Next weekend is the weekend we’ve been looking forward to all winter! Yes! We’ll be opening the house on Block Island.
(Well, okay; we are also looking forward to our son’s wedding, but that won’t be till May.)
Will we have a beautiful sunset while we’re there? The weather forecast looks promising. If we do, the sun will be setting between Sachem Pond and the lighthouse, much like this photo from early April, 2008.
Spring is almost here in the Boston area. The sturdy early flowers have appeared, crocus and snowdrops and a bright yellow flower whose name I don’t know; and already there are leaves–perhaps daffodils–pushing up in protected spots. The waterfall in our back yard is running again, and I am listening to it through an open window.
In less than three weeks we will be back on the island. The sunsets will look similar to the one below as the sun works its way northward to the lighthouse.
Can’t wait!
The first time my friend Charlie came out to Block Island with us, we drove together out to the house. As we came down the final hill approaching Sachem Pond, Charlie leaned forward, squinted maybe a little, and stared intently at the view. “Look at that!” he said.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” we replied. We were feeling warm inside, the way a person does who is coming home after a long absence, and we were enjoying the view ourselves.
But Charlie said, “Yes, it is pretty, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. I was wondering why the water in the pond is so much higher than the water in the ocean. You’d think, with the two of them so close, it would equalize.”
Have I mentioned yet that Charlie has a background in engineering, and he’s very good at it?
In all the years we’ve been coming to the island, we never noticed a difference in the water level. But Charlie was right. You can see it in this picture. Kind of. If you squint and stare intently at it.
Here it is, Tuesday again, and we have a weather forecast that looks like this:
| This Afternoon  Snow Likely Hi 38 °F |
Tonight Rain/Snow Lo 32 °F |
Wednesday Rain/Snow Hi 37 °F |
Wednesday Night  Rain/Snow Lo 32 °F |
Thursday Rain/Snow Hi 41 °F |
Thursday Night  Rain/Snow Lo 30 °F |
Friday Snow Likely Hi 37 °F |
Friday Night  Snow Likely Lo 28 °F |
Saturday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 41 °F |
I’d say, it’s time for a beautiful sunset! Here’s one from July, 2008, a fitting antidote to cold, dreary weather!
Dan has been after me to get that old, slow computer off his desk for months now, and I’ve been resisting because of all the work involved in making sure that it no longer holds any of our personal data. I’d mostly completed this task, and this weekend, I decided to finish it. While going through the few remaining files, I came across this gem, taken by some friends in May 2006. Enjoy!
I could post a few dozen good pictures featuring the color and patterns of the sunset light on walls, doors, and shingles. And maybe we’ll return to this theme sometime in the future. But for today, here’s one photo of the porch columns in the sunset, and yes, the color is as true as I can remember it. The water you see beyond the house is Block Island Sound to the north.
Today it’s cloudy, both where I am and on the island. Tomorrow, they’re predicting snow. So it seems appropriate to post a sunset picture with lots of clouds in it. This one is from July, 2008.
This picture from December 1, 2008 looks like a clear view of the sunset sea beyond the sand dunes on the far side of Sachem Pond. But it isn’t. That’s a cloud bank, possibly part of a weather front, rolling in from the west as the sun was setting.
Winter has taken a firm and heavy grip on New England. It’s been snowing here in Boston for the last couple of days, sometimes mixed with rain. There are rain showers on the island. This seems a good time for a midsummer sunset picture. Here’s one from the summer solstice–to be enjoyed with a margarita in hand while sitting outside on the deck in the rose-scented June air.
Ah! Life is good!
Okay, today I am cheating. There–I’ve admitted it. If a person admits she is cheating, is it still cheating?
I am writing this post from Florida, where it has been unseasonably cold. It is still far less cold than the seasonable weather in New England, though, so I am not complaining. I’m actually quite cheerful about being here, where the days are bright enough for sunglasses, and the sun doesn’t set until about 5:30pm.
Here is a Florida picture (not Block Island!) from last Thursday at about 6pm. This picture was taken looking out over the intracoastal waterway from Lake Park, Florida.
Yes, the water really was that pink!