One of our erstwhile volunteers (who prefers to remain anonymous) recently repaired the supports for the sprinkler support boxes located near the Gaspee memorial.
The old degraded wooden supportThe beautiful new supportThe location of the water meters behind the Gaspee Memorial
Something new coming to Ocean Avenue
The existing bench at the southern end of Stillhouse Cove Park was recently removed to make way for a new memorial bench that will be unveiled at a June 19, 2026 ceremony. Volunteers, including board members Doug Shemin, Donna Fieldman, Richard Finley, and Colin Murphy disconnected the old bench and power washed the stone pad making way for delivery a new marble bench. The old bench will be stored until July and placed on a new cement pad near the rose garden.
Disassembling the old benchThe freshly cleaned padThe recently delivered memorial benchThe old bench will be placed south of the rose garden in July.
After several years of rainy cleanups, we were blessed with sunshine. On April 25, 2026, seventy-one volunteers (including a number of children) showed up to retrieve all manner of plastics and other non-degradable waste from the Stillhouse Cove Marsh and beach areas. Most volunteers had registered online, but we also had a number of walk ups. The photos below depict the registration and orientation process.
A critical aspect of every cleanup in the Stillhouse Cove Marsh is the clearing of the drainage channel that allows water that enters the marsh from an underground stream to flow out to the Bay. The photos below depict the process of raking materials from the channel.
Richard beginsChannel bridgeLower channelLower channel
It was great to see the number of children and youth who enthusiastically participated in the cleanup.
We had enough volunteers to cover all areas of the Marsh and the beaches.
The April 25th Earth Day Cleanup of Stillhouse Cove was a joint venture with that of nearby Pawtuxet Park which attracted 43 volunteers. The photos below show the result of their efforts.
Representative Joe McNamara and Senator Llamas Vargas pitched in with the cleanup and Vargas added a welcome check from a RI Senate grant. Mayor Hopkins came by to provide support.
After a particularly rough winter, Stillhouse Cove Park and its surroundings need treatment. In particular, the mounds of snow deposited in the Park left behind salt, grit, and damaged turf. In the photo below, Donna Fieldman, EWPA board member, is seen spreading gypsum to mitigate the effects of road salt and ice melt and encourage the grass root system.
Every two years or so, EWPA must clean the Stillhouse Cove Park benches that our neighbors so enjoy. Below, we see Colin Murphy and Richard Finlay, of the EWPA board, power washing the lichen that has accumulated on a bench and its base.
It has been almost four years since we unveiled the End of the Line trolley monument and the weather has taken its toll on the metal sculpture. We just had it sanded and recoated and it looks as good as new.
Early Spring is also time to cut back the ornamental grasses that line the Cove and are present in the Ocean Avenue rotary and behind the End of the Line monument. In the photo below, Donna is trimming the Shenandoah Switch Grasses at the End of the Line. But Donna, Colin, and Richard cannot do this work alone. EWPA needs volunteers to join its site committee and get their hands dirty. There are critical tasks to be fulfilled from Spring to Fall. If you are interested, fill out the form here: https://stillhousecove.org/volunteer-with-us/
Earlier this year, EWPA President Barbara Rubine and Vice-President Colin Murphy gave a presentation at the Edgewood Yacht Club detailing the work that our organization does all along Stillhouse Cove. Press the link belowfor a video of their talk which provides excellent background on EWPA’s history as well as the ongoing challenges that we face. https://vimeo.com/1133612774
The Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA), in collaboration with the City of Cranston and Save The Bay, is proud to announce a new initiative to enhance the resilience of Stillhouse Cove Park through a nature-based shoreline stabilization project.
This effort, supported by a $59,150 OSCAR grant administered by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB), the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) will strengthen Cranston’s most beloved coastal park while restoring vital salt marsh and shoreline habitat.
Addressing a Decade of Erosion
Stillhouse Cove’s shoreline faces ongoing challenges from wave energy and coastal storms. The steep, manmade bank along the eastern edge of the park has been particularly vulnerable to erosion. During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, sections of the bank were severely eroded, leaving a vertical cut and compromising the natural buffer between the park and the salt marsh below.
In 2013, EWPA and Save The Bay implemented an innovative, nature-based restoration project to stabilize the area with funds and technical input from NRCS, NOAA, CRMC, and the City of Cranston. Now, more than a decade later—and after a new round of damaging storms between December 2022 and January 2024—the partners are returning to build on that success with fresh materials, stronger design, and renewed community support.
