Getting Engaged on Block Island

Surprising his girlfriend Shelly with a trip to Block Island was only the beginning of Andrew Christensen's plans.  Their day consisted of an exhilarating flight over to the Island, a little bit of Island exploration and then Andrew proposed to Shelly on the jetty in Old Harbor.  Thankfully she said yes and neither of them dropped the ring in the ocean!  The newly engaged couple then came back to the Avonlea Inn where Shelly was surprised with a bed covered in rose petals, champagne, cookies, candles and more roses, a wonderfully romantic scene that Andrew orchestrated and I, as the innkeeper, executed.  After an evening of wine and hors d'oeuvres fireside at the Avonlea, and then dinner and shuffleboard at McNamara's, Andrew and Shelly went for an awakening swim in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean!  What a beautiful and adventurous way to begin their married lives together!

We are so excited that Andrew chose Block Island and the Avonlea Inn for this special moment.  It truly is the perfect magical setting for such an exciting and romantic day.

Snow on the Beach!

Our Block Island snow days never cease to excite me!  Unlike on the mainland where snow quickly turns brown as it becomes infiltrated with car exhaust or stacks up into massive piles in strip mall parking lots, here on the Island we get to enjoy the wonderful site of snow intermingling with sand.  As the beach is such a symbol of the summertime, seeing the snow interact with the landscape is one of the most interesting seasonal sights.  

A few days ago we woke up to what just might be one of our last snowfalls of the season.  While I can't wait until the ocean is warm enough for a comfortable swim, I am glad I have sufficient photos of the somewhat surreal site of our beach town under snow.

So, if you want to come out to enjoy the end of the winter with us, we would be glad to have you!

www.blockislandinns.com

Groundhog's Day on Block Island

Who would want to come out to Block Island in February?!  Actually, February is one of Kevin and Mollie Theriault's favorite times to be on the Island.  Devoid of the many summer tourists, February is an excellent time for visitors to really be apart of the Island and its quirky off-season events. 

February 2nd was the annual Groundhog's Day census at the Albion Pub.  Traditionally, Groundhog's Day is when locals come out from their winter hideouts to be counted.  Mollie is responsible for checking everyone's math and tallying up the final number, which she announced to be 946 this year.


The Groundhog's Day census counts only those who are sleeping on the Island.  Locals who are out of town cannot be counted, nor can the boat crew.  Kevin and Mollie were our only two guests to be included in this years number, as they were enjoying a quiet getaway at the Avonlea.

946 includes only humans; as far as I can gather there are no actual groundhogs on Block Island!