A Block Island Summer
Carved by glaciers and shaped by water and wind, Block Island has a natural, wild beauty that doesn’t have to pretend—it just is. When I come to Block Island, I always feel like I’m coming home. ~ Anonymous
Luke and I have spent the last couple of weeks on Block Island, as we do every summer.
For those who aren’t familiar with it, Block Island is a small island that is part of the state of Rhode Island but is not attached to the mainland. At its closest point geographically, it sits about nine miles off the state’s southern coast. The only way to reach the island is by boat or plane.
Block Island is truly a special place, with rugged bluffs to the south, miles of sandy beaches to the east, and wild, untamed rocky beaches to the south and west.
She loves the serene brutality of the ocean, loves the electric power she felt with each breath of wet, briny air. ~ Holly Black, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, 2002
This post isn’t meant to sound like a travel magazine article, so I’ll simply tell you what Block Island means to Luke and me.
It is one of the few places where I can truly relax and unwind. No agenda. No wake-up alarms. No schedules.
Just slow mornings with coffee on the deck and something I baked, listening to the “drink your tea” bird (the Eastern Towhee); the familiar thwack of the wooden screen door behind me as I walk out to retrieve a sun-warmed beach towel from the clothesline; a meandering walk on one of the many nature trails lined with bayberry, roses, and wildflowers teeming with butterflies; hours spent at the beach reading, swimming, jumping in the waves with Luke, and maybe a nap.
The whole island is scented with privet flowers, beach roses and honeysuckle mingling with cut grass and a hint of salt. ~ Anonymous
Then it’s warm outdoor showers under sunny blue skies and ending the day on one of the west side beaches, building cairns beneath a beautiful sunset. And sometimes, an after-dinner drive into town with Luke for ice cream.
He may be about to start college, but he still wants his mom to take him out for ice cream—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The only bad thing about Block Island is leaving it.
Interested to read a bit more about Block Island? Check out this post.
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Source: A Block Island Summer
