Skip to main content area

Visitor Info
Dining
Transportation
Getting Married?
News
B.I. Wind Farm
Opinion
Columnists
Features
Community
Announcements

BIT SubMain Menu

Home
Classifieds
e-Edition
Subscribe
Login

You are here

Home » Columnists

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Wind and Words

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Mar 21

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

For several years I had a monthly ritual that involved reading a particular character’s stuff in Soundings magazine. It was written by the late Jack Sherwood, who had a column called “Bay Tripper.” I found interesting stories by a guy who loved sailing on the Chesapeake in a beautifully maintained...
Bridging two glimmering cities

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Feb 28

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Judy, we’re kind of close to this guy,” said Pat Hackett from the backseat of a black boxy Mercedes Benz as it swerved ahead into the right lane after zipping past the Metro bus. “It’s okay, Pat, I see him. Joe, you’re a writer. Look! The Village Voice ,” said Judy, as she deftly wove the...
You know you’re a geezer...

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Feb 21

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

You know you’re a geezer when you realize that the benchmarks and milestones that make it clear you’re going at a different speed happen more frequently. For example, I heard of a guy who had his kids at age 60. One day he was asking where the diapers were in the supermarket and the clerk directed...
Old school nods

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Feb 7

Category:

News, Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

One morning after parking his car at the ferry landing, Chris Walken stopped over at the shack to talk with Capt. Matty Rooney and me. After some standard greetings and salutations, Matty suggested we get a picture of us with Chris. Note well in the background of the shot there is something that...
A coastal dweller

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Jan 31

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

In 1957 our dad took us all to Galilee — The Point — in his two-tone green ’55 Plymouth sedan to walk along the bulkheads and docks. I clearly remember walking by a gallows frame where some giant tuna hung, where they were being weighed — before they were gutted and headed. The frame was right...
Bruce Springsteen’s Odyssean quest

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Jan 10

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Bruce Springsteen, like Odysseus, is a man of twists and turns trying to get home — both finally did get home; Odysseus got home to the island of Ithaca, and Bruce got home to Freehold, New Jersey, and to Penelope and Patti. In the bardic tradition of Homer, Springsteen is a hell of a story teller...
Sometime in New York City

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Jan 3

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Last November I decided to go to New York City to learn about a place called Gramercy Park and meet some New Yorkers. Reading New York City history is one of my favorite past times; authors Russell Shorto, Pete Hamill, E.B. White and Luc Sante have told me The Big Apple story. Beginning with the...
Let us entertain you

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Dec 27

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Online retailers have fairly recently jumped into the creative arena, producing original content that is disrupting the old distribution models for television shows and movies. My wife and I finally hopped aboard to see what all the fuss was about and I’m glad we did. The first show we dialed up on...
The giving and receiving season

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Dec 20

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I was alone in the elevator of the Prudential Tower in Boston as it was going up to the observation deck like a bat out of hell; after absconding with the pen and stationery from the lobby for my mission at the top of the building. It had a been wild night in ‘68. I had gotten lost near Roxbury and...
Dog Star

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Nov 29

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Some folks don’t like the cold winters of the Northeast, that’s why these reasonable people of means go to warmer climates and dodge the snow, ice, heating bills, dead batteries, slick roads, black ice, broken snow shovels, snow blowers, power outages, sore backs, bread and milk shortages, cabin...
Back to basics

J. V. Houlihan Jr.

Tue, Nov 20

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

We currently live in a land of great wealth. There is an abundance of things to buy, collect, discard, and buy again — and again. For example, high end clothing trends get tuned up in the couture houses of Paris, then get marketed by having perfectly cheek-boned models strut down a runway while...
Lighthouse Keepers

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Nov 15

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

On Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. WGBH premiered — see more showing dates and times below — a documentary titled “Keepers of the Light.” It deals with the moving of the Gay Head Lighthouse on the western tip of Martha’s Vineyard. Moreover, the film shows a couple of similarities that were involved with the...
Robert G. Goode, Jr., poet

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Oct 25

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

While in a Jamestown sandwich shop a few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to see a former student named Robert Goode, who is a Jamestown resident. He came into the shop with his backpack filled with books and writing journals and sat across from me as I waited for my sandwich. We did the standard...
Tom McGuane, writer

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Oct 18

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I started reading Tom McGuane’s books just a few years ago after a friend suggested a couple of titles. I liked his stuff right from the jump. McGuane works his readers hard; attention must constantly be paid to where his characters are going and what they are doing—or not doing. His characters are...
Sailing a boat

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Oct 11

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

The first time I attempted rigging out a sailboat was in 1959. It was at my uncle’s summer house on Greenwich Bay. My sister Janie, myself and a random beach kid — in July heat and slack wind — got the sail up the mast on a sailing dinghy called What, Me Worry? My sister was the brains of...
The Osprey

