “just very good people and excellent teachers with a tinge of sadness about them.” He adds that he “probably interpreted that as an overhang from the Manhattan Project, but I really don’t know.” On the issue of regret, Oppenheimer feels it was “complicated” because the Manhattan scientists were concerned lest Germany get the Atomic Bomb before the war ended. He saw them as moved by “their determination … to assure adequate control of these weapons ( A-Bomb and H-Bomb) after the war so that they would not be used again.” It was a determination leading to “active involvement in public policy” that Oppenheimer believes was “forwardlooking” with many becoming active in the peace and disarmament movements. Of those — Manhattan scientists and others — who spoke out candidly he says, “The important point for me was to see scientists make difficult, very public and courageous moral distinctions and talk about them loudly and clearly.”
Making choices
Oppenheimer earned his PhD in Chemical Physics from the University of Chicago in 1970, a year that also saw passage of the Clean Air Act, later amended in 1977 and in 1990. While he was experimenting in spectroscopy, which “develops and investigates the spectrum of light emitted by atoms and molecules,” he began to think his work would not be useful. Much of his research was funded by the Pentagon and related to weaponry,
which raised ethical questions for him. Oppenheimer’s thesis advisor (R. Stephen Berry) — not a Manhattan scientist — had “an early interest in applying his knowledge of chemistry to air pollution and energy problems.” He says, “Although my research did not immediately go in that direction, [Berry’s] work was a powerful influence on my later career trajectory. Here was a top scientist working on problems of great importance to the large social good.” In fact, as a young graduate student having grown up in a family of progressives, Oppenheimer says he was drawn to scientists going in that direction. He found himself significantly affected by the growing environmental interests of the time and of his own growing need to do work that would be meaningful in its global effects. At the time, the direction of the science community was changing as well. Physicists were discussing molecules in outer space. Many papers were being published every week. Just as the field was exploding, Oppenheimer took a post as an astrophysicist at Harvard University at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. While modeling molecules in comets, in clouds, he felt some part of the work “wasn’t really satisfying.” He adds, “It was too detached.” He didn’t want to spend his life just on the theoretical. “I wanted to merge my interest in science with a [desire to work] on environmental issues — from both the scientific and political points of view.” He says that a friend who knew of his inner turmoil pointed him to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Before taking up a post there, Oppenheimer had the breathtaking experience of being dropped into and backpacking in Northern Alaska for a month. There he says, “I saw grizzlies and could still see Arctic tigers.” It was before the pipeline, before the Arctic National Wildlife Range was given the National Wildlife Refuge status Continued on next page
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Continued from previous page
it now holds. In a series of Congressional hearings, Oppenheimer testified to protect Alaskan lands, including testifying on behalf of the Sierra Club for passage of the Alaska Lands Act, to separate private lands from government lands. With the EDF involved, Oppenheimer notes, “We reached an agreement, in matters relevant to energy and air pollution, specifically in acid rain.” He took up a post at the EDF, where he eventually became chief scientist. That affiliation continued for 21 years.
Science and advocacy
He says the EDF allowed him to do theoretical work — his science — at the same time giving him access to the public. “It was such a great organization; it was perfect for allowing me to be both a scientist and a political advocate.” He notes with pride, “We had an effect on the way the Clean Air Act was amended. However, at the start of his tenure at the EDF, there was a great deal of skepticism about the problems of acid rain and global warming — a general outlook that “these problems were too big to do anything about.” For that reason, Oppenheimer thought the EDF “a very strong environmental movement, as they began targeting climate change, rather than acid rain.” Under the auspices of the EDF, Oppenheimer was in on the ground floor of directing global attention to the critical issue of climate change. In the 1990s, he and other scientists helped develop workshops leading to the creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to the Kyoto Protocol, dedicated to helping the nations of the world commit to reducing green-
September 2014
house gas emissions. For years since, Oppenheimer has been an ongoing participant of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In fact, he was one of the lead authors of the Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, which boldly asserted that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal” and that “most of the observed increase … since the mid-twentieth century” was attributable to human influences. For that work, he and his panel colleagues shared the Nobel Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. Oppenheimer says he met Gore when he was “invited to fly with him in his Air Force Two helicopter to the bottom of a glacier.” He recalls starting that day in Maryland, “It was crazy.” However, what he takes away from an experience like that is “the feeling that you’ve made a difference, that you’ve influenced someone, or the press, that you have good ideas and that they get taken up. That is very satisfying.” Though Oppenheimer has himself been the target of those who deny the dangerous rise of greenhouse gases in the earth’s environment, he believes that naysaying is going out of fashion. He points out, “It’s no longer credible to be vocal against science.” Observing President Barack Obama and his administration’s handling of issues related to climate change, Oppenheimer says he is pleased the President “is making up for a slow start.” He credits the President with currently proposing strong regulations and with “keeping the issue in the public consciousness.” Oppenheimer believes Obama “has put his prestige on the line as no other President has done.” With China emerging as the largest of the world’s polluting countries — pro-
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Oppenheimer on Dory’s Cove Beach a few years ago (between mustaches). ducing 50 percent of the emissions on the planet — Oppenheimer sees building pressures on that country to reduce them. He believes the dramatic effects on China’s food, water and coastal systems are practical incentives for China’s government to act to reign in its emissions. He also believes it is necessary for the United States “to step up and take a major role. If [we] provide leadership, others will follow.” With the serious effects of advancing climate change, Oppenheimer sees potentially significant global repercussions if emissions of greenhouse gases continue unregulated. He anticipates extreme weather events and patterns to continue with more and more frequency — bringing more global episodes of coastal flooding, reductions in crop yields, as well as increasing death rates due to extreme heat. However, while understanding the disastrous global outcomes inherent in unmitigated global warming,
Oppenheimer is a profound optimist. That is, he takes hope that the realities on the ground in China may become the catalyst for change, and from the strengthening of regulations within the United States and its capacity for leadership in the world. He believes that the countries of the world will ultimately curb emissions. “We’ll muddle through [in spite of] our standard human behavior.” Still, Oppenheimer feels “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near,” breathing down our collective backs, and he warns, “We don’t have any more time left to mess around. This is it!” Years ago, when Charlie Rose asked him in an interview if he thought global warming would ultimately “go out of control,” Oppenheimer replied, “I don’t think humans are that heedless. I see in us the capacity for dealing with big, challenging problems.” We can only hope we live up to his faith in us.
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Summer’s Bounty By Susan Middeleer Mleczko
As the sun’s golden rays begin to cast longer shadows in the early evening over the rolling fields of Block Island and there’s just a hint of a chill in the night air, we cling to the balmy days of summer all the more ferociously. To banish thoughts of summer’s impending departure, I plan as many meals as I possibly can that celebrate the season’s bounty with family and friends on Block Island. It’s one of my favorite times of the year here. For me, there is no such thing as a glut of fresh homegrown heirloom tomatoes, summer squash or root vegetables. It’s as if my body knows how it’s going to feel come January or February when there simply aren’t any to be had. Bring on the zucchini, the size of baseball bats! Shower me with your excess tomatoes and vegetables and I’ll put them all to good use and be glad of it! I like to keep dinner relatively simple, celebrating superb, fresh, ingredients with easy preparation. My goal is to keep the fuss and bother to a minimum so that I can enjoy the amazing September sunsets with my family before dinner. I have a favorite fresh tomato pizza, which is made with phyllo dough. It can be cut up into small, canapé-sized pieces for hors d’oeuvres or cut into larger ones for a lunch or dinner portion. It’s so simple to make and tastes absolutely heavenly —I can almost guarantee you that there won’t be any leftovers. Another summer favorite is a spin on a Julia Child zucchini recipe, and it’s a good way to use up those dreaded baseball bats of squash and an alternative to the stacks of zucchini bread that you’ve undoubtedly got in your freezer. Lastly, my end-of-summer repertoire includes an easy, roasted root vegetable dish that goes with just about any main course. It’s great for dinner parties because you can prepare the vegetables ahead and then simply pop them into the oven about half an hour before you are ready to serve dinner. I also love roasted vegetables because the process of roasting them brings out the sweetness of even the most recalcitrant parsnip or turnip. In fact, I never even liked those particular vegetables much until I ate them roasted.
Tomato Pizza with Phyllo Dough Serves 4 - 6
This recipe is from an 1980s issue of Gourmet magazine. I use heirloom tomatoes whenever possible because of their great flavor and diversity in size and color (though any fresh, ripe tomato will do). Choose a cheese that you think will complement the tomatoes you have. Super sweet tomatoes go well with a sharp goat or even feta cheese, while a tarter tomato pairs well with a milder cheese, such as ricotta or mozzarella. Ingredients:
7 - 14 sheets (plus extra in case of breakage) phyllo dough – thawed at least 8 hours or overnight in the fridge —the slow defrosting helps keep the dough more flexible and less brittle 5 Tablespoons butter, melted ¾ - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 - 6 fresh tomatoes – sliced no more than ¼-inch thick so the juices can evaporate while baking and the dough doesn’t get too soggy 1 medium red onion – very thinly sliced; raw or briefly sautéed – it’s up to you 1 cup fresh ricotta, shredded mozzarella, crumbled goat or feta cheese Fresh thyme leaves or basil leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking-oil spray (or brush lightly with olive oil). Have all your ingredients assembled before preparing the phyllo dough. Open the package of phyllo dough and unfold the sheets, still stacked. Place the stack of dough sheets on top of another piece of parchment or wax paper so that the pile does not stick to the counter. Cover the top with a slightly damp clean dishcloth or paper towel while you start to assemble the pizza. The sheets are paper-thin. Don’t be dismayed if a few are broken. Most packages contain enough sheets for at least two or three pizzas. 1. Depending on the size of your cookie sheet or jellyroll pan, lay one or two sheets (or more) of phyllo dough side by side on the prepared parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
4. Arrange tomato slices snuggly together on top of pizza. 5. Scatter onion slices across the top of the tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle or spoon on the ricotta, mozzarella, goat and/or feta cheeses. 2. Brush lightly with a little melted butter. Don’t worry if the dough tears a bit 7. Top with thyme sprigs or basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste (easy while brushing with butter. Sprinkle the buttered layer with a thin layer (a medion the salt – you can always add more later.) um-sized handful) of Parmesan cheese. 8. Bake until the dough is golden brown, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. 3. Repeat layering six more times with phyllo dough, butter, and Parmesan cheese, 9. Remove from oven and let cool 5 to10 minutes before serving. using the last of the butter and Parmesan on the final layer. Continued on next page
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
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Shredded Summer Squash and Carrots Serves 6
When I first tried this recipe by Julia Child, it was a revelation! Never had I realized how delicious summer squash could be. The squash had both texture and taste. What’s the magic involved you ask? Easy. It’s accomplished by squeezing the heck out of the squash to eliminate most of its water. After shredding the squash, it is lightly salted, in layers and then left to drain for 15 minutes. Then it is squeezed and twisted in a dishtowel until it gives up most of its liquid. I add shredded carrots for color and a bit more texture. The shredding part can be done in advance and the squash left in the fridge until ready to use. It should be cooked, however, just before serving or it might over cook if it’s reheated. It only takes a few minutes. Ingredients:
2 - 3 medium to large zucchini and/or summer squash, peeled, shredded and seeded if necessary (which is often the case for larger squashes). 1 large carrot or 2 small – peeled and shredded 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon butter 1 - 2 shallots or 1 small onion, minced Fresh parsley, chopped 2 Tablespoons (approximately ) ground sea salt or Kosher salt. (If you only have fine salt, use less or it will be too salty.) Pepper to taste
Preparation: 1. Drape a clean dish cloth inside a large colander.
6. Add minced shallot or small onion and stir for about a minute.
2. Shred squash and place several large handfuls (about 2 cups) at a time in colander. Sprinkle with some of the ground sea salt or Kosher salt and repeat as you continue grating and adding the squash to the colander. (You want to have the salt fairly evenly distributed.)
8. Add the shredded summer squash, breaking apart with a fork, and stir until the squash is no longer in large clumps and it is lightly coated with the oil and butter. It should be well combined with the carrots. Add more oil if it seems a bit dry but not too much – you don’t want it to become too greasy. This should take only a minute or two. Taste it!
3. Let the colander rest over a dish (to catch any liquid) or place it in the sink for 15 minutes. 4. Gather up the dishtowel like a hobo’s sack and twist the squash in the towel until no more liquid comes out. At this point, you can put the dishtowel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator if making ahead. 5. Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Add the shredded carrots. Stir until carrots and shallots just begin to soften.
