It was a very foggy morning. One could not see much beyond the other side of the street. The fog horn would go off periodically as we eased into our day. And by we, I mean Bricole, everyone’s favorite celebrity couple. I sensed Gath, the stereotypical/sometimes offensive New Jersey couple, were a little antsy, yet unsure of what to do with the foggy weather. I went for a run in the meantime. T. Swizzle was out on her balcony trying to take my pic, but I think the fog messed with her autofocus. This mug ain’t free, Tay Tay.
My run was a bit abbreviated from my normal length because I was worried about Gath’s disposition and also there are very few sidewalks outside Watch Hill and it didn’t seem particularly safe in the streets with reduced visibility. Upon my return, they were indeed ready to depart. I wasn’t sure where. 45 minutes later we arrived at the Point Judith lighthouse. Unfortunately, it was behind a tall fence and restricted access by the clowns at the Department of Homeland Security. I did my best to shoot around these obstructions, but it wasn’t ideal.
We had a heavy lunch in Narragansett before driving back to Watch Hill. By now, the sun had been able to punch through the haze and the nearby beach was inundated. It was honestly fascinating to watch the chaos unfold below us from the safety of the very large rooftop deck. People had been showing up to the beach in numbers even when it was foggy, but now it was next level.
The ice cream parlor across the street had a line of about 30 people at any given time. Nicole and I eventually walked up the hill by Taylor’s house to access the free beach. It was quite crowded. While one could in theory find a piece of sand to call their own, we chose to turn around and leave. It made me think about the differences between the northeast and a place like southern California. Every beach in the northeast in the summer is madness. Beach communities seem to sprout up from nowhere and then die a sudden death after Labor Day. The population of Watch Hill is only 200 — with barely 20,000 in the entire region.
Yet, seemingly everyone from this state and its neighbors seem to end up here in the summer whereas we could go to the beach in Los Angeles right now and set up an entire beach volleyball tournament without being in anyone’s way. I have a theory about this. In places where one can go to the beach year round, there isn’t this crazed frenzy of bodies throwing themselves toward the coast because it isn’t this fleeting feeling of summer. In a state like Rhode Island, summer is short. Even on these days of peak heat, it’s a bit chilly especially in the mornings and evenings.
Anyway, I suppose we should feel lucky. I can run on the beach in shorts and a T-shirt whether it be August or February. Our ice cream places don’t close during the year, but to be fair it’s honestly hard to find regular ice cream in Los Angeles. After spending some time on the rooftop again, Nicole and I went for a walk on the Napatree Point Conservation area. There were some natural dunes extending out on a peninsula. This beach area was also free, but I suppose not as convenient as the $17 beach. I’m still perplexed by it all. We did a loop back to the condo (Rhode House if you will) and headed out to dinner at a rougher part of the coastline more reminiscent of the Jersey Shore. We had Italian food (naturally) before everyone except Bricole began to fall asleep around 9pm.
passports & pepto bismol 