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Columnists
Without the Sound
Martha Ball
Fri, Jan 6
Category:
Island Notes
The rain has abated at last, the drizzle that began yesterday as we approached the big church on Chapel Street to attend a funeral dreaded for the fact of it marking the end of a life cut too short. It proved to be quite beautiful in its celebration, filled with both ritual and simplicity, with the...
Alabaster swans and charcoal coots
Kim Gaffett
Sun, Jan 1
Category:
Ocean Views
On Dec. 26, 2016, the Ocean View Foundation organized its 16th annual Community Bird Census (CBC) in the tradition of Elizabeth Dickens, who for nearly 50 years orchestrated the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count on Block Island. Each of those years she would rally the island’s...
Reflections on the morning of Dec. 25, 2016
Gloria S. Redlich
Sun, Jan 1
Category:
Inactive Columns
Waking this morning to Christmas and the first day of Chanukah 2016, there is sunlight streaming through all the windows of our home in a cozy neighborhood on this tiny island off the coast of Rhode Island. Sunlight falls onto the struggling plants in my southeasterly bay window. It also falls...
Better luck next year
Renée Meyer
Sat, Dec 31
Category:
Gardening Report
It’s been awhile since there’s been a Garden Report. It was a year of drought and being busy with other things, it was a good excuse to drop out, however temporarily, of the 2016 gardening season. With the water being diverted almost exclusively to the vegetable garden, even the weeds in the flower...
Bed and Bistro in Narragansett
Fraser Lang
Sat, Dec 31
Category:
Trips Abroad
If you find yourself off-island on a weekday and need a place to stay, you should head straight to The Bed and Bistro in Narragansett. The nightly rate for islanders is only $75 during the off season
and
during the week. In fact, at any time of the year, Block Islanders get a $25 discount...
The tractor, 25 years later
Martha Ball
Fri, Dec 30
Category:
Island Notes
Twenty-five years ago I submitted a handful of short pieces of writing to Peter Wood, then Editor/Publisher of
The Block Island Times
. The first he used was my recollection of sitting, with my niece from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on the old cistern cover in the back yard. The neighbor was...
Whistling Swans on Sachem Pond
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 23
Category:
Ocean Views
On a chilly, Dec. 7 morning, Maggie Komosinski and I waited for the rain to stop and give way to a leaden sky of clouds before heading out in search of an odd-looking goose that we had seen – but not identified – the day before. We traipsed through field and dune and pond edge. We wended through...
‘Tis the season to clarify values
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Dec 23
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
One morning several years ago, I got to talking with a guy in a coffee shop over in Newport. He was a regular, and sat in the same seat every day. Daily, some folks would stop and chat him up on their way in and out of the shop. The place was very busy one day and the seat next to him was empty so...
Winter Sun
Martha Ball
Fri, Dec 23
Category:
Island Notes
It is, technically, the last day of fall, sunnier and calmer than forecast. On the other side of the year we have an abundance, nay, an embarrassment, of light, come so early and staying so late I wonder how anyone can function more to the north than we. Now, the length of day in Anchorage is three...
From the Lighthouse
Martha Ball
Fri, Dec 16
Category:
Columnists
,
Island Notes
It has been too long since I have been to the lighthouse, the grand gothic structure sitting on the bluff high above the ocean. It is never far removed from my life; it is visible from my house, a silhouette on the crest of the land in day, a faint green blink at night. The structure, all two...
The Third Place
J.V. Houlihan, Jr.
Fri, Dec 16
Category:
Columnists
,
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
Over in Newport one night I was sitting in a comfy chair in Starbucks, reading and sipping, ahem, a libation. It was a standard issue large black coffee, just like the gods made it—why trifle with success. Several years ago, this was a nightly drill when I stayed on my sailboat while working for...
Processing and preparing squid
Capt. Hank Hewitt
Fri, Dec 9
Category:
Fishing Report
In last week’s article, I wrote a primer on squid fishing. This week we look at processing it, and a fun recipe to prepare. First and foremost, if you have never worked with fresh squid, they have the potential to make a mess if their ink sack is disturbed or ruptured, which is almost unavoidable...
