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Columnists

2017 bird census

Sat, Jan 6

Category:

Ocean Views

Q. What do Ross’s goose, Virginia rail, Common raven, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Palm warbler, Field sparrow, and Fox sparrow have in common? A. They were all seen on Block Island, on Dec. 26, 2017, for the first time during the 17th annual Community Bird Census. Not since the first two years have we...
Spinning stories of winter

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 5

Category:

Island Notes

Jan. 1, 1976 my mother wrote in her little diary “sunny above freezing,” which would have been an item of note only if the days preceding had been below 32. She was a teacher and five days into the new year vacation ended — or not — as her inscription reads “1st day of school. No oil, no heat,...
A glimpse of Island birdlife

By

Kim Gaffett

Sat, Dec 30

Category:

Ocean Views

Starting in January 2009, the Crazy-as-a-Coot bird walkers (co-led by Maggie Komosinski) meet twice a month (October through June) to survey bird presence and activity, and to take pleasure in our surroundings. We meet at different locations around the Island, depending on weather, mostly wind...
Keep it fit... One day at a time works for food, too

By

Eileen Birk

Fri, Dec 29

Category:

Columnists

Ah, it’s the new year... As the craziness of the holiday season winds down and the year comes to an end, I find myself reflecting back on the last twelve months — what was good about 2017, what challenged me, what would I do differently, and what would I love to do again? The often-heard “what are...
Words

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Dec 29

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I got wind of a blow. While writing some fiction one day the aforementioned pun came out of my head, through my fingers, and onto the page. The context was just two guys discussing a nasty weather system coming up the East Coast. These six words flew out of my head and blew me...
Another year

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Dec 29

Category:

Columnists, Island Notes

Twenty-four and sunny” is the status of the moment. The “feels like” is considerably lower, but I do not believe that number; I have been outside and the sun is shining and the wind is light for late December. And, I remind myself, the onset of the cold is the price we are expected to pay for the...
Dove and Disttaff

By

Michael Schroeder

Thu, Dec 28

Category:

Trips Abroad

Alpaca—stylish, soft and warm—has a home in Wakefield at Dove and Distaff, Visitors can conveniently see and feel quality yarns, fibers and goods right here—all of the alpaca products come off their own farm in Matunuck. It’s one of seven showrooms within Dove and Distaff, which was born of an...
On the corner of...

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Dec 23

Category:

Columnists

Ed. note: The Block Island Historical Society was founded in 1942. To help celebrate its 75th year, the Society’s Diamond Anniversary, The Block Island Times has been publishing sketches and photographs of items in its collection throughout the year. This is the final column in the...
The gifting season

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Dec 22

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Here we are again at that most wonderful time of the year — Christmas! Yup, everyone is gearing up to go out and buy gifts for kids, wives, husbands, grandkids, friends, boyfriends, and girlfriends. It’s a time when UPS and FedEx packages come flying off trucks in prodigious numbers at the...
After the Snow

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Dec 22

Category:

Island Notes

Tomorrow brings the Solstice, the turn into the cold and the light. It falls on the 21st this year, the sort of generic default date assigned to the change of the seasons, that does not always hold true. “Watch the way of the wind when the sun crosses the line,” a statement by an old-timer down the...
Kindness shown to injured owl

Thu, Dec 21

Category:

Ocean Views

The following report came in from Kim Gaffett: Kate Sprague Campanale and Heather Dippolito discovered an injured owl on Corn Neck Road early on Monday, Dec. 18. They called the Police Department dispatch, which called me. Kate and Heather protected the downed owl until I got there. It...
On the corner of... the old Adrian Hotel

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Dec 9

Category:

Columnists

Ed. note: The Block Island Historical Society was founded in 1942. To help celebrate its 75th year, the Society’s Diamond Anniversary, The Block Island Times will be publishing sketches and photographs of items in its collection. For those interested in joining or donating to The...
All for the life of the rolling sea

