Block Island Celebration

One of the first things I did when I got to New England was call my friend Mary to see if she had plans for that Friday night since I wanted to do something fun for my birthday. Turns out she had Friday off which was even better so we made plans to spend the day exploring Block Island.

Block Island is a small, picturesque island off the coast of Rhode Island known for its quaint village, beautiful scenery, and its wealthy residents. Even though the island is famous for tourism and hosts plenty of houses year-round inhabitants and vacationers, over forty percent is set aside for conservation; some of these unspoiled areas can be viewed from the road while traveling about the island, making it feel like you’re in an untouched wilderness.

I had been to Block Island only once fourteen years ago but the group of people I was with didn’t venture from the main beach so my visit with Mary was all completely new to me. Besides being a self-proclaimed Block Island enthusiast (though that’s totally my phrasing), Mary was the best possible person to go with because she knows how to have a good time. I seriously had the best day. We rented a moped and toured the whole island from end to end. We saw a lighthouse. We petted yaks. We hiked along the Mohegan Bluffs. We stopped to check random stuff out. We found the mystery lunch spot-slash-outdoor bar that Mary raved about but was having trouble remembering the location of. We swam. We trekked out to the northernmost point of the island. We saw another lighthouse. We walked on the beach. We had birthday drinks. And we laughed and relaxed in the sun.

The day had perfect weather too. The sky was an incredible deep blue which is very rare on the Rhode Island coast where there are almost always gray clouds, even on sunny days. The water too was exceptionally clear and blue for this far north on the Atlantic coast. I could not have asked for anything different. Celebrating last year’s birthday in Yellowstone with Carrie and this year’s birthday in Block Island with Mary have both been so great. I love my friends and I truly feel lucky to have such great people in my life.