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Columnists

Foundations in the brush

Martha Ball

Fri, May 13

Category:

Island Notes

The sun is shining. There are Canada geese to the east, sitting in the beaten grass of the pond lot behind my house. Their goslings have grown, already the size of small ducks, their baby feathers a fluffy gold, backlit by the new morning spreading across the land. I have not yet seen them down the...
The fluke are back

Hank Hewitt

Fri, May 6

Category:

Fishing Report

To start off this week's fishing report, The Great Salt Pond is beginning to produce. The winter flounder are becoming active. I had decent action fishing over them last week. More and more bait is filtering into the pond, and while putting in some evening fishing time looking for striped bass, I...
Guitar Man

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, May 6

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Is the ferry going? It seems kind of windy,” said a guy carrying a soft guitar case slung over his shoulder. He looked very concerned as he stood at the end of the State Pier waiting for the M/V Manitou to be loaded. He was with a group of musicians who were going to play a gig on the island. Ken...
Bridges to nowhere

Martha Ball

Fri, May 6

Category:

Island Notes

Last week we had a Primary in Rhode Island. Block Island almost running out of ballots, having an additional batch sent over on the last boat — which the Captain held until the packet arrived — was a story that got picked up by the national press. It was, in some cases, turned a bit on its side, a...
Highland Farm

Michael Schroeder

Fri, Apr 29

Category:

Trips Abroad

Back in 1996, there was only a single greenhouse “to grow some flowers and make a little money” for his sister, who had recently retired from Electric Boat. Now, Highland Farm, run by Jack Sumner and his sister Martha, is a 30-acre complex with seven greenhouses — and that’s only part of the...
Ambling Muskrat

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 29

Category:

Island Notes

There is snow in northern Rhode Island, they are saying — in the dead spaces between the swooning over a Presidential candidate who made a whistle-stop in Rhode Island yesterday and confusion about “usual” polling places being closed, and insistence “no one has said anything” when it has been a...
Dewinterization

Capt. Chris Willi

Fri, Apr 22

Category:

Fishing Report

Spring is definitely in the air and the itch to get on the water is becoming unbearable. We talked about getting fishing gear ready in the last article, so let’s move on to getting the boat ready to hit the water. ‘Dewinterization’ is the term used for the spring preparation of a boat. This, of...
Green Haze

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 22

Category:

Island Notes

Viewing the forecast, so often at odds with the world beyond my door, was my objective, but I am easily distracted today by an “Active Advisory Special Statement” issued by the National Weather Service, mirroring a “No Beach Fires” announcement issued by the local Fire Department. It would be a...
Passover or die trying

Zoe Estrin-Grele

Fri, Apr 22

Category:

Loose ends

It’s April of 2012 and I am a junior in college. It’s approximately 5 p.m. and I’ve just stepped into the school dining hall, which looks like a slightly classier high school lunch room (there’s carpeting and the chairs are made out of wood instead of plastic.) Something is bothering me. Something...
Green Haze

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 22

Category:

Island Notes

Viewing the forecast, so often at odds with the world beyond my door, was my objective, but I am easily distracted today by an “Active Advisory Special Statement” issued by the National Weather Service, mirroring a “No Beach Fires” announcement issued by the local Fire Department. It would be a...
Wet road

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 15

Category:

Island Notes

Here is a great swath of green lying along the coast all the way from South Carolina to Maine and beyond into Canada. I think statistics, the disproportionate percentage of the population of this nation living within fifty miles of the coast, the idle musings of someone living with exceedingly slow...
Silver Streak

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Apr 15

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“The dollar of our daddies, of silver coinage free, will make us rich and happy, and bring prosperity.” — Williams Jennings Bryan Williams Jennings Bryan ran for President three times – and lost. This is not a political column; however, I’ve carried the above quote in an active file in my...
Celebrate Earth Day

Kim Gaffett

Fri, Apr 15

Category:

News, Ocean Views

Next week is Earth Day. (Friday, April 22, for those of you for whom this date does not come readily to mind.) A day, and a week, to celebrate our home planet. Next week is also spring break here on Block Island. With the Island Free Library, Ocean View Foundation will be marking the occasion with...
Prep Time

Capt. Chris Willi

Fri, Apr 8

Category:

