My previous visit to Block Island before my 2004 vacation was in the summer of 1999. Even in that short time, the island had changed a great deal. There were fewer farms and a great many more houses than I remembered from earlier visits. The population of the island has increased, but it seems that a lot of the houses are summer homes for people whose primary residences are elsewhere in Rhode Island, in Connecticut, or even farther away. Fortumately I was there in the early spring, while there was some activity going on but before things got too crowded.
To show the difference between the old and the new construction, here is a typical older Block Island residence, probably dating from the late 19th or early 20th century.
Now, I have to give the developers some credit, because the new houses aren't really ugly, nor do they clash with the surrounding environment. There is even an admirable effort to limit the number of houses by setting a minimum size for building lots. This is the sort of house that is being built on Block Island in the 21st century.
Almost looks like it could have been there all along, doesn't it? Part of the "aging effect" comes from the cedar shingles, which weather nicely into a grayish-brown shade that looks decades old even when the house has only been there for one season. Most of the new houses are built with these. Well, if new houses have to be built, better that they be done with standards like these.
Fortunately, there are also organizations devoted to preserving the greenery and open spaces of the island. These are some of the remaining fields on the island's less populated east side. They were probably used for grazing cattle at some point in the not too distant past, but if there are any cows on the island, I didn't see them on this trip. They might be horse pastures today.
You can take a stroll along the stone walls of the pastures...
And follow the paths through the brush…
Until you come to Fresh Pond, which has the interesting distinction of being a lake on an island.
You may notice that there are a lot of rolling hills on the island. Many people look at a map of Block Island and think, "It's just a pile of sand out in the ocean, it's probably flat as a pancake." Don't be fooled. Block Island actually has some very sharp relief for such a small piece of land. Walking or riding a bike around the island is often an interesting succession of ascents and descents, so be prepared to get plenty of exercise while exploring.
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