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Shoreline Smile

The shoreline looks so strange. There’s obviously something missing. I’m on a ferry with my family, and as we head into the Block Island harbor, we look where the Harborside Hotel used to reside. There is no hotel anymore, only a gap. It’s the missing tooth in an otherwise beautiful shoreline smile.

While we’re sad that the Harborside burned down, we all know that it will be rebuilt from the ashes. At any rate, this is no time to be sad. We’re on a day trip to Block to celebrate a milestone. The Monkey just turned twenty-one.

It’s windy when we step off the boat, but that’s okay. The spring sun feels warm on our hoodies and windbreakers. A harbinger of balmy summer days to come.

A lot of shops and restaurants are closed, but there are hopeful signs that they’re gearing up for the busy season. As we walk by doors that are still buttoned up for the winter, there are sounds of roofers hammering outside and buzz saws whirring against fresh wood inside. They’ll be ready in time for the crowds. Right now, it’s nice to have the sidewalks mostly to ourselves.

There’s lunch in a restaurant that is currently open and then a walk on the beach. No matter the season, the beach is never closed. We meet a sweet man with an equally sweet dog.

I suggest going to a local-yokel spot for drinks. It’s not the usual place I’ve gone to over the years, but ever since Fisher Cat brought me there for the first time, it’s become a favorite. On Block Island, there are the tried-and-trues, and there are the new finds. There’s always more to discover for such a tiny island.

We hear loud talking and eruptions of laughter as we walk up the pavement to the New Favorite. Swiftie knocks into a woman’s purse as she walks in the door. When Swiftie apologizes, the woman throws an f-bomb. At her purse. “It’s okay,” she tells Swiftie with a smile.

“That is the realest thing I’ve ever heard,” Swiftie says as we all take our seats at a long table.

Block Island is all kinds of real. That’s why we love it.

We meet another sweet dog with its equally sweet owner. Mudslides are ordered to honor the Monkey’s coming-of-legal-mudslide-drinking age. There’s just enough time to guzzle them down before getting back on the ferry.

As we take our seats, we see the woman who smiled and cussed about her handbag. We are sitting behind her and her friends. They’re in a row, howling about funny things, and it’s infectious. We end up laughing, too. As they pose for a group picture, Swiftie leans in and pretends like she’s going to do a photo bomb. This doesn’t go unnoticed.

The women turn around, and one says, “All of you! Get in the picture!”

So, we do. The result is a group shot of flush-faced, happy daytrippers.

We all end up talking, and then we go outside to the bow of the ferry. Swiftie poses for pictures like a modern-day Rose from Titanic, wearing a wide variety of gorgeous designer shades borrowed from the women. It’s sunny, the breeze is mild, and we’re delighted to make new friends.

The day on the island is as good as anything can get. The ferry ride back is, too.

The best part about this trip is that it’s only the start. We have a long summer season ahead. If there’s anything better than summer, it’s the anticipation of summer. The knowledge that soon we’ll have months of long days, warm nights, and trips to favorite places.

The look of Block Island is a little off these days. But the sun is warming my face, and a gentle wind is ruffling my hair. I watch the gap between land and sea grow wider as the ferry heads to open ocean. That shoreline smile, though flawed, is as lovely as ever.

Juliana Gribbins is a writer who believes that absurdity is the spice of life. Her book Date Expectations is winner of the 2017 Independent Press Awards, Humor Category, and winner of the 2016 IPPY silver medal for humor. Write to her at jeepgribbs@hotmail.com. Read more of her columns at www.zip06.com/shorelineliving.