Thursday, September 22, 2016

Last of the summer wine

So, yes, I stole the title from a beloved English situation comedy, but for some reason the sentiment seemed appropriate as the summer of 2016 went out in a blaze of glory. It was a summer of wine, and food, a busy summer out here on Block Island — so busy some of us asked ourselves: "What did we do? Where did it go?"

I think of the short but famous speech spoken by Peter Lorre (playing a character improbably named O'Hara) in John Huston and Truman Capote's 1954 film, "Beat the Devil":

"Time, time, what is time? Swiss manufacture it. French hoard it. Italians squander it. Americans say it is money. Hindus say it does not exist. Know what I say? I say time is a crook."

Maybe. Maybe it does go by too fast. But watching a fading sunset at the end of the summer on Block Island is not to waste it, but to recognize and cherish its beauty.

These were taken on my handheld on Wednesday night, sometime before 7 p.m. This first view is looking northwest over Dodge Street:


This is view looking up Ocean Avenue:



New Harbor: