Skip to main content area

B.I. Wind Farm
- B.I. Times archive
- National archive
News
Visitor Information
Dining Guide
Island Transportation
Getting Married?

BIT SubMain Menu

Home
Classifieds
e-Edition
Subscribe
Login

You are here

Columnists

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...
Ocean Views... Two new walks of discovery

By

Kim Gaffett

Fri, Jul 21

Category:

Ocean Views

The Age of Discovery was a fantastic time in the history of human adventure. It was a time when wanderers of all ilk struck out towards the various compass points of the world to learn what was there. They returned to their port cities and filled the museums with giant tortoises, magnificently...
Ode to the Eagle

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jul 21

Category:

Island Notes

A p lane roars by, seemingly outside my window, and I think of open windows and the sounds of summer they gift us, airborne engines as well as chirping birds. It’s a nice moment, before I remember that, of course, there is more air traffic in the summer. As there are more people, strangers, among...
Lobster cars and Ancient Mariners

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jul 14

Category:

Ocean Views

It is raining, again. It did so in the morning, yesterday, a series of moving precipitation ranging from downpour to shower. By ten it had stopped and the sky to the east was oddly light, a reversal of what I expect of a storm sliding up the coast. The sky cleared, and by noon we felt the weight of...
On the Corner... of the past and present

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Jul 8

Category:

Columnists

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Block Island Historical Society. Throughout the year we will be highlighting some of the interesting items in its collection. The United States Coast Guard’s first presence on Block Island was in the Lifesaving Service, one of...
Near Mansion Beach

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jul 7

Category:

Island Notes

In summer, we are not surrounded by the great whoosh of the winter wind. The first day after a very long Fourth of July weekend celebration is not peppered with fireworks and boat horns, instead, softer, gentler, sounds fill the air. I realize it first when I go outside, to hang clothes on the line...
Just like riding a bike

By

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jun 30

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The best guitar-playing job I ever had was in the mid-80s, on Block Island. Vin McAloon hired me to play from 8 to 11 at a little bar in back of the Atlantic Inn. I’d work at the dock until 3, and then hop on the ferry. I’d hike up High Street and bring my guitar to the room. Then I’d go run a few...
Relocations

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jun 30

Category:

Island Notes

“How do you do that every week?” someone just asked me, a question I find validating every time I sit down to a blank screen and the reality of not only a deadline, but of having to find a topic. Today I have loose ends swirling around me. Last week I wrote about the building that became Ernie's...
Tails from Beacon Hollow Farm: Radar and Dee

By

John Willis

Sun, Jun 25

Category:

Columnists

We have two donkeys on a small farm on the island. They came to us out of necessity and as a primitive security system, so to speak. Having chickens, ducks and goats roaming free range (there are no real predators on this island other than dogs), therefore loose dogs are a real problem. Word came...
On the corner of... The Statue of Rebecca

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Jun 24

Category:

Columnists

The day after the Patriots win a Super Bowl, Rebecca wears a football jersey. A great fan of local sports, she also proudly wears the red and white of the Block Island Hurricanes after a significant game. “Who is Rebecca?” or “Is there some significance to the statue?” is an oft-asked question in...
On the mainland... Pasquale’s

By

Fraser Lang

Fri, Jun 23

Category:

News, Trips Abroad

When I say “authentic,” I really mean it. Pasquale’s, A Pizza Napulitana, is the real deal. Pasquale’s is located in South County Commons in Wakefield, but its roots are in Italy. Owner Pasquale Illiano was born and raised in Naples. That’s where he leaned to cook and perfected his techniques. A...
The Dutch Inn: A retrospective

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jun 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

When the Dutch Inn was built in Galilee many years ago, it looked more ornate than it does today. It had a faux windmill and windows on its tower. It was designed as a full-blown resort hotel. The Inn had an indoor pool (with real parrots in the trees), outdoor tennis courts, a sauna and gym,...
Happenstance

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jun 23

Category:

Island Notes

In a small town things have a way of intersecting. I read a restaurant review of Breakfast at Ernie's and thought how happy my father would be to know another generation was carrying on the tradition in which he had such faith so many years ago. It happened to be the weekend of Father's Day and in...
June

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jun 16

Category:

Island Notes

The heat came back and with it the June bugs, the air-borne, armored, harmless but annoying creatures that fly through open windows, buzzing about aimlessly until I feel a touch, the slightest weight of one landed on my head, in my hair. Then, all bets are off and the little tank of a beast is...
An old butter churn

