When my summertime neighbor opens her front door in the morning, I know it’s OK to go over there even if it’s only 6:30. We like to take our walk early, before there are too many mopeds and before it gets hot.
In this plague year, we put on our masks and walk six feet apart. If there are no cars or other people, one of us walks in the middle of the road. Otherwise, one is in front and one six feet behind.
A few other people prefer the early hours, too. It can be a good time to paint the rock and have the work last more than half an hour.
We always check to see if the lotus on Lakeside has any buds. This year looks bad. Sandra notes the little pond is almost dry.
The marker honoring New Shoreham’s early indigenous residents, the Manisseans, is near their old burial ground. We usually pause and turn around here.
On the way home, we check on how the potential ingredients for Sandra’s jellies are coming along. Will the wild blackberry crop be good this year? How many many jars of beach plum jam is this spot likely to provide?
Last year, in between hunting for Monarch caterpillars on milkweed, we picked a lot of Queen Anne’s Lace, and Sandra made a batch of “Jelly a la Thelma,” which has a slightly lemony flavor.
You can probably tell our walk is not aerobic exercise.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
The pace of your walk sounds just about right… The Manisseans were seafarer/explorers to find and live on Block Island! I wonder if they traveled via Long Island or from Rhode Island? Thank you for this gently delightful summer blog post. Those hydrangeas (with dew-covered spiderweb!) are fantastic.
Nowadays, we’re learning that many of the stories we call history are inaccurate, but see what you think of this info: https://www.blockislandhistorical.org/year-round-manissean-village-site. The tribe seems to have been related to the Narragansetts. As for Long Island, an old story says the Manisseans fought off hostile Mohegans from Long Island where Mohegan Bluffs now attract photographers and surfers. So much left to learn about accepted history! (And thanks for the kind words.)