Captain of her own ship
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Dec 9
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
Chevron’s first woman captain hails from Narragansett
“I’m hoping to get to our mooring in El Segundo, California by Tuesday. I’ll call Monday if the weather lays down,” said Capt. Lisa Chaplin-Dixon. “The cell phone service isn’t good at that anchorage, I’ll let you know when we get...
On a distant hill
Martha Ball
Fri, Dec 9
Category:
Island Notes
It rained through the night, battering the east windows, and the wind howled its winter banshee wail. It sounded cold so it felt cold, but did not make me think beyond reaching in the dark for the comforter that has been waiting, patiently, at the foot of my bed. There was an odd noise, continuing...
The Johnny Appleseed of sailing
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Dec 2
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
“Some people try to give me money, but I won’t take it,” says Bill Dunleavy, “my advertising leaflet says 'free' sailing lessons, so it’s free.” This quote from Dunleavey says much about the man. First of all, it’s crystal clear that he is generous. Secondly, he obviously has a passion for sailing...
Displaced Autumn
Martha Ball
Fri, Dec 2
Category:
Island Notes
In the damp, sun-deprived days of late fall and early winter — and in winter's cold — I sometimes walk into my kitchen solely to feel the sun pouring through the south facing windows. Of late, at a certain time of day, that short trip involves stepping over a big golden dog who lies in the pool of...
Postcards from the edge
Martha Ball
Wed, Nov 23
Category:
Island Notes
For the holidays, postcard images from half a century ago, showing Block Island, still the sleepy little town time almost forgot, when a few cars constituted a busy summer day and views were wide and open. The same things were advertised as are today, “...
Thankful to be hopeful
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Wed, Nov 23
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
"But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into great trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to...
Notes on sailing, redux
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Nov 18
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
There’s a saying that goes, “when two boats are moving in the same direction, they’re racing.” There is some truth to this, which probably has its roots based on man’s desire to be number one, to be the winner, and get all the swag: dinners, trophies, and sponsors — people like to be near power. We...
Surrounded by the Sea
Martha Ball
Fri, Nov 18
Category:
Island Notes
We live surrounded by the sea, we hear the sound of it in the dark and feel its dampness on the raw east wind. We smell it when it is filled with sea weed and roiled by a storm passing off to the east, we taste it on our skin when we walk too close to its salty mist. We see more or less of it...
Schoolies
Sol Schwartz
Sat, Nov 12
Category:
Fishing Report
There are a lot of bass out there, folks. The gradual drop in water temperatures has slowed the anticipated arrival of big fish, but there are a
lot
of schoolies all around the island right now. You should definitely get out there and catch some. Squid fishing has been unbelievable lately...
Bruuuuuuce!
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Nov 11
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
“I saw this guy last night at the
Bottom Line
in New York City, and he was
powerful
; never saw anything like him.” These words were spoken by a drummer I once met at Crescent Beach. It was August in ’75. I had a few hours of slack time while working on the
Quonset,
so...
Such great hope
Martha Ball
Fri, Nov 11
Category:
Island Notes
The morning dawned bright after a long dark night, the sky and sea spread with the same rose gold, a vibrant and hopeful color reflected in the flat calm surface of the big pond behind my house, emerged in early November from its cover of summer greenery. I wondered at it for a bit, even thought of...
Bells
Martha Ball
Fri, Nov 4
Category:
Island Notes
W e are in that time in the fall when first morning sun is still too far to the east to spill through the south-facing kitchen windows and provide that flood of sunlight that is the saving grace of those cold winter days when it is warmer when I come downstairs than it is in early November. By noon...
Fall fishing is great!
Sol Schwartz
Fri, Oct 28
Category:
Fishing Report
What a beautiful week for fishing! Perfect fall weather has given anglers plenty of opportunities to go out for the big one. Typically, this is the time of year when we start to see huge numbers of squid showing up in the harbors. There are also large amounts of other bait around the island keeping...
117 and counting
Martha Ball
Fri, Oct 28
Category:
Island Notes
T oday, it is likely more people know — or have some vague familiarity with — the quote “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream” from the extraordinary speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington DC on a hot summer day more than 50 years ago, than from...
