The Long Island Blog

One of my favorite things to do on Long Island’s cold winter days is get in my car, grab a cup of coffee, and sit by the water. The colder the weather, the better. Snow and ice, better still. Some of you will think I’m crazy, but a good many will understand exactly where I’m coming from. An old pair of binoculars that I keep in the car makes it all the more interesting.

There’s not a lot going on on the water in the winter. You’ll see gulls and other wildlife and the occasional commercial fishing boat dredging crabs or bay scallops. I just like to sit there and enjoy the scenery.

On the south shore of Long Island where I live, there are plenty of places to do this. Today I went to a tiny park on the southern end of the Connetquot River. Located on the edge of the Timber Point Country Club, this is one of countless, nameless parks in Nassau and Suffolk counties that we are blessed with.

Here are some pictures…

Now here’s an idea…

Lenn Thompson over at Lenndevours.com, thought it would be neat if all of us Long Island wine lovers showed off our wine racks today. Large, small, pretty, ugly, or pretty ugly, it would be interesting to see how everyone stores their wine.

BTW, if you’re looking for honest, unbiased and accurate information about Long Island wine, Lenn’s blog is the place. Check it out if you haven’t already.

So here’s where I keep my wine. It’s the bottom of a microwave oven stand. The roll-top style cover protects the bottles from light and dust, and I like to think the wine stays a little cooler close to the floor.

Now here’s a very nice wine rack/bar that was custom made for a friend of mine by her dear friend, Dennis Hogan. This outstanding work of art perfectly matches the rest of the kitchen cabinets and woodwork.

Is that a beautiful cabinet or what?

Did a little pumpkin picking on Long Island’s north fork this past weekend. We fought traffic, crowds, and heat, but had a wonderful time. (It’s all part of the experience.)

I associate pumpkins with flannel shirts and hot soup, not short sleeves and sweat.

The brutally hot weather we had is not all that unusual for this time of year, but this is October and I was hoping for a brisk autumn day.

Left: Every year the pumpkins get uglier and uglier. (Can’t say much about the picker either.) This alien green one came home with us.

Mother Nature gave us blue skies and a lot of sunshine instead, so who am I to argue?

Our first stop was Harbes Family Farm where we picked our pumpkins, walked the corn maze, and had a lunch of roasted corn and fresh pressed apple cider.

Next, we stopped at a few of Long Island’s outstanding wineries. If money were not an issue I’d have a wine cellar stocked with all of my favs…

We also made a stop at Sang Lee Farms for some fresh Long Island Apples, and the Little Cigar Factory for some hand made cigars. I’m not a cigar smoker, but once in a while I’ll have one just to remind myself how much I hate those darn things. (Don’t ask, I don’t understand it either.)

Then we ended the day with a nice dinner at the Modern Snack Bar — not fine dining, but I’ve never felt more at home.

We filled two of these carts for a total of 150lbs of pumpkins.

If you haven’t picked your pumpkins yet, finding a place couldn’t be easier. There are signs everywhere for U-Pick style pumpkin farms, and if you want to combine pumpkin picking with wine tasting then just head out to the north fork. Drive east on 25 or 48, and you can’t miss.

I had a great time at my 30^th high school reunion in New York City this weekend and I just had to share some pictures with you…

If you’re reader of my website or know me personally you know that I’m a big believer in doing things locally.

Eat local, shop local, drink local, vacation local… Long Island has so much to offer that I just don’t see the point in going elsewhere for things we have right here.

Having said that, one of the things I love about living on Long Island is that it is easy to get away when you want to. Long Island Macarthur Airport is centrally located in Ronkonkoma, and New York City, the greatest city in the world, is about an hour away by train.

Left: The Empire State building as seen from the deck of our boat was an inspiring sight. The building was completed in record time before the age of computer aided everything and is testament to the old adage, when there’s a will there’s a way.

Just think about that for a minute—a 1 hour train ride and you’re in the greatest city on Earth. Then, when you’re done, you get to come back home.

How lucky we Long Islanders are to enjoy the best of urban, suburban, and rural life.

This easy access to New York City factored in to the planning of my 30 year high school reunion (Plainedge HS Class of ’77, you rock! And so do you Jeanne!) and this past weekend we all boarded a 130’ yacht for a nighttime cruise around Manhattan.

We had a fantastic time aboard Majestic Voyages’ Star of America, and the city skyline at night was spectacular.

Here are some pictures.

Lord Jim. Not the yacht we were on, but very similar in size and shape. I don’t have any pictures of the Star of America, sorry.

The sun was setting as we began our cruise.

This was a stunning sight. As we sailed past everyone just stopped talking and looked…

The moon over the Brooklyn Bridge. This photo does not do it justice. You had to see it to believe it.

