Block Island in the New York Times!
One of our favorite BI articles from the N.Y. Times:
THE sights of an East Coast summer — body surfers careering toward the beach, children licking fudge ripple off sticky knuckles, bicycles casting shadows on hot pavement — vanish after Labor Day, when pool closings and school openings signal the beginning of a more somber season. But on this island, 13 miles offshore, the summer idyll slides far into fall.
“September and October are the two most beautiful months on the island,” said Kim Gaffett, a naturalist who grew up here and is now first warden, the chief elected official on the island (technically the Town of New Shoreham, population about 1,000).
For Ms. Gaffett, fall’s enchantment lies in the reduced humidity, the optimal stargazing, the flocks of birds heading south for the winter and the surprisingly warm ocean. The deeper waters off Block Island help retain the summer’s warm temperatures into the fall; the shallower waters along the mainland cool more quickly. “But I think it’s also relative to the outside temperature” — the hotter the weather, the colder the water feels. “Some of the magic may be in people’s brains.” (more…)