Stillhouse Cove at low tide, September 2025.
A Nature-Based Solution
This new phase of restoration focuses on natural, sustainable stabilization methods that work with the environment, not against it. The project includes:
Stabilizing the eroded bank in targeted areas where the slope has been severely undercut by the energy of incoming waves.
Installing coconut fiber coir logs along the base of the slope to stabilize the shoreline and prevent further undercutting.
Planting native salt-tolerant shrubs in front of the coir logs and on the banks to strengthen the soil, absorb wave energy, and provide habitat for local wildlife. Native warm season grasses will be installed wherever the vegetation on the buffer zone is disturbed by the repair work or where additional plants are needed.
These techniques not only restore the shoreline’s natural resilience but also enhance the ecological value of the salt marsh and coastal bluff—ensuring Stillhouse Cove remains a thriving, accessible, and beautiful space for generations to come.
A view of the cove, October 2025.
Collaboration and Community
EWPA’s role in this project reflects its mission-driven commitment to protecting and restoring Stillhouse Cove’s shoreline and public park in the face of increasing climate threats. As the only non-municipal grantee selected for an OSCAR award, EWPA continues to stand out as a trusted community partner in local coastal resilience.
This project embodies the power of partnership—bringing together EWPA, Save The Bay, the City of Cranston under the leadership of Mayor Kenneth Hopkins—and three state agencies including CRMC, RIDEM, and RIIB. Together, these partners are aligning science, policy, and community engagement to create a model for sustainable coastal stewardship.
A Park for Everyone
Stillhouse Cove Park holds a special place in the Edgewood community. As a city-owned park protected by a unique conservation covenant, it will remain open for public enjoyment in perpetuity—a place for quiet recreation, environmental education, and connection to the natural world.
EWPA’s long-standing stewardship ensures this treasured space continues to serve both people and nature, balancing community use with ecological restoration.
Project Timeline (2025–2027)
Milestone
Target Date
CRMC Pre-Application Meeting
June 2025
Technical Permit Work
Late Fall 2025/Winter 2026
Bid Release & Contractor Selection
Winter 2026
Shoreline Stabilization & Planting
Fall, 2026; Spring, 2027
Semi-Annual Progress Reports
April, 2026 and October, 2026
Final Report & Project Closeout
Spring, 2027
Project Completion
Spring 2027
Project Completion May 31, 2027
As coastal communities across Rhode Island continue to experience the effects of climate change, Stillhouse Cove will serve as a living example of nature-based resilience. Through collaboration, innovation, and community stewardship, EWPA and its partners are ensuring that this shoreline—and the people and wildlife who depend on it—remain strong for the future. Follow EWPA on Facebook or Instagram (@stillhousecove) for project updates, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved as this exciting restoration effort unfolds.
We had a spectacular day on September 20 for the EWPA’s annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) conducted in coordination with Save the Bay. Forty-four volunteers of all ages showed up at Stillhouse Cove to scour the beach areas, shoreline, and riprap for glass, plastics, and other items of pollution. And they recorded their findings on a data form so that the information can be compared to previous years and entered into an international data base. In all, one hundred and fifty pounds of solid waste was collected, not counting wood waste. Items included a laundry tub, syringes, bottle caps, plastic and glass bottles, and a pillow.
On June 24, 2025, Save the Bay’s Executive Director Topher Hamblett and Restoration Coordinator Wenley Ferguson hosted a site visit to Stillhouse Cove by members of the national board of Restoring America’s Estuaries who were visiting Rhode Island for their national conference.
Members of the group from Texas, San Francisco, Maryland, North Carolina, Long Island, and other distant coastal communities learned about the decades- long collaborative effort of EWPA and STB to preserve Stillhouse Cove’s salt marsh and improve the water quality of Narragansett Bay.
Senator Lammis J. Vargas met with members of the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association board on June 25, 2025 to present a RI Senate grant to support their work at Stillhouse Cove.
American beach grass (Ammophila breviligulata) helps preserve the sandy areas that guard the salt marsh at Stillhouse Cove. Erstwhile members of the EWPA board, Donna Fieldman, Greta Francis, and Colin Murphy and former board member Joe Cooney, recently planted 200 “plugs” of beach grass in an exposed area near Strathmore Place. These will have to be nurtured and watered during the coming summer to turn into established plants such as those pictured above.
