Block Island 2015

We had a glorious 3-day weekend on Block Island, taking the kiddos back to where Mama and I vacationed a year ago.  And it was fantastic!

Friday
The weekend celebrations actually started Thursday evening, with our attending the Indigo Girls concert at the Beacon in NYC.  But that is a whole separate post.

Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep Thursday night and had intended to sleep in and skip school, but the kids had class pictures at school and wanted to go.  So we were up as usual and the kids had their group photo first thing.  We picked them up at 10 a.m. and raced to the ferry, knowing it was going to be tight timing.  Full of adrenaline, we played license plate games ("Noshing Jackal Hordes" anyone?) and find the ABCs for two hours, working the alphabet backwards and forwards.

But we made it, even with the dense fog that was rolling into the southern New England shore.  By the time we boarded the ferry from Port Judith to Block Island, we couldn't see a hundred yards in any direction, if that.  And yet we still rode up top, in the blowing, wet fog; we were all wet-haired almost immediately.  It wasn't super cold, though, and we laughed the whole way (luckily, we'd eaten our lunches waiting in the ferry line instead of saving them for the ride as we had planned.)  Bud jumped every time the fog horn blew, approximately every two minutes.

We stayed at the 1661 Inn, where we stayed last time, in a gorgeous big room, in its own separate house on the property.  It had an airy, bright sea-colored room with a gas fireplace (and an Anton Otto Fischers maritime painting c 1919  over the mantel) and a huge porch, plus a giant bathroom with a jacuzzi bath and two "rainforest" showers.  Luxurious.  We voted it second-best hotel room ever, after the Lainston in Winchester.   The whole inn is lovely--and the hydrangeas were even still in bloom!

We didn't stay long but headed out to see what we could see, with our first visit to the nearby Southeast Light.  The kids ran around the yard, marveling at the fog while Mama and I took photos.  Perfect weather for a supposedly haunted light.  The fog horn was blaring the whole time.

We then headed to the other end of the island, to see the labyrinth and other lighthouse.  Well, we saw the beach where the light was but couldn't see as far as the light.  We could, however, enjoy the labyrinth and walked the whole path.  I wasn't quite as philosophical as last time, though I did notice that walking it as a family, however separated, gave the experience new meaning--we high-fived as we passed one another and occasionally waited along the way for a hug.  At the end, Bud lead me on to the end.  You could run with the symbolism of all of that.  Still, they took the whole path more joyfully that the grown ups, reveling in the full physical experience of a maze on a hill in the fog.

We made a stop at the local grocery store for snacks and then went back to the room.  Bud wanted to have a tub in the jacuzzi and we all enjoyed relaxing in the room, even with no view.  The fog really was a singular experience and lent wonderful atmosphere to our first day; I'm just glad it cleared overnight.

We had an amazing early dinner at Eli's:  artichoke veloute with a crabcake, warm goat cheese and arugula salad, breads with olive oil, tuna nachos, a short rib burger, a roasted chicken breast, filet mignon with roasted vegetables and gnocchi, chocolate bread pudding, lemon mousse cake, and an incredible butterscotch pudding.

And it was still early, so we enjoyed the fireplace and sat doing some of the activities we brought along--coloring books, crochet, yo-yo.  Eventually, we went to bed, with the increasing winds rattling the whole little building in which we slept.

Saturday

The wind died down by dawn, having cleared away all the fog.  Sis was up first and out on the porch to watch the sunrise.  She's been waking early since the time change made 7 am into 6 am.  We all joined her.  At any given point in the trip, I was taking photos with my cellphone while Mama and Sis took photos on two of the cameras she brought.  Sis is just like Mama and they take many of the same views.  It was a beautiful sunrise and then we all sat on the porch, drinking tea and hot chocolate, coloring and doodling in the morning light, waiting for breakfast.

Mmmm, breakfast!  Omelets to order, tasty morning glory and lemon poppyseed and pistachio muffins, pancakes (French toast the next day), potatoes, ham, bagels, toast, juices, coffee, tea--what a way to start the day!!

Right after breakfast, one of the owners of the Inn took us on a tour of their farm, complete with exotic animals.  The kids enjoyed feeding, petting, interacting with, and even just seeing the two Bactrian camels, lemurs, kangaroo, Flemish Giant bunny, a giant tortoise, an African crane that danced for Sis, llamas, yak, and other creatures.

Then we went to the Northern Light fiber arts shop--yep, yarn!!!!  The kids enjoyed both the multi-colored yarn and the big yellow lab-mix dogs.  And I picked up some lovely yarn, for a hat, mittens, and a blanket.  Bud learned to weave on a lucet and got one to use at home.  Sis picked up a felting kit and worked on it over the weekend to create a picture of the Southeast Light.


