Tag: block island
Place – Block Island Day 7/Saying Goodbye
On the day of our departure from Block Island we stopped at Payne’s Killer Donut Shop and bought a few of their amazing donuts for the ferry ride.
A last goodbye to the buildings surrounding Old Harbor and the ferry parking lot.
I snapped just one more photograph for my watercolor/acrylics reference library and we were off. We’ve already made our reservations at “The Upstairs” for next year. I can’t wait to go back.
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Place and Phascination – Block Island Day 6/The Cairns at Mohegan Bluffs
To get to the amazing beach below the steep hills of Mohegan Bluffs you must climb down 144 steps. The first time you descend you get a rude surprise. Instead of stepping onto the beach, you have a 15 to 20 foot portion of the bluff to pick your way down. This can be tricky. There are many natural springs in the bluffs, and the fog and surf spray can make the rocky dirt slippery. It’s worth the effort though. The beach is gorgeous, and the view in all directions is terrific. If you click on the photograph above you can get an idea of the climb at the end of the staircase. The two people in the upper right corner are at the end of the staircase, and the people in the middle have just finished climbing down the side of the bluff.
It was foggy when we reached the bottom this year. The misty atmosphere gave a magical feel to the field of Cairns along the beach.
I have never seen so many cairns in one spot before. The photograph can’t capture them all because they fade into the mist.
I loved this arrangement of stones with a message and decided it would make a great motto for the year. I took a snapshot and pasted it in the front of my daily to do notebook.
Here are a few more photographs of the beach at Mohegan Bluffs.
This gives you an idea of the clay that can be found all around the island. Many people apply it to their skin, let it dry in the sun, and then dip in the water to wash it off. Others create interesting works of art by scraping images into it with driftwood and shells.
Mohegan Bluffs is worth the climb.
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Place and Play – Block Island Day 5
I am not much of a beach bather, but I am an absolutely avid beachcomber. The evidence sits on shelves in my garage. Stacked in boxes and bins are hundreds of pieces of driftwood, seashells, sea glass and even fishing lures that have washed up on the beaches I visit. I also enjoy creating cairns (more on these tomorrow) and stone sea nymphs. Here are a few pictures of this year’s creations. I named the photo above “Three Sisters.” I am a part of that three sister trio. I am the stone maiden on the right. My sister Amy is on the left, and sister Sue is in the middle.
I also really enjoyed putting together the bride and groom beneath the driftwood arch. Fun! Yes, it’s true…I will never grow up.
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Place and Pressed Flowers – Pressing the Odd Item/Block Island Day 4
Clayhead Beach on Block Island is probably my favorite beach. This past winter, storms and currents deposited extra sand on the shoreline. The stretch of sand along Clayhead has always been sensational, and now is better than ever. The large rocks just off the beach create amazing tidal pools. These pools capture hermit crabs, periwinkles, starfish, and this year I even saw a sea urchin for the first time. The pools are a big draw for beachcombers, young and old.
Seaweed is abundant on Block Island and grows in these pools. In the past it was farmed and sold. While I was researching the seaweed, I found this article about a present day forager of seaweed. You can read the article here: Seaweed Forager – Jen Lighty
Here are some photographs of the seaweed on the island.
I especially loved the look of the frondy seaweed in the picture above and decided to try to press it. Luckily, I had thought ahead and brought a few books for pressing along with me. I gathered up a cupful of the seaweed then soaked it in fresh water, changing the water several times. I then spread the clean seaweed on several layers of newspaper and left it in the sun. Within a matter of hours the seaweed had lost all moisture, but unfortunately was also rock hard. To press it in this brittle condition would have shattered it. I decided it was an impossible task. Happily, I didn’t throw it out right away, but forgot and left the hardened seaweed on the balcony overnight.
Hooray! Thank goodness for my occasional absent-mindedness. During the night the seaweed reabsorbed a bit of moisture from the dew and fog. It was not wet, but only sticky and damp, and a bit pliable. I put it between the pages of my book and in a few days it was hardened again, but now perfectly flat.