THE INFILTRATION AREA ON NARRAGANSETT BLVD., BELOW THE TROLLEY MONUMENT, POSES CONSTANT CHALLENGES.
Because of its steep banks, it very difficult to maintain the grass on the area. In an experiment, the EWPA just planted several plugs of special drought resistant Zoysia grass. We will monitor their survival in the coming months.
When friends view Tom Wojick’s spectacular photos of bird life, they imagine them taken in South County or some other exotic locale. But no, these were all shot right here in Stillhouse Cove. You can find Tom’s best images at https://www.heartofresiliency.com/wildlife.
CormorantMallardsEgretEgret on Osprey platformGoldfinchesGreat Blue w EgretGreat BlueGoldfinchEgretDark winged TernSparrowOyster CatcherMonet’s Redgwing BlackbirdMonet’s Redgwing BlackbirdOsprey Osprey with fishGreat Blue taking wing
Keisha of Mystic Aquarium describes the ecology of Stillhouse Cove.
Every Friday morning for the last six weeks, approximately 40 Cranston school kids from all over the city (grades K -6) came to Stillhouse Cove as part of a the Cranston Parks and Recreation Department’s summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) camp program. Their teachers used the Cove as a laboratory regarding local ecology. EWPA’s Barbara Rubine and Donna Fieldman explained the challenges that erosion poses to the marsh and park and highlighted the different ways the problem is addressed at this location.
On July 26, two educators from Mystic Aquarium led the group in collecting and analyzing samples from the marsh and cove. This is the fourth consecutive year that Stillhouse Cove has hosted a STEM program.
STEM participants gathering samples.Kyle of Mystic Aquarium explains the significance of a sample (held by Keisha) taken by the campers.Fundraising keychains made by the STEM campers.
DATELINE MAY, 2024. Once again, the beautifully landscaped rotary at the end of Narragansett Blvd. ( managed by EWPA) has been abused by trucks and even a pedestrian.
45 Volunteers cleared logs and wood debris that could clog the wetland creeks in Stillhouse Cove. Some wood was taken by private parties for their use, but the City of Cranston stilled hauled away 1200 lbs. of collected waste. This was in addition to more than 700 lbs. (most of it plastics) collected on April 20. Students from Cranston’s Gladstone Street Elementary School participated in the cleanup as part of a school project.
Most of Edgewood’s 1,621 street trees were judged to be in relatively good condition. However, a vast majority suffer from conflicts with power lines and sidewalks. There is a paucity of young trees on our streets indicating that many older trees will not be replaced. And there is a striking lack of diversity among our public trees. More than fifty-five percent of the trees are comprised of just two invasive and exotic species: Norway Maples (32%) and Callery Pears (24%). This means that the canopy is highly vulnerable to disease and pests. Whatever their shortcomings, these trees are crucial to the health of our community by providing the following:
These are some of the conclusions of a recent inventory of the trees along our neighborhood’s roadways that was initiated by the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA).
Edgewood’s street trees
TO ACCESS THE FULL REPORT OF THE EDGEWOOD TREE INVENTORY, CLICK BELOW:
In the Fall of 2023, the EWPA recruited eighteen neighborhood volunteers to conduct an inventory of the area’s “public trees”. Funded by an Urban & Community Forestry Grant from the RI Department of Environmental Management, Doug Still of This Old Tree Consulting trained the volunteers in tree identification, measurement, and assessment as well as the use of the Forest Metrix tree inventory software on mobile devices. For purposes of the 2023 Edgewood tree inventory, “city-owned trees” were defined as being within six feet of the street curb. Cranston’s Tree Warden, John Skorupski, participated in the training. The inventory results will be provided to the City of Cranston to populate a database to be used by the Tree Warden and Engineering Department to manage existing trees, and will be GIS compatible. The data will also serve as a baseline for future assessment of the growth or decline of Cranston’s tree resource. While this was a pilot project, EWPA hopes that the street tree inventory effort will be extended to all neighborhoods in Cranston in future years. The City has recently applied to the RIDEM for an RI Urban Forests for Rhode Island Technical Assistance grant that would address Cranston’s entire tree canopy, especially its disadvantaged communities. Cranston’s “tree equity” score of 86 (out of 100) is one of the lowest in the State. If accepted, the city would receive funds for assessment, planning, and tree planting.
