At this time of year there are a lot of people shopping in downtown Sayville. It’s a beautiful place and there are lots of cool little shops. One of my favorites is Down the Rabbit Hole Wine Boutique.
Because of its small size you can easily walk right by and never know you passed it, so keep you eyes peeled for the bright blue awning right next to the Sayville Chocolatier (I know you know where that is 🙂 ).
In this tiny little shop is a large selection of wines hand picked by proprietor Suzanne McDonald. Describe what you like and Suzanne will suggest a wine to fit the bill. Tell her what you’re cooking and she’ll suggest a pairing. It couldn’t be easier, or more fun. Suzanne is informative, unassuming, and smiles a lot.
I’ve seen a lot of people peek their heads in the door and then walk out scared because it’s a wine shop. I always encourage them to go in and talk to Suzanne. She’ll put you at ease and you’ll leave happy.
Read more about Down the Rabbit Hole Wine Boutique.
Anyone catch the spectacular sunset we had on Long Island last night?
Not only was it beautiful, but there was a sun pillar too. Sun pillars are caused by falling ice crystals high in the atmosphere.
Here the sun is below the horizon and the pillar is the vertical stripe to the right of center. Of course the photo does not do justice to the beauty of this scene. You had to be there.
The town of Cold Spring Harbor really does the holidays well. I was there last weekend and had a great time shopping, eating, and hanging around with pirates, actors, horses… I almost felt like a Charles Dickens story.
Here are some pictures and a flyer detailing the events for this weekend and next. If you like Christmas, don’t miss it.
Read more about cold Spring Harbor here.
Grasso’s Restaurant is one of my favs and right on Main Street. Read my review here.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here in the Long Island Blog. I like to keep the blog fresh with good material that I think other people would enjoy reading and that’s usually pretty easy when you write about Long Island.
However…
In October one of my children’s friends was killed—murdered senselessly in a drive-by shooting—and that knocked the wind out of my sails.
She wasn’t the target. With bullets flying everywhere, everyone was the target. Several people were hit; she’s the only one that died.
I barely knew Danielle, but she was my son’s best friend and very close with my daughter. There’s still a message from Danielle on our answering machine. My kids were devastated. I can only imagine how her family must feel.
As for me, I don’t know. Something like this makes one question everything, and there’s not a religion or philosophical tenet that can answer the big question that everyone asks: why?
How can someone born with every gift, who meant so much to so many, perish under such senseless circumstances? There’s no resolution here. Time will numb the pain and reveal the silver lining, if there is one, but the damage is done and there will always be scars.
So how does one cope? I tell my kids to remember and honor Danielle by living the kind of life she would have wanted for them. Don’t be depressed, just get up and go the same way she used to.
Because if you don’t, then you become another victim of this utterly senseless crime.