Kite-flying was next.  The warmth of the weather was unbelievable.  We needed jackets but not much else.  And so we headed to the beach to fly two kites Mama had brought, a synapse self-inflating kite and a parafoil or something-or-other.  They had such a good time flying the kites in the not-too-strong breeze.  I searched the beach for seaglass, finding just a few pieces, but enjoying the search.



By then we had worked up an appetite and headed to Bethany's Airport Diner, where Mama and I had eaten on our last trip.  What a huge disappointment!  We waited by a dirty table and were roundly ignored for upwards of 10 minutes, when finally one server said to another, nodding at us, "Do you want to clean that table?"  "No," she replied.  And kept ignoring us.  We left, of course,  Were they rude because they're rude?  Tired?  Or because we're not locals? a lesbian family? bi-racial?  A painful experience but a good teachable moment for the kids.  Shame on them.  It was the only negative event in three days.  But we had a fabulous, friendly, tasty meal at Kimberly's.  Bud licked the bouillabaisse bowl clean, while Mama inhaled the fried oysters.  Sis and I enjoyed more usual fare, a burger and a meatball grinder.

We did a little shopping and, in chatting, learned from the store owner the best beach to find seaglass. I promised I wouldn't publicize it, though.  We made plans to go the next day, at low tide, as recommended.

We spent some quiet time waiting for sunset, enjoying the room and our activities--felting, reading, coloring, crocheting, jacuzzi, sitting on the porch.  We shared some nibbles with the other guests and then headed out to see sunset at the lighthouses.  There wasn't much color at the Southeast Light, so we headed to North, on the rocky beach, and stayed there until well after sundown, building rock cairns, rock mandalas, throwing stones, watching the waves, reflecting.  I bet we were out there an hour or more, a testament to the mild weather.  I even walked in the dark halfway down the rocky beach, though we didn't get as far as the light.

Dinner was takeout from the Old Island Pub, and more sitting around the room.

Sunday
Another pretty sunset, cooler temperatures and a perfectly clear and cloudless day, our first there.  We  watched from inside and did our thing, then ate another delicious breakfast before heading out for the day.  We were going to the seaglass beach, that is after taking a family photo at the North Light, hopefully for use as our Christmas picture.  We got the picture, perhaps, and drove to the other secluded beach.

It was rocky and immediately rewarded our search efforts with various pieces of glass.  We threw back all the glass that was still shiny, in hopes that it would one day become seaglass (though, it occurred to us later that maybe that wasn't the most green of choices; and we'd already discussed that the very existence of seaglass was a testament to the fouling of the environment.)  We found lots of green and brown and white, a few blue, a couple of yellow; some was more frosted or had more softened edges that others, we weren't super picky.  More than anything, it was a wonderful morning on the beach.  Walking, thinking, searching, throwing rocks into the waves.  We spent our whole morning here, returning to town with just enough time to check out, grab supplies for a ferry-ride lunch, and get in line at the dock.

The ride back across to the mainland was gorgeous; you could see clear across.  It was cold and bright, but we were some of the only people on the top deck.  We never like to ride downstairs.  Who knows what you might miss?  No seals this time, just a trawler with hundreds of birds and more flying to it.

We all loved the weekend and couldn't choose our favorite parts.  We all agreed that next year we should stay three nights so we could do some hiking and have extra down time.  And we all liked November--no other people around, "atmospheric" weather that encouraged hibernation, a nice break from school.  We'll definitely do it again.

Until then, I inadvertently collected a few pictures about Block Island itself, and finish with them here.  Together, they served as inspiration for my own doodles during our down time.  I'll post my doodle later, if I finish it.

From the window of a closed souvenir shop

From a tire cover on the truck in front of us on the ferry going over

An old map with notations about things not on newer maps, like the "third" lighthouse in the north

Gommie's Weekend: Bunnies, Burgers, and Butterflies

It's been busy since Gommie arrived on Friday.

Zoar the bunny

She actually got to the northeast on Thursday--during that crazy thunderstorm, which delayed her flight for hours--and went straight to see Fun Home on Broadway, which she loved.  She stayed in the hotel that now occupies the building where I lived in graduate housing--it's much swankier now.  And then came to see us Friday midday.