Notes on Sailing
J. V. Houlihan, Jr.
Fri, Oct 21
Category:
Columnists
,
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
When a sailboat is moving through the water with a perfectly balanced helm, and all of the parts of the elements of the boat’s design are doing what they are supposed to be doing there is a feeling of balance — it’s a powerful and visceral thing to experience. Synergy by definition: “Is the...
October's Offering
Martha Ball
Fri, Oct 21
Category:
Columnists
,
Island Notes
It is one of those October days that is the reminder that comes every year and every year comes as a blessing. These are days — I am sure I have written other Octobers — of miracle and wonder. By week's end we will have slipped into the darkening world of sunrises after 7 a.m. and sunsets before 6...
Still Time
Capt. Chris Willi and Capt. Hank Hewitt
Sat, Oct 15
Category:
Fishing Report
The report from the beach is still decent for striped bass, with a good numbers of schoolies all around the island and in the harbors. Most fish have been taken on topwater and with metal-lipped Danny-style plugs. Unfortunately, there are a good number of seals coming in, which doesn’t help fishing...
Diver down
J.V. Houlihan Jr.
Fri, Oct 14
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
“I had a mask on me when I was three years old,” says Dave Robinson. “I love being under water.” Robinson is a scientist at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Many years ago, while a student at Narragansett High School, he and a friend became certified scuba divers and...
Storms of Autumn
Martha Ball
Fri, Oct 14
Category:
Island Notes
Three years ago, Autumn was a fluffy puppy and I was acutely attuned to the weather, or more precisely, to the possibility of rain that had not fallen for nearly a month. It stayed warm and dry, open door weather deep into October, even as the inevitable darkness strengthened and with it that sense...
Fallen Butterfly
Martha Ball
Sun, Oct 9
Category:
Island Notes
F or a moment it seemed as though Autumn, my sweet golden dog, had finally come to the realization that the vacuum cleaner is not a beast with its own mind and energies, one bound and determined to attack her. At some point in her growing and shedding youth, I merely pushed it to the side of the...
Striped bass prizes
Sol Schwartz
Sat, Oct 8
Category:
Fishing Report
Water temperatures around the island are finally starting to drop. After this last week’s northeast blow, along with cooler nights, we are definitely set for fall fishing. I’ve noticed the squid in both harbors are a little bit bigger lately, as well as an increased amount of small baitfish such as...
Fall run has begun
Capt. Chris Willi and Capt. Hank Hewitt
Sat, Oct 1
Category:
Fishing Report
Now that we are into October, we are happy to report there is a solid presence of a wide variety of fish in the waters around Block Island. Starting with the beach and surf, stripers and blues are busting on large surface plugs during the light change at sunrise and sunset on both the east side and...
Block Island Beach Cleanup: There is always more to do
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Sep 24
Category:
Ocean Views
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is a 30-year project of the Ocean Conservancy that collects information about ocean and shoreline debris from around the world. In 2015, about 18 million pounds of trash was collected by 800,000 volunteers around the globe. The Ocean Conservancy uses the...
Fish at the Channel? Albie there!
Sol Schwartz
Fri, Sep 23
Category:
Fishing Report
S eptember fishing on Block Island can be so rewarding and diverse. The cool nights and warm days make fishing for all different species much better. During the day, if you are anywhere near the Great Salt Pond, you’ll see boaters and surf casters alike chasing the bonito and false albacore (albies...
Autumn Gold
Martha Ball
Fri, Sep 23
Category:
Island Notes
One poor pair of socks wasn’t quite dry when I brought laundry in some time last week. “Tomorrow,” I thought, knowing I’d likely forget. They are there yet, two socks made of material that cannot fade in the sun or be harmed by rounds of heavy rain. My yard is a jungle. At first I try to tell...
Reflections on a delinquent past
Gloria S. Redlich
Sat, Sep 17
Category:
Inactive Columns
Though most of my life has been lived on the straight and narrow, the time has come for me to confess that I have had something of a checkered past. (“And it all has to do with books,” He-Who-shares-everything-with-me blurts out.) As most of my friends know, I have something of a book obsession,...
