Hard To Leave Block Island

So there I was... at 10pm weaving between anchored boats on a pitch black night in my dingy with the 15hp Yamaha outboard churning away.  I was making my way to Paynes Dock with the anchor lights on top of the masts of the hundreds of sailboats looking like stars in the sky, though there were no stars that night.  I came up alongside a quiet side of the dock and Kim and I climbed a ladder to gain access to a place called Mahogany Shoals.  This "best kept secret" pub that we entered is located near the end of the dock, has barely enough room for me to stand, is quite small and you dare not let go of your drink because the floor is so crooked it's hard to find a level table.  Walter, a beloved Irish musician/singer/storyteller was about to start his set.  Kim and I had seen him a few years ago in this same venue.  At that time there was this little Benji looking dog that would just sit and stare at him as he played.  At first he denied knowing the dog.  Then maybe he knew him and eventually he admitted to owning him.  He told the story of how he was playing at a Scottish wedding in Florida and was taking a break when a large drunk Scotsman came outside and vomitted over the rail right onto this poor little stray dog.  The Scotsman looked bewildered and said, "I don't remember eating that"  Well, Walter cleaned him up and adopted him.  Back in Mahogany Shoals Walter mentioned that the dog did take tips and a guy there offered him a 5 dollar bill.  The dog walked over, took the 5, looked at Walter and walked out the door.  All Walter could say is, "It's that darn poodle down the dock".   Another memorable night at Mahogany Shoals and at midnight we head through the darkness hoping we can find the boat for a good nights sleep.  At 7:30am we hear the familiar cry of "andiamo andiamo" (which, in Italian, means something like come on let's have breakfast, though I've heard several definitions.)   The cry comes from the Aldo's Bakery boat that comes through daily to tempt you with hot coffee, pasteries of all kinds, Italian breads, etc brought right to your anchored boat before you're awake enough to resist.  Then it's another day at a beautiful beach accessible using the dingy.  This is indeed a boaters paradise.  It will be hard to leave.