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Columnists

Where the wild things are: Galilee

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

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’

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

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...
Happiness

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sun, Feb 12

Category:

Island Notes, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

An old Chinese proverb: If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else. Yeah, I know,...
Before the storm

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 10

Category:

Island Notes

I t is unseasonably warm, 50 degrees and sunny, a day I have twice caught myself leaving my coat on the car seat as I walk away wearing a sweater that is more a weight for spring and fall than winter. The ground is slightly soft from yesterday's rain but there has been no deep frost and no mud...
On the corner... of the past and present

Mary Anderson and Martha Ball

Sat, Feb 4

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 some items it has in its collection throughout 2017. Among the founders of...
In the Hallway: School on the Block

Jake Douglas

Sat, Feb 4

Category:

Columnists

Almost everyone I talk with in the summer asks me about how school is on the island. I reply: “it’s a decent school.” I don’t have the experience of attending an off-island high school but, from what some of my friends have told me it is very different from the island. At first I was not sure how...
The bright jacket

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Feb 3

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

A month ago I was strolling around a West Marine store looking at stuff for our sailboat. There was nothing the boat needed, yet — she’s tied to her winter dock in Newport; however, burning up the clock while looking at boat stuff is more fun than looking at stuff at a place like the...
Reaching for the sun

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 3

Category:

Island Notes

It is the last day of January and it is snowing softly in mid-afternoon, wreaking far more havoc on the mainland — where multiple crashes are being reported on the highway — than on Block Island — where the distant horizon moves between sharp and fuzzy and back again. It does not promise to be much...
Charts to steer by

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jan 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

When Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, was young he aspired to work on a Mississippi River steamboat. Clemens, like many of his pals, wanted to be a steamboat pilot. As it turned out he got his wish, and a steamboat pilot named Horace E. Bixby trained the young Clemens as a “cub,” and...
Inflexible spirit

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 27

Category:

Island Notes

The week began with rain shifting from drizzle to downpour and back but with a hard, steady, wind, the blast of winter that roils the sea and keeps the boat in port for two days in a row and even kept the planes on the ground for a part of the time. The wind slammed in from the east and northeast,...
Visiting the Emerald Isle

Sun, Jan 22

Category:

Columnists

The following were written by Block Island School students and submitted to The Block Island Times: “One of the most beautiful places.” Recently, I went on an extraordinary trip to Ireland with my family and three friends. My father grew up in London, but his family is originally from...
Facts, opinions

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jan 20

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

While watching Saturday Night Live many years ago — in the infancy of the show — I saw a skit with Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin. It was a parody of a life insurance commercial. As I watched the skit, it looked like a real advertisement. The narrator of the piece spoke in a smooth reassuring voice...
January Road

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 20

Category:

Island Notes

There was an after the storm lull this morning, a moment of near calm, in which the sound of the ocean, a muted surf, rolled up from the beach. When I opened the west-facing front door to let Autumn out I was met with the distant beep-beep of a truck backing up, an early visitor to the dump/...
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...

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