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Dec 8

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

A sleek and fast looking 70-foot motor yacht backed out of her slip on a sunny Sunday, in Newport Harbor. It was 3 July, 2008. As the sexy and shiny rig was making her way into the busy fairway, a loud, thumping Latin rhythm could be heard — booming. Aboard, there was a bevy of bikini-clad beauties...
To see or not to see... The Punisher

By

Mark Hunnewell

Sat, Dec 2

Category:

News, Columnists

It is such a lovely time to be into superhero movies, isn’t it? In just one day we have “Justice League” and “The Punisher” on Netflix. Now, I was planning on doing a comparison between the two, but after seeing “Justice” I figured it wouldn’t be exactly fair. And if I did write about “Justice...
Ocean Views: A Resiliency Roundtable

By

Kim Gaffett

Fri, Dec 1

Category:

Ocean Views

Block Islanders are nothing if not resilient. No harbor to support a fishing industry: design a special work boat – the Block Island double ender. No wood for building and fuel: salvage every stick that comes ashore, from driftwood, to cargo, to ship hulls run aground. Now, the Island –— like the...
Book nods for Christmas

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Dec 1

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One of life’s simple pleasures is reading The New York Times Book Review. I always feel a little more informed about things after I read a review — even though I may pass on the book — these reviews are thorough and expansive. There are so many good books out there, it’s sometimes hard to...
Maps

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Dec 1

Category:

Island Notes

There was a rumbling in the morning, the kind that sounds close and I walked across the yard thinking I might see the source of it; tree cutters, perhaps, although I could not remember if I had seen pink ties marking any trees on Mansion Road. It could simply be routine work on the old dirt road,...
Holidays, calories, and walking it off

By

Eileen Birk

Wed, Nov 22

Category:

Columnists

I’ve put on some weight since last winter... 11 pounds to be exact. Before you roll your eyes, I know I am not overweight, but I am not happy. I notice it when I try to put on some of my clothes that are a bit tighter; I notice my stamina isn’t what it was. As I reflect on the last 10 months, I...
On the corner of... Beginning a new era

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Wed, Nov 22

Category:

Columnists

Ed. note: The Block Island Historical Society was founded in 1942. To help celebrate its 75th year, the Society’s Diamond Anniversary, The Block Island Times will be publishing sketches and photographs of items in its collection. For those interested in joining or donating to The...
Block Island Summer

By

Martha Ball

Wed, Nov 22

Category:

Island Notes

The book “Block Island Summer” was published in 1971. Black and white photographs and eloquent little essays contained within its pages hold the island we think we remember but sometimes doubt truly existed. Yet, here it is, chronicled by Klaus and Elizabeth Gemming, printed and bound, a volume...
Travails in India

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Nov 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The iPhone went off at midnight, and there was a text. “Cindy had a pretty serious mishap the other day. She got near a bull, and he gored her. She had to go to the hospital. She is OK. No internal injuries, but she has a serious gash across her abdomen.” This note was sent by my wife’s...
Osage

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Nov 17

Category:

Island Notes

On e week ago, the charger for my computer died. It was not sudden. I first noticed that the cord was starting to fray last summer, but in one of my habits that defies all logic, I did not order a new one as the delivery time seemed too many days away.It was a good three months before the little...
The first subdivision

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Nov 11

Category:

Columnists

Ed. note: The Block Island Historical Society was founded in 1942. To help celebrate its 75th year, the Society’s Diamond Anniversary, The Block Island Times will be publishing sketches and photographs of items in its collection. For those interested in joining or donating to The...
Remembering the songs

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Nov 10

Category:

Columnists, Island Notes

It was chilly, today. We seemed to have skimmed over crisp fall sunshine, like one of those flattish, roundish rocks my father tried to teach me to toss with a spin so they would skip over the surface of open water until a last, fatal, ker-plunk sent them to darkness below the waves. I am not ready...
Red Sky in Morning

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Nov 3

Category:

Columnists

Th e sky at sunrise held that warmth of promise, a deep golden rose that truth be told is quite orange but “orange,” the color of school crayons and morning juice, hardly does it justice. In late spring and early summer first light comes slowly, a gradually lifting of night that begins hours before...
On the corner of... 19th Century directions to Block Island