We actually picked her up on the way to the open house at Sis's animal camp, where she and her fellow campers were providing information on a variety of animals, mainly small and wild.  Sis's group was in charge of the African pygmy hedgehog, named Biscuit, which could fit in her gloved hands.  Cute, spikey, and blonder than I think of hedgehogs being, we  learned that they can eat scorpions with no problems.  Sis was particularly good with holding and caring for Biscuit, who seemed a bit concerned with the noise as the exhibition continued.  She's the "hedgehog whisperer."  

After we had visited the ferrets, chinchillas, red-footed tortoise, corn snake, guinea pig and such and after her duties were over, she took us to see her all-time favorite, the bunnies.  (They weren't one of the animals the groups presented.)  Her favorite was the gray one named Zoar (I liked the big one named Winston, I think, a Flemish big one or something; he reminded me of our cat Mr. P.)  She had visited the bunnies and the otters, too, everyday on her way into camp.  Mama would send me a morning photo of the animals, especially because I'm partial to otters.  Sis loved this camp and asked if she could volunteer at the nature center--I know she'd love it.  And I didn't even mention that they have horses and sheep!

We got Greek food on the way home.  Saganaki (burning cheese!), patates (french fries), Bud's sauteed octupus, my tiganica chicken (lemon, onions, oregano), orzo, Sis's souvlaki, Mama's gyro, and Gommie's three dips (tzatziki, skardalia, and eggplant.)  Plus rice pudding!  We ate on it for two more days.

On Saturday, we had our usual ice skating and kung fu morning, followed by lunch at a burger joint.  A kinda fancy burger joint with truffle oil fries, lobster macaroni and cheese, Wisconsin cheese curds (but not really), and even duck burgers!  My burger had a fried egg, avocado, and kalamata mayo on a wedge of lettuce.  Sis had a humongous shepherd's pie.  And Gommie got a "flight" of burgers so she could have three different tastes.  She also taught the waiter how to make a milk punch!  Dessert was this pseudo-Ding Dong with flourless chocolate cake and a white chocolate mousse that was more like a cream-cheese filling.  Sis got the pineapple upside-down cake.  All pretty good.  We recuperated by watching Brave together.  Toward dinner time, we were invited to our neighbors to sample his latest brisket, which we all indulged in.  Gommie also got to meet their chickens.



Today, we went to the aquarium, so Bud could show us where he'd been to Oceanography camp.  We couldn't go out on the research vessel, but we could visit the touch tanks, sharks, sea turtles, jelly fish, otters, and, most importantly, the seal feeding that he'd wanted to see (though, we've seen that a dozen times over the years, but I'm not sure he really remembers.)  He knows each seal by name.  My favorite part this time was the butterfly exhibit.  Colorful insects made the flower bushes shimmer; butterfly shadows danced on the floor.  Several even landed on us--some on Gommie's hair, some on my bright skirt--we were told that some butterflies are attracted to white.  The kids were kinda disappointed not to attract any, though one brushed against Bud a few times.  I took lots of pictures and some even came out.  The one of the Monarch is actually from outside the butterfly tent; he's just a local!  I liked how the Blue Morpho-like ones seemed to flutter and dance in pairs.  There was also a small purple, black, and white couple near the exit.

For lunch, we headed across the street for Southern food.  Bud continued his seafood hat trick with PEI mussels in a saffron sauce--twice the manager commented on how amazing it is to see an adventurous kid.  They almost never even look at a children's menu now.  Sis had chicken fried bacon over hashbrowns with scrambled eggs, Gommie and Mama had a Low Country Eggs Benedict on grits, and I had shirred eggs and some biscuits.  Plus a mini-skillet of peach cobbler and a very moist and delicious tiered lemon cake.  We sure do know how to eat well.  Like yesterday, we came home and rested to a Disney film, this time Tangled.

And both nights were capped with a visit to the legion of fireflies in the yard, dozens of them, in our yard and in surrounding yards.  It's fun to see them at dusk because you can actually see the beetles flying between flares.  Several times tonight, there be a group practically blinking in unison.  Last night, we saw two bats (not coming out of our house!)  There are some mosquitos, too, so we don't stay out long.  Mama learned at the bird festival last week that there are actually as many barred and barn owls in CT as red-tailed and shouldered hawks, only you rarely see them because of the darkness and trees.  Haven't seen an owl yet here.  But we did see the mama raccoon cross the road by the stream.

And the week has only just begun . . . .

The Art of the Draw

We went to an art demo and book signing by Jan Brett this morning . . . at the IKEA, of all places (I guess it was the Scandinavian tie-in.)  Organized by RJ Julia Bookstore to benefit Read to Grow, the event was well-organized and fun.  There was a huge Hedgie character walking around, two Santa Lucia maids, books for sale--and even her painted rock-star travel bus outside that we posed in front of!  