The dried and pressed seaweed held on to a bit of its pink color, but all the greens and whites faded out or darkened into browns and tan. The pieces, even though pressed, are still fairly thick. I don’t think I can use it in my usual greeting card artwork. One idea I have thought of is to use it as a stencil in my painting. I also could apply paint with a brush and use the pressed seaweed as a stamp. Any ideas for me? Please leave a comment. I’d love to get some input on how to use it.
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Place – Block Island/Day 3
Can you spot the deer watching us from the meadow in Rodman’s Hollow?
Day three was overcast and gray, but that wasn’t such a bad thing; we decided to hike the mile through Rodman’s Hollow and walk along the beach below it’s bluffs. Hiking beneath cloudy skies is easier than trudging along in blazing sunshine and heat. This nature walk and the descent down the side of the bluff to the beach is not for the fainthearted. The climb is a bit dicey, but worth it to Joe and I, so we carefully picked our way down the steep trail. The view of homes on the bluffs is one of my favorite sights on the island.
It’s interesting to watch the homes come into focus as we walk towards them.
After we scaled the bluff again, and hiked back to the car, the day deteriorated into heavy showers. Luckily for us the Olympics were on all afternoon. We watched the Games and Events and tried out every box and bag of snacks we brought with us: cheese puffs, candy bars, jelly belly beans, peanut butter crackers, potato chips, Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies and goldfish.
I woke up in the middle of the night and got out of bed to take this picture of the moonlight shining through the dark and gloomy clouds. It was quite the eerie atmosphere. (Or could my mood have been affected by too many sweets eaten during the day?)
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Place – Block Island/Day 2
Day two dawned gorgeous with the promise of blue skies and sunshine. We decided to explore Grace’s Cove and Dorie’s Cove. I was on a quest to find stones shaped like hearts, a favorite pastime of mine on the beach. While we were walking we came upon this small beach hut made of scavenged materials: driftwood, lobster cages, rocks, rope…anything and everything that washes up on the sand was used. I always find these impromptu shelters interesting.
We also stopped and watched as a group riding horses along the edge of the waves passed us on the beach.
Here are a few of the heart-shaped stones I found during our stay.
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Place – Point Judith and Block Island, Rhode Island – Day One
Last week we began our week-long vacation on Block Island, Rhode Island. To beat New York traffic, we leave from our New Jersey home at 2:00 AM. Yes, it’s early, and yes, we are usually very tired by the time we pull into the ferry parking lot at Point Judith.
Joe waiting in line to drive the car in reverse onto the ferry. I’m glad he is the one to navigate this task, and I am able to board the ferry to find a table with a good window and view.
The ferry always takes off right on time. We enjoy watching the fishing boats and jetty as we begin the hour-long ferry ride to Block Island.
Soon the beautiful bluffs of Block Island (New Shoreham, RI) come into view.
Within a half hour of arriving on the island we were on West Beach, enjoying the day, and even catching up on a bit of the sleep we missed.
I enjoyed talking to this young guy who had collected quite a few mussels and was building a fire pit for cooking them. He planned to steam them in some white wine and butter inside a large tomato can. By the time he had built the large pit he had already drank the wine, and decided to cook the mussels in butter alone. I didn’t have a chance to ask him how they turned out, but I bet they were amazingly good.
Our next stop was checking in at the home we stay at while we are on the island. The Upstairs is a such a lovely place to spend our week. It is built on a beautiful piece of land overlooking a conservation property. While we were out on the balcony the first night Joe pointed out this beautiful rainbow in the sky. What a great way to start our time on the island. A few raindrops are welcome when they paint one of God’s masterpieces in the sky.
We were blessed with even more of God’s beautiful works of wonder as we watched the sun set from the balcony off of our room.
To view information for “The Upstairs,” check out this link: The Upstairs on Block Island.