Another incredible scene. I have goosebumps as I’m typing this because it was just so beautiful.

These pictures were taken on September 30^th and we are all outside in perfect comfort. Talk about good weather.

After the cruise we went uptown to American Trash, a nice little bar owned by one of our Alumni.

Well, this trip into the city was a total blast. I do like to stay on Long Island most of the time, but every now and then it’s not a bad idea to take advantage of our proximity to the city.

On a personal note—to all those who had twist my arm to attend the reunion, thank you. I had a great time. And yes, you can say I told you so. -Bill

At best Labor Day is a holiday of mixed emotions. Although mothers are glad to have the kids back in school I think most, if not all of us feel a little down after the Labor Day weekend. We look forward to a break from the kids and a change in season, but it’s not long after Labor Day passes that we begin to miss the summer.

I’m usually very active during the summer and most years post Labor Day September is a welcome respite from intensive summer fun—a vacation from my vacation if you will. But this year, not so much. I didn’t spend as much time on my boat as I would have liked and I wanted to spend more time sitting on the beach in Southold.

Well, there’s always (hopefully) next year…

A few years ago while vacationing in Atlantique on Fire Island I picked up a music CD called Great Balls of Fire Island.

All but one of the songs are humorous tributes to various aspects of the Fire Island life style. The exception is the stunningly beautiful and melancholy Sunday.

This song describes the classic Fire Island dilemma: you’ve had a great week and don’t want it to end. You’re in a melancholy mood and just wish you had more time. Sunday gives you permission to stay longer by taking a later boat. Ahhh.

Sunday the weekday is a Fire Island vacationer’s Labor Day and Sunday the song inspired me to make the following video. I’ve only used the instrumental portion of the song (it sets the post Labor Day mood). If you want the whole song with the lyrics you’ll have to buy the CD. Well worth owning if you like the Fire Island lifestyle.

I hope you enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it…

Founded in 1919, the American Legion is an organization of wartime veterans that works to preserve the rights and interests of all U.S. veterans while at the same time serving America through community service activities.

The local posts, over 50 on Long Island, serve their communities directly with fundraising and volunteer work, and are the social centers of many veterans lives.

In short, these local posts are important not only to the people directly involved but to their surrounding communities as well.

Here’s a letter I received from Robert DeVito, commander of the Griswold – Terry – Glover post in Southold. Commander DeVito is in the midst of a fundraising campaign with a slight twist. After serving Southold for more than 60 years, this time, it’s the post that needs help.

Increased costs of operation, much needed building repairs, and competition from other catering facilities has placed this post under severe financial pressure.

Commander DeVito is doing his best to turn things around, and I can’t help but feel that these guys deserve a little support.

Mail all contributions to:

Griswold – Terry – Glover Post, No. 803
P.O. Box 591
Southold, NY 11971

Lately, I’ve noticed the crickets. Louder and louder they’ve become as if to say, “autumn is coming, autumn is coming, autumn is coming.”

Well, they’re right. So, I’ve been trying to pack as much into what’s left of summer as possible which, for me, means sailing.

Here are some pictures and a short video I made from the last few times I’ve been out on my boat. Enjoy!

The corner of my genoa and the Robert Moses Causeway Bridge on the Great South Bay. This shot was taken on August 19. It was very cold that and I had to change into long pants and a sweatshirt.

My good deed for the day… I found this purse floating just under the waves off Ocean Bay Park. After a few tries I managed to snag the strap with my boat hook. I sent a letter to the owner and returned the purse and all its contents intact albeit a little salty.

A beautiful sunrise (it does look like a sunset, but it really is a sunrise) at Atlantique.

Okay, no more tricks, this is a sunset over East Islip.

A couple canoeing near Fire Island. West Fire Island and the Robert Moses Causeway bridge are behind them. They told me they had come all the way from behind West Fire Island.  That’s quite a ways for a canoe and you can’t really tell from the picture, but that’s a very busy channel they’re crossing.

Here’s a short video I made showing the sights and sounds of a typical day sailing on the Great South Bay. The bay is bounded by Long Island on its northern side and Fire Island to the south. Most of this video was shot near Fire Island.

I packed in a lot this weekend. Now it’s Tuesday morning and I’m almost happy to be back at work. Almost, but not quite. I could use a few more days off. Who couldn’t?

This Memorial Day weekend kicked my butt. Here’s what I did…

Well, I started off by missing the air show at Jones Beach. I miss it every year and every year I promise myself I’ll make a point of seeing it next year. Hasn’t happened yet.

I managed to get my boat in the water, but not until Monday afternoon, so I missed my summer kick-off trip to Fire Island.