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Thu, Oct 4

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“How come that windmill next to George’s fell down and those Osprey nests, don’t,” asked local fishing Captain Ralph Pearson one winter morning in a local coffee shop. Ospreys, also known as fish hawks, are clever hunters and great engineers — they’re persistent and forthright, too. Captain Ralph’s...
Rowing a boat

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Thu, Sep 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

As a young kid around age 10, the most transformative experience — besides riding a bicycle — I ever had was when I rented a rowboat on a small pond on Cape Cod. While on a camping trip, I noticed a beat-up rowboat to hire for short money — 50 cents an hour. I flipped a guy four quarters and hopped...
Print media in the digital age

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Aug 24

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

While taking a Mass Media course in graduate school, we had a professor who had a mesmerizing voice and an easy manner — a Mister Rogers for adults. He had a soothing tonality that could send us into a relaxing alpha state or a deep sleep; however, his class was so interesting that we were all...
Work, work, work

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Aug 3

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“All you have to sell is your time.” My dad told me this when I was a kid. He also told me, “There isn’t a money tree in the back yard.” It was easy to connect the dots with what he was saying; if I wanted something, I’d need to work for it. I was a caddy — a looper — when I was 14. It was a short-...
The Galilee Free Library

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Jul 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Couples need a good base camp to live in as they age; if they are not vigilant their camp can get cluttered up with stuff that they just don’t need anymore. We live in a consumerist society; we need to buy lots of stuff to keep the wheels of the economy turning. However, there comes a time when we...
Hope Roosa, motivated

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Jul 13

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Motivation comes from within. It cannot be taught. There are no short cuts. What’s compelling about motivation is where it begins — there must be a spark — and where it can take you. When I meet motivated people, I look for the spark and invariably it is clearly explained by the...
‘Melville in love’

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jun 8

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Sometimes a great book will find us when we least expect it. A book can appear to us in bookstores, flea markets, lost and found bins, yard sales, and libraries. Or, a friend may flip us a book that they may think we might like when we least expect it. A friend of ours named Cindy — another Cindy...
Down to the second

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, May 18

Category:

News, Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

As the Oldport launch was heading over to Fort Adams at 0800, we passed very close to the Volvo Open 65, Dongfeng Racing. In very poor visibility and light air she was the fourth boat in the fleet to finish in the Newport leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. The word around the Newport docks was...
The Block Island Factor

J. V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, May 4

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“The Block Island Factor is a degree-of-difficulty figure by which one multiplies mainland estimates to achieve Block Island realities. The Factor is always greater than one and may go as high as five depending on one’s ability to adapt to weather, cost, transportation, and...
The Chief

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Apr 27

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Hey, Joe, check out my new guitar,” said Chief Vin Carlone as he came into the car shack one February day a few years back. It was freezing outside and it was quiet at the docks. He cracked open his case and pulled out a pristine out-of-the-box Taylor guitar. Then he ran some scales up and down...
The stages of Geezer-hood

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Apr 6

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I just finished my 68th trip around the sun, and I’m barreling on the quick step toward the next one. There is no denying that life goes by very fast as we get on in years—it’s non-negotiable. Moreover, we pay more attention as to how we want to spend our time — we can’t flinch — so we need to go...
Remembering a mentor and friend

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Mar 23

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“Get on that house, Houlihan, you missed a spot under the gutter.” “That grass isn’t raked enough. Keep at it.” “Tune your guitar, that E string is flat.” “Did you do your geometry? Did you study your French verbs?” The above and many more assertive suggestions were said to me by my childhood next-...
Winter

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Mar 16

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

We’ve had some cold and inclement — ice, snow, wind, slush — weather this winter. However, other than the “Bomb Cyclone,” it’s been an uneventful season. On the day I write this, it’s a balmy 48 degrees aboard my sailboat in Newport Harbor. There is no snow to be seen of any consequence, and the...
Sometimes, life is a beach

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Mar 9

Category:

The Ferry Dock Scribbler

I first heard of Jimmy Buffett in the winter of 1975 while living on Daytona Beach, Florida, in my shanty Irish camper, and raising standard issue hell on said beach and in the local saloons. Buffett’s name would pop up with some of the — ahem, characters — I played my guitar with at...
A new Rockwell classic

J.V. Houlihan Jr.

Fri, Mar 2

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” — W. Somerset Maugham The above quote could also pertain to writing a screenplay. Irish/British writer Martin McDonagh penned a script that became the movie, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri...
Charting your own course

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Feb 2

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

“I frisked him; he’s clean,” says a guy eating a plate of food with authority and certainty. “I’ve frisked a thousand young punks.” A guy gets up from the table where there are three men sitting, and heads to the men’s room. The camera tracks back — twice — to the guy who frisked him. The guy keeps...
Bomb cyclone — help!