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Oct 28

Category:

Columnists

In the early 19th Century the country was still young. The west was being explored and mapped by Lewis and Clark, from the newly-acquired Territory of Louisiana to the Pacific Northwest. In the east, existing maps and measurements were being codified. Among the hidden treasures on the corner of...
Tales of The Dutch Inn

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Oct 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Last summer a guy rolls in to the standby lot to try to get on the ferry. I forgot his real name — but he looked like a Wally. He was a pleasant guy, and he got me a Diet Coke from the Portside where he went with his friends to burn up the clock and have lunch. Wally was a thoughtful guy — it was...
Small Miracles

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Oct 27

Category:

Island Notes

Wh en duties for this year's Roll Call Dinner were handed out many were the “what you did last year” default and so I happened to already have been assigned to the greeting of people and collection of money when I tumbled on Sunday and hurt my hand/wrist landing on the pavement. There were no...
Between Traffic and Wind

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Oct 20

Category:

Island Notes

It is a time of year between the traffic that becomes ambient noise — a background we do not notice, but think we do in the blaring horns and foolishly loud motors and pounding speakers — and the constant of our winter lives: wind. Now, after the morning cool is displaced by mid-day warmth and car...
Bashing to windward

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Oct 13

Category:

News, Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

There was an article in Forbes magazine in 2012 that got my attention. It was a piece that dealt with the newly-released album titled “Wrecking Ball,” by Bruce Springsteen. It was an angry album, and some folks thought Springsteen was being a hypocrite for making this record. How could a guy write...
Day Is Done

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Oct 13

Category:

Island Notes

A few minutes before six, the land was near golden with the light of a lowering sun. The shadows were long, reaching down to the back lot, but still it was a shock to realize sundown was less than twenty minutes distant. It is not yet — quite — that heavy hammer of winter that falls swiftly and...
A living barn

By

John Willis

Fri, Oct 6

Category:

Columnists

It’s only a barn. Four walls, large hay loft, three horse stalls. A barn is usually the simplest of buildings with few windows, a few large doors, no plumbing, maybe a few overhead lights. Could have one staircase to the hay loft but sometimes just a ladder suffices. No heating system, cold during...
On the corner of... John Rose & Co.

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Fri, Sep 29

Category:

Columnists

The John Rose & Company, the gloriously asymmetrical building on Dodge Street that currently houses Lazy Fish and Persephone's Kitchen, was a shop and ship's chandlery, and a hardware store with a small lumber yard across the street. It was among a number of buildings constructed in the decades...
Fallen Leaves

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Sep 29

Category:

Island Notes

The last Monday in September, the first Monday of fall, it did not seem it would be as difficult as it proved to be to find the scant few seconds it required to take a photo of the Water Street curb, with no foot or vehicular traffic in the frame. It looked, strangely, like fall on the mainland,...
On the mainland... Paul Masse dealerships

By

Fraser Lang

Fri, Sep 29

Category:

Trips Abroad

This is a great time to buy a new car or truck and a visit to either of Paul Masse’s dealerships in southern Rhode Island is worth the trip. The Buick/GMC dealership on Route 1 near the tower is housed in a relatively new and spacious building appropriate for these high-end brands. When you enter...
Can Do Sailors

By

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Sep 22

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Yes, we ran like a scared chicken. After seeing Irma make her forecasted turn to the north up the east coast of Florida, we turned to the east, and chased her—like any badass sailor would—until she was safely clear of the Florida straits.” —Captain Lisa Chaplin-Dixon, Master of the M...
Forgotten Reality

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Sep 22

Category:

News, Island Notes

Mo nday and the sky is pale, almost without color, the mid-day sun diffused by a cover of fog. September, I am hearing, is never like this and I try not to say too quickly or emphatically, “well, actually. . .” September is remembered as crisp and sunny, a month of gentle breezes and warm water and...
On the Corner of... Pots & Kettles

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Mon, Sep 18

Category:

