Shrouded in Fog
High Speed Ferry Returning to Point Judith
The ferry cast off and as soon as we cleared the jetties it was apparent that we were going to hit some heavy seas. I was on the top deck (a true glutton for punishment) which was open. The deck below was enclosed and warm but silly me wanted to stay topside. It was kind of like riding a bucking horse.
The bow would go up and up and then ever so slowly we’d begin to tip into the trough and then picking up speed the stern would rise and with a crash of spray the bow would slice the waves at the bottom of the trough. 
Up and down! I watched the rollers moving toward us and tried to judge how much the boat would buck by the depth of the trough approaching.
All though it was cold and wet the 55 minute trip passed quickly. Pretty soon we were passing another jetty into a calm harbor. 
The waves were crashing over the sea wall making a spectacular scene.
The Ferry unloaded quickly and I found myself standing in the middle of the parking lot a bit lost. In my rush to catch the ferry this morning I had left my reservation confirmation in the car. It had the address for my guest house. I thought it was right near the ferry but I didn’t see it as I looked around but I did see a Chamber of Commerce building.
At the Chamber I asked for directions to Ashley House. At first the woman at the desk seemed puzzled but she quickly brightened up and told me to go through the Harborside Inn. As I headed over there I was approached by a taxi/tour driver. He also said I’d find it in back of the Harborside Inn so I short-cutted down an alley and sure enough..there it was. Only one problem. There didn’t seem to be an entrance. But there was an ice cream and pastry shop so I asked there how to get into the Ashley House. The girl took me out to the front and around the corner to an alley, pulled open a door and pointing said “Up the Stairs”. So up the stairs I went following a long corridor of polished wood floors and doors along the length but after I wandered the whole length and went back down the other stairs, I found myself back out side and still no place to check in.
I began to retrace my steps to the Chamber building for more detailed directions when I bumped into the Chamber lady leaving. She asked me if I’d found Ashley House. I told her yes I found the house but where do I check in?. She then went into more detail. The Harborside Inn owns Ashley House and if I go to the front desk of the Inn they will do the check in and give me my key. It seems so obvious in retrospect.
Check-in, once I found it, was quick and simple. The clerk even gave me a map and a list of restaurants that were open. Since this was still the “off-season” many of the restaurants and shops were still closed although you could see them being freshened up with new coats of paint and displays set up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
The clerk pointed out the 2 Lighthouses. She said the southern lighthouse was an easy walk from town but the other lighthouse was more challenging. I thanked her and headed to Ashley House to find my room. I was anxious to see what the inside of the rooms would be like after my trip down the corridor.
I wasn’t disappointed. It was a beautiful room with a large sleigh bed, a TV and a private bathroom with shower. That was important to me as a lot of the guest houses on the island have shared bathrooms. I was very pleased.
It was beginning to lighten up and the rain had stopped so maybe I’ll be able to get a sunset picture after all! But first I need to stop in at the Ice Cream shop and buy something as a way of saying thanks. Without the clerk’s help I could still be wandering around looking for the entrance!
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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.
It was time to replace the old (10-year-old) cat tree. In spite of trying to save it, the tree has really bit the dust. So it was time to go cat tree shopping and we were lucky enough to hit a sale!
Finally the new furniture is in the living room. It’s not by the window yet. I still have to take the old one out but there’s no holding back the curious cat…Rocky , of course.
Looks like it meets with his approval!
A few days ago I reported that I’d seen a swan pair with babies at D.W. Field. They were too far away for pictures but a brief stop there yesterday was much more successful. A gentleman there said there were a total of 3 pairs with cygnets but this time only 1 pair was in sight.
I’m not sure how I heard about. Maybe it showed up in my in box but it sounded interesting. The headline read:
On this one single day we ask you to pick up your camera and help us photograph daily life. What is close to you? What matters to you? We will connect your images to images from all around the world, creating a unique online experience where photographs will be shared, compared and explored. Your view on life will be preserved to inspire generations to come.
I was intrigued and of course..hooked. Why not ? I take my camera everywhere just about everyday. So yesterday was May 15 and yes, I had my camera and yes I went out to shoot.
We could submit up to 10 pictures but I chose to offer only 9.
Once I submitted them I got this message:
Thank you and congratulations!
Your photos are now part of history and will be presevered for generations to come.
Until May 22nd we are gathering images from all over the world and process them.
On May 30th we will launch a completely new website featuring all submitted photos.
In the meantime, use your profile page to share your submission with your friends and colleagues or look at selected previews in our news section aday.org/news.
Your profile url: http://www.aday.org/profile/7036
Stay tuned for May 30th!
I checked out the profile link and there were all my uploaded pictures. I hope you’ll check them out too. He’s a sample:
Yesterday I managed a few hours with the camera before I had to be at work. My first stop was the Herring Run aka Oliver Mill Park. I haven’t seen the Great Blue Heron since I got the shot of him eating the fish. It’s been very busy over there with lots of people fishing and even swimming. Plus they have the new bridge which lets people get even closer to the marsh so I don’t know if it’s moved on or if I just keep missing it.
No Big Blue today either but there were a couple of Canada Geese families.
After following those little goslings and their parents around a bit I moved on to The Grist Mill Pond in Plymouth. I wanted to check out the Swans and see if they had any little swans yet. The swan pair in Brockton hatched some cygnets so I thought the Plymouth swans might have hatched too.No luck. They were still on the nest but there’s going to be plenty of Canada Geese. There were 3 more families here and some had quite a few goslings!
What a perfect day for Mother’s Day! Yesterday the sun was shining, there was a breeze and the temps reached 80 degrees in many places. My kind of weather. Of course I couldn’t actually enjoy it. I was at work for 12 hours. Yup my Sunday shift starts at 7:30 am and ends at 8pm. I don’t mind , really but yesterday was just too nice to be missed completely.
So when my shift ended at 8 PM I stepped out into a purple tinted twilight. I had to hurry. The sun was just about gone and the light was fading fast but Plymouth Harbor was calling me.
I got there in time to snap off a couple of pictures. I didn’t even have time to set up the tripod! But one might be called a “keeper”. Hope you like it.
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