July 10 - Block Island, RI

Great Salt Pond Mooring Field

Foggy mornings seem to be the norm here, but we still sat on the flybridge and enjoyed our coffee, the view and visiting with Ted and Sally. It’s kind of fun being rafted and having neighbors to visit with. We had a nice surprise by mid morning...the sky cleared and we had beautiful sunshine.

We took our bikes ashore and rode around a little. We stopped in Old Harbor; it's the little village where the ferries from the mainland drop people off. There are century old hotels, little boutiques, souvenir shops and restaurants scattered along the waterfront...we even found a small farmers market. It’s a very quaint area. There's a lot more we want to explore, but we're saving that for another day.

We went back to the boat about two so we could do a little clamming. Actually Sally and I were the only ones that went, Stan changed the oil in the generator and Ted was busy working on our clam fest we were having this evening. Sally and I took the dinghy over to the beach and she gave me a demonstration on digging for clams. I also tried her paddleboard...I didn't do too well. Going with the current and the wind wasn’t too bad, but trying to go against it was pretty tough. I think I would have done better on a calm day. By now the fog and storm clouds had moved back in.

Sally and Ted have been here about a week and have collected a lot of clams, so this evening we had a clam fest. Three other couples joined us on Amici to enjoy clams on the half shell, Stuffie (stuffed clams), steamed clams and clams in a pan, which is Ted's version of fried clams. All were very good. We also had other appetizers the rest of us brought. It was a fun evening of good food and conversation. We even were treated to a little glimpse of the sun as it began to set.

Pictures of Old Harbor

View from the deck at the National Hotel

The small beach behind the Surf Hotel 

Our Clam Fest on Amici 

Clams waiting to be opened

Clams on the half shell

Steamed Clams