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July 19, 2001 - The beauty of Block Island, part 1'0e Suffolk "m`° o July 19, 2001 The beauty of Block Island part 1 Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh This building was once the U.S. Weather Bureau's headquarters for vital maritime weather dispatches. Today it's a fine B&B sitting atop a hill over- looking New Harbor to the north. YEARS AGO, WHEN WE HAD our sail- boat, we would often stop in at Block Island. It's a favorite place for boaters to rendezvous for a weekend, race week or to just enjoy this mystical little island that is part of the state of Rhode Island. My son keeps his boat out there for a few weeks each year and he had invited us to stay aboard and revisit the island. You can take a ferry from Montauk, and in about an hour and a half you are there. We got up early to make sure we would miss the notorious south side traffic. We arrived in plenty of time, and with coffee and an egg - and- sausage roll under our belts we were readv for the 8:15 a.m. boarding. It seemed relatively calm but foggy so I thought we were going to have a smooth trip, but once we left the end of the breakwater a rolling sea from the east started to take its toll with the pas- sengers on board. We wallowed in the highs and lows of the waves. The sea can make the strongest man weak and I Focus must say that day there were quite a ON few weak ones aboard. When they started passing out paper bags to the NATURE passengers in need, it was a sign that by Paul things were getting pretty rough. Stoutenburgh Yet we weathered the ride over very well. Barbara slept through most of it and the motion of the boat didn't seem to affect either of us. I had brought binoculars along in hopes of getting a glimpse of petrels, shearwaters or even gannets, but the foggy morning and the rough seas nut an end to that idea. Because Block Island is situated only 12 miles offshore and on the Atlantic flyway, it has become a mecca for land birds in their migrations north and south. There are special days on Block when hundreds of birders from all over come to check these spring and fall migrations. Over 175 species of birds have been recorded on Block Island, making it one of the great places to go if you're interested in birding. But it's a great place to go even if you're not interested in birds, for it has that salty atmosphere, with quaint little houses, huge hotels and busy shops. After we walked to Peter's boat and opened it up, it didn't take us long to settle in. Our stomachs told us it was lunchtime so we walked to Smugglers Cove nearby to try the food there, which we found excellent. I had fried oysters on a roll and Barbara had some clam chowder and a few crab cakes, which we enjoyed outside in a delight- ful, shaded breeze. After that it was a stroll up the road and over the bridge of the nearby creek. It's a picturesque area where artists often come to paint. Then it was up past the old weather station. It's from here that the U.S. Weather Bureau used to issue its weather reports. It is a big, square white build- ing, now turned into a lovely bed and breakfast. We continued our walk toward the ocean, crossing another bridge where kids were diving into the -ool, clear water below. Scattered aiiiuugst ine iusn greenery were oFi- barns with their rustic gray siding. We could see the state park beach farther along to the north with its concessions, bathhouses and lifeguards. Then it was back to the boat. Out came books for reading as the day closed down upon us. We hadn't thought much about dinner, as our lunch seemed quite enough, but we finally decided to get a banana split. We thought it kind of crazy, but what the heck, it was vacation time. When we saw the banana split, we couldn't believe our eyes. I think someone new must have put it together, for there were three scoops of three different kinds of ice cream instead of just a scoop each of three different flavors. With sprinklings of nuts, syrups and whipped cream added to the top it became the greatest conglomeration of calories we ever saw! The evening breeze was delightful. It was dry, with not a mosquito about. We found ourselves lured to bed, the lap- ping water on the hull lulling us to sleep. It was hard to pull ourselves away from the warm bunks in the cool mom - ing but we finally did. Vie were greeted by another beautiful day with its north wind, dry, cool and delightful. We cov- ered ourselves with sunscreen, then put on our wide-hrimmaA J ­t� —A f ___J_A There were boats from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and other areas all tied up there. These were just the ones at the dock. Out in the harbor, they say on busy weekends they have over a thousand boats moored. The water was sprinkled with mostly sailboats. Most of the big power boats were tied up at the docks. we nau seen the island many times, sometimes by bicycle, sometimes by walking, so this time we decided to hire a guide to see the island through his eyes. We were driven north on a lovely country road that dipped and turned as it worked its way out to the north end of the island. They have two lighthous- es on the island, one called the North Light and the other the Southeast Light. Today all lighthouses are mecha- nically run. There are no more light - keepers. They are a thing of the past. Technology has caught up with them, and like so many things, they are just memories. Island settled in 1661 At the end of the road we saw a big stone marker listing the original settlers who had arrived at Block at that very spot in 1661. In back of us was a big freshwater pond. Here was fresh water separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a mere 100 feet of sand and beach grass. We were amazed to see hundreds of tree swallows working over the area. It seemed early for swallows to be migrat- ing, but seeing there are few dead trees on the island to nest in, they had to be swallows that had raised their broods on the mainland and were heading south on their fall migration. What else could it be? Far off in the distance, across the pond, we could see 15 or 20 cows knee - deep in the water, enjoying their morn- ing drink. There are green rolling pas- tures everywhere with little mowed fields and, of course, their low stone walls. We were told there are 600 miles of stone walls on the island. There are still about 150 cattle on the island and as many horses. We even passed a field where they were cutting hay. Farming still hangs on, but nothing large. It reminds you of the past when farming was a vital part of Block Island life. We'll continue our tour of Block Island next week. See you then.