Fishing Report

As Hank warned in the last column, “Don’t be fooled by mother nature,” the weather sent us one more dose of snowy coldness to keep things in check. Don’t let this deter optimism for an end-of-month start to the saltwater fishing scene, however. The last week of April and the first week of May are...
Dragons Passing

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 8

Category:

Island Notes

The first Sunday in April began a wild, beautiful, broken day. There was a snow squall in the morning, a cloud of white disbelief roiling beyond my window, the not-uncommon flurry but nonetheless evoking a but-it's-after-Easter! protest. These flurries are always a wonder, no matter how many ways...
Sea changes

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Apr 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Picture a beautiful building tumbling down the south-facing bluff on Block Island. This scenario did not play out in real life, because in August of 1993, after 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Southeast Lighthouse was moved 300 feet away from the bluffs. It had to be done; the endgame was...
Point Judith

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Mon, Apr 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Are we in Point Judith?” “Is this Narragansett or Galilee?” “Does the ferry leave from here?” “Where’s the bridge?” These are a few of the questions that were asked by visitors to the Point Judith ferry docks — mostly before cell phones. Back in the day some people — on the cusp of road rage —...
Morning Broken

Martha Ball

Fri, Apr 1

Category:

Island Notes

Last night I wondered that it was so dark before realizing it was almost seven o’clock in the evening and remembering it was March, yet. Later, there was a great wind and, again, I was reminded: March. The sun is moving to the north, spring is real. Easter morning I woke early, even before the dawn...
The bank on the Block

Fraser Lang

Sat, Mar 26

Category:

Trips Abroad

When I worked for The Spring House in the early 1960s, I occasionally had to do some banking business for the hotel. That would require taking a trip to the credit union located in the building that now houses The Darius Inn. As I recall, that credit union was open very limited hours. In the late ‘...
Justin Abrams

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Sat, Mar 26

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Back in those days we’d sail our Pearson Triton out from Greenwich Bay, we’d take the kids out to Block Island, and that’s how we came to buy The 1661 Inn,” said Justin Abrams. In the latter part of the summer of 1970, I worked for the Abram’s family. They had a little sandwich shop next to The...
Don't be fooled by Mother Nature

Hank Hewitt

Sat, Mar 19

Category:

Fishing Report

The days are getting longer with the sun setting later. The air is warming, and the birds are singing a spring song. These late winter happenings have me awakened from my winter dormancy and seeking the harbingers of spring, signaling the return of the fish I so eagerly pursue with rod and reel...
“He's a Farmer”

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 18

Category:

Island Notes

It was mild last week and the sweet night music of peepers rose from the low places in the early evenings. They were singing everywhere, all over the island, in other New England states and down the coast. Reports of them was widespread and joy-filled. Dawn came late, a line of deep rose, hovering...
Docks

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sat, Mar 12

Category:

News, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In 1938, on Sept. 9, a storm was forming off the coast of Africa. Subsequently, it developed into a Category 5 hurricane, and it spun up the east coast of the United States. After this storm crossed the Atlantic, it hit the coasts of Haiti and Cuba. Then, it changed course off the tip of Florida...
Time to plant the peas

Renee Meyer

Sat, Mar 12

Category:

Gardening Report

There has been a somewhat dubious advertisement playing over the airwaves of late. To the background song of “Food, Glorious Food,” from the musical “Oliver,” the Cox cable ad would have us believe that in future years we will all be able to use a 3-D printer to print out exactly what we wish to...
There was Land

Martha Ball

Fri, Mar 11

Category:

Island Notes

March 2010 — These days of high tides and high surfs make the last stretch of Corn Neck Road, the southern end, out beyond the protection of the dunes, feel like a bridge the water is so near. We have two roads that tempt the sea, this short stretch where the telephone poles bend,...
Fishing Report: The Best Time

Capt. Chris Willi

Sat, Mar 5

Category:

Fishing Report

One of the most asked questions for a fishing charter business by customers planning their vacation is “when is the best time for fishing?” The answer to this can be the snarky “anytime is a good time to fish,” to the specific “go to the Poop Chute one hour after the top of the outgoing two days...
The big con

J. V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Mar 4

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

A baseball-hatted man dressed in black is walking with a subtle degree of swagger–cocky. He is being escorted into a building while being hounded by photographers — it’s an aggressive scene. Suddenly, he nudges a photographer and he gets jolted back — hard — by another man with a camera. It was an...
No Good Wind

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 26

Category:

Island Notes

There is no good wind in winter, there are only those days without wind that come as gifts, spreading over the land with the ever-earlier morning sun. They are to be met with gladness and thanksgiving; Sunday, a week after remarkable and unusual below-zero temperatures, was one, a "where-is-my-coat...
A memorable professor

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Feb 26

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Yon can’t focus in class and your head is all over the place. Your work is showing me nothing. Why are you taking my class?” said Professor David Gustafson. It was my final semester as a theater student at Rhode Island College, and this guy had just come down from Canada to teach an acting class...
Hey, Captain!

