Sunrises and Sunsets over Narragansett Bay

Some prefer sunrises as they evoke the start of a new day and all the possibilities this brings. Being more of a night owl than an earlier riser, I prefer sunsets.

For me, a spectacular sunset can be the highlight of my whole day. I like to think of a sunset as God’s spectacular light show celebrating the end of a day and giving one time to enjoy the beauty of this natural phenomenon as well as reflect on one’s day. A friend recently asked me where I saw my favourite sunset. It’s a tie between two sunsets of the many I vividly recall.

One being a spectacular sunset I experienced whilst sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. After a wonderful day sailing in moderate winds and filled with warming sunshine, we sat at the bow of the yacht and watched the sun disappear on the horizon. As we out in the middle of the ocean with absolutely nothing around us except miles and miles of ocean, the entire horizon was illuminated with oranges, yellows, and reds. We actually clapped when the sunset show was over!

My other all time favourite sunset was this summer at Castle Hill Inn with friends from Connecticut, England, and Germany. I had proudly hosted my guests and showed them some of the highlights of our little slice of heaven all day. We were tired and sought a place to relax and enjoy the end of the day. We went to Castle Hill Inn and enjoyed a fabulous sunset over Narragansett Bay whilst sipping cocktails from our comfortable Adirondack chairs on the lawn.

If you want the luxury of watching the sunset over Narragansett Bay from your home, consider Puesta del Sol – which means sunset in Spanish – at the exclusive Carnegie Abbey Club. This custom designed home offers a gallery-style great room anchored by the two-story stone fireplace.

The cathedral ceilings provide a wealth of openness and light throughout the home. Facing west, you could enjoy endless glorious sunsets!

Alternatively if you want to create your own dream home to watch the sunset over the Bay, there is a west facing lot of vacant land on Seashore Drive in Jamestown where you could build your ideal home complete with a dock to moor your yacht. Sound appealing?

Where are some of your favourite places to watch the sunset?

Rhode Island Waterfront

I live in a place called Wild Goose Point. It is one of several points that extend out into Narragansett Bay, just south of Wickford, and is one of the lesser known points. Not as grand as Poplar Point, nor as well known as Lone Tree Point, but I like to think of it as an up and comer.

It is a little beach community that has grown over the past 60 years or so into a year round neighborhood, filled with a mixed bag of people and characters, old and young, newcomers and those who have lived here for over 60 years.

Besides having access to the ocean, which drew me here, we have some of the tallest, old trees I have ever seen. They fill in and block the view of the ocean in the summer months but the sound of the leaves on hundreds of trees rustling on summer evenings is a fair trade. The wild geese fly right over us in a crisscross pattern and for every flap of their wings they make a honking sound.

One of the greatest, natural walking trails around, to do the mile and a quarter loop brings you right along Narragansett Bay with a view of the bridges, Jamestown and Rome Point. We have several beaches including some on Bissell Cove, which is the best place for kayaking, or paddling, as we like to call it. The loop also brings you around one of the few remaining white cedar swamps left in southern Rhode Island. When was the last time you saw a firefly? We still have them here. And it is always a great day in the season the first time we see the turtles sunning on the fallen log in the swamp. The same place every year.

Gus likes to climb the rocks, Mia likes to look for crabs, and Lina is especially good at finding sea ice. She has named one of our beaches 'Sea Ice Beach'. She got to name it because she discovered it.