Columnists

Ed. note: The Block Island Historical Society was founded in 1942. To help celebrate its 75th year, the Society’s Diamond Anniversary, The Block Island Times will be publishing sketches and photographs of items in its collection. For those interested in joining or donating to The...
Ducks redux

By

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sun, Sep 17

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Over the past few years, the phrase “dust ducky,” comes flying out of my mouth when asked how I’m doing. It’s a corny way of saying that things are just fine. In the realm of the geezer, the idea of saying corny stuff is okay — it’s okey-doke — and the reason it’s okay to say a corny phrase when we...
September Hay

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Sep 15

Category:

Island Notes

I live on the Mansion Road, I grew up living on the Mansion Road. The Searles Mansion burned during school vacation in April of 1963 and in the twenty some years between that time and the purchase of the land and road by the town — with a healthy contribution from Block Island Conservancy — the...
‘Very L.D., dad!’

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Sep 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“What fresh hell is this?” — Dorothy Parker. I first read this quote while studying American humor in a special topics class while in graduate school at URI. Parker was what we would call a wit . The quote informs a person who is already experiencing a situational hell, and the...
Scattered Showers and Dappled Sunshine

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Sep 8

Category:

Island Notes

It is going to be one of those days. The sun was out early, brighter and clearer than I expected it to be given last night's forecast. I dawdled but still made it to the dump with bins of recyclables, stacks of paper and three bags of trash. That seeming bounty represents no more than a long time...
Windy but Hopeful

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Sep 1

Category:

Island Notes

T u esday was gray and windy but hopeful. We are near the close of a summer of ever-escalating terrible traffic stories, mine capped, perhaps, by meeting a truck on Water Street, in its busiest section, between the turn onto Chapel and the statue of Rebecca. It came at me, not with great speed but...
The Journeyman

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Aug 18

Category:

News, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Journeyman: A worker who learns a skill and then works for another person. — Merriam-Webster A young Christopher Walken came of age in the swirling and roiling cultural stew of Queens, New York — ensconced amidst the hustle, flow, drama, and color of that borough. This is where Walken...
Rain

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Aug 18

Category:

Island Notes

L ast week, I came home with every expectation of going back out in the evening, but I started reading an old document about a summer of disease on Block Island, written at the start of the 19th century, then fell down the vortex of old documents in archaic language. The forecast was not good and I...
Fishing report: Fishing comes to life

By

Capt Chris Willi and Capt. Hank Hewitt

Fri, Aug 4

Category:

Fishing Report

Kicking off the August fishing report, we’re pleased to say the catching is good. Starting with the surf zone, the stripers are cooperating at multiple spots around the Island, at sunset and through the night. Shortly prior to sunset, up to full dark, large, noisy, surface lures are turning their...
August Day

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Aug 4

Category:

Island Notes

It is August, long awaited by some, too quickly arrived for others. The already frenetic pace of summer on Block Island goes into overdrive as The End looms earlier and earlier, driven by school openings long before the once traditional Wednesday after Labor Day. When I was a child, the tourists...
Columbus

By

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jul 28

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

While returning to Newport from sailing recently, I passed the Nina and the Pinta. They were docked at Fort Adams and open to the public for a little show and tell. As a I passed the stern of Pinta, I yelled out to a crew member if I could pick his brain about the...
Feathered Sunshine

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jul 28

Category:

Island Notes

Chiicory was leaning into the road, still the vivid blue in mid-morning that is generally reserved for early day. It opens bright and hopeful before the sun climbs high and blanches it to a pale ghost of its early self. It is a weed, with a deep tap root, the enduring green of an old yard like mine...
On the corner of... Be our guest, be our guest

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Jul 22

Category:

Columnists

There has long been a restaurant in the spot today occupied by Ballard's Inn, a place that has withstood — and/or been rebuilt after — several hurricanes and one all-consuming fire. Before Ballard's existed, in any of its forms, there was Barber's, a “Shore Dinner House” located “First Building at...

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Island Buzz

BIC FAIR August 16, 2018 www.biconservancy.org

Posted By

Block Island Conservancy

7/20

BIC FAIR August 16, 2018 Solviken Property on Corn Neck Road Games Surf Competition Live Auction Silent Auction Fair Food...
Blueberry Bushes Bursting with Berries

Posted By

Highland Farm Inc.