Capt. Chris Willi

Sat, Feb 20

Category:

Fishing Report

A few months ago we did an article on what to take into consideration when choosing the right charter boat for your trip. After all, if you’re going to drop a few hundred dollars you want make sure you’re going with a safe, experienced, and qualified individual. The preeminent qualification of any...
Breath of the Sea

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 19

Category:

Island Notes

Sunday, I got out my heaviest wool sweater, scratchy and brown, and officially gave in to winter. It was a from-the-ground-up process, starting with the bulky Baffins, the big blue boots have sat in my bedroom since spring, never making it to the box in the closet — as if they could on their own...
For A Song

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 12

Category:

Island Notes

The last Sunday in January came the sad news of the passing of Eugene Rankin, southern gentleman, accomplished pianist, teacher, beloved neighbor and friend. He was 93. Seven years ago this March, I wrote to my brother, idle musings on an approaching storm, then, because my heart could not contain...
Geeking out…

Capt. Chris Willi

Sat, Feb 6

Category:

Fishing Report

Every year the largest fly fishing show on the East Coast kicks off in the mid-Atlantic state of New Jersey. Held at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, the show brings over 400 fly fishing suppliers, retailers, guides, outfitters, authors, fly tyers, and educators under one roof and...
Garden Report: The art of pruning

Renée Meyer

Sat, Feb 6

Category:

Gardening Report

Last weekend gave us zero excuses not to get out of the house and do something around the yard, at least here on the eastern side of the island where all traces of the blizzard known as Jonas have disappeared. Well, not quite all of the traces — there were some tree limbs down, some minor, some not...
Buddy

Martha Ball

Fri, Feb 5

Category:

Island Notes

Last week, long-time mayor of Providence, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, passed away, seemingly unexpectedly. In truth, he had been seriously ill and we had all known it, all of us who listened to WPRO radio, who gave even passing notice to politics, the blood sport of Rhode Island. Everyone in the state...
Students of the Month

Gloria S. Redlich

Sat, Jan 30

Category:

Inactive Columns

The Block Island School has initiated a monthly program of recognizing two students from the middle and high school grades for outstanding qualities and behavior. This month’s honorees are Chloe Weber, a sixth grader, and Bridgette Keane in grade 11. In statements posted on the main bulletin board...
Name-Worthy Stature

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 29

Category:

Island Notes

Chili always tastes better the second night, but it really tastes better the second night when the power has not just gone off with no hope of restoration until well after morning light, leaving no talk or music, no mechanical rumblings of furnace or creaky heat or refrigerator motor, none of the...
'Cause you've torn your dress... and your face is a mess'

Zoe Estrin-Grele

Sat, Jan 23

Category:

Loose ends

On Jan. 10, I woke up to six text messages, all on the same topic. The first one read, I heard about David Bowie. Are you okay? I was not, in fact, okay. To explain why this hit me so hard, I need to go back to about 1973 when a skinny kid with big ears in Cleveland, Ohio, bought Bowie’s album “Pin...
Beyond the Hall of the Mountain King

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 22

Category:

Island Notes

Snow was in the forecast. It did not bother the Pesky Pond Troll of Clay Head Swamp (aka PPT) one little bit, not this year. He had a nice heavy winter coat, he had — he always had — plenty of provisions on hand, and he could tell by the direction of the sun and the length of the days that it was...
Cash's Corner

Is 17 the magic number?

