LOW TIDE

The other day we took a drive around our local area during low tide.  It was just one of those great summer days with a deep blue sky and perfect temperature.  Here are a few things we saw...

Port Jefferson Harbor Tug Boat

Port Jefferson Village Pansies

Low Tide at Setauket Harbor

Low Tide at Setauket Harbor Closeup

Communal Bathing in Stony Brook Harbor

The Fellows above were so cute I took a video of them.  Unfortunately, you can hear them, but not see them very well...

And, of course, I'll end with flowers...

A Stony Brook Village Garden

A Close Up

A HAZY LATE JUNE SATURDAY AFTERNOON STROLL

After a week of rain the sun was finally trying to come out this afternoon.  So, I headed for the beautiful Stony Brook Harbor area and snapped these photos...

Stony Brook Yacht Club At Stony Brook Harbor

Mill Pond Creek Feeding Into The Harbor

Stony Brook Mill Pond

A Homeowner's Garden Adjacent To Mill Pond

Part of Stony Brook Village Green

(If only I could have captured the sound of the little waterfall.)

And last but not least, I saw something this afternoon that I've only seen twice in my life, a fairy ring...

Stony Brook Harbor Fairy Ring

(For those who don't know what a fairy ring is, it is a string of mushrooms that grow in a circle and disappear as quickly as they appeared.)

FUTURE MEN & WOMEN OF LONG ISLAND

These are some of my very favorite Long Island creations of nature, two of my grandchildren and their friends.  




This is my granddaughter Alexandra, on the right, with her young friend, Sophia.  At four years old they already look like classic Long Island women in the making...  

Girl Talk On The Beach

And the guys, my grandson Jonathan on the left with his cousin, Mark, and his friend, Robert, preparing for the big leagues...

Go Yankees!

Alexandra

Jonathan

And, yes, we can even get tough here on Long Island if we have to...

Yo-Yo-Yo!

A DAY TRIP TO SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK

Southampton, NY is a beautiful town on the eastern end of Long Island on what is called the South Fork and is located in the world famous summer vacation spot, "The Hamptons".  It's a place well known for summer vacationing, great wealth, and summer mansions inhabited by some of the world's richest and most famous people.  The basis of it's beauty would most likely be considered it's glorious Atlantic Ocean coastline, vast white sand dune beaches and it's special atmospheric lighting made famous by the renown artist, William Merritt Chase and his followers.  I'm thinking a bit more along cosmopolitan lines today, however, and am devoting this post  to the beautiful Village of Southampton and it's flower filled shopping area, Job's Lane and Main Street.




WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE OF SOUTHAMPTON, NY...

Southampton Village Park With Lake Agawam In The Distance

SIDEWALK PLANTERS...

A Main Street Planter Filled With Hydrangea 

And Another Of The Same

Main Street Outdoor Restaurant Planter

STREET SIDE AND WINDOW BOXES...

Jobs Lane Shoppe Window

Street Side Flower Box Close Up

These Flower Boxes Are Plentiful Throughout The Town

Even The Parking Lots Have Well Kept Floral Gardens

A FEW STORE FRONTS AND SHOPPE WINDOWS...

Jobs Lane Piazza Shoppe

Jobs Lane's Plant Shoppe

Jobs Lane Shoppe

Jobs Lane Shoppe Window

A Favorite Hampton's Pastime, Outdoor Street Dining

OH DEAR, I'VE LOST MY HEAD!

Only the very wealthy can afford to shop in The Hamptons and only the very fashion conscious do.  And when they do, according to their husbands, sometimes they simply lose their heads...

:-)

TREES, I LOVE TREES

I love trees of all kinds and in all seasons, but there's nothing like a leafed tree in summertime.  It's sound in a breeze, the cool shade it provides, the dappled sunshine below it, and it's verdant colors all provide extreme pleasure to the senses.  Much has been written about trees and so I'll simply honor them in pictures...

Sassafras Trees In Lake Grove Walking Park On Pond Path in Lake Grove, NY

A Patch of Sunlight Came In Through The Tall Trees To Catch This Sassafras Sapling

(This Photo Is All About The Vine)
Trees And Red Barn, Melville Park, Setauket, NY

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I love the textures and colors of the bark, and in some cases the sculptural shapes, of tree trunks.  The following recent photographs  show some of these features.

These huge trees pictured above are located around the pond in Frank Melville Park, Setauket, NY and feel like old friends.  Many a couple have carved their initials in their bark throughout the past decades.  Sadly, they are now beginning to hollow out and die.  Huge limbs break off during the Nor'easters we occasionally have here on Long Island.  The tree above suffered damage during the rough winter of 2010/2011.

God Creates Another Colorful Sculpture

Melville Park Woods, Setauket, NY

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Vines are prolific on Long Island.  There are places where you can no longer see the trees under the vines.  The following two tree trunks are cohabiting with their vines nicely, however.

Ivy Vine, Bates House, Melville Park, Setauket, NY

Ivy Vine, Mills Pond House, Smithtown, NY

This Is A Great Example Of What A Vine Can Do To A Tree.

Mills Pond House, Smithtown, NY

FLORAL CLASSICS FOR FATHER'S DAY

Today is Father's Day, 2011.  Here I celebrate this special day dedicated to all Dads with a few old time floral bush favorites; all of which grew in the yard of my childhood home where I was loved by my very special Dad.

The Pond at Frank Melville Park in Setauket, NY

Where These Recent Photos Were Taken

Mountain Laurel, Abundant In This Area Of Long Island

The Beautiful Weigela Bush

Honeysuckle

The Fragrant Mock Orange

 And, What Father's Day Is All About On Long Island, Family