Doug Still describing the leaf bud patterns of different tree species.
The inventory covered the Cranston neighborhood between the Providence line and the Pawtuxet River, and between Narragansett Bay and Interstate 95. The area was mapped and divided into 9 different survey zones. The survey did not include trees on private property, at public institutions, or in parks. Each pair of volunteers was assigned a zone of contiguous streets typically requiring a total of approximately 20 – 24 hoursto complete. To supplement their tree identification skills, surveyors made use of flora identification applications on their phones.
Doug Still providing training to the volunteers
Lessons Learned from the Inventory Process
The Volunteers all complained of the challenge posed entering the Forest Matrix software data using a small phone screen and strongly recommended using tablets in the future. Some found judging tree condition challenging so that will merit more attention in future trainings. As the inventory crews worked their zones wearing their safety vests, they encountered a range of responses from local inhabitants. Most were very interested and supportive of the project. However, in some cases, suspicions were voiced: What were they doing there? Were they going to cut down the trees? During future inventories in other Cranston neighborhoods, advance public education should be a key component.
Maria Wall and Andrea Klimt measure a maple tree on Glen Avenue
Findings of the Tree Inventory
Edgewood’s street tree canopy lacks diversity. This makes the area’s trees vulnerable to disease and other threats. For example, Edgewood could lose 48.9% of its trees to the Winter Moth. As a rule, it is recommended that an urban forest should not be made up of more than 10% of a single species, 20% of a single genus, and 30% of single family. In Edgewood, more than 55% of the trees are comprised of just two invasive and exotic species: Norway Maples (32%) and Callery Pears (24%). Maples as a family dominate with approximately 45% of Edgewood’s public trees. Forty-seven percent of the neighborhood’s inventoried “leaf area” is made up of invasive species. Despite their shortcomings, the trees have a replacement value of $3.41 million.
The area’s trees are in relatively good condition. Two-thirds of the trees were judged to be in either excellent or good condition. However, twenty-five dead trees were found.
The size of Edgewood’s trees does not portend well for the future of the canopy. Tree size was measured by DBH (diameter at breast height). For replacement purposes, the smallest class of trees (0 – 6 inches DBH) should predominate. In Edgewood’s case, these young trees constitute only 18% of those inventoried.
Most of Edgewood’s trees suffer from conflicts. Trees are challenged by utility wires, sidewalk incursion, and other factors.
The majority of the area’s trees do not have sufficient room to grow. Only Twenty-six percent of Edgewood’s street trees have room to grow properly. 54% of trees are constrained within 4’ by 4’ plots.
If you interested in getting involved in the crucial issue of Cranston’s tree canopy, contact Donna at donna.fieldman@stillhousecove.org
Did you know that for years Stillhouse Cove Park has been used as a site to test the strength of radio station signals in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission?
The high water levels and winds of the December 23, 2022 storm drew parallels to Super Storm Sandy in 2012. We voiced our concern that it had undermined Stillhouse Cove Park’s embankment. But this winter, within less than two months, we have experienced three storms with almost equivalent tide levels and flooding. The storms took place on November 22 and December 18, 2023 and January 13, 2024.
Ocean Avenue is floodedRhode Island Yacht Club is engulfed.The Park’s vulnerable bank is inundated.
We’ve all heard of Rhode Island’s housing shortage. According to the Rhode Island Audubon Society, it also applies to our local water raptors. Consequently, the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA) recently erected a nesting tower in Stillhouse Cove Marsh. Qualified tenants will be welcomed next Spring.
EWPA worked with Charles Clarkson from RI Audubon and Wenley Ferguson of Save the Bay to identify the most suitable site in the Marsh. EWPA purchased the materials and volunteer Charlie assembled the platform and post. We obtained a permit from the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). And just prior to Thanksgiving, Eddy and Augusto from Contemporary Landscaping dug a hole for the post and erected it during a low tide with strong assistance from EWPA board member Donna and new neighbor John.
According to the AVMA, Rhode Island ranks 46th in the nation in dog ownership with only 26% of households having a mutt (Idaho is first with 58%). You certainly wouldn’t know that in this neighborhood! Every day, Stillhouse Cove Park is the destination for multitudes of Edgewood’s dogs and their owners who know each other through their pets. EWPA volunteer Ray Mooney regularly stocks the dog waste bags in the several dispensers next to the Park. Some of us can remember a time when owners did not pick up after their dogs. Thankfully that practice is long gone and everyone participates in keeping the beloved waterfront area pristine.
