Rhode Signs

Taking the measure of the nation’s smallest state.

In 1983 The Wall Street Journal described Rhode Island as “a smudge beside the fast lane to Cape Cod.” That’s a bit of an exaggeration: Rhode Island, with its 39 cities and towns, is more than just a scenic overlook on Interstate 95.

But it’s small enough that journalists all over the country have often seized on it as a unit of measurement. The BP spill in 2010, according to some reports, left on the sea floor “an oily ‘bathtub ring’ the size of Rhode Island.” National Geographic and Reuters described Yosemite and Big Bend National Park, respectively, as being roughly as big as the Ocean State. And the National Training Center, where test pilots flew the first supersonic airplanes, was described by The Washington Post as “a chunk of the Mojave Desert as big as Rhode Island.”

All of which got us thinking: Just exactly how big is Rhode Island?

■ Its total area is 1,214 square miles: one-quarter the size of Connecticut or a seventh of Massachusetts.

■ If squished into a ribbonlike shape, Rhode Island would fit quite nicely into the Grand Canyon.

■ The state’s land area is 1,054 square miles, which is smaller than 16 national parks, two national recreation areas, and any of the Great Lakes.

■ The 1,049-mile Iditarod sled dog race is equal to a dozen laps around the Ocean State.

■ The Sahara Desert would hold 2,883 Rhode Islands. That said, not everything is bigger than Rhode Island. Entire countries—at least 25 at last count—are smaller. The Vatican, for instance, could be housed inside the Breakers mansion in Newport. Perhaps we should start describing Rhode Island as “equal to almost five Tongas.”

—Adapted from “Just How Big Is Rhode Island, Anyway?” by Jamie

Kageleiry,

June 1990

Uncommon Sense

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Vermont Cheese

8/11/19

Date of annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival in Shelburne, VT

1:13,000

Ratio of Vermont cheese makers to residents (more per capita than in any other U.S. state)

$700M

Annual value of Vermont cheese

150+

Different varieties of cheeses made in Vermont

280

Length in miles of the Vermont Cheese Trail, which stops at more than 40 cheese makers

5

Years running that Vermont cheeses have won Best in Show prizes at the American Cheese Society contest

27

Number of Vermont cheese businesses owned and operated by women

1882

Date of founding of Crowley Cheese Factory (oldest cheese factory in the state) in Healdville, VT

100

Years since Cabot Creamery Cooperative was founded in Cabot, VT

5

Years needed to age Cabot’s Centennial Cheddar (currently the longest-aged Vermont cheese)

$399.95

Cost of a 38-pound wheel of aged cheddar at the Vermont Country Store

600

Estimated number of cheeseburgers you can make with 38 pounds of cheese

“STAGE HARBOR LIGHT, CHATHAM”

In the Late Afternoon

Forrest Pirovano’s painting, “Stage Harbor Light, Chatham” portrays the solitary lighthouse in the afternoon sun.

Stage Harbor Light was placed on the northeast side of the Chatham Roads Channel in 1880. It was a guide to vessels seeking refuge in Stage Harbor during bad weather and extreme fog which was common in Chatham. The lighthouse was removed from service in 1933 and is privately owned today. This beautiful limited edition print of an orignal oil painting, individually numbered and signed by the artist, Forrest Pirovano, captures the detail of the painting and gives the subject a sense of time and place.

This exquisite print is bordered by a museum-quality white-on-white double mat, measuring 11x14 inches. Framed in either a black or white 1-½ inch deep wood frame, this limited edition print measures 12-¼ X 15-¼ inches and is priced at only $149. Matted but unframed the price for this print is $109. Prices include shipping and packaging.

Forrest Pirovano is a Cape Cod artist. His paintings capture the picturesque landscape and seascapes of the Cape which have a universal appeal. His paintings often include the many antique wooden sailboats and picturesque lighthouses that are home to Cape Cod.

FORREST PIROVANO, artist

P.O. Box 1011 • Mashpee, MA 02649

Visit our studio in Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod

All major credit cards are welcome. Please send card name, card number, expiration date, code number & billing ZIP code. Checks are also accepted.…Or you can call Forrest at 781-858-3691 …Or you can pay through our website www.forrestcapecodpaintings.com