FROM THE PUBLISHER
It ’ s Summer ! Play Ball !
Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
March 12 – Sept . 3 , 2022
Anton Løvenberg , Study of a Sculptural Male Torso ( detail ), 1800s . Gift of Frederick Lovenberg .
RISDMUSEUM . ORG
MEAGHAN SUSI
The streetlights are coming on much later .
Moths , mosquitos and flying insects of all kinds have begun divebombing porch lights with growing agitation .
The pungent scent of fresh-cut grass permeates the air with regularity along with the mouth-watering aromas from a neighbor ’ s grill . Summer used to be so simple . The carefree summer nights would be occupied by whiffle ball in the streets with any neighborhood kid who happened by — talent and athletic ability not required . Bases were drawn in the asphalt with chalk . A cracked whiffle ball bat that had seen too many fantasy walk-off home runs was a requisite .
Sometimes we would be in front of our house , or more often , blocks away — sweaty , usually with a skinned knee or elbow , oblivious to pain and totally lost in the moment — until dusk . Then , from the back porch of our house , I would hear “ JJJJoooohhhhnnneeee !” — a not-so-subtle message from Mom that my imaginary at-bats in Fenway Park needed to come to an end .
My mother and father were factory workers , so child care was delegated to grandparents or an older cousin who would bear the brunt of overseeing , as best as one could , a brood of brothers , sisters and usually an array of cousins , friends , ne ’ er-do-wells and thieves we would pick up along our merry way — a surefire formula for trouble .
Our days were filled with fishing , with the requisite preliminary search for the perfect coffee can of nightcrawlers extracted from my grandfather ’ s garden . We built forts in the nearby woods , and caught sun turtles and bullfrogs , only to be sent back to release them . Placing pennies on the railroad tracks frequented by regular freight trains was an extravagance given the fact we were knowingly sacrificing a piece of penny candy from Jake ’ s , the neighborhood store .
Those same train tracks are now the bike paths that crisscross our state . Our editorial team has pulled together an impressive array of outdoor activities to inspire us during these coveted ten weeks of summer in “ Your Guide to Summer Adventure .” They have even gathered some local “ outdoorsy gear ” ( Hint : It ’ s a step up from a cracked whiffle ball bat ). Biking , hiking , surfing , kayaking and more have become the norm and there is an abundance of options .
Also , with this issue , we publish our annual Ultimate Summer Guide , truly a passion project for the Rhode Island Monthly team , especially Special Editions Editor Kerri Tallman and Art Director Meag Susi .
To the Rhode ahead . – J . J . P .
10 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2022