I worked on my son’s “yacht.” Always a pleasure. I can’t get him to mow the lawn, but when something needs to be done on Cap’t Joe’s boat it’s, “Hey Dad, I have a question…”

Dropped of my girlfriend’s daughter, Seaweed (I call her Weed for short) at her annual retreat at Peconic Dunes campground then had dinner at BBQ Bill’s in Greenport. The smoked chicken wings were fabulous, but I had to work a little too hard to get the ribs off the bones. I still love the place though.

Celebrated my daughter’s birthday, then later that day celebrated my Girlfriend’s Father’s birthday.

On the way to Peconic we stopped off at Sang Lee Farms for something to snack on. $40 later we were all set. And that was money well spent.

Karen and Fred Lee grow more than 250 different products naturally using organic growing methods and their 16 greenhouses allow them to offer produce very early in the season. Everything at their farm stand is fresh, natural and tastes great.

Look at all those fresh vegetables.

In the farm stand Karen Lee is educator/tour guide. She showed us everything Sang Lee Farms had to offer while explaining how it’s prepared and what foods to pair with it. At her suggestion we took home some pepper jelly to serve over cream cheese and, as promised, it was a hit with our birthday party guests.

Drove back out to Peconic Dunes to pick up Seaweed and celebrate mass on the beach. I’m not a church going man, but I always enjoy the seaside service.

Father Eugene and Deacon George Reich lead mass in a truly grand cathedral.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon, after the birthday parties were over and all the driving was done, Karilyn and I went to the Snapper Inn to enjoy our favorite summertime drink. No, not Long Island Ice Tea, Gin and Tonic.

There’s nothing like enjoying a cocktail while watching the water on a hot day. Gin & Tonics work for me.

Monday was boat launching day. All went well, except I can’t find my spreaders. I took them off the mast last Fall and now they’re gone. Beats me. I’m ordering new ones today.

Hope your weekend was just as exciting.

If you live on Long Island you probably woke up this past Saturday morning to the sound of shovels and scrapers. I’m an early riser so I had a few hours of quiet time before the racket started, but it wasn’t long before I found myself out there with everyone else shoveling snow and scraping ice.

I helped two of my neighbors dig out their cars and then drove over to my girlfriend’s house to shovel the slippery ice from her concrete stoop and sidewalk. After that my son and I shoveled the ice off of his boat and went for a ride.

A boat ride on a snowy winter’s day? Well, I did have to twist his arm a little, but it wasn’t too hard.

Joe is one of Long Island’s baymen, so with the exception of a short haul in the early spring his boat stays in the water all year long. For most of us a boat ride in the winter is a bit of a novelty. For Joe it’s all in a day’s work.

Joe shoveling snow from his boat to prevent ice melt from ending up in the bilge.

Seagulls know that they frequently get meals from fishing boats. They started following us as soon as we left the dock, but soon gave up when they realized we were empty handed.

Icicles hang from our pilot house, and snow covered boats and buildings line the canal which is at an unusually high tide. The careful observer will note a small boat sunk up to it’s gunwales, a victim of the late winter storm.

An old, but too young to retire net boat.

I love this little house/garage on the canal.

Heading southeast, Fire Island is visible way off in the distance while Long Island is far behind us. (The wooden table is for separating scallops from seaweed.)

The Robert Moses Bridge stands alone under the gray winter sky.

Cap’n Joe really hates having his picture taken. Safely back home, the long shadows at day’s end tell me it’s time to settle in for the night.

Well, that’s not exactly your typical day on Long Island, but Long Island, with it’s fleet of fishing boats and spectacular coastline is one of the few  places where it’s possible.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love living on Long Island? 🙂

I woke up Friday morning to extraordinarily low temperatures—the coldest day of the season on Long Island so far. I looked my thermometer. 9.1 degrees. “Cool,” I thought. While most people grumble about bad weather I am excited by it. Storms, hail, thunder, ice. All great stuff…

I stepped outside, looked up and saw the stars sparkling against a crystal clear blue-black sky. An icy chill clears the air like nothing else. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and I thought this would be a perfect morning to catch a sunrise at the beach.

No matter where you live on Long Island you’re never very far from the shore. I happen to live very close to the water and within minutes I was at Heckscher State Park taking pictures. Much to my disappointment however, there were clouds on the horizon blocking the sun.

No matter, I came home with a few of good snap shots anyway.

Looking southwest towards the Fire Island Lighthouse. These ducks were disturbed by my presence and began retreating from the shore. They made quite a bit of noise complaining about me.

A temperature inversion stretches the Robert Moses Causeway bridge and makes it appear to float over the Great South Bay.

Fire over Fire Island.

The sun finally rises from behind the clouds painting a bright stripe across the bay.

The scene looks tranquil enough, but there was a breeze blowing and the temperature was still only about 11 degrees. By the time I was done taking these pictures my hands were frozen solid.

But I got to enjoy another beautiful morning on Long Island. Frostbite? Who cares.