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Jun 10

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...
Sunshine Afternoon

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jun 9

Category:

Island Notes

It is June and, when I am home, I leave the front doors, living room, hall, and entry all wide open. My springtime expectation of birds flying into the house, confused by plentiful natural light within, has not been much realized this year, although the season is new. A nest was begun in a corner...
Waiting for Summer

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Jun 2

Category:

Island Notes

This past weekend I somewhere read that among the reasons May 30 was chosen for Memorial Day, before the Uniform Holiday Act relegated it to a Monday, was the fact that flowers were in fullest bloom. It is a harsh reality of the start of every June, that grasses, where allowed, have grown tall and...
Garden Report: Japanese Barberry and ticks

By

Renée Meyer

Sun, May 28

Category:

Gardening Report

What’s not to love about a drought- and deer-tolerant ornamental shrub with colorful foliage, plentiful red berries and cute, although inconspicuous little flowers? Quite a bit, it seems. Japanese barberry ( Berberis thunbergii ) was brought to the United States in the late 1800s. Fast...
The fish are here

By

Capt. Chris Willi and Capt. Hank Hewitt

Sat, May 27

Category:

Fishing Report

At last, after a seemingly interminable winter, the fish are here and the season is underway. To lead off with a shore-based report, the striped bass are here in numbers, yet no keeper sizes as of yet. They are feeding around sunset and sunrise in the Coast Guard Channel, and throughout the Great...
On the corner of... A Piccilo-Zither music box

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Fri, May 26

Category:

Columnists

The Block Island Historical Society was formed in immediate reaction to an item in Lucretia Mott Ball’s will, whereby personal items of especial interest and value were to be given “to museums or historical collections” preferably in New England. She died in 1941; the local organization was...
Morning Sounds

By

Martha Ball

Fri, May 26

Category:

Columnists

This morning I went outside, my feet still in the old sneakers I wear as slippers, in deference to a dog who, at any given time, may leave a chewed bit of a stick in my path. It was not especially early but the air was dense, on the verge of a light sprinkle, and the grass that is always wet at...
On the Mainland: A&B Family Appliances

By

Fraser Lang

Thu, May 25

Category:

Loose ends

Jim Buchanan is a hands-on owner. Jim and his wife Anne own A & B Family Appliances in Wakefield. He’s always told me that he “does what it takes” to keep his business going. I wasn’t surprised, therefore, to call one morning and learn that he was out delivering a refrigerator. I called later...
At the Harbor

By

Martha Ball

Fri, May 19

Category:

Island Notes

The rain has stopped, and with hanging sheets on the line I think of my mother saying this was the time to spread white linens on new grass to brighten them. Then I realize I feel the strength of the spring sun on my face from an hour spent beside the water yesterday afternoon. The work on the Old...
On the corner of...

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Fri, May 12

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...
It’s An Island

By

Martha Ball

Fri, May 12

Category:

Island Notes

The last few years the prevalent theme of my columns written in early May has been centered on green and gray, underscored with a protest that it should not be this way. My easily recalled memories of the start of this month are all golden sunshine, long afternoons and verdant hills. While I do not...
Sirens in the Sea

By

Martha Ball

Fri, May 5

Category:

Island Notes

Monday was reminiscent of one of those Easters when we have to take on faith that there is a sun rising from the ocean out behind the clouds, easy enough when our imagining is buoyed by ambient light growing as we let slip our hope for a ray of gold to gild the sky and show us that morning truly...
On the Mainland: Inside Style

By

Fraser Lang

Sun, Apr 30

Category:

Trips Abroad

Lee Chartier, owner of Inside Style in Wakefield, wins your confidence right from the start. She is warm, knowledgeable and open. Her trademark approach is to work collaboratively with clients, getting to know what they are comfortable with to transform a space that reflects their tastes with her...
Jeremiah Littlefield’s fishing tackle

On the corner of...

By

Mary Anderson and Martha Ball

Sat, Apr 29

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...
Heavy at Times

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 28

Category:

Island Notes

We live in a small town, some of us have always lived in this small town, I think when crossing paths with someone, a younger brother of a classmate who will always be that, no matter that he is long grown, with a son of his own now in college. “Heavy at times” he remarks, a nod at the gentle rain...
50 Years of bird banding

By

Kim Gaffett

Sat, Apr 22

Category:

Ocean Views

Elise Lapham started the Block Island Bird Banding Station 50 years ago on April 27, 1967. However, beyond the fact of when it started, there are scores of stories and details to be told about the who, what, where, why and how of the banding station’s history. How and Who? While David and Elise...
From the Bayside

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 21

Category:

Island Notes

The poet who gave us “what is so rare as a day in June... ” called that month the “high-tide of the year” — which seems apt early in that month, when the days are still lengthening and tall grasses are just beginning to go to seed, when the beach roses blanket the dunes, and a lingering pale sky...
On the corner of...

