Sunday in the park

Posted 8/26/14

Ed Smith got his first kiss at Rocky Point.

Crisa Jencks laughed. She had one better. She was at Rocky Point when her ex-husband proposed.

The couple sat on a bench looking out over …

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Sunday in the park

Posted

Ed Smith got his first kiss at Rocky Point.

Crisa Jencks laughed. She had one better. She was at Rocky Point when her ex-husband proposed.

The couple sat on a bench looking out over Narragansett Bay Sunday afternoon reminiscing about theirs and the park’s history. They were two of scores of people who walked or biked the city path following the shoreline and the chain link fence that separates state-owned land from city property. If all goes according to plan, that separation will come down this fall once a cleanup of the former park property and Rocky Beach is completed.

People of all ages enjoyed the park Sunday. For some, it was a first visit; for others like Smith and Jencks, it was returning after years (25 years in the case of Smith); and for still others, like Mark Parker, visiting the park is part of a near daily routine. Parker was completing a loop with his grandsons, Joshua Sleeper and Jonathan Lorenz, that started at Deguidice Park in Highland Beach and would take them through the park and on Palmer Avenue to the point they started.

Al Gesualdi and his wife were visiting the park in hopes of tiring out the puppy their son recently adopted. The dog, an apparent black lab mix, showed signs of fatigue, lying peacefully in the shade of a tree near the now filled-in salt-water pool. Gesualdi wasn’t convinced.

“We’re dogsitting,” said Gesualdi, a retired Warwick teacher, “and after four days I don’t know who’s getting more worn out.”

As Gesualdi and his charge enjoyed resting in the shade, a steady stream of walkers came and left the park. Many had dogs and many carried fishing poles.

“We live in Providence,” said Jessan Otis, who with her husband Al had decided being next to the water was the place to be on Sunday. The couple didn’t get too far before engaging in conversation with others – complete strangers – also out to enjoy the breeze, the view and the afternoon.

Rocky Point has always had that affect. Talking with whoever comes along is almost expected. At one time it was talking about the thrill of a ride. On Sunday it was sharing in the joy of a beautiful day and a spectacular location.

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