Cassius Shuman

Fri, Jan 22

Category:

Columnists

For the fifth straight year, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be playing in the AFC Championship game. By defeating the Chiefs 27-20 in impressive fashion on Jan. 16, the number two-seeded Patriots earned the right to play Peyton Manning and his number one-seeded Broncos in Denver on...
Fishy reading for the cold days ahead

Capt. Chris Willi

Mon, Jan 18

Category:

Fishing Report

Okay, folks, it's winter time and there’s no better time to catch up on your reading… and of course I mean about fishing. Here are three nonfiction books I recommend for anyone who fishes for striped bass. Each have a message, all of which are important, all of which any true sportsman should...
2016, two weeks in

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sat, Jan 16

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

From the jump, things have been good with the New Year. The weather has been very forgiving at the docks, especially when we roll in to work at 0530 hours for the Monday and Thursday ferry trip. However, make no mistake, it’s still bleak at the docks at that Godforsaken hour of the day; Paradise...
Sand In My Socks

Martha Ball

Fri, Jan 15

Category:

Island Notes

Yesterday, the rain sheeted on the south-facing kitchen windows, but the southwest sky beyond was filled with the light of the sun on its early afternoon path. It appeared to be shining on white buildings around the harbor and, despite the rain, there were shadows, albeit with soft edges, on the...
Cash's Corner

Patriots host Chiefs

Cassius Shuman

Fri, Jan 15

Category:

Columnists

The Patriots revenge campaign may have fallen by the wayside after the week 12 loss to the Broncos, but it might be revitalized for the upcoming AFC Divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. In case you might have forgotten, the Patriots most embarrassing loss last season...
Kicking and screaming into the 21st century...16 years late

Zoe Estrin-Grele

Sun, Jan 10

Category:

Columnists

I wish I could nail down something about Block Island that encapsulates what’s “wrong” with it, but it’s not that simple. In thinking about things that I would love to see changed in the coming year — Block Island’s New Year’s resolutions, if you will — there’s nothing simple. I mean, don’t get me...
Mary Norris, the comma queen

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Sat, Jan 9

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.” — Robert Louis Stevenson We are in the digital age and there is no turning back, and if u r in agreement with this, 4 sure u r a person who has...
Weather Station Window

Martha Ball

Sat, Jan 9

Category:

Island Notes

The glass panel in the west-facing entry door was covered with the uneven lace of frozen moisture when I first let the dog out this morning. The hole she has been digging or, more, the clay on the grass, the fruit of her excavations, was a different hue, more yellow than tan the under the low,...
Letting go

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jan 8

Category:

News, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One morning a few weeks ago at the docks, there was a draft on the back of my left leg. It felt damp. Had I sat in water? I pondered this while checking in a car for the eleven o’clock ferry. The draft was a result of a rip in my pants in an embarrassing place ― not acceptable. Moreover, for a...
Fifty-seven and foggy

Martha Ball

Wed, Jan 6

Category:

Island Notes

The Sunday morning after Christmas it was 57 and foggy when I left my house in the morning. There was little wind and the fog held us in its embrace of mystical magical mild made warm by the fact of it being in late December. Three hours later the temperature had dropped only two degrees but the...
"The Feast"

Capt. Chris Willi

Thu, Dec 24

Category:

Fishing Report

The Holiday Seasons are filled with various traditions and customs, most of which originate from religious, ethnic, or family beliefs. Culinary traditions dominate the holiday season and it brings the opportunity for family to enjoy a meal together –something of a rare occurrence in today’s world...

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Island Buzz

2013 Subaru Outback

Posted By

- Private group -

1/17

Price: $8,495 Exterior: White Year: 2010 Interior: Make:Subaru Trim/Package AWD 2.5i Limited 4dr Wagon Model: Outback...
Still Looking for a Summer Rental?

Posted By

Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

1/17

Sullivan Sotheby’s International Realty has some great options, if your still searching for that perfect Summer Rental. We...
Christmas at Highland Farm

Posted By

Highland Farm Inc.

1/17

It’s the holiday season and we have everything you need to get into the festive spirit here at Highland Farm. We have live...
Escape to Narragansett!

Posted By

The Break: A Narragansett Hotel

1/16

Spa services, heated pool, heated bathroom floors, onsite restaurant, luxurious linens, ocean views. . .all at a great price...
TimberTech by AZEK

Posted By

Riverhead Building Supply

1/16

Riverhead Building Supply offers TimberTech by AZEK Building Products. Click here for the latest collections and styles...
BI Resident Rate at The Break Hotel - 10% OFF

Posted By

The Break: A Narragansett Hotel

1/16

Coming to or from the island, staying for pleasure or business, visiting the local lighthouses or learning to surf, you’ll...

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Island Religion

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