By

Martha Ball and Mary Anderson

Sat, Apr 15

Category:

Columnists

The tools of dawn-to-dusk sustenance farming sit quietly. One is a wooden box with a crank on its side, its red paint faded. It is on a stand, heavy and awkward, and spills kernels of dry corn when jogged. Edith Littlefield Blane remembers being put to work manning one of these contraptions, a corn...
Look-at-me-yellow

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 14

Category:

Island Notes

My forsythia needs more attention than I have been willing to give it. The roots are old, the flowering shrub sprung from them has soared back toward the sun after several severe cuttings over the years. It always grew at an absurdly rapid pace, tall and lush, scraping the old wooden gutters that...
The unseen benefit of the wind turbines

By

Capt. Hank Hewitt

Sat, Apr 8

Category:

Fishing Report

As we witness the growth of offshore wind farms, there seems to be a benefit to them not readily apparent to most, yet known to anglers. The benefit of these installations is a term anglers refer to as structure. Structure comes in many different forms, yet has the same effect: it attracts marine...
The times they are a-changin’

By

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Apr 7

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

During my wife’s recent travels to China and Iceland this year — and being a keen observer of fashion — she noticed how a certain hairstyle is reemerging. In Beijing, at the Great Wall, Reykjavik, and in the Blue Lagoon, she noticed people of all ages sporting the popular hairstyle of the 80s — the...
Rite of Passage

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 7

Category:

Island Notes

And so we come into April with great winds and high seas. The rains are heavy, with nothing of sweet spring showers about them. There are no boats today; tomorrow, April 2, in 1980 the spare notation in my mother's hand does not include a name but it was likely the Manitou, intrepid little vessel...
Moving Into April

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 31

Category:

Island Notes

Last night, after the final downstairs lights had been extinguished, I thought to look south, and for it saw a faint edge of a haze beyond an empty space I still call “The Mansion” after the grand structure that burned 51 years ago this spring. A story higher, even an old-house-story-higher,...
On the Mainland: Rawlings Floors in Wakefield

By

Fraser Lang

Sat, Mar 25

Category:

Trips Abroad

You get a warm welcome when you enter the door at Rawlings Floors at 241 Main Street in Wakefield. Mark and Richard Zambarano, who own the business, set a high standard for customer service. It obviously works; it’s why they have so many repeat customers. The brothers have seen lots of changes in...
Outside my own memory

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 24

Category:

Island Notes

A search for a particular postcard rarely ends with my putting my hand on the image I had in mind to start. It began with a thought of the Public Market, the brick-faced store on Dodge Street that was, when I was a child, truly a food market, one of two year-round groceries on the island. For a...
White Board Down

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 17

Category:

Island Notes

A single white board lies on the grass, lifted out of the slots of the two uprights that support it, forming a new sort of an old fashioned bar-way, a single piece of wood barring entry through a gap in a stone wall. It is just there and I have to presume it is a leftover of yesterday's great wind...
The pillow from hell

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Mar 10

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Karma is a Buddhist concept which basically says that our destiny or fate is based on a series of causes and effects; if we’re doing good things then there is a possibility that good things will happen to us. A demonstration of this can be witnessed every day when we see people holding the door for...
On the corner of... A 19th century policeman’s badge

By

Mary Anderson and Martha Ball

Sun, Mar 5

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...
On Big Dog Paws

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 3

Category:

Island Notes

The first day of March comes in like a lamb, the morning filled with birdsong and fog. I look out to the south, to my measure of visibility, and see, as I can in all but the heaviest snows and thickest mist, the shape of the farm buildings on the far side of the one-time pasture. They stand, from...
Where the wild things are: Galilee

By

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Feb 24

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I saw her as I stood by the port loading door — while working aboard the M/V Quonset — and scanned the rock jetty. There in the hot and blinding July sun was the blonde woman in the skimpy two-piece bathing suit slathering sun tan oil on her lithe and toned body — her hair was perfect. She...
Washington's Birthday

