Tuesday, July 7 - Block

you can not successfully utilize a mooring if your dinghy isn't working - talk about stuck on the boat.  Ted and Sally are here.  They are friends of Harry’s sister Nancy.  Ted helped Harry work on the dinghy most of the morning.  Afterwards, we ventured in and the dinghy does seems to be feeling a lot better now.  So we loaded the bikes into the dinghy and headed in.

decided we needed nourishment before we set out to bike the southern part of the island.  Lovely, old seaside hotel over looking the atlantic.  We watched the ferries coming in from Port Judith, RI and Westerly and New London, CT. 

well once you leave the downtown you really begin to see what Block is all about…spectacular.  It has an Ireland feel to it…and boy is it hilly - ARGH!!  here are some shots i want to share as we toured the southern part of the island.  absolutely breathtaking country.

Look closely at the flowerbed border - finally, something to do with my wine bottles!!

 This is Southeast Lighthouse - it made the news (i think there's even a documentary about it) when the townspeople moved the complete structure back due to it being closer to the cliff where erosion was rapidly creeping toward it.  Supposedly one of the most unique lighthouses in US.  Isn't it beautiful?  It was closed but they do allow people in and you can travel to the top and see the one of a kind lens used for displaying/dispersing the light out across the sea.

And i swear, i thought i saw the old captain's ghost in the window.....

view from where the lighthouse used to stand....yikes.

Next we traveled down the road to the Mohegan Bluffs......and all i can say is, WOW.....and NO we did not attempt the stairs (I know, Nancy, you would have!)

A local sitting on the steps waiting on some folks informed us of another scenic overlook up the road, so off we went...

Ahhh, a lemonade stand at the top of the hill!!

Monday, July 6 - Stonington, CT to Block Island, RI

cruising day -  no wind but large swells.  so now even when the reports say no wind, no waves, there's still the chance of large swells.  and i'll be damned!  I wish i could say i weathered it well but i felt yucky the whole time.  thank goodness it was a short cruise.

This is what it looked like when we started out and i thought yea....  they say it's most of time foggy in the morning up here in these parts!

This was the first place where it was first come first served as far as moorings go.  we scoured the mooring field like a starving dog looking for the last bone in the yard.  I asked Harry what ‘plan B’ was if we didn’t find a ‘ball’ and he said we may have to go back out…and by golly i did NOT want to go ‘back out’.  So i was determined and soon we found a vacant #62 green mooring ball and i clipped it with the boat hook on first try!!

Ahhhh…we did it - lucky for sure to find, what seemed to us, to be the last mooring ball of 90!  Block island is shaped like a ham or lamb chop with a harbor in the middle called the Great Salt Pond.  Anyway after we caught our breath Harry called into the harbormaster, per instructions, to announce our find of #62.  The harbormaster reported that someone had paid up until the next day for that mooring and that we’d have to leave.  my heart sunk as i thought about having to go ‘back out’ after we’d so beautifully  moored in.  But two minutes later the harbormaster called back to say - stay put - others are not coming back.  YEA!!!!  lucky again!!

Took the dinghy in to tour Block by foot.    Old Harbor Town, Block Island, RI

It seems the dinghy is sick…it has the hardest time starting and then does not sound right when running….but we ventured in for dinner anyway…Harry said everything was fine with the dinghy but i was not convinced so we compromised and had dinner at a place very close to the boat - since i anticipated ‘rowing’ back!  after dinner it started and i sat on the bow with my huge flood light, blinding anyone who i happened to cross and learned quickly to use only when absolutely necessary.  You really can see quite well in the dark and most boats are lit.

brave dinghy dinner sailors

Sunday, July 5 - Stonington, CT

Weather was yucky but we drove around i don’t recall - west marine and such.  The only thing i wanted to do was be somewhere where we could watch the women’s world cup.  We landed at our favorite place - Noah’s.  We sat with a small crowd at the bar cheering the gals on….it was so much fun to see them win!!