On September 23, more than 33 volunteers braved the rain and showed up to clean the shoreline at Stillhouse Cove. The event was one of many such cleanups throughout Rhode Island coordinated by Save the Bay.
On August 15, 2023, John Murphy, a trustee of the Palmieri Trust, met with the EWPA board to review current work and to hear about upcoming projects at Stillhouse Cove. The Trust funded the rose garden and has been a generous supporter of our efforts to improve and maintain the park for several years. Mr. Murphy, a former resident of Edgewood with deep roots in the community, is very familiar with the history of Stillhouse Cove and commented on the transformation of the park and wetland area over recent years. The entire board was present and appreciated the opportunity to meet with Mr. Murphy.
The trees in Stillhouse Cove Park that provide us with shade and beauty require constant care and EWPA and its partners have recently performed several critical tasks.
Three Ash trees were treated on 8.12.23 for Emerald Ash Borer. One tree was already infected, but treatment should help prevent further damage. Damaged parts will need to be pruned to make the damage less noticeable. Steve and Scott of Northeast Tree made the injections which were paid for by City of Cranston through the funds available to the City Tree Warden John Skorupski.
Schwartz Tree and Landscaping donated services trying to repair several bad pruning cuts performed at some point on these same Ash trees in an effort to limb up low lying branches.
For the first time EWPA invested in mulching around almost all of the trees in the park. This was done at the recommendation of the RI Tree Council to create a larger ring around the trees to protect their surface roots. The effort is more than aesthetic mulching: mulching encourages insect activity and protects the roots from damage from mowing, and it does look nice. Mulch also keeps the soil moist which hydrates the trees and enables the trees to absorb stormwater better than dry compacted soil.
It was observed that several juniper trees that self seeded on the banks under the cottonwood trees were subjected to unauthorized pruning. The person who did this cut the tops off of the trees and threw the branches into the creeks behind the trees in an effort to hide the branches. The Cranston Tree Warden has been notified of the unauthorized cutting of native juniper virginiana trees growing on the edges of the salt marsh that are vital to erosion control. EWPA has a healthy working relationship with City personnel and seeks authorization every time we need to address tree issues that include, but are not limited to, removing invasive trees and seedlings, spraying trees for infestations, and limbing up trees that cause issues for vehicles and pedestrians, etc.
We will also be working on removing invasive white pear trees and Tree of Heaven seedlings at our October cleanup. Approval from the Tree Warden will be sought in advance.
Erstwhile EWPA volunteers showed up on August 5, 2023 to fight back loosestrife and other invasives that have run rampant in the Park and Marsh at Stillhouse Cove. Participants included: Deborah Tellers Palladino, Michelle Maynard, Jerry Long, Andrew Goodale, Steve Johnson, Colin Murphy, Barbara Rubine, and Donna Fieldman. Charlie, Donna, and Barbara carefully trimmed the limbs on Strathmore Place that were hitting cars and trucks.
Every Friday morning for the last six weeks, 40 Cranston school kids from all over the city (grades K -6) came to Stillhouse Cove as part of a summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) camp program. Their teachers used the Cove as a laboratory regarding local ecology. EWPA’s Barbara Rubine and Donna Fieldman explained the challenges that erosion poses to the marsh and park and highlighted the different ways the problem is addressed at this location. On the last day of camp, in an effort to support the work of the EWPA, the students sold shells and rocks they had found along the shore and painted.
Exposition was grouped by grade level: K – 1 Group with teacher Berkis Rodriguez and TA Sheryl Peacock; Grades 2 – 3 with teacher Lena Cabral and TA Donna Pagano; and Grades 4 – 6 with teacher Keith Lavin and TA Hedy Tessier. This is the third consecutive year that Stillhouse Cove has hosted a STEM program.
Thanks to Scott Molloy for sending on this 1952 bus schedule for the Edgewood – Eddy Street line. It was a “trackless trolley” that required a turnaround in what is now Stillhouse Cove Park. Note that the first inbound departure was at 5:23 AM and that last outbound bus from downtown arrived at 12:35 AM.