9. Cover for 30 seconds or so with pan top if it still needs to cook a bit more. Your goal is to remove any raw taste that remains, but it should still have an ‘al dente’ feel to it. If it’s cooked enough prior to this, then eliminate this step, as it will continue to cook a little on its own even off the heat. 10. Add pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Continued on next page
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Roasted Root Vegetables Serves 6
This recipe is so ridiculously simple to make that it’s almost embarrassing! It goes beautifully with whole roasted striped bass, roasted meats or as part of a vegetarian meal. Leftovers can be pureed, with some stock added, to make a tasty soup. So make extra. Any combination of root vegetables works — some of my favorites can include beets, onions or leeks, acorn or butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes or yams and parsnips. Use whatever vegetables look good and are readily available. Also, you can add brussel sprouts, if you like them, or use the same recipe just for the brussel sprouts. Ingredients:
Root vegetables – peeled if necessary and cut up into chunks (a bit larger than bite-sized) all should be approximately the same size or thickness, so they take roughly the same amount of time to cook Olive oil – enough to lightly coat the vegetables and bottom of the pan or dish Sea salt or kosher salt and pepper – to taste Sprigs of fresh thyme or sage (optional) Parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
Preparation: Preheat oven to 400˚ F 1. Place the prepared vegetables into a large shallow baking pan or ovenproof dish. 2. Add some sprigs or leaves of fresh herbs if desired. 3. Pour a few good glugs of olive oil over the vegetables and herbs in the pan and toss the whole lot with your immaculately clean hands. 4. Sprinkle on sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste. 5. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, turning the vegetables once about halfway through cooking. Test doneness by inserting a fork into the larger pieces of roasted vegetables — it should go in easily. 6. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
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Buy a Kai-Kai Sandal and get a free Freefrom Bracelet small scoop Block Island Ice when you try on a Kai-Kai! cream facing the ferry. Kai Costanzo, with sister Gabrielle on the porch of the Inn at Old Harbor, shows off a pair of B.I.-soled Kai-Kais. Photo by brooke ortel lished two stores in Montauk. While Kai is the founder of the company, he says that Gabrielle has provided constant support: “She has been with me every step of the way, building the brand.” The sandals are best known for their comfort, which was Kai’s main objective in creating them. Sought after for their arch support and thick strap, KaiKai sandals mold to the feet, but do not have a painful break-in period, says Costanzo. They’re “comfy right off the bat.” They don’t have a warranty, but Costanzo created a “Swap Your Flop”
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Worker’s Perspectives
A Week in the Life of an Instructor at the Block Island Club
Clockwise from top: Sailors in the Level II class practice their racing skills in a standard triangle course; intern Paige Levinsky and I with three kids from the Club during the annual Fourth of July parade — our theme this year was The Very Hungry Caterpillar; the kids and instructor Shane Baker try to fit as many kids as they can into an Opti sailboat; two girls in the Level I class perform a pirate dance with the rest of their team during our obstacle course on Pirate Day, a themed Fun Friday. Photos by Brooke Hammarskjold. Below: Club sailors at Andy’s Way exploring sea life. Photo by Judy Tierney By Brooke Hammarskjold For the past 13 summers on Block Island, the majority of my time here has been spent at my home away from home, the Block Island Club. Located on the northeastern side of the Great Salt Pond, the club was a place for me to further my passion for sailing, expand my (shortlived) interest in tennis, foster friendships and enjoy my summer days. As I aged into a teenager and began to outgrow the sailing, swimming, tennis and arts and crafts classes that had so occupied my summer mornings, I found a new way to participate in the club by working there. This summer is my third working at the club and although the days can be long, it’s hard to complain about a job on the water at a place where I practically
grew up. Most days begin at 8:30 a.m. as the staff arrives, iced coffees in hand, to open up the clubhouse, prepare for classes, clean the bathrooms and more. This year, we have 12 staff members, along with several younger interns, and a majority of us spent countless summer days as children taking classes on the homey, welcoming property. As the morning chores are finished around 8:50, cars and bikes start rolling in the bumpy dirt driveway off Corn Neck Road to drop off kids for 9 a.m classes. I work as an assistant sailing instructor and our 9 a.m class is for the beginner kids, who are usually around 8 to 10 years old. This class is our most popular and, as many can imagine, when you put ten
pairs of kids in Optimist sailboats (Optis), it’s always an adventure. For this class, we typically set up a standard sailing course with buoys, either in a square or a figure 8 loop for them to round. While sailing may seem like a leisurely sport, for many kids, their first couple days are quite difficult as they struggle to be comfortable on the water and get a grasp for steering, which is made confusing by the fact that you steer in the opposite direction from where you want to go. Thus, a good amount of time is spent comforting scared children and (attempting) to prevent them from crashing. The class ends at 11 and once all the boats have been docked and de-rigged and we have discussed any problems or improvements with them, we send the
kids off to their next classes. There is then a quick turnover to the following class, Level II Racing Opti, which is for the more experienced sailors to practice and learn basic racing skills. This class is usually a bit smaller and attracts kids around the age of 11 or 12. After a tiring two hours in the first class, we’re thankful that these next kids have been sailing for a while as they require much less assistance when rigging and less time is needed to quiet them down and get their attention. We typically set a standard triangle course for them, which consists of a start and finish line, and three buoys that they must round. We have four sailing instructors on staff so two usually act as a committee boat on the start line while the other two are on a chase boat, Continued on next page
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guiding and instructing the kids as they sail through the course. We spent a good amount of time this summer preparing the kids in the racing Opti class for an upcoming regatta at Mason’s Island against sailors from the Mason’s Island Yacht Club. We had them practice a lot of starts and use racing tactics such as calling starboard or leeward on another boat, which are rights of way used to prevent crashes when two boats
September 2014
are sailing towards one another. This class ends at 1 p.m. so the kids typically get a good hour and a half on the water to refine their skills. Most of them started out in the Level One class when they first began sailing so it is always rewarding to see them transition from timid and fearful beginners to advanced sailors who are comfortable in a sailboat, no matter the conditions. On Fridays, we have different “Fun Friday” themes, such as pajama day, or the infamous club tradition of Pirate Day. The
kids and instructors both dress up and in the classes we usually play games with the kids, such as tennis ball tag in sailboats, sailing to Andy’s Way for a scavenger hunt or letting them capsize the boats. After a tiring morning on the water, instructing and organizing high-energy children, we always savor our half hour lunch breaks, especially on Fridays, when parents bring us nice food. But alas, all good things must come to an end as classes continue. The Level I and II classes that were described take place on Monday,
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Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings so on Wednesday mornings, along with Monday and Friday afternoons, we host our Level III, or 420 classes. 420s are larger boats that usually fit around two or three people. This class is filled with teenagers with a mixed level of sailing experience. Some of the participants have sailed at the club for many years, in both Optis and 420s, while others are just new to sailing but too big to join our Opti classes. Since there is such a range in skill level, Continued on next page
Left: Several kids make a human pyramid during one of the Tuesday night barbecues. The barbecues attract kids of all ages, ranging from 4 to 14. Right: Two sailors in the Level I class practice sailing — one steers while the other controls the main sheet. Many kids that have never known each other become friends once they start sailing together. Photos by Brooke Hammarskjold
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Continued from previous page
we try to pair the new sailors with more experienced ones and once the boats are rigged up and sent off, the beginners get a good feel for the sport by watching their partner steer and then trying it themselves. This class has varying lesson plans, some days they will practice racing, others will be spent taking them out the channel to sail in the ocean and on the particularly fun, light-wind days we let them practice capsizing or do “man over” drills, both of
which the kids plead for as they involve getting in the water. That class usually wraps up around 3:30. On some days, I work until 6:00 in the office, which just involves selling people tickets, giving them information about membership and the club and answering the phone. Some nights we also hold barbecues or bonfires for the kids. During the barbecues, we play games, grill them hamburgers and hotdogs and have s’mores. The bonfires are for the teenagers and thus require less
September 2014
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
entertainment, as they are usually happy to play just one game and then sit around a fire, make hotdogs and s’mores and talk with friends. Although days at the club may seem like routine, there is always another adventure just around the corner. Whether it’s stormy weather, a fun Friday game day, the club dance or anything else, the kids and other instructors make the job unpredictable and always fun. Of course there are days when I question my decision to spend my summer trying to orga-
nize high-energy, crazy children both on land and on the water, but I can’t think of a better way to give back to the place that meant so much to me as a child. There is nothing better than seeing a younger version of myself as a sailor, swimmer, tennis player and artist at the club in the new kids that come to the classes that I now teach. I remember looking up to the instructors as a kid and idolizing their seemingly mature selves. In my mind, that level of authority seemed so desirable and distant, and now look where I am!
Left: One of the kids and I during the water barbecue, an annual tradition filled with slip n’ slides and water balloons. Right: Grace Hammarskjold and Emily Beinkampen, sailors from the Level III 420 class and club interns, race during Thursday Night Races. Photos by Brooke Hammarskjold
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North Light Fibers has a mini mill upstairs where fiber is turned into yarn. Downstairs, a store sells the yarn as well as items handmade from it. Photos by Isabella DeLeo and Kari Curtis
By Isabella DeLeo The path to the North Light Fibers mill, store and farm is marked by the sight of exotic animals from Abrams Animal Farm in the periphery: the cool stare of the caged lemur, a llama eating kibble from a child’s hand, even kangaroos and a giant tortoise stand by. Walk past these animals and through the green North Light Fibers gate and a path actually brings you through a herd of alpacas. Admittedly, it is a funny site: these friendly creatures are shaved – except for the soft, abundant tufts of wool on their heads – since North Light Fibers uses their wool to create some of their home-
In Vogue at North Light Fibers made yarn. The North Light Fibers team shears the alpaca wool and then preps the fiber in the upstairs mill for consumer use. Using a host of large, stately machines, the team opens and washes the lanolin out of the fiber. Machines separate the fiber’s hairs. The fibers are stretched out and spun into thread, twisted into yarn. Some of it is steamed and dyed as well, and some is sent to knitters and weavers to create the handmade items sold here. I conjure images of Slater Mill and textbook old New England. But when I walk downstairs to the store, I am taken out of my reverie. I am surrounded by
an extensive collection of divinely soft shawls, gorgeously patterned rugs, and cheerfully colored yarn – punctuated by the occasional friendly yellow Labrador retriever resting on the floor. According to northlightfibers.com, the company’s mission is twofold: “to produce and market the highest quality exotic yarns, garments, crafts and home décor items, North Light Fibers is Block Island made: hand knit, hand woven, hand made. Additionally, our mission is to create a viable and growing year round manufacturing business on Block Island.” This year, North Light Fibers could rightfully add “host to prestigious knit-
ting convention” to their arsenal. Each year, Vogue Knitting sponsors various Live Destination Experiences for knitters throughout the country in select locations such as New York City, scenic Oregon and Camden, Maine. For the first time, from September 18 to 21, Block Island will be among those destinations, because of North Light Fibers. Many knitting conventions in the United States take place in large, impersonal cinderblock-halls; where a knitter is one among hundreds of anonymous individuals. But according to North Light Fibers’ co-founder Sven Risom, Continued on next page
Clockwise from above: Karin Logan with dyed yarn on one of the mini mill machines; participants in one of last year’s knitting retreats enjoy a cozy corner table in the Manisses dining room; Sven Risom gives visitors a tour of the mill. Photos by Isabella DeLeo and Kari Curtis
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On the way to North Light Fibers you walk past Abrams Animal Farm with barnyard and exotic animals including a zedonk (zebra-donkey), through a gate to a path that takes you through a herd of alpaca you can feed and pet. Photos by Kari Curtis and Isabella DeLeo.
Continued from previous page the sponsors of the Vogue Knitting Live Destination Experience strive to create a comfortable atmosphere conducive to creativity, forming friendships and establishing a connection to place. As the knitters arrive in Old Harbor, they become a part of a small community of 25 to 30 participants plus program staff and there are no unfriendly cement halls in sight. Participants stay at a number of island hotels, including the Spring House, the Atlantic Inn, the Manisses, and the 1666. They’ll use the dining rooms of these Victorian-era hotels for some of their knitting classes. Another class takes place among the art of the Spring Street Gallery to inspire creative use of color in knitting. In the future, Risom hopes to incorporate even
more island businesses into the retreat, perhaps allowing knitters to combine knitting with sailing, yoga or creative writing. During the weekend, knitters take a North Light Fibers mill tour to learn the intricacies of fiber making. Other activities include bird banding with Ocean View Foundation Director Kim Gaffett, a nature walk, a behind the scenes tour of Abrams Animal Farm and – of course – downtime for shopping. Risom anticipates that the prestige of Vogue Knitting combined with the personable nature of North Light Fibers and its partner institutions will yield an especially strong retreat. Past Vogue knitting retreats have received rave reviews. Risom notes that teachers seem to always return to these retreats and knitters appreciate the caliber of those teachers.
Block Island Conservancy Education Center Block Island Conservancy Invites you to visit our new Education Center located on Weldon’s Way.
Open Daily 9am – 3pm Rainy Day Activities
Knitters also look forward to a bonding experience with one another. As an example, Risom says that the camaraderie developed at one recent North Light Fibers retreat was so strong, it prompted the brother of a participant who passed away shortly afterward to write to Risom, expressing his sister’s gratitude for the event and the people she met there. Risom says he expects the island to benefit from hosting a retreat of Vogue Knitting’s caliber. “Vogue Knitting is the premier knitting magazine. Block Island is on knitters’ radar because of Vogue Knitting,” he said. The retreat brings all kinds of people, including many who hail from different parts of the country, to the island. Knitters engage with local businesses and often express interest in returning. If the retreat runs smoothly, Vogue will perhaps
inspire a constant stream of visitors to the island each year. North Light Fibers was founded only four years ago, but in those short years it has garnered enough attention to host this nationally recognized retreat with one of the country’s leading knitting magazines. Risom is proud of North Light Fibers’ successes. But he is also happy to provide a group of knitters the opportunity to talk and thread their life stories together, relaxing in a beautiful dining room or art gallery, with wool in hand and heart on sleeve. North Light Fibers is located at 10 Spring Street. For more information on the mill or on the retreat, visit their website, northlightfibers.com, or call them at (401) 466-2050. You also can send an email to sven@northlightfibers.com.
Block Island’s
dunes are a special place. They’re both beautiful and fragile. Please enjoy the view, but stay off the dunes.
www.biconservancy.org
BIRA Block Island Residents Association
September 2014
www.blockislandtimes.com
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 29
INTERSTATE NAVIGATION
THE BLOCK ISLAND FERRY • Year round service • Hi-speed & Traditional • From Point Judith, Newport and Fall River • Many daily departure times to choose from •
401-783-4613
www.blockislandferry.com
The Interstate Fleet
M/V ATHENA
M/V ANNA C.
M/V ISLANDER
M/V CAROL JEAN
M/V BLOCK ISLAND
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
Boats ashore in Rat Island at New Harbor. Photo courtesy of the Block Island Historical Society.
Fine Art Prints www.blockislandtimes.com
Jessie Edwards Studio
Fine Art Prints • Unique Gifts • Artist Receptions • Exhibitions
Hurricane Planning for Residents and Visitors Everyone should be aware that the National Weather Service is warning the East Coast that a major hurricane will strike within the next few years. We are asking everyone who owns property on Block Island or will be visiting during hurricane season to create an individual plan for the eventuality of a hurricane warning being issued for Block Island.
Please read the following carefully and make your plans in advance.
Jessie Edwards Studio
2nd Floor, Post • Office Building Fine Art Prints • Unique Gifts Artist Receptions • Exhibitions Old Harbor, Block Island, RI 401.466.5314 JessieEdwardsGallery.com
2nd Floor, Post Office Building Old Harbor, Block Island, RI 401.466.5314 JessieEdwardsGallery.com
F U LL O F FUN FOR E V E R YO N E !
A) If you are a visitor in our hotels or B & B’s, please heed the directives to leave the Island if they are issued. All our ferries will cease operations and move to a safer harbor well before the hurricane arrives so you must react immediately when you are advised to leave. All hotels and B & B’s will be alerted and we ask that you cooperate with all directives. B) If you are renting a house on the Island, the same directives apply. Our capacity for shelter facilities is limited. Please leave the Island if that request is made. Ferries will try to get as many people and vehicles off the Island as possible, but they will cease running well before the hurricane arrives. C) If you are an Island resident, observe the following home preparedness: • Check working conditions of all emergency equipment flashlights, battery powered radios. • Have enough perishable food and water supplies on hand for 3-5 days. • Know where the Town Shelter is and whether you have a safe route to it, if necessary. • Bring in all loose items around the porches or property. • Make sure your vehicles have gas. • If you have a propane grill, secure it and keep the propane supply full, but secured outdoors. • Cover large windows with shutters or plywood. • Have a first aid kit prepared. • Fill bathtub and large containers with water for sanitary purposes. • Turn refrigerator to its coldest settings and keep door closed. • Medicine renewals - have enough of your regular medication for 1-2 weeks. • If you are concerned about your location in a storm, consider going to a friend’s house in a safer location. Corn Neck Road may not be passable due to high tides: flooding and access to Town and or the Town shelter may be cut off for some time. • Champlin Road will most likely experience storm surge and people should evacuate from Champlin’s Farm seaward.
If you have questions, please call Police Dispatch @ 466-3220, but please DO NOT CALL except for an emergency once the storm hits. Stay inside until the storm has passed. Do not venture out in the calm when the eye is overhead and do not go walking on any breakwater during the storm. Heavy rain may undermine bluff areas, so please do not walk along any bluffs during or following the storm. Use common sense; make sure family members know where you are.