J.V. Houlihan, Jr.

Fri, Jan 12

Category:

Columnists, The Ferry Dock Scribbler

Any young dogs want to shovel old man Houlihan’s cars out and make some scoots? A blown shoulder just shut me down, and Cindy’s bull goring injury has slowed her down a little. Otherwise, we’d be on this… If interested, PM me, stat! I posted this note on Facebook on Jan. 3 and got a few...
Words

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...
The gifting season

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...
All for the life of the rolling sea

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...
Book nods for Christmas

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...
Travails in India

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...
Tales of The Dutch Inn

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...
Bashing to windward

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...
Can Do Sailors

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...
Ducks redux

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...
‘Very L.D., dad!’

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...
The Journeyman

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...
Columbus

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...
Just like riding a bike

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...
The Dutch Inn: A retrospective

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,...
The times they are a-changin’

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...
The pillow from hell

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...
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...
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,...

Pages

« first
‹ previous
1
2
3
4
5
next ›
last »

Island Buzz

This weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule

Posted By

The Block Island Times

4/13

Check out this weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule at https:// www.natureblockisland.org
Still Looking for a Summer Rental?

Posted By

Sullivan Sotheby's International Realty

4/13

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

Posted By

Highland Farm Inc.

4/13

Spring update. We hope all of you are staying safe and healthy out there on the island. Mulch has arrived! Highland Farm...
Highland Farm has Fresh Spring Nursery Stock

Posted By

Highland Farm Inc.

4/13

Highland Farm has fresh nursery stock arriving daily! From large evergreens which can be planted to make an instant green...
Highland Farm is officially OPEN for business!

Posted By

Highland Farm Inc.

4/13

Spring is officially here and we are ready to open for another great season here at Highland Farm. Our mulch is REAL BARK,...
History Happening Here- Join our Membership in 2021

Posted By

Block Island Historical Society

4/12

Thank you for your interest in the Block Island Historical Society. We all value everyone who shares our love of the island...

Receive our weekly email-letters!

Email Address

Email Type

Weekly Features-letter
Weekly News-letter
Breaking News

Tweets by BITimes

Real Estate

1,775,000
356 High Street, Block Island, RI 02807
Lila Delman Real Estate

A traditional New England style Inn, built in 1882 by native Block Island residents Lorenzo Mott...
1,650,000
Walk to Scotch Beach from the Tennis House!

1777 Corn Neck Road, Block Island, RI 02807 Prime location on Corn Neck Road, walking distance to...
1,650,000
Walk to Scotch Beach from the Tennis House!
Ballard Hall Sales Group

Prime location on Corn Neck Road, walking distance to Scotch Beach and easy access to the Great...
1,840,000
1320 Peckham Farm Road, Block Island, RI 02807
Lila Delman Real Estate

This property undoubtedly speaks for itself. Tucked away in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods...
445,000
Lot for Sale Old Harbor
Beach Real Estate

Beautiful views from this lot off High Street! Tiny lot with plenty of room for your new cute...
1,450,000
West Side Rebuilt! Gorgeous!
Beach Real Estate

West Side House: Unusual opportunity to own a part of Block Island's History. The house was a...
1,800,000
1079 Corn Neck Road, Block Island, RI 02807
Lila Delman Real Estate

Make this popular Corn Neck location your own, memories made at the beach last a lifetime! Ocean...
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...

More Listings>>

Upcoming Events

Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 4/18, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 4/25, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 5/2, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 5/9, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 5/16, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 5/23, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 5/30, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 6/6, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 6/13, 10:00am
Easter Sunday Snrise and Worship Services

Sun, 6/20, 10:00am

View Calendar>>

Island Religion

PART 7 ASPIRING TO BE A WITNESS FOR CHRIST

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

4/8

PART 7 ASPIRING TO BE A WITNESS FOR CHRIST CHAPTER 8 BEING A WITNESS OF ATTENDING TO THE ASSEMBLING OF THE SAINTS Acts 2:42...
PART 6 ASPIRING TO BE A WITNESS FOR CHRIST

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

3/31

PART 6 ASPIRING TO BE A WITNESS FOR CHRIST CHAPTER 7 BEING A WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE What we are going to talk...
PART 5 Aspiring to be a Witness for Christ

Posted By

Block Island Christian Fellowship

3/25

PART 5 Aspiring to be a Witness for Christ CHAPTER 6 BEING A WITNESS WHEN WE PRAY Another aspiration that we should have is...

About Us
Advertise
Contact Us
Site Policy

© 2021 BlockIslandTimes.com