7/20

Highland Farm’s blueberry bushes are absolutely loaded with berries! We’ve been sampling all the different varieties over...
Time to refresh!

Posted By

South County Cabinets

7/19

Get that kitchen or bathroom remodeled this season with South County Cabinets. Our design professionals can make your dream...
Escape to Narragansett!

Posted By

The Break: A Narragansett Hotel

7/19

Spa services, heated pool, heated bathroom floors, onsite restaurant, luxurious linens, ocean views. . .all at a great price...
2014 Subaru Forester

Posted By

- Private group -

7/19

Price: $10,995 Exterior: Red Year: 2014 Interior: Grey Make: Subaru Model: Forester Mileage: 136,518 KIngston Auto Sales...
“On the Bluff” - Snake Hole Road http://www.liladelman.com/1357-snake-hole-rd-block-island-rhode-island-02807/13810023

Posted By

Lila Delman Real Estate

7/19

You may believe that you are on the shores of Ireland, but this home sits in the very private, exclusive neighborhood known...

Tweets by BITimes

Real Estate

1,850,000
Renovated Block Island Farmhouse with stunning ocean views
Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

On a clear day, you will see forever! Settle on the front porch and enjoy stunning views of the...
1,165,000
Mill Pond Lane
Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

Wonderful vacation home tucked at the end of a four home subdivision offering privacy but is still...
1,125,000
New Price! One of a Kind Corn Neck Location: Riptide - a vintage Block Island Cape: http://www.liladelman.com/741-corn-neck-rd-block-island-rhode-island-02807/4112164
Lila Delman Real Estate

Panoramic views sweeping across conservancy land and the National Wildlife Refuge to the North...
929,900
Sands Pond Farm Post & Beam
Beach Real Estate

List price $929,900....Private setting for 3+ bedroom 1.5 bath cedar clapboard saltbox. Beautifully...
990,000
Historic Character
Ballard Hall Real Estate

This historic home, built in 1850, overlooks a small pristine farm with horses, and a variety of...
2,800,000
1680 Spring Street
Offshore Property

Located high on a hill overlooking the Southeast Light, this wonderful property has spectacular...
1,150,000
Tri-Level Lakeside Drive
Ballard Hall Real Estate

This 3 story home is located in a quiet setting offering expansive views of both salt and fresh...
1,495,000
1598 Center Road $1,495,000
Offshore Property

Enjoy expansive ocean and island views from this wonderful property atop a hill off Center Road...

More Listings>>

Upcoming Events

AA Meeting Saturday

Sat, 7/21, 4:30pm
NA Meeting

Sun, 7/22, 4:30pm
AA Meeting

Mon, 7/23, 5:30pm
Mahjongg

Wed, 7/25, 10:00am
AA Meeting Saturday

Sat, 7/28, 4:30pm
NA Meeting

Sun, 7/29, 4:30pm
AA Meeting

Mon, 7/30, 5:30pm
Mahjongg

Wed, 8/1, 10:00am
AA Meeting Saturday

Sat, 8/4, 4:30pm
NA Meeting

Sun, 8/5, 4:30pm

View Calendar>>

Island Religion

Those the Law Excludes, God Includes

Posted By

Harbor Church

7/15

Isaiah 56:1-8, Mark 11:15-18, Steve Hollaway, Harbor Church, July 15, 2018 Isaiah starts out with words that are predictable...
PART 3 RECOGNIZING A SPIRIT-FILLED PASTOR

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

7/12

PART 3 RECOGNIZING A SPIRIT-FILLED PASTOR CHAPTER 4 The New Testament Perspective Which Will Assist the Pastor Or Believer...
PARTE 3 RECONOCIENDO UN LLENA DEL ESPÍRITU PASTOR

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

7/12

PARTE 3 RECONOCIENDO UN LLENA DEL ESPÍRITU PASTOR Capítulo 4 La perspectiva del Nuevo Testamento que ayudarán al Pastor o...

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