EMERGENCY PREPARATION FOR PETS Complete these preparations in advance of visiting Block Island: • Have vaccinations up to date and a good supply of any medications used. • Have tranquilizers if pet becomes upset or agitated in unusual situations. • Have identification on the animal: tags, tattoo or chip. • Purchase a pet carrier that is large enough for the animal to lie down, turn around and stand up comfortably. Do not house different species in one carrier. • Take good pictures of the animal (front, left and right sides) that shows distinguishing marks. • Put pictures, licenses, medical records and ownership papers together in a waterproof bag. Just before leaving home, assemble a pet disaster kit which contains: • Above mentioned medications, photos and records. • Have a leash and properly fitted collar or harness for each pet. • Non-spill dishes and a two week supply of food and water in unbreakable containers. • Manual can opener, if canned food is used. • Grooming supplies and medical kit for injuries. • The pet’s blanket, comfort items. • Items to handle waste, including paper towel, plastic bags, disinfectant, cleanser, litter box and litter or newspaper to shred. Information provided by Block Island Volunteers for Animals
TOY STORE Water Street he Ferry Across From T 7 401 466 869
Listen local. 102.7FM
Rhode Island PublIc RadIo RIPR.oRg
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 31
From left to right: Executive Chef Evan Wargo, Bar Manager Rick Scully, owner Brad Marthens and Restaurant Manager Brad Marthens, Jr. Photo by Lily O’Gara
Atlantic Inn honored by Wine Spectator
By Lily O’Gara Brad Marthens knows his wine. It’s evident as he excitedly gushes about the wine list at the Atlantic Inn, the island hotel he and his wife Anne own and manage. It’s evident, too, why the Inn and its restaurant, Restaurant 1879, have once again won a Wine Spectator award. In fact, they’ve won an award 14 years in a row. “It’s a labor of love,” Marthens said. Wine Spectator is a magazine that bestows three different types of awards on deserving restaurants: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence, and the Grand Award. According to its website, “Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Wine List Awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.” The lists are scrutinized, down to presentation and grammar.
The Atlantic won the Award of Excellence from 2001-2008, and has won the Best of Award of Excellence each year since. The latter of these awards is presented to restaurants with lists that offer 400 or more selections, with either vintage depth or breadth across several wine regions. According to Marthens, the Atlantic offers this breadth, and offers wines from all over the world, as well as from U.S. regions that aren’t typically thought of in terms of wine production, like Connecticut and New York. The Atlantic Inn/Restaurant 1879 is one of only five restaurants in the state to receive what Marthens called “a big honor,” and the only restaurant on Block Island to receive it as well. Over the last 20 years, when the couple first moved to the island, the Marthens have built a robust wine list. Marthens said he’d always been a wine enthusiast, but didn’t know the finer
details. His staff at the time educated him, he said, and he and Anne, as well as several of the Inn’s staff members, traveled to vineyards, met the distributors and conducted lots of tastings. They still do all of these things, eager to improve. “It requires a passion for wine, and investment in the product,” Marthens said of a diverse list. The Marthens also encouraged the chefs at Restaurant 1879 to create menu items that would pair well with the wine offerings. “It takes a lot of effort for the chefs to design a menu to complement the wine,” Marthens said. They seem to have figured it out, though, as Marthens can tell a customer which wine would be best with his or her order at the drop of a hat. “People want to know about wine,” he said. “It’s a hot topic.” If ordering the Smoked Pork Tenderloin or the Grilled New York
Strip Steak, he’d recommend a Diamond Creek Vintage Cabernet. For the Lobster Ramen, a nice Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc will do. The perfect pairing creates an “explosion of flavor,” Marthens said, and enhances the taste of both the food and the wine. Though he’s a wine expert, Marthens is not a wine snob. “If you like it, that makes it good,” he said. Restaurant 1879 offers plenty of opportunities for curious tasters to find out what’s “good” for them. There are hundreds of bottle selections available, of which the Inn sells an “inordinate amount,” according to Marthens. There are 14 varieties available by the glass, seven red and seven white, that sell well, too. The best way to find the perfect wine might just be to head over to the Atlantic Inn and sample one. Or two or three.
Tune In!
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September 2014
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a n r t u 1 a 8 t s 7 e 9 R at the Atlantic Inn
Tapas Cocktails Great Wines Great Food Casual Elegance A New Experience
Cocktails ~ 4:30pm ❧ Tapas ~ 5:00pm ❧ Dinner ~ 6:00pm ❧ Reservations 466-5883 ❧ www.atlanticinn.com ❧
Real Estate Section
September 2014
Around the Block
Photo by Kari Curtis
What to do, Where to go, How to get there
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September 2014
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FALL IN LOVE WITH OUR HOMES! FEATURED LISTINGS
Let the Vacation Begin!
• Newly refurbished stand alone condo; just turn the key & enjoy! • New Kitchen, floors, paint, appliances & furnishings. • Spectacular ocean views & easy beach access.
$1,275,000
Ocean View Cottage
Coastal Contemporary
$1,995,000
$1,595,000
• 3BR/2 Bath award-winning winterized gem. • 3.3 Private, meadow like acres. • Salt Pond, Ocean and CG Station views.
• Tastefully renovated 3 br /1.5 bath. • Compelling island and ocean views. • Set on 3+ high, private acres.
SULLIVAN REAL ESTATE The Island Experts since 1967
Great Salt Pond Getaway
• Fresh, spacious 2BR/2.5 Bath Condo. • Watch boating activity & entertain on spacious deck. • Stylish interior boasts hardwoods, fireplace, a/c & more.
Turn Key Traditional
• Spacious 6+BR/3.5 Bath w/private location. • Expansive easterly decks offer lovely sunrise ocean views. • Winterized w/fireplace for year ‘round use.
Walk to Beaches & Andy’s Way
• Spacious comfortable 4BR/2Bath home. • Easy walk to Mansion Beach & Andy’s Way. • Immaculate w/great yard & gardens.
$525,000
$1,425,000
$1,295,000
Harbor Pond Peninsula
Rose Lane
Carefree Townhouse
$2,950,000
$799,000
$295,000
Eschaton
Sea Captain’s Cottage
Perfect Penthouse
• Secluded tidal peninsula, unparalleled waterfront location. • 3+acres (8 lots) surrounded by water, sunrises and sunsets. • Charming Cape, outbuildings, easy walk to town/beaches.
• Waterfront 1BR Cottage w/bluff frontage. • 2+ private acres w/unobstructed water views. • Enjoy crashing waves & starry night skies.
• Turn the key and move right in to this 1BR/2Bath unit. • Romantic master suite w/Jacuzzi tub. • Enjoy association pool & deeded water access!
• 4BR/2 Bath winterized home. • Newly updated, sunny interior • Lovely rolling lot near town & beaches.
• Coveted oceanfront location offers commanding water views. • Enjoy seeing sun and moon rises, boats at sea and twinkling lights of Newport. • 4BR/2Bath vintage BI home has charm to spare, vintage hard wood floors & fp. • Rare opportunity to own a special piece of BIock Island.
$699,000
• Upscale 2BR/2.5 Bath boasts hardwoods, a/c, fireplace & custom kitchen. • Private Rooftop Deck w/sunset ocean & Salt Pond Views. • Perfect layout for entertaining w/wetbar and winefridge!
$699,000
$1,450,000
LAND LISTINGS Seaweed Lane
Hull’s Pond
Calico Hill
Highview Lane
$875,000
$725,000
$549,000
$455,000
• Gorgeous 2+Acre Lot is an ideal building site. • High elevation in great neighborhood. • Stunning sunrises and ocean views to Clayhead.
• Enjoy all nature has to offer. • Lovely 4+ acre lot offer opportunities. • Year round enjoyment of fishing & skating.
• Fantastic location high atop Old Harbor. • Steps to swimming beaches and the village. • Gorgeous ocean views and sunsets
Sullivan Real Estate
Cynthia Pappas, Broker Rebecca Pappas Clark, Associate Broker Gail Heinz, Shannon Morgan, Logan Mott Chase
Telephone: 401 466-5521 • Fax: 401 466-5369 • Email: info@sullivanbi.com www.sullivanbi.com
SALES
•
RENTALS
•
APPRAISALS
• Convenient central location • Walk to town & beaches. • Beautiful ocean and sunrise views.
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September 2014
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 3
Featured House
The Captain Faile House
By Paula Taylor The Captain Faile House sits on the ocean side of Spring Street north of the Southeast Lighthouse. The Cushman family loves this house which was built in 1925, but it is not their first residence on the island. The family history here goes back to World War II when grandfather Bert first learned about Block Island while serving as first mate on a Navy Patrol Destroyer Escort that travelled the Atlantic route. After the war, he returned to the island and purchased acreage around Fresh Pond. Over the years, there were three pieces of land and three homes built including the “Hex House,” the first geodesic dome house built here by family member Bob Stratton, who was a builder of homes in Vermont. Bob brought “a bunch of hippies from Vermont” to build the hex and another domed house. The three Cushman siblings remember it as an idyllic time, summering in the dome houses with their grandparents across the way. The siblings are the adult children of Lee Cushman: Jessica Cushman, Bradford “Brad” Cushman and Robert “Bert” Cushman, each of whom has three children of their own now. Mom Lee was the first Cushman to own the Captain Faile house, so called, says Jessica, because it was built by a sea captain, who also built solid Craftsman-style furniture, some of which is still in the house. “We always laughed about his name,” says Jessica. “Who wants to get on a boat with someone named Captain Faile? Maybe that’s why he started building furniture!” The three kids all talk about their adventurous summers on the island with great fondness, one memory leading to the next. Jessica reminisces about Robert’s wedding to Cindy Hoyle at the Harbor Baptist Church in 1990. They had rented a tent for the reception when a hurricane struck. Fierce winds, clocked at 80 mph, ripped the tent stakes from the ground. After the tent failed, the Cushman family searched islandwide for a suitable building, but the wedding day was also Columbus Day, when most businesses on the island were closed or closing. They prevailed on the Atlantic Inn to stay open one more day even as workers were closing the doors and stacking the furniture for winter. The owner relented. The wedding and reception took place. Robert tells the tale of the drama of the hurricane and how, after it passed there was a beautiful quality to the light, a rainbow, and how later, as the newlyweds and their guests walked on the beach sand their steps caused a phosphorescent trail in the sand he’s never seen before or since. Such is the magic of Block Island for the Cushmans. Fortunately by the time Jessica got married, mom had bought the Captain Faile house, so she and husband Paul Schulz were married there. “It was a beautiful day on that huge lawn with that incredible view,” says Jessica, recalling driving to the reception and having everyone on the Surf Hotel and the Yellow Kittens decks stand up and cheer as they went past. “I’ll never forget it,” she says. One of the things that made it a great place to have her wedding, says Jessica, was “all the little bedrooms, everyone stayed there with their kids all running around.” The house has four bedrooms and two baths and lots of nooks and crannies. It’s location about 40 feet above sea level gives all the rooms spectacular views. A rocky path leading to the beach makes it a good spot for surfers. On a clear day you can see from Old Harbor to the Newport Bridge. Bert says that he especially loves the sound of the crashing waves and the clarity of the starry nights. They are things he misses when he’s at his home in suburban New York. This summer the extended family got together on Block Island in a rental property on the Neck because, sadly, the Captain’s House is now too small. Now three families of five each, they have outgrown this summer home of their youth. and they choose to stay under one roof for the family meals, the fun, the camaraderie, the conversation and the games. Some evenings while the daylight lasts, they like a game of volleyball after dinner. This island means so much to them. They’ve been coming here since they were toddlers. Jessica sums up, “To us this island is casual, funky, fun and silly. We hope our children have this take-away, too. Here they The Captain Faile house not far from the Southeast Lighthouse was built by a sea captain, who also built some of the furniture you can be kids, even mess up a bit and enjoy without the pres- can see in the living room inset top right. Inset top left is a snapshot from daughter Jessica’s wedding on the grounds. The house has sures that their future and life on the mainland can bring.” panoramic ocean views from inside and from the porch, partially shaded and partially open. A rocky path leads to the beach. She says she’s sad about selling the house, musing, “Maybe we can rent it from the new owners.” The house is listed at $1,450,000 with Sullivan Real Estate (401) 466-5521; www.sullivanbi.com.
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September 2014
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Priscilla Anderson Design Boston Block Island
Block Island Real Estate Leader
Locally owned boutique office offering personalized professional service to Block Island sales and rental clients for over 40 years. Block Island Real Estate Resource on all island listings.
Local Knowledge We are proud of our long-‐term Island ties and enjoy working with others who also treasure the magic of our island.
Call to schedule showing of any listing.
Contact us anytime Chapel Street office, Email, Phone or Website
Leading Sales office in 2013 10 of the 49 sales in 2013 involved Attwood clients.
Susan Park Weissman, Head Broker, Owner Linda Spak, Assoc. Broker Jeannie Weissman Anderson, Agent
460 Chapel Street, Block Island, RI 02807
(401) 466 – 5582 www.attwoodrealestate.com attwoodrealestate@verizon.net
Interior Design 617-947-4044 PriscillaAndersonDesign.com
Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated
E IC R P ED C DU RE
Center Road: $1,250,000
Joanne Hovey Glenda Luck Block Island 401.466.2900
Snave House: $1,390,000
401.742.1061 401.207.3921
BlockIsland@GustaveWhite.com GustaveWhite.com Newport 401.849.3000
South County 401.596.8081
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 5
B. I. Cruise Control by Meg Vitacco Cars and dogs... We can’t help but notice how these two go so well together, especially when the sun comes out and the wind is just right. Perhaps it’s the necessities in life that never go out of style. Vintage or new, capricious or predictable, dogs and cars have personalities all their own. Occasionally, mere humans have the power to train or ‘tune up’ issues that arise, but make no mistake: they do what they want.
Ballard Hall REAL ESTATE
Coastal Properties
NEW PRICE
West Side Views - $2,500,000
Enjoy expansive ocean and sunset views from this sprawling custom-built 5 BR and 4 BA home on the West Side. Gourmet kitchen features family-sized granite dining island. First floor master suite, private guest apartment, 6-bed bunk room, and two additional bedrooms provide comfortable accommodations for all. Contact Gail Hall 401-741-7001.
Waterfront, Grove Point - $2,950,000
Listen to the ocean surf while enjoying magnificent uninterrupted 260 degree ocean, North Light and Sachem Pond views at the Island’s North End. Casual contextual contemporary home offers an open design plan, 4 BR and 3BA. Private beach for beachcombing, exploring and surfing. Contact Gail Hall 401-741-7001.
2 LOTS
All Season Sanctuary - $1,975,000
Beautiful ocean and SE Lighthouse views from this gracious 5 BR & 3 BA contemporary home. Peaceful and private 4.8 acre lot with pond and dock. Spacious high-end chef’s kitchen, vaulted living room with fireplace, and multiple decks for summer enjoyment. Pretty Island and ocean views. Contact Gail Hall 401-741-7001.
Mohegan Estate - $3,650,000
Architectural style and exceptional ocean views from this large custom home near Mohegan Bluff. Magnificent open plan great room with stone fireplace. Private master suite on its own floor. Family suite with 3BR and 3BA. Guest cottage over 2 car garage. 4.72 acres, 2 lots of record. Contact Judith Cyronak 401-741-7732.
