Category Archives: Rhode Island

On the way to Block Island

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Block Island is about 13 miles off the south coast of Rhode Island. On a clear day you can see Montauk Point Long Island, N.Y. Block Island is also known as New Shoreham. I wish I’d known that when I was searching for accommodations. I eliminated any in New Shoreham because I didn’t realize it was part of Block Island. The island isn’t that large. It’s about 3 miles wide and 7 miles long. It is part of The Nature Conservatory. 40% of the island has been set aside and protected. The only way to get to the island is by ferry or by plane.

There are 2 lighthouses on the Island and a chance to photograph them was the impetus for my trip. I planned it about 2 weeks ago. We’ve been getting a lot of rain so I was hoping we would have dried out by the time I headed out on my trip. Canceling was not an option.  Next week is Memorial Day weekend and the room rates triple with the start of the summer season.I couldn’t afford that…not just to get a couple of pictures. National Geographic hasn’t discovered me yet! 🙂

So you can imagine my disappointment to wake up to pouring rain Tuesday morning. The weather person was all smiles and telling all the viewers that there was only 40% chance of rain. We might get a passing thunderstorm but  it wouldn’t last more than 30 minutes. I guess they haven’t looked out the window.

I got everything in the car and went to the “Facilities” for one last stop before I got on the road…oh oh  the flush mechanism on the toilet seems to be on the blink. I spent more time than I should have trying to get it to work but only ended up leaving a note of warning for the Pet Sitter. Then I was on my way. That is until I checked the driving directions. When I downloaded them I thought I had the directions to Point Judith. Now here in the car I realize all of the directions were to Newport.

No time to go back now, I tried my GPS…no luck. So I pointed the car toward Narragansett and crossed my fingers that I’d find the ferry. Of course I got caught behind a car doing 20 miles under the speed limit. I began to resign myself to the possibility that I will miss the 11 am ferry.

Made it! But it’s still raining and none of the Ferry Parking lots seem to be open. I finally found one…$20 for the overnight. I took it and headed as fast as I could toward the ferry terminal. I should have taken my time. I missed the boat (literally) by 10 minutes. The next one wasn’t until 3pm. With the rain coming down like it was, I didn’t even feel like exploring. Instead I sat on the benches in the terminal until wind kicked up. Then I moved to the benches in the restroom area. At least it was warm and dry there.

There didn’t seem to be much open in Point Judith so about 1:30 I went in search of lunch. There was a little restaurant and bar on the 2nd floor of one of the retail buildings. I lugged my stuff up the stairs and entered the bar. There was only one other patron and the bartender. You could say I got exceptional service. And the fish sandwich was wonderful. If you are ever in Point Judith and want a place to eat I recommend Clam Jammers.

It was clear that Point Judith Harbor had an active fishing fleet working out of there. Trawlers where coming in and going out the whole time I was waiting. Finally the ticket windows opened and the Ferry came in from Block Island.

 At about 2:30 they started loading. The trip on the “traditional” Ferry takes about 55 minutes. It’s about $25.00 for a round trip ticket so the price isn’t bad. They also had a High Speed Ferry but it was much more expensive and I didn’t think an hour was all that long anyway.

I had one of the seasick patches and had applied it in the morning so I was ready. Let the cruising begin! I’ll be able to handle any rough seas now!

I couldn’t help but be thankful that my “travel” philosophy is not to take any little mishap too seriously. It made the rough beginning to my little jaunt a bit easier to take.

Do you know how to Carve a Jack-o- lantern?

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How to Carve a Spectacular Jack-O-Lantern at Home


Probably the most frequently asked questions about the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular have to do with carving technique – what are the secrets of the Spectacular’s expert carvers? Here are some tips from the experts on how to get crafty with pumpkin carving.

Carve the hole and gut your jack o’ lantern from the bottom of the pumpkin, not at the top. This will provide more stability for your jack o’ lantern as it gets softer and it will make it much easier to light. 

Use the features of your particular pumpkin to your advantage. For example, if the pumpkin has a long, curly stem, place the pumpkin on its side and use the stem as a nose. 

Use a specialized carving tool, such as those used in ceramics, to peel the pumpkin skin in different thicknesses to make for more detail, rather than just carving holes into the pumpkin. 

Practice peeling more or less of the skin away. By peeling different thicknesses of the rind away, you can create a 3-D shading effect when the light shines through. 

Use markers to draw your design before you carve and to provide detailing to the finished carving. 

To help your pumpkins stay fresh longer, spray the outside with a diluted bleach solution. (Of course, this means there will be no pumpkin pie made from that pumpkin later!)

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular 2011

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Last year I discovered The Jack-o-lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park and Zoo. It’s a carved pumpkin trail lit only by the glow of thousands of pumpkins.

And last year I went alone to see what it was all about. This year I suggested to my friend Nancy that we take her two young children, Dawn (5) and Alex (7).. The only problem is that since I work weekends we would have to go on a weeknight aka school night.

Nancy decided it was worth it to keep them up so at 4:30 I was pulling into their driveway and we were bundling the kids into the car.

This year there was a new theme: All-new theme for 2011! The theme of this year’s show will be “A Journey Around the World.” It will include scenes from the Seven Wonders of the World (Taj Mahal, the pyramids and Sphinx, Mayan ruins, the Great Wall of China, and others) as well as representations of nations around the world, including a “European Vacation” and a trip through the Great White North complete with falling “snow”! And of course the famed centerpiece of the display, the “Laughing Tree,” will be back in all its spooky splendor. Visitors will be dazzled by hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns on the ground and in the branches, from tiny sugar pumpkins to gigantic gourds reaching up to 1600 pounds! (From RW web site)

We stopped at MacDonald’s and the kids were really wired. This was exciting for them then it was back on the road. We made one wrong turn… a slight detour that made me think of my sister’s philosophy…we’re not lost, just sight seeing…and then back on track it wasn’t long before we spotted the swan boats.

A bit farther along and we were being directed into a parking lot. Boy was it full! Even so we didn’t have to wait in line that long and were soon on our way to the start of the trail.

At first Alex was a little whiney..I’m not really sure why and Dawn kept saying she was scared but before too long we got to a section with music and from that point on the kids were in their element They danced the rest of the way.

According to the web site Photography is allowed on the trail when it will not impede movement on the pathway.
EXCEPTION:  flash photography, tripods and monopods may not be used out of consideration for other people enjoying the magic of the trail.


I struggled along trying to get pictures with a long shutter without support..a near impossible task, while many people around me used their cameras, flash and all. Last year the No Flash Rule was strictly enforced but this year it seemed everyone was using flash.

I don’t know how long we took to walk the trail. The web site says it’s 45 minutes. It seemed to go fast to me but it was late when we got back to the car.

 The kids were out cold before we were out of the parking lot. I had a great time and can only hope the kids did too. They were so tired when I dropped them off that I think they would have said yes to just about anything. 🙂