My brother Andy and I grew up sharing a cottage called the “Bungalow,” built by our grandfather, populated with three sets of additional cousins and located where cousin Champ Starr’s house now stands.
For kids, it was heaven. Close to the State Beach, Payne’s Dock, the very spooky old Hygeia House and various other fascinating spots. In addition, there were many trips to what is now called “Andy’s Beach.” At the time the area was referred to as the Cannon Lot. Tradition held that it was called that because a pirate captain gave the town a cannon that was mounted on the knoll above the beach. It was, and is still, a great spot for clamming and small boat activities. Andy even had a lobster boat, pots, very smelly bait and a lobster “car” (for lobster storage), in the area.
In the 1960s, our parents bought another nearby knoll and built their own cottage on Skippers Island Road. The road name originated, prior to the opening of the gap, when part of the area was a small island.
By 1971, Andy and I were both working for the Motts. I was a waitress at the Narragansett Inn and