Gail Ballard Hall, Principal Broker Blake Phelan, Associate Broker | Judith Cyronak, Associate Broker | Michele Phelan, David Graham, & Chelsea Phelan, Sales Licensees Heidi Tallmadge & Laurel Littlefield, Office Assistants
Phone: 401-466-8883 Fax: 401-466-3119 • www.blockislandproperty.com • www.luxuryrealestate.com
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Discover Block Island A to Z
Below is just a small sampling from the new book for kids young and old by Block Island’s own Gloria Hall Daubert. Copies are available at Island Bound Bookstore.
www.blockislandtimes.com
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Please Help Protect Our Dunes
After Hurricane Sandy and subsequent 2013 winter storms devastated dunes along Corn Neck Road, and in particular those protecting Crescent Beach, volunteers installed snow fences to clearly mark rights of way to the beach from Corn Neck Road and beach parking areas. The fences help the dunes replenish, so please do not move them. And keep to these designated trails, so that new plantings to help anchor the sand have a chance to take root. They are an important line of defense for this fragile ecosystem. — Margie Bucheit
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After the devastating storms of the winter of 2012-13, spring weekends saw scores of islanders volunteer to install snow fencing to mark walking paths between the dunes. The storms proved just how crucial, and how fragile, the island’s dunes can be. Photos by Kari Curtis
FEATURED LISTINGS SUNSET HILL
Since 1989 Let us help you be here
NEW EXCLUSIVE LISTING
UNDER CONTRACT
859 OFF WEST SIDE RD: On the West Side of Block Island, at the end of a long narrow drive, rests an extraordinary family home. This architect-designed three building complex with heated saltwater pool was purchased by the present owner in 2007 and continuously improved to the highest standards. 3 BR, 4.5 BA main house with chef’s kitchen, open living/dining room, and ocean views. 2 BR, 3 BA cottage features amazing outdoor shower room. At the opposite end of this magical 2.6 acre property lies the sun-filled “Owner’s Sanctuary.” Adjacent to conservation land, mature landscaping. Asking $3,950,000.
Susan Black, Principal Broker/Owner, Robin Lewis Vila, Sales Associate/Owner, Edith Littlefield Blane, Broker, Kathy Mulshine-Lemle, Sales Associate, Richard Foreman, Sales Associate Krista Vila and Cori Black, Office Assistants
Classic 1880’s farmhouse (7BR), new winterized cottage (1BR), new two story barn with garage/storage and three acres perched on Sunset Hill, between Dory’s and Grace’s Coves. Ocean views of Montauk. Point Sold furnished, proven rental history. Asking $1,740,000
BLUEBERRY HILL
Wonderful island home in private location. 5 Bedrooms with office and den, 5.5 Baths. Perfect for extended family or B&B. Private suite on ground floor and quest suite over 2 car garage. New decks and hot tub, beautiful grounds with mature landscaping. Turn-key, furnished, many extras. Priced to sell. Asking $1,370,000.
WEST SIDE ROAD
Cozy cape with unique Nantucket dormer is nestled behind fencing and mature trees on 1.2 acres near Grace’s Cove. Built in 1999, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Hardwood floors, and many beautiful features make the house bright and cheerful. Asking $899,000 448 Ocean Ave. P.O. Box 1210 Block Island, RI 02807
401-466-5446
offprop@verizon.net
www.offshorepropertyllc.com Located in the Spartan Building on Ocean Ave., near the Connecticut Ave. intersection.
WINTER RENTAL: Lovely 3 BR/2 BA with gorgeous grounds. $1900/Month plus utilities. Call for Details
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Shopping and Snacking through Old Harbor
d Roa eck nN Cor
75 Avenue Beach
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Street Dodge Ocean Avenue
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22 21
23 25 24
14 16 15 12 13 11 9 10 8 7 4 6 5
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l Street Chape
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Old Harbor Shopping & Snacking Stroll North of Chapel Street 1. Full Moon Tide 2. East of the River Nile 3. Blocks of Fudge 4. Deja Vu 5. Wave 6. Bonnie & Clyde 7. The Salty Dog 8. The Peppered Cat 9. Solstice 10. BITs 11. Essentials in The National Hotel 12. Becketts Gelato 13. Photo Dog 14. BI Trading Company 15. Arous 16. Froozies 17. Mar Mar 18. Beachcomber 19. WaterColors 20. Red Right Return 21. Juice n’ Java 22. Lazy Fish 23. Mark’s Beachcomber Hair Design 24. Ambergris 25. Diamondblue Surf Shop 26. The Old Post Office Bagel Shop
27. Block Island Grocery 28. Topside Cafe 29. Block Island Historical Society 30. Block Island Blue Pottery 31. Red Bird Liquors 32. The Bird’s Nest 33. Marye Kelley 34. The Island Free Library
South of Chapel Street 35. Jennifer’s Jewelry 36. Adrift 37. The Mad Hatter 38. Wild Flowers 39. Building Blocks 40. Koru Eco Spa 41. Star Department Store 42. B-Eyes Sunglass Shop 43. Seaside Market 44. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream 45. Rebecca’s 46. Mahoney’s Clothier 47. Cool to be Kind 48. Block Market 49. Malcolm Greenaway Gallery 50. Terrapin Tacos 51. Island Bound bookstore
52. Jessie Edwards Studio 53. Clayhead Salon & Spa 54. Finn’s Seafood Market 55. Islandog and Strings & Things 56. Kai Kai 57. Block Island Ice Cream 58. Rags 59. The Glass Onion 60. Old Harbor View Takeout 61. Block Island Conservancy Education Center 62. Block Island Sport Shop 63. The Ice Cream Place 64. Aldo’s Bakery and Ice Cream 65. Blockheads 66. The Cigar Shop 67. Chapel Sweets 68. Goldiggers 69. Island Mist
Farther Afield 70. Spring Street Gallery 71. North Light Fibers 72. Block Island Health and General Store 73. Island Hardware 74. Block Island Depot 75. Eylandt Antiques
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
SEAWINDS UNIT 2 4 BDR•3 BTH• $995,000
WEST SIDE HILL TOP 4 BDR•4 BTH• $2,495,000$2,250,000
SEAWINDS UNIT 8 3 BDR•2.5 BTH• $995,000
DUNN ROAD HIDEAWAY 2 BDR•1 BTH• $950,000
OVERBAY 4 BDR•2 BTH• $1,590,000
NEW HARBOR COTTAGE 3 BDR•2 BTH• $870,000
Kate Atwater Butcher- Broker, Connie Volante Finn, Megan Hennessey, Emily Butcher, Julie Garosshen- Licensees Erica Tonner- Sales Assistant
401-466-5887 • 596 Corn Neck Road (in front of Gas Station) • www.birealty.com Sale Pending
MANSION BEACH 3 BDR•2 BTH•$879,000
OLD HARBOR COTTAGE 3 BDR•3 BTH• $675,000
SEAWINDS UNIT 7 3 BDR•2.5 BTH• $995,000
SEAWINDS UNIT 5 4 BDR•3 BTH• $995,000
MOHEGAN TRAIL LOT .99 Acres• $550,000
WEST SIDE LOT 2.44 ACRES• $720,000
www.birealty.com, birealty@birealty.com
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Surfing • Standup Paddleboarding Lessons • Rentals • TOMS Beach Accessories • Apparel
Purchase • Refinance • Home Equity
7, 21, & 24 Speed Cruiser & Mountain Bikes Helmets Available
SURF CAMP - July and August 401-466-3145
See what our customers say at www.AdvancedMortgageCorp.com Then call us to become one of them!
www.diamondbluebi.com Corner Dodge Street and Corn Neck Road
Locks Provided
Best New Bikes on the Block
“gifts for pets and their humans”
Brian Tata President
Phone: 401-737-6655 brian@advancedmortgagecorp.com RI Mortgage Broker License: 20011314LB NMLS CO: 1787 NMLS Originator License: 21893
Block Island collars, leashes & treats s Toys & treats for cats and dogs Fun pet themed items and gifts for humans Water St., Block Island
www.blockislandog.com
401-466-5666
September 2014
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Dining on Block Island
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
For menus and all you need to know about B.I. restaurants, pick up a copy of the 2014 Block Island Dining Guide or go to blockislanddiningguide.com.
9 29
5 18
37 30
7 27
19
39
41 28
14
17
23 21 11
40
15
3
32 26
2
6
12 13 36
4
8
20
4
1
38 34
35
41
38
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34
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4. Ballard’s Inn 41. Winfield’s 38. The Spring House Restaurant 34. Restaurant 1879 at The Atlantic Inn 31. Pots & Kettles Food Truck 13. Finn’s Seafood Restaurant 22. The Narragansett Inn
22
B= Breakfast L= Lunch 1. 1661 INN. www.blockislandresorts.com.Spring Street. 401-466-2836. B 2. ALDO’S RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA Weldon’s Way. 401-466-5871. L, D Liquor License
D= Dinner
22. THE NARRAGANSETT INN. www.narragansettinn.net. Ocean Avenue. 401-466-2626. B, D Liquor License
3. ALDO’S BAKERY. www.aldosbakery.com. Weldon’s Way. 401-466-2198. B, Deli, Bakery and Ice Cream.
23. THE NATIONAL TAP AND GRILLE. www.blockislandhotels.com. Water Street. 401-466-2901. B, L, D Liquor License
4. BALLARD’S INN. www.ballardsinn.com. Old Harbor at the end of Water Street. 401-466-2231. L, D Liquor License
24. NORTH LIGHT FOOD TRUCK. Corn Neck Road. L
5. THE BEACHEAD. www.thebeachead.com. Corn Neck Road. 401-466-2249. L, D. Liquor License 6. BETHANY’S AIRPORT DINER. 401-466-3100. B, L, D. Beer and Wine 7. THE CHANNEL MARKER. Corn Neck Road. 401 -466-9800. D Liquor License. 8. CLUB SODA. Connecticut Avenue. 401-466-5397. D Liquor License 9. DEAD EYE DICK’S. www.deadeyedicksbi.com. Payne’s Dock New Harbor. 401-466-2654. L, D Liquor License
25. THE OAR. Jobs Hills Road/West Side Road. 401-466-8820. L, D Liquor License 26. OLD HARBOR VIEW TAKEOUT. Water Street. L 27. OLD POST OFFICE BAGEL SHOP. Corn Neck Road and Ocean Avenue. 401-466-5959. B, L 28. PAPA’S PIZZERIA. Corn Neck Road. 401-466-9939. L, D Beer and Wine 29. PAYNE’S KILLER DONUTS. The Corner of Ocean Avenue and West Side Road. B 30. POOR PEOPLE’S PUB. www.poorpeoplespub.com. Ocean Avenue. 401-466-8533. L,D Liquor License
10. ELEVATION CAFE www.elevation-bi.com at Champlins Marina. 401-466-9642. B,L
31. POTS & KETTLES FOOD TRUCK www.potsandkettles.com. West Side Road. 401-864-2433. L
11. ELI’S RESTAURANT. www.atlanticinn.com/elis.htm. Chapel Street. 401-466-5230. D Liquor License
32. REBECCA’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. Water Street. 401-466-5411. B, L, D
12. ERNIE’S Water Street. B
33. REBECCA’S DOCKSIDE. Payne’s Dock, New Harbor. 401-466-5572. L, D
13. FINN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT and FISH MARKET. Water Street directly across from the ferry dock. 401-466-2473. L, D Liquor License
34. RESTAURANT 1879 AT THE ATLANTIC INN. www.atlanticinn.com. High Street. 401-466-5883. D Liquor License
14. FROOZIES JUICE BAR AND CAFÉ. www.frooziesblockisland.com. Water Street on the back porch of the National Hotel. 401-466-2230. B, L
35. SOUTHEAST LIGHT DELIGHTS. www.facebook.com/seldelights Spring Street. L
15. HARBOR GRILL. Water Street. 401-466-2828. 16. HARBORVIEW RESTAURANT. West Side Road at Champlin’s Marina. 401-466-7777.
36. TERRAPIN TACOS. Water Street. (Post Office Building) L,D. 401-466-5505 37. TOPSIDE CAFE. Ocean Ave. above Poor Peoples Pub. 401-466-5180 B, L
17. JUICE AND JAVA. Dodge Street. 401-466-5220. B, L
38. THE SPRING HOUSE RESTAURANT AND VERANDA CAFE. www.springhousehotel.com. Spring Street. 401-466-5844 B, L, D Liquor License
18. KIMBERLY’S. Ocean Avenue. 401-466-8600. D Liquor License.
39. THE SURF HOTEL. www.thesurfhotelbi.com. Dodge Street. 401-466-2241. B,L,D. Liquor License
19. LOS GATITOS at MCGOVERN’S YELLOW KITTENS. Corn Neck Road. 401-466-5855. L Liquor License.
40. THREE SISTERS. Old Town Road. L
20. HOTEL MANISSES. www.blockislandresorts.com. Spring Street. 401-466-2836. D Liquor License. 21. MOHEGAN CAFÉ AND BREWERY. Water Street. 401-466-5911. L, D
41. WINFIELD’S. Corn Neck Road. 401-466-5856. D # denotes the restaurant’s location on map above
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September 2014
kayak
www.blockislandtimes.com
pond and beyond
block island tours & rentals
401.578.2773 corrie_estelle@hotmail.com
Block Island Bike & Car Rental Ocean Ave. near Smuggler’s at New Harbor
401-466-2297
Half day, Full day & Weekly Rates on Great Bikes & Affordable Cars
Courteous Service Sets Us Apart
PHILLIPS REAL ESTATE PLEASE STOP BY AND VISIT OUR YEAR-ROUND, PROFESSIONAL AND FRIENDLY OFFICE.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND & OFF-SEASON RENTALS STILL AVAILABLE NEW NEWLISTING PRICE
Black Rock Road Dramatic setting -see, hear and smell the ocean. $899,000 NEW LISTING
Whale Swamp Road Simple home offering calm and lovely views. $998,000
Off Beacon Hill Road Unique in so many ways - this property offers elegance, peacefulness and privacy $3,420,000 NEW LISTING
Ocean Avenue Two homes, in lovely New Harbor location. Also available as separate properties. $1,935,000 Remarkable ocean, pond and island views all from this 7.95 acre parcel located within walking distance to town and beaches. Three bedroom home full of character and whimsy. $840,000
Ocean Avenue Stress free Island Escape -entirely refurbished and smartly appointed home is ready for you to move right in! $519,000
LAND LISTINGS Sweeping Island and ocean views from this cheerful, sun filled home set atop 2.7 acres. $1,250,000
Beach Avenue Water views. Walk to beach and both harbors. $1,095,000
Jennifer Phillips, Broker
Old Mill Road:
2 acre parcel in a country setting with long range views from the east and north to Clay Head.
Off High Street: 1 acre lot within a mile to town, overlooking Mill Pond.
Celeste Helterline & Hanna Greenlee Martin, Sales Agents
Phone: 466-8806 • Fax: 466-8813 • phillips@riconnect.com
Off Spring Street: 1.1 acre parcel atop Amy Dodge Lane with pond and ocean views
Located on the second floor of the Post Office Building
WWW.PHILLIPSONBI.COM
The trip to Block Island takes about 12 minutes. We’ve been flying here for over 40 years.
Flights by Reservation 401-466-5881 401-596-2460 800-243-2460 FlyBI@BIRI.com www.Block-Island.com/NEA
Block Island’s Airline Since 1970
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 13
Mig’s Rig
TAXI
401-480-0493
taxi - tours - bike rack wedding transportation migsrigtaxi.com
BLOCK ISLAND BOAT BASIN
On the island, take it slow.
