Shared Illusions

Oh how I love Jamestown! The bay is a short walk from Debbie’s house. Baby waves lap the shore. Sun on my back warms while a cool breeze keeps me cooly comfortable. Crickets chirp. Bees buzz. A plane soars overheard. A boat motors by.

Last night we joined my brother Peter and his partner Debbie at dinner with their long time friends. It was a wild raucous affair with big laughter. They are are supremely welcoming group.

After a rainy morning on Friday I took Ed to Fort Wetherill, a former coast artillery fort that occupies the southern portion of the eastern tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It sits atop high granite cliffs, overlooking the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Fort Dumpling from the American Revolutionary War occupied the site until it was built over by Fort Wetherill. Wetherill was deactivated and turned over to the State of Rhode Island after World War II and is now operated as Fort Wetherill State Park, a 51-acre (210,000 m2) reservation managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Here’s what it looks like now.

There are also lots of creepy underground bunkers. There is relatively little trash given the state of the graffiti. When I mentioned it to Pete and Deb they said that a local keeps it clean – and “whines about it on Facebook.”

Today we went out on Pete’s boat! Smooth cruising across the bay to Newport, meandering among some opulent sailboats and yachts. There is a lot of money sitting in the water here! The ships are beautiful to see, bobbing in the water of Adriatic hue, under clear blue sky. We docked and went ashore for lunch, sitting by the pier. A more gorgeous day couldn’t be had. Ran into headwind on the way back, some bounce and spray initially, but Pete maneuvered a course that mitigated that considerably.

Back on the island we directed ourselves to the Narragansett Cafe for a drink and more great live music. I have been dancing with some ease! I say more great live music because we were there Friday night as well. There’s always good music at the Gansette!

The Gansette has been going strong for seemingly ever. It was a hot spot I frequented back in my RI days. May the run continue.

Okay! Gotta get this day going!