The little tunny
Capt. Chris Willi
Fri, Sep 16
Category:
Fishing Report
To kick off this week’s report, I’m pleased to report the arrival of false albacore (
Euthynnus alletteratus
) or little tunny. The bonito caught on the leading edge of Tropical Storm Hermine have seemed to move out, being replaced by false albacore showing from the Coast Guard Channel and...
Softer Season
Martha Ball
Fri, Sep 16
Category:
Island Notes
Fifteen years it has been since the towers fell. The sky is as beautiful as it was that terrible week, the blue it so often is in September. It is more the norm than not, cyclical, as is so much in nature, this azure that often returns, a repeat of what we could only call “insidious,” as it was cut...
Hermine doesn't stop the fish
Sol Schwartz
Fri, Sep 9
Category:
Fishing Report
So a hurricane came through and showed its face... big deal! The fish are still swimming the Block Island waters. Being that it was a northeast wind that we had, it will be interesting to see what it does for the fishing these coming weeks. Since our water temps are still up and there is lots of...
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Zoe Estrin-Grele
Fri, Sep 9
Category:
Loose ends
I'm not great at saying goodbye. I never have been. I don't get emotional enough when it happens, so I sort of shut down and distance myself from the experience. I once had to break up with a boy because of "geographical differences" and the best goodbye I could manage when I moved was, "See you...
Storm Fatigue
Martha Ball
Fri, Sep 9
Category:
Island Notes
Suddenly, after days of ever-changing tropical storm advisories and screaming red banners on the weather sites, shifting from one to three to one to four days in length, even the fear-mongering ratings seekers have surrendered. All warnings and watches have been cancelled, the only tag remaining a...
Varieties of fish all over
Capt. Chris Willi and Capt. Hank Hewitt
Sat, Sep 3
Category:
Fishing Report
This week’s shore fishing report shows a slow pack of stripers coming up on the east side sand beaches. At the beginning of this week, however, an offshore swell had big waves pounding the east and south sides of the island. Keeper bass have been taken at night on the east beaches just outside the...
Standby
J. V. Houlihan, Jr
Fri, Sep 2
Category:
The Ferry Dock Scribbler
“Morning, I’d like to go on standby, what are my chances?” says the smiling customer. If you’re the guy or gal asking that question — in the summertime — you are speaking to Dave Martin, Bill Shepard, or me. It’s a loaded question filled with hope, anticipation, and veiled defeat. It’s a question...
Hat on a Hydrant
Martha Ball
Fri, Sep 2
Category:
Island Notes
There was a gentle breeze this morning, the east wind that blows harsh and heavy in the winter bringing a welcome cooling change in late August. The sun has come around, I realized a few days ago when my house was unseasonably warm, more than it had been, when I came home as afternoon wound to...
Monster blues
Sol Schwartz
Sat, Aug 27
Category:
Fishing Report
Late summer fishing on Block Island is a time for changes. Striped bass fishing begins its lull before the fall and we start looking out for other species to show up. When our waters reach their warmest, the bigger stripers typically stay in deeper waters until the temperature drops near the shore...
Tipping
Martha Ball
Fri, Aug 26
Category:
Island Notes
Yesterday, Monday, was not a good day on “my” corner in town. I went out the door of the gallery I tend just after noon, absolutely sure of the time as I was running close to the edge of being two hours parked in the little lot below the church, the green spot named not for the great-great...
Last week, this week
Martha Ball
Fri, Aug 19
Category:
Island Notes
It is August hot on Block Island, the weather cycle everyone seems to forget exists. I forgot, until several years ago, going back through August columns, I found a recurring thread of hot, muggy, foggy, damp, doors swollen by the moisture in the air, coming back from the morning beach dripping wet...
No bones about it
Capt. Chris Willi
Fri, Aug 19
Category:
Fishing Report
Starting off this week’s fishing report: the stripers are seen daily by bathers from Mansion Beach all the way into town, as far south as the Beachead Restaurant. Catching them during the day is quite tricky, but the best bet is with a fly rod and crab patterns — fished behind the breaking waves...
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