Dockage Marine Hardware Supplies Groceries Gifts Sundries Launch Service
West Side Road
466-2631
Use your head and feet to find...
To the island, make it fast.
Use your hands to stop your moped! Quality Mopeds & Bikes • Courteous Service Reasonable Prices • Right Across from the Ferry 466-5444
Get to Block Island in just over an hour via the fastest ferry from the mainland.
goblockisland.com
TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM BLOCK ISLAND Block Island Traditional Ferry Departs daily from Point Judith and Old Harbor
September 1st - Labor Day Day Mon
Departs Point Judith 8a, 9:30a, 10:30a, 11:45a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 5p, 6p, 7p
Day Mon
Departs Block Island 8:15a, 10a, 11:30a, 12:45p, 3p, 4p, 5:30p, 7p, 8p
Block Island Hi-Speed Ferry Departs daily from Point Judith and Old Harbor
June 21st - September 1st Day Mon-Sun
Departs Point Judith 7:15a, 9a, 11:10a, 1:20p, 4:40p, 6:45p
Day Mon-Sun
Departs Block Island 7:55a, 10:05a, 12:15p, 3:30p, 5:45p, 7:35p
September 2nd - September 7th
*Labor Day- Monday Sept. 2nd use Sunday Schedule
Day Tue-Thur Fri Sat,Sun
Departs Point Judith 9a, 11a, 3p, 5p 8:30a, 11a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 5:15p, 7p 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
Septebmer 2nd - October 13th
Day Tue-Thu Fri Sat,Sun
Departs Block Island 8:15a, 11:45a, 3p, 5p, 8:15a, 11a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 5:15p, 7p 8:15a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
September 8th - October 10th Day Mon-Thu Fri Sat Sun
Departs Point Judith 9a, 11a, 3p, 5p 8:30a, 11a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 5:15p, 7p 9a, 11a, 2p, 5p 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
Day Mon-Thu Fri Sat Sun
Departs Block Island 8:15a, 11:45a, 3p, 5p 8:15a, 11a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 5:15p, 7p 8:15a, 11a, 3p, 5p 8:15a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
401-783-7966 • 866-783-7996 www.blockislandferry.com
Day Mon-Fri Sat-Sun
Departs Point Judith 8a, 10:30a, 12:30p, 5:45p 8:15a, 10:30a, 12:30p, 3:30p, 5:45p
Day Mon-Fri Sat-Sun
Departs Block Island 9a, 11:30a, 4:30p, 6:30p 9a, 11:30a, 1:30p, 4:30p, 6:30p
*Columbus Day- Monday, Oct 13th use Sunday schedule
401-783-4613 www.blockislandferry.com
Block Island Express New London - Old Harbor
New England Airlines
September 1st Labor Day
Westerly to Block Island Summer Schedule
Day Mon
Departs New London 8:30a, 11:50a, 3:10p, 6:30p
Summer Schedule
Day Mon
Departs Block Island 10:05a, 1:25p, 4:55p, 8:10p
September 5th - September 20th Day Fri Sat Sun
Departs New London 10am, 3:10p, 6:30p 8:30a, 11:50a, 6:30p 8:30a, 11:50a, 3:10p, 6:30p
Day Fri Sat Sun
Departs Block Island 1:25p, 4:55p, 8:10p 10:05a, 4:55p, 8:10p 10:05a, 1:25p, 4:55p, 8:10p
860-444-GO B.I. • 401-466-2212 www.goblockisland.com
Departs Westerly Daily 7:30a, 9:30a, 11:30a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 4:30p, 5:30p, 6:30p Additional Flights: Thursday 7:30p Friday 7:30p, 8:30p Departs Block Island Daily 8a, 10a, 12p, 2p, 4p, 5p, 6p Additional Flights: Friday 7p
401-466-5881 www.block-island.com/nea/ Flight times and restrictions subject to change. Call daily for changes. *every half hour
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND “Block Island Bracelet”
ARTISTS
Phone orders 401-578-1125 www.blockislandjewelry.com Showing at the Block Island Farmers’ Market
BLOCK
BOARDS
HANDCRAFTED BY THE GASNER FAMILY HANDCRAFTED by NOAH GASNER
Cutting & Wood WoodCrafts Crafts Cutting Boards Boards & Sold at: at: Sold The B.I. Farmer’s Market The B.I. Farmers’ Market, Arts & Crafts Fair, Local Galleries Arts & Crafts Fair, By Appointment, BI Kite Company
B.I. Kite Company
Also Available: B.I. Beach Stone Stack
“Block Island Wire Outline Ring”
BEN WOHLBERG by appointment 466-2004 www.benwohlberg.com
“Quahog. BI Quahog. Quahog & Rock Seaweed Ring.” Phone orders 401-578-1125 www.blockislandjewelry.com Showing at the Block Island Farmers’ Market
By hand - One at at time - On island - 39 years
Phone orders 401-578-1125 www.blockislandjewelry.com Showing at the Block Island Farmers’ Market
AlsoNecklaces, Available: B.I. Stack Rings, andStone Earrings Necklaces, and Julia's Earrings “Julia’s Jewelry” Jewelry For more more info info or to place an order For Call: or Call:401-864-4357 401-864-4357 or Email: ngasner@uvm.edu Email: gasner@verizon.net
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 15
Block Island has a vibrant art community with many artisits who bring color to our island. 1. Spring Street Gallery Painting, photography, pottery & jewelry by island artists. Across from the Manisses. springstreetgallery.org 401.466.5374 2. Jessie Edwards Gallery Painting, photography, pottery & decorative glass. Above the Post Office. jessieedwardsgallery.com 401.466.5314 3. Aurora Gallery Rented gallery space; exhibits change weekly. Above the Post Office.
4. Farmers Market 9 a.m. -11:30 a.m Wednesdays Local produce, baked goods, arts and crafts. Manisses parking lot. 5. Greenaway Gallery Malcolm Greenaway photography next to the Empire Theater malcolmgreenaway.com/gallery. html 401.466.5331 800.840.5331 6. Block Island Blue Pottery Functional and fanciful pottery. blockislandbluepottery.com 401.466.2945
7. Ambergris Gallery Painting, sculpture & great finds from beyond. Across from the Gables Inn. ambergrisgallery.com 917.453.9271 8. Historical Society Gallery & Museum Vintage photographs, maps, artwork, interesting curios. blockislandhistorical.org 401.466.2481 9. Farmers Market Saturdays 9 a.m. -11:30 a.m. Local produce, baked goods, arts and crafts. Negus Park.
10. HeART space Community art center and gallery. At Elevations Studio & Cafe, Champlin’s Marina. facebook.com/heartspace Block Island heartspacebi@gmail.com 11. Block Island State Airport Marilyn Bogdanffy mural and rotating monthly exhibits. Located on Center Road. Map created by Spring Street Gallery and 1813 DesignWorks. Have fun adding your own colors.
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Block Island Landmarks 1. THE NORTH LIGHT is the fourth lighthouse built on Sandy Point. The first, finished in 1829, was washed away in a few years. A second light began operation in 1837, but was not visible to ships due to the shifting sands. The government built a third light near the end of the Point in 1857 and that also succumbed to the sea. At last, in 1867, the present sturdy building of Connecticut granite, hauled to the site by oxen, was completed. The North Light now leads a second life as an Interpretive Center with exhibits on loan from the B.I. Historical Society. The lighthouse building will be open in summer daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but it is closed during inclement weather. Tours are available. The lighthouse is located in the Sachem Pond Wildlife refuge and is less than a half-mile walk from Settlers Rock. Please don’t swim at Sandy Point as there are dangerous currents.
THE STATUE OF REBECCA
12. RODMAN’S HOLLOW, named after the island’s first doctor, is a wild and beautiful cleft in the rolling southwestern terrain left from the glacier, and is the haunt of hawks, white-tailed deer, and several rare species of wildflowers. In the 1960s developers bought it and proposed a dozen houses on the slopes. This so dismayed island residents that they formed the Block Island Conservancy, with the late Captain Rob Lewis as their leader, and raised enough money to buy it back so that it could be forever wild. Walking trails lead to Black Rock Beach.
2. SETTLERS’ ROCK AND SACHEM POND are at the northern end of the island. The stone memorial was erected in 1911 in commemoration of the landing 250 years earlier of the first European settlers on Block Island. In April 1661, the families and animals of 16 men who had purchased the island for 400 pounds sterling arrived by barque from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Because the island had no natural harbor, they were forced to leave their ship and wade ashore. The cows swam ashore into the cove, known thereafter as Cow Cove. Bird watching, fishing, and sunset gazing are favorite pastimes at this location. 3. CLAY HEAD NATURE TRAIL aka THE MAZE aka BLUESTONE is reached via a dirt road leading off Corn Neck Road across from a yellow Victorian house just two miles north of the Fred Benson Town Beach Pavilion. A paradise for walkers, Clay Head Trail leads to the northeastern shore of the island and meanders along the scenic bluffs of Clay Head for more than a mile until it reaches Settlers Rock and Sandy Point. Take care not to get too close to the edge of the bluffs for there is constant erosion, which means a danger of falling. Branching off the trail are other trails, which gave the area the nickname The Maze. One trail leads directly to the beach north of Jerry’s Point where one can still see remnants of the glacial formation called Pots & Kettles. 4. MANSION BEACH is located at the northern section of Crescent Beach on the east side of the island. It takes its name from the Searles Mansion that stood there from 1888 to 1963. The mansion, unused in 1963, was destroyed that year by fire. Only the stone foundation and entrance pillars still remain. On good beach days there is very limited parking space available. Beautiful views and bigger surf are found here compared to the southern end of Crescent Beach. No lifeguards are available in this area. 5. THE B.I. HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM, GALLERY & GIFT SHOP, at Bridgegate Square across from the bank, was established in 1942. The building, originally known as Woonsocket House, houses an extensive collection of artifacts reflecting the maritime culture of the island from early colonial days to the present. Exhibit rooms include furniture, textiles, boat models, fishing gear, Native American arrowheads and much more. This year’s special exhibit is “Surrounded by the Sea: the Block Island Story.” The gallery is showing oil paintings of artist C. Sperry Andrews, original photographs by Carmel Vittulo, vintage island photographs from 1913, and Wetherbee posters and historic maps. For group tours, genealogy research or to donate anything with Block Island-related history, please contact Executive Director Pam Gasner at (401) 466-2481 or e-mail blockhistory@me.com. The museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Labor Day. Off-season open by appointment. Admission: $15 Family/group up to 4; $10 guided tour (2 day pass); Adult $6, seniors and students $4. Members free. 6. OLD HARBOR is the year-round docking point for boats coming in from Point Judith, and accommodates seasonal Newport and New London ferries as well as the high-speed ferries. Old Harbor, once known as Government Harbor as funds to construct it were solicited from the U.S. government, was completed in 1872. Prior to the breakwater it was known as Pole Harbor as islanders pulled ashore and secured their classic double-ender fishing boats to the poles in the sand. There is limited anchoring space within the breakwaters for pleasure craft and a maximum anchorage of seven days. It is nestled within the bustling downtown, where the majority of the island’s hotels, restaurants, and retail shops are located.
11. MOHEGAN BLUFFS, to the west of the Southeast Lighthouse, has a magnificent view of the southern coast and its high cliffs, with Montauk often visible 20 miles away. At Payne Overlook, you’ll find a wooden stairway that was built by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management. It is a difficult climb for the elderly and the unfit, and the footing at the bottom is extremely difficult. Be careful. This beach can be very crowded and swimming is sometimes dangerous.
7. OCEAN VIEW PAVILION is a place for rest and reflection. The Ocean View Foundation is a nonprofit that secured this Old Harbor plot for the enjoyment of the public. The site features a finely crafted pavilion and remarkable views. The largest hotel on the island, the Ocean View, once stood on this site until fire destroyed it in the summer of 1966. The pavilion is dedicated to the concept of expanding the public’s awareness of environmental issues. Visitors must walk in from Water Street across from the ferry parking lot just to the left of the post office building. The site is open from dawn to dusk. 8. THE STATUE OF REBECCA formally stands in stark white at the intersection of Water, High, and Spring streets. Named after the biblical Rebekah-at-the-well, the statue originally featured water troughs for horses and dogs and once had running water for human consumption. Installed in 1896 by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the statue is dedicated to abstinence from spirits. The much-loved statue was recast and reinstalled to celebrate her 100th anniversary. The conservationists who did the work concluded that the woman is not Rebekah but rather Hebe, cupbearer to the gods. 9. ABRAMS ANIMAL FARM has a diverse collection of exotic and domestic animals maintained by Justin Abrams and family, owners of the 1661 Inn and Hotel Manisses. The small farm between Spring and High streets is home to camels, llamas, emus, sheep, donkeys, goats, swans, and ducks. Visitors are free to view and pet the animals, which are accessible from Spring Street. Here you’ll also see the Hotel Manisses’ extensive garden. Open to the public from dawn to dusk. 10. SOUTHEAST LIGHTHOUSE sits 200 feet above the sea on Mohegan Bluffs. When its powerful light was turned on in 1875, the beams reached 21 miles out to sea, farther than any other light in New England. When the National Historic Landmark was first constructed, a large field separated the house and tower from the cliff’s edge. By the late 1980s, the bluffs had eroded to within 60 feet of the building. Funding was obtained through federal, state and local channels to move it to safe grounds. The move took place in August of l993 and a large stone now marks where the tower once stood. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Guided tower tours are available on weekends. The building is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., provided staffing is available. Museum exhibits and gifts are available at the base of the tower including lighthouse T-shirts, which contribute to the ongoing restoration of the tower and interior of the keeper’s quarters. Group tours available by appointment. Info: (401) 466-5009. Volunteers welcome. Please park mopeds, bikes, and cars outside of the fenced area.
13. ISAAC’S CORNER, at the intersection of Center Road, Lakeside Drive, and Cooneymus Road, is named for Isaac Church, the island’s last surviving native Indian, who died in 1886. Nearby (to the east of the four corners) is an Indian burial ground where the headstones (small fieldstones) are set closely together. Indian custom dictated burial of the dead in an upright position, with a pot of clams or oysters beside them to speed them on their way to the next life. The Town’s Heinz Recreation Playing Field, where summer camp and sporting events are held, is located just north of the corner. Take the first right. Parking available on the grass. There are also Greenway trails accessible across the street that meander around Fresh Pond. 14. SMILIN’ THROUGH is a gambrel-roofed cottage situated on Cooneymus Road, where composer and poet Arthur Penn and his wife Nell resided in the 1920s. Penn’s musical works include a song about the B.I. home, “Smilin’ Through.” The original cottage was built in the 1700s by Trustrum and Dorcus Dodge and was remodeled in 1950. The house sits on the edge of a sloping hill, which leads down to the waters of Fresh Pond. 15. BEACON HILL, with its stone tower, is visible from almost any part of the island. From a height of 210 feet above sea level, it commands unsurpassed panoramic views. The Indians held tribal councils there, and watches were kept on Beacon Hill during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The tower was designed as a memorial to the island’s seamen. It is now a private home, so you’ll have to enjoy the site from a distance. 16. THE COAST GUARD STATION opened in 1938 as one of the first Coast Guard stations on the East Coast. The station was one of two on the island, with the second one once standing at the site of the present-day Beachead. Before its reopening in the 1990s, the current station was boarded up by the U.S. Transportation Department that oversaw the Coast Guard before the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In the late 1980s the town worked with the federal government to transfer control of the property to the town of New Shoreham. The Coast Guard returned and initiated regular summer patrols of the harbors. The local police, who lack their own boat, appreciate the help on the seas. 17. NEW HARBOR is the first stop for those coming in on the Montauk ferry and is the docking and anchoring spot for most private boaters. New Harbor was, in fact, the site of the island’s first protected harbor, but the expense of keeping a breachway open between the Great Salt Pond and Block Island Sound caused it to be abandoned in 1705. A new breach was cut and a breakwater was constructed to establish a permanent access point in 1897. Docks, marinas and anchoring sites await boaters in the southwest corner of New Harbor, as well as shops, restaurants and hotel accommodations. Pumpout services are provided by the town harbormaster, as discharge in the pristine waters of the Great Salt Pond is prohibited.
