Two Guys on Block Island

We felt that with the 4th of July having just passed, now would be a good time to drop this episode. Our guest this week is head of the Block Island American Legion, Charlie Weber.

Marc and Charlie met each other in 6th or 7th grade. Lots of shenanigans back then. Both set out for college but Charlie's life ended up on a different course.

But before we delve into that, we talk about Charlie's first summer on Block Island where he met his future wife, Heidi Ernst. It wasn't a typical courtship in a lot of ways but let's just say that Charlie knew from the get go that this was the girl for him. 

But before he came to Block Island where Charlie now makes his living building houses, he served our country as an Army Ranger. His involvement in a now infamous military operation is not a subject we broach lightly. Fair warning...it's an emotional episode.

Charlie's life could've gone a million different ways. But nowadays he's paying it forward by helping out other Veterans who struggle with the scars that aren't always seen upon coming home from battle. 

This episode's for all of our Vets. We salute you.

In this episode Rich's daughter Lindsay stops by to chat about what it's like to grow up on Block Island. When you spend your formative years on an island, certain things mainland youths might take for granted were a whole new kettle of fish for Linds.

We discuss Lindsay's experiences working for her Mom and Dad at Sharky's the restaurant owned and operated by Rich and Gary Censorio. It was truly a family affair with both families pitching in to make one of Block Island's most beloved restaurants operate smoothly.

Lindsay talks about finally leaving the island for college. It was an eye opener in many respects. We talk about some of the things that went in to  her decision to remain in "America" as opposed to returning to the island full time after graduating. 

Oh...

And we talk about what it was like having Rich as a Dad. Turns out...it was pretty cool.

This episode brought to you by:

BI Fishworks - Captain Nick's - Mar Mar Jewels/Blockstar - Diamond Blue Surf Shop

Todd Corayer is an interesting guy. Not only was he Block Island's first oyster farmer, he's also a talented writer. He's parlayed his all around knowledge of fishing into a career. His columns about fishing and other outdoors-y activities have been published far and wide. He's now in charge of a successful blog dedicated to all things angling called, The Fish Wrap.

Although Todd doesn't live on Block Island anymore, he spent a childhood filled with adventure and good times here. His father was the island's funeral director here back in the day and Todd enjoyed some perks from that gig. Namely, cruising around in the funeral parlor's limousine boozing it up with his buddies.

After a stint on the west coast, Todd returned to Block Island and started the island's first ever oyster farm. It was a lot of work getting that business going and Todd explains the ups and downs of trying to make a living raising bivalves. His time on the island was filled with friends, fishing and good times hanging out with the Littlefield brothers. He's also been to a whole bunch of Grateful Dead shows. Turns out he's a Pigpen guy.

Happy Father’s Day!

This week's episode courtesy of:

Captain Nick's - Club Soda - Eil's - The Darius Inn

Chris Willi's not afraid to speak his mind. The former town councilor speaks candidly about his time on the council. But don't expect any ranting and raving or diatribes here. If there's one thing he's learned it's that having honest, frank discussions about tough topics are crucial to our success as a community. 

We'll get Chris's views on a wide range of issues he faced during his tenure on Town Council. Ever wonder what a councilor would say when he's no longer a politician? Here's your chance to find out.

But it ain't all politics. We also learn how Chris came to Block Island and eventually took the job as Harbor Master. Beyond that, there's a lot of talk about fishing. As owner of BI Fishworks, Chris provides charter service and gear out of his brick and mortar shop on Ocean Ave. And if that weren't enough to keep a guy busy Chris  recently took over ownership of Captain Nick's Rock n' Roll Bar at the behest of his buddy and TGOBI Podcast host, Marc Scortino.

Sure, Captain Willi has a full plate. But he's a guy who's not afraid of a challenge. He's also not afraid to get rid of a perfectly good bunch of bananas. Click "play" and find out what we're talking about!

Rich and Marc discuss a wacky plan to adjust the moons orbit. Oh… And Rich gets boarded by the Coast Guard.

This week's episode courtesy of:

Fort Island Kayaks - Dish Off The Block - Seapod - The Traveling Seamstress

Kate McConville came to Block Island and was hired by Joan Abrams as the "bread girl" at the Manisees Restaurant. After a few days of serving dinner rolls to the hoity-toity's Kate was informed that she simply wasn't, "Manisees Material" and was sent to work at the Oar instead.
 
This ended up suiting Kate just fine. She found a home at the Oar and her time there was wonderful. Little did she know that years later she would be in charge of the body of water she spent so much time gazing at when not serving fried clam strips and chowder.

Nowadays Kate serves as Block Island's harbormaster. She's the first female to ever hold the position on Block Island (and possibly the entire State of Rhode Island). And it's not a small job. Kate is responsible for keeping the pond operating smoothly and safely which can be tough when thousands of boats enter the pond every season. 

Kate's love of the ocean goes way back. It's evident that her breadth of knowledge when it comes to all things aquatic is vast. She's a shark enthusiast and has even hopped into a shark cage to get up close and personal with these amazing underwater creatures.

She knows about other things too, namely crabs and clams. She can tell you where and how to obtain a clamming license but don't ask her to tell you where the "secret spots" are. Because she ain't talking!

In this mini pod Rich talks about taking his first high-speed ferry ride in a few years. Marc talks about getting back to playing live music at Captain Nicks. The Two Guys provide some helpful information in terms of mask mandates, important hours of operation for certain island businesses and then discuss some news items including a proposed repurposing of certain areas around the airport.