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 24

Category:

Island Notes

Snow chased my dreams. It is rare I remember these stories my mind tells while I sleep, rarer, still, that they are more than scraps, jumbled snapshots, overlapping, utterly confusing seasons and places and decades. This one, or a segment thereof, fell into current time and place, a snow come...
Join ‘Expedition Block Island’

By

Kim Gaffett

Fri, Feb 24

Category:

Ocean Views

Have you ever wondered what was in that cove, around that point, or over that dune? After the Groundhog Day count, many islanders go in search of mountain slopes, coral reefs, hunting lodges, colossal amusement rides, grandma’s attic, or any oasis for introspection — in general, we head to parts...
Spot of Hope

By

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 17

Category:

Island Notes

The sun is moving out of its winter home in the south. First light falls differently in different seasons and now it comes through the more southern of the east windows in the ell of my house, in the room where I sleep. It rises, visibly, from the ocean, at the edge of one of the places where the...

Pages

« first
‹ previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
…
next ›
last »

Island Buzz

2009 Mazda CX-9

Posted By

- Private group -

7/22

Price: $8,995 Exterior: Blue Year: 2009 Interior: Beige Leather Make: Mazda Trim/Package AWD Grand Touring 4 dr SUV Model:...
Escape to Narragansett!

Posted By

The Break: A Narragansett Hotel

7/22

Spa services, heated pool, heated bathroom floors, onsite restaurant, luxurious linens, ocean views. . .all at a great price...
Need new kitchen counters?

Posted By

South County Cabinets

7/22

We have all types of counter tops and can often install in just one day! Representative is on island once a week and offers...
Still Looking for a Summer Rental?

Posted By

Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

7/22

Sullivan Sotheby’s International Realty has some great options, if your still searching for that perfect Summer Rental. We...
History Happening Here

Posted By

Block Island Historical Society

7/21

All are welcome at the Museum of the Block Island Historical Society. Founded in 1942, we have shared our collections with...
This weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule

Posted By

The Block Island Times

7/21

Check out this weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule at https://www.nature.org

Receive our weekly email-letters!

Email Address

Email Type

Weekly Features-letter
Weekly News-letter
Breaking News

Tweets by BITimes

Real Estate

1,225,000
Private But Near it All - 1657 Pilot Hill Road http://www.liladelman.com/1657-pilot-hill-rd-block-island-rhode-island-02807/4082825
Lila Delman Real Estate

A year round getaway is the best way to describe this three bedroom three bath home. One can relax...
899,000
Sands Pond - $899,000
Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

Lovely setting overlooking Sands Pond for this 4 bedroom, 2 bath Raised Ranch. Spacious two level...
2,495,000
Stunning Sea Smoke Compound
Beach Real Estate

Southwest Point/Dicken’s Farm: The perfect family compound! Unique opportunity to own in Southwest...
839,000
1270 West Side Road
Offshore Property

WEST SIDE ROAD: Cozy cape with unique Nantucket dormers nestled behind trees on West Side Road near...
1,250,000
The Windrose House
Ballard Hall Real Estate

Immaculate property offers easy access to Old Harbor’s shops, restaurants, and activities. The well...
1,549,000
Escape to the North End
Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

Enjoy this custom built, contemporary home with fine detailing and craftsmanship. Split level...
6,900,000
"When I first saw this property I thought it was the most beautiful I had ever seen anywhere in the world". - Roy Rowan author/journalist
Lila Delman Real Estate

http://www.liladelman.com/1033-corn-neck-rd-block-island-rhode-island-02807/4087186 Roy Rowan, well...
1,195,000
Spectacular Atlantic Ocean Views-$1,195,000
Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

Perched on a knoll off Spring Street, you’ll experience the beauty and grandeur of Atlantic Ocean...

More Listings>>

Island Religion

PART 3 TESTIMONY

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

7/18

PART 3 TESTIMONY Chapter 4 What Is God’s Will or Plan for My Life? What is God’s will or plan for your life? There are two...
PART 2 TESTIMONY

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

7/11

PART 2 TESTIMONY Chapter 3 Do You Know How God Sees You? Do You Know Who You Are in Christ? Now that we have become a...
PART 1 TESTIMONY

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

7/4

PART 1 TESTIMONY Our conduct as Christians should bear the strictest scrutiny. Close examination by others should lead them...

About Us
Advertise
Contact Us
Site Policy

© 2019 BlockIslandTimes.com