September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Block Island Map
www.blockislandtimes.com Map by Jessie Edwards of Jessie Edwards Gallery • www.jessieedwardsgallery.com
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Block Island Beaches 1
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1.
Cow Cove is located near Settlers Rock. Although the shoreline is rocky, it offers some of the best coastal views and also sports the historic North Light. This is not a safe place to swim because of a strong riptide. Be careful where you walk too: the beach is a nesting area for many rare birds.
2.
Mansion Beach lies at the end of a dirt road with the same name. The island’s most stately mansion once sat like a jewel on a hill overlooking Jerry’s Point. Fire destroyed the house and it was never rebuilt. However, the beach fits the name by being the island’s grandest.
3.
Scotch Beach is a quarter mile north of Fred Benson Town Beach. Scotch is a sandbox for kids and the place to go for vacationers looking for a hotly contested game of volleyball. There is a small parking lot between the road and the dunes.
4.
Fred Benson Town Beach is home to Block Island’s fully equipped bathhouse. In addition to showers, lockers, food, and rental items, the beach is staffed with lifeguards in the summer months. There is also a small parking lot, which fills up fast.
5.
Baby Beach is a well-sheltered beachfront at the south end of Crescent Beach, where children can easily play in the shallow waters. It’s also an ideal place to check out the abundant sea life such as small crabs and starfish and go hunting for shells and sand dollars.
6.
Ballard’s Beach is located on the south side of the Old Harbor breakwater and adjacent to Ballard’s restaurant. Staffed with lifeguards throughout the summer months, it is also a popular destination for sunbathing, swimming, and volleyball.
7.
Mohegan Bluffs beachfront is found at the bottom of the steps that descend from the bluffs. A favorite spot for surfers, it’s also a beautiful and secluded place to swim. Be warned, however, erosion at the bottom of the stairs has made the path from there to the beach tough to navigate.
8.
Vaill Beach is a large beach at the bottom of a hollow. The path to it is located at the bend in Snake Hole Road. At the base of the bend turn left and walk for approximately 50 yards. The surf here is rough and rocks line the shallows, so swimmers should exercise caution.
9.
Black Rock boasts expanses of sand and a series of coves at the base of a cliff. Swimming is difficult because of the large number of rocks, but it’s a perfect place for an oceanside hike. The area takes its name from a large, dark rock that rests offshore in about 15 feet of water and has spelled the end for many ships. Located a pace off the main road, it’s best to walk or bike to get there.
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15c
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Custom-built coverage
Chartis is the perfect fit for owners of high-end homes. Look to our Private Client Group for sound insurance protection, resources to lessen the chance of property damage and stellar claims service — all custom-tailored for you.
We are proud to work exclusively with the finest independent insurance brokers, including: John H. Lathrop 85A Beach St., Westerly, RI 02891 401-596-2525 jlathrop@lathropinsurance.com
www.ChartisPrivateClient.com Chartis is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty and general insurance operations of Chartis Inc. Private Client Group is a division of Chartis Inc. Insurance is underwritten by a member company of Chartis Inc., including CHARTIS PROPERTY CASUALTY COMPANY. This is a summary only. It does not include all terms and conditions and exclusions of the policies or services described. Please refer to the actual policies for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Coverage and supplemental services may not be available in all jurisdictions and are subject to underwriting review and approval.
10. Mosquito Beach, also known as “Dinghy Beach,” is located just across the road from Scotch Beach, a quarter mile north of Fred Benson Town
September 2014
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Beach. It provides a place for boaters in New Harbor to tie up their rafts and dinghies. There are majestic views of Great Salt Pond, making it a good backdrop for photos. 11. Andy’s Way is the island’s premier clamming spot. Standing at the end of a dirt road that bears the same name, it’s a good place to take a stroll. Just north is Beane Point, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property that is home to many rare birds. 12. West Beach is lightly trafficked and has gentle surf. It’s perfect for walking and is close to the North Light.
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
14. Charlestown Beach is popular with fishermen because it has a long jetty at its end. Typically uncrowded, it’s a nice spot to watch the boats come into the harbor or explore the former Coast Guard station that is now town-owned. 15. Grace’s, Dorry’s, and Cooneymus coves are secluded beaches on the west side of the island. They are perfect for a challenging hike or for those looking for an out-of-the-way spot to catch a sunset or a moonrise.
Photos by Annie Hall and Kate Ryan
13. Coast Guard Beach is at the end of Champlin Road and derives its name from the old Coast Guard station that was formerly located there. Don’t swim here, but it’s a good place for clamming and fishing.
“Let us show you the most beautiful properties on Block Island.”
Beach Real Estate
— Nancy Pike and Mary Stover
Sales • Rentals • Market Evaluations FEATURED LISTING
CONN AVE.: Perfectly appointed 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with shipshape guest quarters. Easy walk to town and beach! $1,985,000
WATERFRONT GREAT SALT POND: Dramatic sunsets, beachfront, 3+ bedrooms, stove fireplace. Walk to Crescent Beach. $2,950,000
LAKESIDE DRIVE: Four bedroom, 2.5 bath privately located 2.5+ acres. Ocean views. $1,495,000
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SANDS FARM ROAD: Private, 3 bedroom, Clayhead views.
Living room and master fireplaces.
$995,000
CORN NECK ROAD: Private 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape, 2+ acres, western views. Garage. Abuts conserved land. $1,249,000
LAND LISTINGS OLD MILL FARMS:
2 lots near conserved land. Ocean views or gardener’s paradise! Lot 3-11: $625,000 Lot 3-27: $500,000 AMY DODGE:
1.1 acre lot with ocean views. $499,000
OLD TOWN ROAD: Renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bath w/AC, convenient to Harbors and beaches. $945,000
Mary E. Stover, Principal Broker-Owner & Nancy D. Pike, Broker-Owner Sandra Hopf, Broker Ocean Avenue, Block Island, RI 02807 • www.biBeachRealEstate.com • 401-466-2312 Located behind the Dewey Cottage
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When You’re On The Block Dial 911 for emergency
IMPORTANT: THE DIALING OF 911 IS FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY! An emergency is when immediate police, fire or rescue assistance is necessary. 911 should not be dialed for non-emergency calls that do not involve or require immediate assistance. However, if you feel that there is an emergency occurring, but don’t know for certain, presume it is an emergency and use 911. IF IN DOUBT, USE 911! For non-emergencies, call 466-3220. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS Do exactly what the 911 operator tells you to do. Give the operator all necessary information, including the fire number on the house. (There are no street addresses on B.I. Instead all buildings have fire numbers clearly marked on the outside of the house.) Remember, your assistance could make the difference between serious injury, life or death.
TOWN ORDINANCES PROHIBIT:
• Drinking alcoholic beverages in streets, on docks, beaches, etc. • Camping, except by special permission. • Sleeping overnight in vehicles or on beaches. • Operating motorcycles between midnight and 6 a.m. • Beach fires and/or driving on the beach without a permit. • Dumping refuse on roads or in harbors. • Shellfishing without a license. • Charcoal fires on boats tied up at docks. • Disturbing the peace. • Unleashed dogs. • Littering.
IMPORTANT ISLAND PHONE NUMBERS
BI Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-2974 Police (nonemergency) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-3220 Fire Department / Rescue Squad . . . . . . . . . . 466-3220 Coast Guard (Block Island) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-2086 Coast Guard (Galilee) 24 hours . . . . . . . . . . . 789-0444 RI Poison Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 222-1222 BI Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-5511 Harbormaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-3204 Town Clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-3200 Recreation Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-3223 Interstate Navigation (Block Island) . . . . . . . 466-2261 Block Island Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-2212 Block Island Hi-Speed Ferry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-2261 Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466-3234
VEHICULAR BEACH RESTRICTIONS Vehicles are permitted to drive on Crescent Beach only from 6 p.m. until 9 a.m. No motor vehicle shall be allowed on the beach without a valid, updated permit from the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). Permits are available at the police department for $50 between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. All motor vehicles of any description are prohibited on dunes except on trails marked expressly for vehicular use. Vehicles are also not allowed on any lands designated “Open Space” and maintained by the town for the benefit of the general public. DUNE PROTECTION The dunes offer a home to countless species of plants and animals that, like the beach itself, need our protection if they are to survive. To help save the life of our dunes and beaches, we urge you to: • Use designated access paths and parking lots only. • Keep off dunes and beach vegetation. • Keep all vehicles off the beach, as they destroy vegetation and cause beach erosion. • Do not sleep on the beach overnight. BEACH FIRES Beach fires are prohibited without a permit. Permits are available at the police department, and are valid for one day, expiring at midnight. Fires must be at least 25 feet from dunes. Please clean up and dispose of all trash properly and extinguish fires completely before leaving the beach. POND PROTECTION Gas motors banned All forms of gasoline or diesel fuel-powered motors on boats are prohibited on BI’s freshwater ponds. Pollutants and contaminants banned No discharging of any sewage, petroleum products, detergents, pesticides, or any other form of pollutants or con taminants is permitted. Penalty for violation Any person violating this ordinance shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $100, or confinement for not more than 10 days, or both such fine and confinement. Any person convicted of a second violation shall be subject to a fine of not more than $200, or forfeiture of motor and equipment, or both.
WILDLIFE REFUGES Protected wildlife areas Wildlife refuge areas on Block Island include Sachem Pond, Payne’s Farm, the Southeast Lighthouse, Rodman’s Hollow, Lewis-Dickens Farm, Beane Point and Cormorant Cove. No one may hunt, shoot, trap, or annoy wildlife, or destroy or disturb the eggs, nest or nesting area of any wildlife within designated areas. Penalty for violation Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100, or be imprisoned not more than 10 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment, together with costs of prosecution. SHELLFISH ORDINANCES A license is required for shellfishing. Beds are currently closed to the harvesting of scallops and oysters. The harvesting of clams is restricted. For more info, call the Harbors Department at 466-3204 or stop by the Harbormaster’s shack in New Harbor (adjacent to the Boat Basin), where shellfishing licenses are sold. ANIMAL ORDINANCES Dogs must be licensed and wear tags on a collar. Unless in a vehicle or on the property of its owner, dogs must be leashed with a cord not exceeding six feet in length. For problems contact the Police Department at 466-3220. Horses: the New Shoreham Town Council requests that all persons refrain from riding horses in the downtown area. BLOCK ISLAND’S RULES OF THE ROAD PEDESTRIANS. Pay special attention to traffic while in the downtown area. According to Rhode Island law, pedestrians must walk against traffic (on the left side) on roads without sidewalks. BICYCLISTS. Please take care when cycling the unique roads of Block Island. Ride with the traffic, obey traffic signs and adhere to all rules of the road. Hand signals are very helpful to other traffic and can prevent accidents. Keep on the right side of the road and ride single-file whenever possible. For nighttime riding, a light is required for the front of the bicycle and a reflector should be attached to the rear. Bicycles are not permitted on Greenway trails. Helmets are required for bicyclists age 16 and under, and strongly encouraged for adults. AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS. Please exercise extreme caution when traversing Block Island roads. The speed limit is 25 mph island-wide. Pass bicyclists and mopeds only when you are certain it’s safe. ROLLERBLADES, SCOOTERS, SKATEBOARDS. Due to heavy congestion and safety concerns, rollerblading, skateboarding and scootering are not permitted in the downtown area or on Ocean Avenue. Skating and scootering is allowed north of Town Beach, south of the Spring House and on the west side of the island. Please travel with the traffic and adhere to all rules of the road. Scooters with helper motors (electric or gas) are not allowed on roads by RI state law.
BICYCLES AND MOPEDS. Bicycles are the preferred rental vehicles. You can explore dirt roads with them. If you do rent a moped, please note — • Mopeds are not allowed on dirt roads. •B y law, a helmet and eye protection must be worn. • Do not leave the training area until you are sure that you know how to operate the moped and its controls. • Once you are on the road, proceed slowly enough to examine oncoming road conditions. Do not drive on the shoulder of the road. Driver inexperience, heavy traffic flow, sandy shoulders, sharp curves, and uneven pavement are common causes of accidents on Block Island. • Mopeds may be operated from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. only. • Passengers must ride behind the operator. ACCIDENTS. Do not hesitate to seek help from the Rescue Squad if you have or witness an accident. First aid and ambulance service is rendered at no cost to you. A portion of the Rescue Squad budget is met by town funds, but the Rescue Squad relies heavily on donations to cover the full costs of training, equipment, supplies and maintenance. Any contribution made to support this work will be welcomed and acknowledged. Donations are tax-deductible. Mail donations to: Block Island Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 214, Block Island, RI 02807. OTHER USEFUL ISLAND INFORMATION RECYCLING. All trash must be separated for recycling. Deposit your sidewalk trash in the recycling containers marked for bottles, cans or trash only. These special containers are not for household or boat trash. Those renting houses should use the Transfer Station, located on West Beach Road. Recyclables (news pa per, glass, cardboard, plastics, aluminum and tin cans) are free. Glass, cans, plastics and aluminum should be clean. Other trash is deposited at a charge of 12 cents per pound, paid in cash, by local check or credit card at the Transfer Station (466-3234). RABIES NOTICE. State law and town ordinances require that all pets (cats, dogs or ferrets) brought to the island be vaccinated against rabies. In addition to vaccinating pets, people should stay away from all wild and stray animals. Rabies is always fatal unless treated before symptoms develop. Rhode Island rabies hotline: 1-800-482-7878, ext. 3. PLEASE CONSERVE WATER. While the island’s municipal water company has been producing a lot of good water, water conservation is still encouraged, and the water is a precious island resource. On properties with septic systems, be sure not to overload the system with showers, dishwashing and clothes-washing all at once. And please don’t shock such systems with fats, oils and greases, or paper products including “flushable” wipes. ADVICE FOR VISITORS FROM THE BLOCK ISLAND MEDICAL CENTER LYME DISEASE: Don’t get ticked off. Lyme disease is a serious health threat on Block Island. Visitors should make a daily “tick check.” Look for attached ticks, no bigger than a pinhead, red areas and itchiness. Symptoms include rashes, headaches, joint stiffness, chills, fever, and nausea. Not all ticks carry the disease; not all people bitten catch it. Infection is uncommon if the tick is removed within 24 hours. Consult your physician if you suspect you may have become infected. Treatment after early diagnosis is generally effective, but becomes more difficult if symptoms are left untreated. Long pants and sleeves and insect repellant are suggested for forays into wooded areas, brush and meadows.
