July14, 2023
Block Island
Block Island, RI
By Mary MacGIll.
Photos by Susan Paulsen and Em McCann Zauder
Adapted from an essay originally
published in Yolo Journal
photo by Em McCann Zauder
Waking up to fog is a regular thing during summers on the west side of Block Island, RI. Damp air flows in through the window, and your morning gaze is often met with a seemingly solid wall of white. There’s a grace to the fog, allowing for a bit of quiet before the hot summer sun demands you get out and enjoy the day. When the fog starts to dissipate, it reveals a landscape like Scotland’s (or how it might appear in one’s mind, having never been). Rolling fields and stone walls extend into the ocean, and the ocean into a clear horizon line.
photo by Susan Paulsen
photo by Em McCann Zauder
The experience of waking up here is a bit like visiting Block Island itself: at first, it hardly makes an impression at all, but gradually the place unfolds, leaving an idyllic mark in your memory. The island isn’t known for its culinary specialties (save for baked lobster mac and cheese), modern accommodations (TVs and air conditioning are rarities), or cultural institutions (though the Historical Society is pretty wonderful). There are, however, 17 miles of coastal beaches and 30 miles of preserved trails available to all. You can bike everywhere, the ocean is visible from all turns in the road, and most businesses will let you in without shoes. Modesty, community, and conservation are Block Island’s profound gifts.
photos by Susan Paulsen
photo by Em McCann Zauder
Situated between Montauk, NY, and mainland Rhode Island, Block Island has a year-round population of about 1,000 and is the smallest town in the smallest state in the United States. To say the community is close knit is an understatement. We are all indebted to a small group of enlightened island families who established the Block Island Conservancy in the 1970s with their considerable land donations and to date, 47% of the island will never be developed. This delicate relationship between a limited population and the recognized necessity for land protection has fostered an intergenerational exchange that hinges on an appreciation of wide open vistas and trails that provide a home to all.
family photos
I learned to love Block Island first through my grandfather’s eyes, whose family ventured out east from Wisconsin every year starting in the ‘60s. My mother brought my father out to Block Island in the early ‘80s when they first started dating and I’ve thumbed through many faded family photos from that time: my pregnant mother lying on the bed in her bikini in a cottage called The Coop (it had been a chicken coop in the 1800s); my dad lowering lobsters into a pot; me sitting in a puddle with my brother on his bike.
photo by Em McCann Zauder
I’ve been fortunate to spend every summer of my life on this 3 by 7-mile island, experiencing life’s milestones, and cultivating my own love for it. Growing up here, I found an inherent sense of support in Block Island’s simplicity and manageability. I learned how to ride a bike on the dirt roads, body surf at Scotch Beach, play guitar at open-mic nights with my girlfriends, and paint without much distraction. I made my closest friends sneaking out to watch the stars at a beach bonfire, got my first job at a small boutique called the Glass Onion when I was 13, and eventually started my jewelry business at the local farmer’s market.
photo by Susan Paulsen
Most mornings I take my dog Ande and some tea to the edge of our family property and look out east over Rodman’s Hollow, a 230-acre nature preserve donated by our friends and neighbors the Lewises. I thank my grandfather for bringing his family here all those years ago and my parents for keeping their home here just as it was built in the ‘50s – small and unobtrusively set into the landscape. I walk the trails that wind through the hollow, down into shaded brambles of vines and blackberries, up through golden fields overlooking rose-hewn cliffs and down a steep rocky path to a beach. Most times, Ande and I are the only ones there – what a gift.
photo by Em McCann Zauder
highlighting
Our Neighbors
On this beautiful island, there is a wonderful group of supportive, small businesses that have helped and inspired me throughout the years.
Glass Onion
My first boss Mary Anderson runs a hidden gem, the Glass Onion with a thoughtful selection of homewares, books, hand blown glass, effortless clothing, and island-made favorites. Mary taught me about curation and how to treat all customers with attention and respect, but more importantly how a work community can provide a sense of home.
Lazy Fish
Just a few doors down from our shop lives the Lazy Fish, where Carolyn Collins shares the harmony between art and utility. I am continuously inspired by her eclectic curation and free-spirited energy, a combination that truly captures the best of Block Island.
Tori Jones
Across from Carolyn is one of the newer island studios run by long time islander, Tori Jones. By pairing her incredible antiques with classic contemporary pieces, she confirms that whatever is old is new again.
Studio DWC
On Chapel Street lives one of my new favorite spots on the Island, Studio DWC. Interior designer, Laura Baross, works to create stylish yet livable spaces while honoring sustainable practices. As a believer in the influence spaces have on our lives, I admire how her work blends beauty, function, and nature. All these wonderful creative women energize me to push the boundaries. Though our community may be small, the support and respect for one another is unmatched and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. Visit us at the Farmer’s Markets Wednesday & Saturday mornings or our shop (& our friends shops!) next time you visit Block Island.