Blogger's block

After a week off, you’d think I’d feel refreshed and ready to blog. But it’s just the opposite. For a few languid summer days in New England and New York I unplugged from the world. No computer. No cell phone. No media beyond tuning into the radio to check the Red Sox score. What I missed in Rhode Island: 1) The tornado that began as a funnel cloud at Barrington Beach. 2) The half-man, half-pickle stopped for DWI in Providence, who registered a .491 blood-alcohol level. 3) The husband and wife who were murdered and buried in the family cesspool in Warren. What I discovered in the meantime: 1) There are more free public tennis courts in Providence than in Manhattan. 2) Kayaking in the upper part of Narragansett Bay, you paddle through pockets of mysterious foamy goop in August and can feel the rumble of planes taking off from T.F. Green Airport from your seat in the water. 3) Impromptu lemonade stands competing with Del’s trucks along the East Bay Bike Path offer cups of liquid refreshment of varying quality that range in price from 50 cents to $1. Like any addiction, the media can be a tough habit to break. No papers. No deadlines. No columns, blogs or reviews. But still. Sitting around the fire during those starry New Hampshire nights a week ago, I always had the nagging feeling that I should be sending smoke signals somewhere.