Folks from the Block Island Early Learning Center following the rules of the road. Photo by Kari Curtis
September 2014
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I Tried It
Parasailing
For my birthday last September, my husband gave me a gift certificate to go parasailing with my then 13-year-old daughter. Wait, had I really said I wanted to do that? My daughter, Alcy, who had done it before assured me I’d love it, but I’ve heard that from her before and, well, pop rocks? the teacup ride? Let’s just say: Mixed Results. She was right about this one, though. Although my nervousness built as we sped out past the harbor and peaked as our clearly able guide helped us into our harnesses, it was smooth sailing from that point on. You’ll feel a little jerk as we go up, Alcy told me, and
then it’s really gentle. She was right. So gentle and securefeeling I even let her convince me to let go of the ropes to wave to the folks in the boat and those watching from the beach (inset right), and even to join her in swinging in the harness. Yes, it was relaxing, freeing. Yes, it felt like flying. And yes, the views of the island were amazing. — Lisa Stiepock Block Island Parasail & Watersports is at Old Harbor Dock near Ballard’s Inn. Call 401-864-2474 and visit www.blockislandparasail.com
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
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SPONSORED BY THE RED BIRD LIQUOR STORE
Local Flavor
The Bird is the Word for Barbecues on Block Island. Come in and see our wide selection of wines for any occasion. Or, let us order exactly what you want.
The Red Bird Liquor Store Fine Wines, Liquor, Kegs, Cigars, Soda Case Discounts! HOURS Mon.-Thurs. 9am - 9pm Fri.-Sat. 9am-10pm Sunday 10am-6pm
466-2441
Frozen Mudslides a deux: You won’t get the view but you can try to make frozen mudslides a la The Oar restaurant at home. To mimic the top shelf variety (above, right), put equal parts Vesica vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Kahlua in a blender, add ice and blend. Swirl some Hershey’s chocolate syrup around in your glass before pouring in the frozen concoction. Add some whipped cream and top that with a chocolate-syrup drizzle.To make a home-version of The Oar’s machine-made variety (above, left), blend equal parts of the lower-cost (known as “well”) varieties of vodka, Irish cream, and coffee liquor with enough ice cream to make it smooth and creamy.
Frozen Mudslides at The Oar
Some things are just non-negotiable. That’s the way it is with joining our friends from Indiana (Missy and Bill, in photo at top) for mudslides at The Oar. They come to the island for a week every July-into-August and one of the first things we do is plan what night we’ll have dinner at The Oar, which inevitably begins with games of cornhole toss on the lawn while sipping mudslides and watching the sunset melt over New Harbor. Sometimes we conduct taste tests between the two varieties offered: top shelf, made in the blender or those from the mudslide machine, which are lower shelf but taste like ice cream. It’s tough to decide, which is why we will need to keep testing. —Lisa Stiepock
www.blockislandtimes.com
September 2014
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Entertainment Calendar Live Music
Galleries:
Aldo’s Restaurant (466-5871)
Ambergris (466-5252)
Annual 15K Run Around the Block Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1:30 p.m. starting at Fresh Pond on Center Rd. This popular 15K road race route takes runners around scenic Block Island. $30 registration. Call 4662474 for more information or register at www.active.com.
Located on Dodge St.
Thursdays and Fridays 6:30 - 10pm Second Time Around oldies rock ‘n’ roll
Historical Society Museum Gallery (466-2481)
Ballard’s (466-2231) Daily-Shawn David Allen Daily- John Brazile Aug. 30, Sept. 6 - Kick Aug 31- Something Else
Featuring work by C. Sperry Andrews,original photographs by Carmel Vittulo, vintage island photographs from 1913, Wetherbee artist proofs and historic maps. Gallery and Museum Shop are free.
Captain Nick’s (466-5670)
Jessie Edwards Studio (466-5314)
Aug. 29,30- The Booze Beggars Aug. 31- Dr. Westchesterson Sept. 1- Disco Night
Peter Michael Gish - New Work 2014 Through September 3 - Gish’s newest work is alive with the power of nature in its many forms, expressing what he calls “the shock of seeing” – the frisson of heightened awareness and passing that on to the viewer. Through his deft brushwork and eye for color, light, shadow, and texture, he does just that. A must see exhibit. Group Exhibit - Lingering Light August 30 & 31 Final exhibit of the summer season with a nod towards the changing light. www.jessieedwardsgallery.com
Club Soda (466-5397) Mon. Trivia Night 9 p.m. Tues. Karoke 9 p.m. Weds. Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Thurs. DJ Dance Party 10 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays: Live Music
Mahogany Shoals (466-5572) Wednesday to Sunday: 9(-ish) pm: Walter McDonough, Irish music.
Greenaway Gallery (466-5331)
The National Hotel (466-2901)
www.malcolmgreenaway.com Open Daily
Live acoustic music, call for more information.
Poor People’s Pub (466-8533) Sundays: Rehab Brunch 11am-3pm, RootDown HoeDown. Reggae, Funk, Jazz. 1pm on the patio Tuesdays: S.I.N. Tuesday w/ DJ Libre at 10pm Discounts and Freebies for Service Industry Workers
Yellow Kittens (466-5855) Aug 29- Wicked Peach Aug. 31- Hope Road Sept. 5,6- Never in Vegas Sept 3,10,13,20,27- DJ Dugan Sept 7, 12,19,26- DJ Libre
Theaters: Empire Theatre (466-2555) See ad in weekly Block Island Times.
Ocean West Theatre (466-2971)
Committee for the Great Salt Pond Annual Meeting Sunday, Sept. 7 at 4:30 p.m. at Smuggler’s. Jonathan Stone, Executive Directer of Save the Bay, will be the guest speaker. Refreshments and hord d’oeuvres will be served. All are welcome.
Square Dance St. Ann’s by-the-Sea will host a fundraiser on Sept. 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Ballard’s Inn with an evening of square dancing. $25 per person and includes hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and soft drinks. Cash bar, silent auction and 50/50 raffle. For more information call St. Ann’s Parish office at 466-2911.
Fall Taste of Block Island Sept. 26 to 28 is the semi-annual A Taste of Block Island. The event is to highlight the different events and activities that visitors and locals can enjoy. Taste of Block Island Buttons will be available for purchase at the Block Island Chamber of Commerce or aboard any Interstate Navigation Block Island Ferry, or the Block Island Express Ferry for $5 per button.
Farmers Market
Spring Street Gallery (466-5374) August 27 - September 5 Photographs by Gerard Closset - Opening Reception Saturday, August 30 at 5pm September 6 – 16 Photographs by Grace Luddy -Opening Reception Saturday, September 6th at 5pm
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Negus Park and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Manisses Parking Lot. Homemade Island baked goods, crafts, artwork and Island-grown produce.
Miscellany of Events Annual Lion’s Club Clam Bake Saturday, Aug. 30, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Narragansett Inn. Full bake is $39, BBQ bake is $20, $12 for kids 12 and under and seniors. A 50/50 raffle and live music. Tickets available day of bake.
Block Island Summer Concert Series Held at the St. Andrew Parish Center on Spring Street, the event begins promptly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 – Cameron Greenlee’s Jazz fusion trio KyoshiiConcerts are free and open to the public.
See ad in weekly Block Island Times.
Great place to kick off a sightseeing tour of the island
EXPLORE THE GREAT SALT POND ON A PADDLEBOARD
Offering rentals and lessons for all skill levels
World’s fastest growing water sport.
Sunset Tours
OCEANADVENTURESBI.COM 401.368.2611
Peter Michael Gish at Jessie Edwards Studio
Like us on
Don’t miss our estate and vintage jewelry collection.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM 2014 FALL EXHIBIT “Surrounded by the Sea: The Block Island Story” On-going 3-D slide shows & scheduled showings of Island related movies The Museum Shop/Gallery features maps, postcards, prints & t-shirts
Exceptional buys at great savings!
FALL HOURS 11 am - 4 pm weekends or by appointment ADMISSION $6 adults, $4 seniors & students Members and children FREE SAVE THE DATE • Sept. 20th - 3 p.m. Annual Meeting
Full of funky stuff Design services available Dodge Street
466-2990
• Special tours available all year round
401-466-2481 • blockislandhistorical.org
www.blockislandtimes.com
Summer Times Advertiser Index
September 2014
BEACH AVENUE
REAL ESTATE
CHAPEL STREET
ATTWOOD REAL ESTATE www.attwoodrealestate.com 401-466-5582
TWIN MAPLES www.twinmaplesblockisland.com 401-466-5547
BLOCKS OF FUDGE 401-466-5196 CHAPEL SWEETS 401-466-2672
EAST OF THE RIVER NILE TRADING COMPANY www.eastoftherivernile.com 401-480-9728 FULL MOON TIDE www.fullmoontide.com 401-466-5666
ADVANCED MORTGAGE CORP. www.advancedmortgagecorp.com 401-737-6655 BALLARD HALL REAL ESTATE www.blockislandproperty.com 401-466-8883 BEACH REAL ESTATE www.bibeachrealestate.com 401-466-2312 BLOCK ISLAND REALTY www.birealty.com 401-466-5887 LILA DELMAN REAL ESTATE www.liladelman.com 401-466-8777
GOLDDIGGERS www.blockislandgolddiggers.com 401-466-2611
NEPTUNE HOUSE www.neptunehouse.com 401-261-2032
DODGE STREET
PHILLIPS REAL ESTATE www.phillipsonbi.com 401-466-8806
AMBERGRIS 917-453-9271
BEACHCOMBER 401-466-2777 DIAMOND BLUE SURF SHOP www.diamondbluebi.com 401-466-3145 LAZY FISH 401-466-2990 MAR MAR www.marmarjewels.com 215-880-3922 MARYE-KELLEY www.marye-kelley.com 401-466-2412 RED BIRD LIQUOR STORE 401-466-2441 WATERCOLORS 401-466-2538
OCEAN AVENUE
ISLAND HARDWARE & SUPPLY 401-466-5831
SPRING STREET
NORTH LIGHT FIBERS www.northlightfibers.com 401-466-2050
WATER STREET
OFFSHORE PROPERTY LIMITED www.offshorepropertylimited.com 401-466-5446 GUSTAVE WHITE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY www.gustavewhite.com 401-466-2900
ALDO’S BAKERY & ICE CREAM www.aldosbakery.com 401-466-2198 ALDO’S RESTAURANT www.aldosrestaurantblockisland.com 401-466-5871 THE BEACHEAD www.thebeachead.com 401-466-2249 BECKETT’S AUTHENTIC GELATO BEN & JERRY’S 401-466-5430 BLOCKS OF FUDGE 401-466-5196 DEAD EYE DICK’S 401-466-2654 ELI’S www.elisblockisland.com 401-466-5230 FINN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT www.finnsseafood.com 401-466-2473
B-EYES SUNGLASS SHOP www.b-eyes.com 401-466-8676
FROOZIES www.frooziesblockisland.com 401-466-2230
BECKETT’S AUTHENTIC GELATO
JUICE N JAVA 401-466-5520
BEN & JERRY’S 401-466-5430
KIMBERLY’S 401-466-8600
B.I.TEES 401-466-5977
MANISSES www.blockislandresorts.com 401-466-2421
BLOCK ISLAND SPORT SHOP www.blockislandsport.com 401-466-5001
THE NARRAGANSETT INN www.narragansettinn.net 401-466-2626
BLOCK ISLAND TRADING COMPANY 401-859-1524
THE NATIONAL TAP AND GRILLE www.blockislandhotels.com 401-466-2901
ESSENTIALS 401-466-3168 FROOZIES www.frooziesblockisland.com 401-466-2230 GLASS ONION www.glassonionblockisland.com 401-466-5161 ISLAND BOUND www.islandboundbookstore.com 401-466-8878 ISLANDOG www.blockislandog.com 401-466-5666
BLOCK ISLAND FARMERS MARKET BLOCK ISLAND RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION DEEPWATER WIND www.dwwind.com ISLAND HARDWARE & SUPPPLY 401-466-5831 PRISCILLA ANDERSON DESIGN priscillaandersondesign.com 617-947-4044 TOWN OF NEW SHOREHAM Town Hall www.new-shoreham.com 401-466-3200
BLOCK ISLAND EXPRESS www.goblockisland.com 860-444-4624 and 401-466-2212
AROUS 401-884-8818
COOL TO BE KIND
BLOCK ISLAND BOAT BASIN www.blockislandboatbasin.net 401-466-2631
FOOD
FINN’S FISH MARKET www.finnsseafood.com 401-466-2102
BUILDING BLOCKS 401-466-TOYS(8697)
AROUS 401-884-8818
TRANSPORTATION
1661 INN and HOTEL MANISSES www.blockislandresorts.com 401-466-2421 or 1-800-626-4773
THE OAR www.blockislandresorts.com 401-466-8820 PAYNE’S DONUTS at Smuggler’s Cove POOR PEOPLE’S PUB www.pppbi.com 401-466-8533
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SERVICES AND SALES ON-ISLAND
SULLIVAN REAL ESTATE www.blockislandhouses.com 401-466-5521
ADRIFT 401-466-7944
BONNIE & CLYDE 401-466-8895
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
BLOCK ISLAND BIKE AND CAR RENTAL 401-466-2297
INTERSTATE NAVIGATION www.blockislandferry.com 401-783-4613 McALOON’S TAXI 401-741-1410 MIG’S RIG TAXI 401-480-0493 NEW ENGLAND AIRLINES www.block-island.com/nea 800-243-2460 (toll free) 401-466-5881(Block Island), and 401-596-2460(Westerly)
GALLERIES/ ARTISTS AMBERGRIS 917-453-9271
BLOCK ISLAND’S CREATIVE COMMUNITY Don’t leave the island without previewing the works of the following artists, photographers and craftspeople: Ben Wohlberg, Leah Robinson, Littlefield Bee Farm, the Gasner family, Claire Marschak, Peter Gibbons, Spring Street Gallery, and Robin Langsdorf. Check their ads to learn where their works can be viewed. BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY GALLERY AND MUSEUM 401-466-2481 JESSIE EDWARDS STUDIO www.JessieEdwardsGallery.com 401-466-5314 KARIN SPRAGUE STONECARVERS www.karinsprague.com 401-934-3105 MARYE-KELLEY DECOUPAGE www.marye-kelley.com 401-466-2412 PETER GIBBONS JEWELRY www.blockislandjewelry.com 401-578-1125 PHOTO DOG ART GALLERY www.lesleyanneulrich.com 401-578-1125
POTS & KETTLES www.potsandkettles.com 401-864-2433
SPRING STREET GALLERY www.springstreetgallery.com 401-466-5374
RESTAURANT 1879 AT THE ATLANTIC INN www.atlanticinn.com 401-466-5883
INNS
SPRING HOUSE HOTEL www.springhousehotel.com 401-466-5844
1661 INN and HOTEL MANISSES www.blockislandresorts.com
THE SURF HOTEL www.thesurfhotelblockisland.com 401-466-2241
TERRAPIN TACOS 401-466-5505/6/7
ATLANTIC INN www.atlanticinn.com 401-466-5883
RECREATION
BLOCK ISLAND ACCOMODATIONS www.blockislandbedandbreakfast. com 401-466-2912
BLOCK ISLAND CONSERVANCY www.biconservancy.org 401-466-3111
HYGEIA HOUSE www.thehygeiahouse.com 401-466-9616
BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY GALLERY AND MUSEUM 401-466-2481
THE INNS AT BLOCK ISLAND www.theinnatblockisland.com
SALTY DOG www.fishtheworld.com 401-466-5254
BLOCK ISLAND PARASAIL AND WATERSPORTS www.blockislandparasail.com 401-864-2474