Providence, RI, Chiswick Rd Loop, Edgewood Eddy St. Line. �IRM
On June 17, 2023, several volunteers spent a drippy Saturday morning cleaning up Stillhouse Cove Park. Colin Murphy, Tom Ladue, and Donna Fieldman concentrated on cleaning mold off the Park’s benches. Linda Sardone and Melissa Carden (with son Charlie) focused on the beach area and marsh edges. The benches look great!
Tom Ladue powers offTo be cleaned at a later dateThe outcome
Seniors and their parents from Warwick’s Pilgrim High School descended on Stillhouse Cove on June 1, 2023 to take advantage of the Park’s beauty for prom photos. Traffic nearly came to a standstill on Narragansett Blvd.
April 29, 2023: After the EWPA Annual Cleanup, Colin Murphy, Richard Finlay, Ray Mooney, and Garrett Quinn pulled a large piece of wood from Stillhouse Cove.
In 2015, the City of Cranston erected a rotary at the junction of Narragansett Blvd. and Ocean Avenue as a traffic calming measure. This followed years of incidents involving inebriated late-night speeders slamming into the area’s yards and houses. Since then, the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA) has invested a considerable amount of energy and money in maintaining the shrubs and flowers in the rotary garden.
Unfortunately, the site continues to be abused by the same population of out-of-control drivers, resulting in frequent damage to the plantings (and their own vehicles). Neighbors come out to find a Kia or Nissan perched on the junipers. In 2020, a particularly creative driver bounced off the rotary and then proceeded to fly down Ocean Avenue through the barrier and into the Bay! It is not uncommon for large trucks to drive over the garden when they have difficulty negotiating the rotary.
In at least one case, the EWPA is seeking to recover the cost of the damage through a driver’s insurance company. Should the Rhode Island Liquor Stores Association adopt the spot?
Super volunteers Donna Fieldman and Wenley Ferguson planted beach grass off Strathmore Place on a cold, blustery March 30, 2023 to replace the grasses that were washed away during the December 23, 2022 storm.
Cranston’s Departments of Public Works and Parks & Recreation brought in heavy equipment last week to clear large objects that were lodged in Stillhouse Cove following the near-record high tide of December 23, 2022. Participating were Ray Tessaglia, Parks and Recreation Director and John Corso, Highway Department Manager. Dennis Conte, City Mason, can be seen cutting up a dock.
Donald Macdonald returns to his childhood neighborhood several times a week to walk along the shore, write poems, and share his verse with new friends.
Tom Wojick traverses the same path with a camera capturing wonderful images at all seasons.
Years ago, one of our daughters took up residence on Ocean Avenue and I, a retired university professor, had the privilege of walking her dog at Stillhouse Cove when she and her husband were at work. I loved the Cove as did Calypso, the dog.
More recently, I’ve had another privilege — serving on the Board of the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association that maintains Stillhouse Cove. I’ve stepped down from the Board now but wanted to continue to contribute to the EWPA in some way. My current research work is about human evolution and climate change — and, in these blogs, I’ll write about how those two relate to the good work at Stillhouse Cove.
I am launching, with the support of the EWPA Board, a monthly series of blogs about Stillhouse Cove and resilience work as climate change presents ever greater challenges to that work. The EWPA has done model work on resilience in the Cove and this blog series celebrates that work while also describing the larger context of how humanity is dealing with the climate crisis.
What happens at Stillhouse Cove is a microcosm of shorelines around the world and so is well worth following.
Musing on the Cove
You can sit on a bench in Stillhouse Cove in Pawtuxet, Rhode Island, facing east, looking out over the bay, and watch the dawn break. Many do. Sometimes, in the rain. I told my granddaughter, when fog obscured the far shore, that the East Bay part of Rhode Island had floated away.
As you sit, song sparrows may sing or, in season, you may hear redwing blackbirds. You might see an Osprey bank over the water — or seagulls or cormorants — and geese or ducks feeding on the shoreline.
The sun reflecting off the Bay glitters. Dogs, walking their owners, sniff on by. Runners, silent on their feet, ghost past. Cars are surprisingly quiet as drivers slowly take in the scene.
In season, the sight of sailboats and “stinkpots” at the Yacht Club adds a sense of elegance and adventure.
Out in the channel, large freighters slip on down the bay, or churn up the Bay, heading for the Port of Providence.
And the Bay water, ever moving, full of life, remains unconcerned.
