Sunken Forest Getaway

When you want to get away from a house full of people on Fire Island, Sunken Forest offers shade and solitude.

It's about a three-mile walk from the house that I share in the Pines.  You might pass a young buck or two on the way.

The muck that washes up along the Great South Bay can be picturesque.

Sunken Forest  is accessible via a meandering boardwalk.

A maritime forest, it's rare if not exciting.  Unless you're a botanist eager to identify more than a dozen different kinds of plants, including American holly, sassafras, high bush blueberry, sour gum, cattails and poison ivy.

If you get bored, you always can calculate the age of the trees.

Of course tourists insist on leaving their marks.

Selfies are less invasive.

You can enter Sunken Forest from the beach, too.

I walked back along the ocean where there was plenty of late afternoon activity.

Christmas comes early in the Grove.

Dozens of terns swooped in for an early dinner.

I got home just in time for cocktails at sunset with the guys.

Just Another Sunday

511 Fisherman sits right on the Great South Bay.

Honeysuckle hangs above the entrance.

Andrew & Steven invited Zeda & Mateo to visit for the weekend.  They're from Toronto. Mateo was a Pines virgin who wanted to experience everything.

Randy retrieved the clam rakes from under the house Sunday morning.  Varick dragged the kayak to the launch at the end of Porgie.

Each of us has our own paddling style.

Clamming is hard work, especially for such modest yields.

Even Randy's basket was smaller than usual.

Curtis, Steven, Thom & Zeda had front-row seats.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the beach, a short walk away.  Our community's demographics are evident everywhere.

Varick and I played Scrabble.  Drinking improves my game.  I Scrabbled on my first two turns, but nearly lost anyway.

As long as there's a ball involved, Curtis is happy.

Mateo manages to look French no matter what he's doing.

You can't beat late afternoon at the beach for relaxing.

This drowned butterfly might not agree.

Andrew & Steven had been together quite awhile before Curtis completed their family.

The light cast gorgeous reflections of the candle lanterns on the polished wood floors of the house.

Ted waited expectantly for his evening cocktail in the kitchen.  Unlike the rest of us, he didn't get trashed on the beach.

Nothing beats the hot tub for watching the sunset.

Ted performed a balancing act for us.  I wish I could remember that my camera won't shoot video vertically.

The actual sunset never loses it appeal.

At this time of year, however, the sun also rises over the bay.  There aren't too many bodies of water in the world where this happens.

Thom knows because he had to catch the 6:20 a.m. ferry on Monday, which Randy calls the "bucket of blood."  Until next time, then.