Brett herself spoke and drew for upwards of 45 minutes, encouraging all of the children there to embrace their individual creativity, as unique as their own fingerprints.  And she gave a lesson on how to draw a bunny--basketball body, egg-shaped head, almond eyes, not a cotton tail, shading the edges, using prismacolor markers for blending; she takes an hour an inch, I think she said, and finds inspiration all over the place.  The resulting work is that bunny above.  Sis was ecstatic, especially when Brett brought out her own "bun-bun" and showed the audience.  

We waited awhile, in orderly and calm fashion, to have our copy of The Animal's Santa signed.  It went faster because we ran into our friend Miss M who works for Read to Grow.  She used to play with the kids when they were very little--puppet shows and fairy houses at the beach, baking cookies at her house; we've even been to a concert or two of her band.  We don't see her as often anymore--we changed churches and she's had a long run-in with cancer--so it was especially good to chat today.

And eventually it was our turn.  Sis very happily chatted with Brett about wanting a bunny.  Brett told her she had wanted a horse when she was young and finally got one when she grew up.  They posed for a picture and then we were off. . . . to buy foodstuffs in the IKEA marketplace

A delightful, inspiring morning.

Do You Hear the Penguins Sing?

It has been a remarkable summer for the Penguin and Bunny Theater Troupe.  They have presented, under the direction of Bud, both The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, with a very short run of The Battle of the Penguins and Bunnies and selections from Wicked.    The performances take place in our living room, in front of the blue backdrop of Bud's comforter.  For Les Miz, Bud was especially creative with the sets, utilizing small wooden chairs in different positions for the barricade, bridge, sewers, and "Master of the House" tavern. The boat on the lake from Phantom, in "Music of the Night" (my favorite scene), was used here as the death cart.  (The mirror scene in Phantom was also great.)   Mama loved Smeak as the flag bearer in "One Day More," while I loved the little groundhog as Eponine.  Tango, who appeared as the Phantom, is Valjean here.  We look forward to the next production, though there do not seem to be plans in the works for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The Penguin and Bunny Theater Troupe

Marius and Cosette sing a duet, with Eponine below

"One Day More," with Smeak waving the red flag

Two-in-One

We acknowledged, though did not quite outright celebrate, two separate holidays today:  Rosh Hashanah and Moon Festival (or Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, on Sept. 12 this year).  Tonight is the beginning of the Jewish New Year, often celebrated with apples and honey to bring sweetness in the new year.  We had yogurt sundaes to kick off dinner!  Then, after dinner, we had traditional Chinese moon cakes filled with white lotus seed paste.

The kids liked the yogurt better.

L'shanah tovah!
And see if you can spot the Moon Rabbit, because, while Westerners see the "man in the moon," Asians often see a hare. . . . (if it's not raining where you are tonight!)

A Trip to Bunny-ful

We don't have one bunny. Or even two. We have at least three beautiful wild brown rabbits.

We spotted what we presume was Mommy Bunny last night, bigger than our small cat, eating clover in our side yard, happy as can be. When I accidentally tapped the window glass with my camera, she headed to the roses where she stayed until Mama got home.

Today, we saw her two babies, hiding in our next door neighbor's boxwood bush. This must be their home because it's where we saw the little bunny last week. But today there were definitely two, small enough to fit in my hand. Baby bunnies. Twin baby bunnies.

Sis is just beside herself.

Bunny Beautiful

I was standing at my window, gathering my lunch, when a movement below caught my eye. Something raced into the boxwood bush beside our neighbor's house. A bunny. The bunny, the one Mama had seen eating some of the clover in our yard this morning. The bunny she's seen upon arriving home in the evenings. The bunny whose droppings we find in the yard sometime. The bunny we always hope is safe and well and still near our yard.

I yelled for Sis to come up stairs and she was quickly followed by Bud. They clamored up the dresser and sat very still hoping to see the bunny. I could still see it twitching some under the bush but they couldn't.

So we decided to go outside. They speedily donned shoes and I led the trek across the yard to where the bunny still hid in the bush. Sis soon spotted the bunny's big round eye staring at us. Hop! The bunny was off, faster than any animal I've seen run, so that we could barely tell where the wild little brown thing had gone. But we all saw it.

And Sis was thrilled. So thrilled in fact that she called her bus buddy, with whom she discusses bunnies everyday on the ride home. They were both very excited.

I'm pretty sure we didn't permanently scare it off--our yard is temptingly full of fresh, organic clover! And with any luck, we'll see it again.