NARRAGANSETT INN www.narragansettinn.net 401-466-2626
SOLSTICE 401-466-2558
BLOCK ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY 401-466-2481
STAR DEPARTMENT STORE 401-466-5541
DIAMOND BLUE SURF CAMPS www.diamondbluebi.com 401-466-3145
STRINGS ‘N THINGS www.fullmoontide.com 401-466-5666
G. WILLIE MAKIT CHARTERS www.gwilliecharters.com 401-466-5151 or 484-431-7131
JENNIFER’S JEWELRY www.jennifersjewelrybi.com 401-466-7944 KAI KAI SANDALS www.kaikaisandal.com MAD HATTER 401-466-3131 MAHONEY’S CLOTHIER 401-466-8616 PEPPERED CAT 401-466-5254 PHOTO DOG www.biphotodog.com 401-466-5858 RAGS 401-466-7596
WAVE www.waveblockisland.com 401-466-8822 WILDFLOWERS BOUTIQUE 401-466-2006
WELDON’S WAY BLOCKHEADS 401-466-5800
BLOCK ISLAND CONSERVANCY 401-466-3111 CHAPEL SWEETS www.blockislandusa.com 401-466-2672 THE ICE CREAM PLACE
PUBLICATIONS
ISLAND BOUND www.islandboundbookstore.com 401-466-8878 STONE WALL FREEDOM — THE SLAVE www.stonewallfreedom.com
LINESIDER FISHING CHARTERS www.linesiderfishing.com 401-439-5386 THE MOPED MAN 401-466-5444 OCEAN ADVENTURES www.oceanadventuresbi.com 401-368-2611 OCEAN VIEW FOUNDATION 401-595-7055 PALE HORSE FISHING CHARTERS 802-379-0336 POND AND BEYOND KAYAK 401-578-2773 SEACREST INN & BICYCLE RENTALS 401-466-2882 TWIN MAPLES 401-466-5547
401-466-2421 or 1-800-626-4773
401-466-5524 or 877-324-4667
NATIONAL HOTEL www.blockislandhotels.com 401-466-2901 PAYNE’S HARBOR VIEW www.paynesharborviewinn.com 401-466-5758 THE SEA BREEZE INN www.seabreezeblockisland.com 401-466-2275 SEACREST INN 401-466-2882 SPRING HOUSE HOTEL www.springhousehotel.com 401-466-5844 THE SURF HOTEL www.thesurfhotelblockisland.com 401-466-2241
OFF ISLAND BUSINESSES
ADVANCED MORTGAGE www.advancedmortgagecorp.com 401-737-6655 CRITTER HUT www.critterhutonline.com 401-789-9444 KARIN SPRAGUE STONECARVERS www.karinsprague.com 401-934-3105 LATHROP INSURANCE www.lathropinsurance.com 401-596-2525 MARINEMAX www.marinemax.com 401-886-7899 NEWPORT STORM www.newportstorm.com 401-261-2032 RINPR 102.7 FM, 88.1 FM, 91.5 FM SHELDON’S FURNITURE 401-783-5503 SOUTH COUNTY HOSPITAL www.schospital.com WBMW 94.9 FM, 99.5 FM, 106.5 FM, 107.7 FM 95.9 WCRI www.classical959.com
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
www.blockislandtimes.com
The Other Block Island
by Isabella DeLeo Some of my fondest childhood memories are from my summers on Block Island. I loved the “simplicity” of island living and how deciding on an ice cream flavor was the hardest part of my day. To me, Block Island was — and still is — full of surprises. If it rained or if my family and I got tired of the beach, we would always find news ways to entertain ourselves, perhaps with a hike through Rodman’s Hollow, a meditative walk in the Sacred Labyrinth or with a squid dissection — both to my delight and horror as a squeamish vegetarian — behind Smuggler’s Cove courtesy of the Block Island Maritime Institute. I maintain that the beauty of Block Island lies in its layers: visitors can limit their B.I. experience to lying on the beach and walking through the shops by Old Harbor. These typical “tourist” activities provide a good introduction to the many wonders of the island. But to truly experience the place that many call home, visitors should consider seeking out some of its lesser-known treasures. I have compiled a list of some of the walking trails and activities that my family and I love, and which lie off B.I.’s more beaten paths. Through rain or shine — and into the fall and winter — they can be very rewarding to pursue. Traveler, go forth.
Want to experience the great outdoors?
• Known as the Greenway, an extensive network of nature trails criss-crosses the island thanks to conservancy groups, such as Block Island Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and the Land Trust. Here are some favorites : • Attwood Trail, near Sachem Pond off Corn Neck Road. It will take you through the 1.8 acre Attwood Property. Although the hill can be steep, the beautiful view makes your hard work worth the while. • Harrison Trail, located between West Side Road and Beacon Hill Road. If you follow the full path, it will take you around the Island Cemetery (where you can see the Dodge monument, which memorializes the Dodge family, some of the first settlers of the island), Great Salt Pond, Beacon Hill Stone Tower, Beacon Hollow Farm and Black Rock. Duration: approximately one hour. (#4 on the Walking Trails map at right) • Walk through Martin Trail and marvel at the open farmland. To get there, enter Old Mill Road from West Side Road. • Get lost in the beautiful Rodman’s Hollow on Cooneymus Road. (#9 on the Walking Trails map at right)
• Mazzur Trail, directly across from deceased poet Arthur Penn’s cottage, Smilin’ Through, is breathtaking with its uninterrupted stonewalls and preserved fields. (#8 on the Walking Trails map at right) • The Win Dodge Preserve, accessed from Cooneymus Road. You will be surrounded by views of the Lewis-Dickens farmlands. (#10 on the Walking Trails map at right) • Make the trek to the beautiful northern tip of Block Island, known as Sandy Point. From there, you can catch a glimpse of, or take a walk out to the North Light. While at that end of the island, check out Settlers’ Rock, marking the landing of B.I.’s European settlers. • Watch a beautiful sunset at Sachem Pond, located at the North point of the island. • Check out the stunning Mohegan Bluffs, located on The Mohegan Trail. While you are there, stop into the Southeast Lighthouse – visited by the likes of President Grant. • Boat, paddleboard or kayak on Great Salt Pond. • Take your yoga practice to new depths and try yoga on a paddleboard at Elevation Studio. • Emus, camels, a zedonk, oh my! Spend
some time with domestic and exotic animals at Abrams’ Animal Farm. • Interested in horseback riding? Consider a ride on the beach with Rustic Rides Farm. • Sign up for one of the many programs, walks, or movies offered into fall by the Ocean View Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Block Island Conservancy. • Go around in circles at the Sacred Labyrinth near the end of Corn Neck Road.
Is it Raining?
• Immerse yourself in Block Island’s rich cultural history at the B.I. Historical Society Museum and Gallery. • Explore your creative side with art classes at Island Bound Bookstore. Ages 21 and older. Refer to www. islandboundbookstore.com for more information. • Take a mill tour or knitting, felting or weaving class at North Light Fibers. Tours are held at 10 a.m. every day of the week except for Sunday, when they are held at noon. • Catch a movie at the beautiful Empire Theatre at least for a little while longer! • Interested in looking at some art? Check out some of BI’s many galleries: See the Art Map on page 15.
Top: Clay Head trails on the North end of the island (#2 on the Walking Trails map at right) reward walkers with views of Sachem Pond and the North Light. Clockwise from above left:The Lewis-Dickens property on the West Side; participants in an Island Bound art class with their spoils; Barbara MacDougall in the Sacred Labyrinth; Rodman’s Hollow; an Ocean View Foundation Stepping Stones class.
September 2014
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Block Island Walking Trails
BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
Page 29
Striped Bass Off of Mohegan Bluffs and outside of Andy’s Way are the best places to look for striped bass, one of the most popular fish to catch on Block Island. The fish are beautiful creatures, silver and lined with darker stripes along their bodies, and can grow up to 50 pounds—though the world record for a striped bass is 81 pounds. Striped bass spawn in fresh water and then make their way to the sea as adults, and can live 30 years.
1 Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve 2 Clay Head Trail 3 Beacon Hill to New Harbor Link, Harrison Loop 4 Meadow Hill Greenway
Red-Eyed Vireo Block Island sees a number of different birds passing through on their migratory journeys, often to South America. The red-eyed vireo is easy to spot, and certainly easy to hear; it has grey-purple feathers, a blue cap, a white band across its eyes and a call like a lilting conversation. It will stay on Block Island long enough to fatten up on summer’s waning abundance before heading to Costa Rica for the winter.
5 The Greenway 6 Elaine Loffredo Memorial Preserve 7 Fresh Pond Greenway 8 Fresh Swamp Trail 9 Rodman’s Hollow 10 Elizabeth Dickens Trail Pocket maps with information about each trail can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce.
Maryland Golden Aster As the name might suggest, the Maryland golden aster is hard to track down in Rhode Island, and is now found only on Block Island. In September it blossoms in open fields like those in Nathan Mott Park, growing up to a foot high with cheerful yellow flowers.
Shamrock Spider Shamrock spiders are large spiders, up to ¾ of an inch across, recognizable for a mud-colored, inflated abdomen covered in intricate white spots, with eight striped legs whimsically extruding. On dewey fall mornings, their enormous webs, up to two feet across, can be spotted covering the ground in places like Rodman’s Hollow. Look for a leaf or other hiding spot on the path’s periphery, where the spiders live.
Text by Nell Durfee; pokeweed photo by Thomas H. Kent; rockweed photo by Robin B. Langsdorf; salp photo by obxconnection.com
White Water Lily In late summer and early fall, Fresh Pond and Fresh Swamp simply overflow with blooming water lilies. These delicate, enchanting flowers are not only beautiful to look at, but also are important to the pond ecosystems. The lily pads are convenient resting places for insects (which in turn are caught by birds), and below the surface lie the rhizomes of the plant, enormous tubers that are eaten by muskrats and other vertebrates and are strong enough to support the weight of a human adult.
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
www.blockislandtimes.com
One Last Thing
B.I. from a Biplane RenÊe Meyer captured this look at the Great Salt Pond from the totally Peanuts-like red biplane we’ve been seeing in the B.I. skies all summer. The plane is a recently restored 1940 Waco UPF-7 that was originally used as a WWII trainer. Did she feel like the Red Baron? Most definitely. For more information visit biplaneridesri.com.
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September 2014
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
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BLOCK ISLAND SUMMER TIMES
September 2014
L NTA OW E R KLY LL N WEE ITY, CA ABIL L I A AV
www.blockislandtimes.com
Ballard Hall REAL ESTATE
2 LOTS
NEW LISTING
FEATURED LISTINGS NEW LISTING WATERFRONT, GROVE POINT - $2,950,000 • Magnificent 260 degree views • Direct oceanfront location • 4 BR & 3 BA contemporary
MOHEGAN BLUFF ESTATE - $3,650,000 • High elevation ocean views • 4,732 sq. ft., 5 BR & 5.5 BA • 4.6 acres, 2 lots of record
NEW PRICE
EXCEPTIONAL VACATION CONTEMPORARY - $1,695,000 Don’t miss this exceptional and pristine vacation home in Sheffield Farm. 4 BR & 2.5 BA; open plan with porches, decks; and expansive southerly ocean views.
NEW LISTING CRESCENT BEACH COTTAGE - $1,200,000 • Charming cottage on Crescent Beach • 3 BR/1.5 BA, condominium ownership • Saltwater views and access to beach
OCEAN & SUNSET VIEWS - $2,500,000 • Custom built 5 BR and 4.5 BA • 4 living room areas, private guest suite • 2.6 acres in private setting
CRESCENT BEACH COTTAGE - $1,175,000 ALL SEASON SANCTUARY - $1,975,000 • 4.8 private acres near bluff beaches • Views of SE Lighthouse & Atlantic Ocean • 5 BR, 3.5 BA, 3 fireplaces
PRIVACY AND A POOL - $1,100,000
Views of Great Salt Pond and the Atlantic plus a short path to the swimming beach. First and second level porches. Light and airy, 2 BR, & 2 BA, den, living/dining area, kitchen. Condominium ownership.
• Very private, close to Greenway trails • Wrap around deck, in-ground pool • 4 BR, 3 BA, central AC, security sys. • 2 car garage w/ 2nd floor guest room
NEW LISTING
BOATHOUSE - $1,565,000 CORNE NECK FARM - $1,900,000
NEW HARBOR LOCALE - $1,395,000
• Near Crescent Beach & Andy’s Way • New 4,300 sq. ft. home on 2.96 acres • 6 BR s & 5 BA, central air
• Fishing, boating, swimming all close by • 4BR & 3BA vacation style living • 2.6 acres, stone walls & mature trees
SHEFFIELD FARM CAPE - $1,295,000
1892 HOMESTEAD - $1,500,000
• Stunning ocean views • 4 BR & 2 BA • .77 acre lot plus common land
• 5 BR and 2.5 BA • 4.3 acre lot w/ Two barns, guest cottage • Historic District designation
LAND LISTINGS • 2.7 acres off the beaten path. Popular off Corn Neck Rd. location. Private lot with close proximity to nature trails and swimming beaches - $985,000 NEW LISTING • One acre, RB Zone, views, Town water & sewer, private - $499,000 NEW PRICE • Coveted location on Champlin Rd, just 2 lots back from Charleston Beach and Cormorant Cove! 2.72 acres, garage, and septic in place - $1,295,000 SOLD • Very Private 3.4 acres off Champlin Road includes garage - $865,000 • Calico Hill building site offers amazing Old Harbor & Clayhead views - $549,000 • 6.88 acres located off Payne Road with well, septic, electric, and telephone service to site. Panoramic views, very private, abuts conservancy land. Potential for subdivision. - $1,450,000
Wide open light-filled living space offers panoramic Island and ocean views from this nautical inspired contemporary. 4 BR and 2.5 BA, circular decks, screened porch, 2 fireplaces & gleaming maple floors. Stunning.
NEW LISTING
NEW LISTING
GABLES INN - $2,400,000
WEST BEACH RETREAT - $1,200,000
• Historic Inn in Old Harbor • 13 rooms, owner’s apt., 2 cottages • 2 lots of record total 53,900 sq. ft.
• Near Corn Neck beaches • Views over Great Salt Pond • 4 BR & 2 BA, decks, 2.8 acres
Ballard Hall Real Estate Corner of Ocean & Corn Neck Roads (Between the Bagel Shop and the Bank)
Gail Ballard Hall, Principal Broker Blake Phelan, Associate Broker Judith Cyronak, Associate Broker Licensees: Michele Phelan, David Graham, Chelsea Phelan Heidi Tallmadge & Laurel Littlefield, Office Assistants
Phone: 401-466-8883 Fax: 401-466-3119 www.blockislandproperty.com • www.luxuryrealestate.com