Wanted to show you these pretty launch boats that the marina has that ferries people/bikes/groceries back and forth from your boat to the marina.  Most are driven by young, so very nice, girls that manhandle those boats like experts.  I could ride along with them all day visiting other boats and meeting other travelers.  And Harry does seem to ride with them all day....he must go back and forth at least 20 times in one day.  I'm sure they're glad to see us go.

new top i bought myself in Mystic

Saturday, July 4 - Stonington, CT

I woke up rearing to go.  I took the car and spent day in Mystic, CT.  Announced to Harry that i needed a day to myself.  It had been a long time since i was the captain of my own way.  I listened to whatever music i wanted, i lingered as long as i wanted, i went up and down as many streets as i wanted, ate wherever i wanted and returned whenever i wanted.  kinda felt like a rebellious kid, let loose for a spell.  I had a blast and it did me a world of good.  Very much enjoyed the crowded tourist town of Mystic.  I returned with grocery for a 4th of July cook out on the boat and we watched, i would say, 6-8 sets of fireworks going on around us.

Mystic drawbridge

Harry and Ellen waiting for the 'works' to begin!

Monday, June 29 - Friday, July 3 - Stonington, CT to Portsmouth, NH

Due to the gloomy forecast, we decided to leave the boat, rent a car and travel 3 hrs to Harry’s sister and brother in law’s (Nancy and Rod) house right outside of Portsmouth, NH. It was amazing to me how quickly one can travel in New England -  within three hours we went through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, where we were a mere 20 miles from Maine!  Arrived in Rye, NH, got settled and enjoyed a home cooked meal.  Thank you Rod and Nancy.

The next day we toured the cool town of Portsmouth - had the best omelet ever - it was like a rueben inside - corn beef, sauerkraut and cheese with a 1000 island dipping sauce.  So yummy!  Afterwards we drove to visit Harry’s favorite stores; Walmart, BJ’s, and the state run liquor store.  

Wednesday we met Drusillah who is one of Nancy’s students visiting from her African EFAC (Education For All Children) foundation.  Look it up and contribute!  It is amazing what Nancy and others are achieving - working hard to ensure children in Kenya that want to learn are able to do so.  Drusillah was amazingly charming and warm and smart as a tack.  we all went to dinner together, her, her sponsors and Nancy, Rod and us.  We learned of her many ‘firsts’ - while here she had ridden a bike for the first time, been swimming for the first time, and i was lucky enough to witness as she stepped into a sailboat for the first time. (ha..it was only my second time).  But i have never had to walk water for miles, in heavy jugs on top of my head, staving off wild animals, just so my family could have a drink of water.  Her family should be SO proud. she was constantly inquisitive and quick to learn.  She will be attending a small college’s summer session and be away from her family for several months returning to them in August.  She is a true inspiration, as is Nancy’s efforts in this wonderful endeavor.

We enjoyed another good dinner at home and we could not have been anywhere prettier than Rod and Nancy's home for dinner.

Lobster!

Friday, July 3 - depart Portsmouth, NH and drive back to Stonington, CT

We felt we’d overstayed our not even invited visit. ha.  These folks are busy and Nancy was preparing for a large EFAC presentation in NJ, so we decided to head back to Stonington.  

Thursday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28 Old Lyme to Stonington, CT

Decided to shove off - it’s not been two weeks but we’re both ready to see something new.  Old Lyme will always be a special place for me; a gracious and glorious haven for these past days.

It was a quick cruise day and the waters were fine traveling to Stonington.  The forecast for the next few days was not looking good so we decided to be somewhere new.

It didn’t take long to tour the town - less than an hour - but again it was charming and had several good restaurants.

One evening we survived 48 knot winds but the bimini did not.  The wind pulled the zippers away from the canvas in two places.  The marina thank goodness had a boat yard with a canvas shop.  how luck is that?

Some Stonington shots.  This amazed me - a large group of very young children learning how to sail.

And these were taken for Harry's dear friend Vinnie.  Ain't she a beaut?

Cannon ball

wonder if this is any relation to our Kentuckian Silas House?

Restaurant attached to the marina with an ice cream stand right where i'm standing

Tuesday, June 23 & Wednesday, June 24 - Old Lyme

Rain, rain go away…stayed put and read and wrote.  We walked up the hill again to the same restaurant to have dinner.  Harry asked, ‘are you taking your camera?’  I said, “I’m not taking my camera, I think I’ve shot all the shit I”m going to shoot.”

Wednesday the weather was beautiful and Harry did some handy work on the boat and then we ventured by Dinghy into Deep River to sight see.  Always fun to walk these small water towns, found a lunch spot and walked back a different way to the dinghy.