Shelter Island – Day 11

Well not strictly speaking Shelter Island as we ventured off the island over the South Ferry into the territory of the Hamptons. This is an anathema to traditional Shelter Island inhabitants. They write to their paper decrying how the island should not be allowed to become like the Hamptons.

To me it was obvious as soon as we stopped at the first village Sag Harbor for coffee. There was a certain chicness about the place. Everybody was just too well dressed and the shops were just too trendy. Any way I digress, as our destination today was Montauk and the lighthouse right at the tip of Long Island.

The lighthouse was built at the command of George Washington, and you can see why as the rocky promontory must have been a magnet for both coastal ships and those plying the North Atlantic seaways. As is the case with most lighthouses there was the opportunity to climb to the top, though because of extreme safety precautions you were only allowed to peer out of a fenced door.

The exhibition in the lighthouse was very interesting; as well as telling of the life of a lighthouse keeper (lonely) there it retold the history of some of the shipwrecks and the growth of the town and harbour of Montauk. The town grew because the fishing grounds here are some of the richest of the East Coast. As well as commercial fishing the town became a mecca for sports fisherman. So much so that the Long Island Railroad ran non-stop fisherman’s trains non-stop from New York city, the fisherman were disgorged directly to waiting boats. On return they could place their catches into specially converted wagons full of ice. The trains allegedly then ran at thrilling speeds back to the city to get the fish fresh to the table. So in the early years of the 20^th century a new resort was created using fishing as its cornerstone.

This evening we ventured on the North Ferry to eat in Greenport, a stunning sunset picture can be seen below.

Shelter Island – Day 9 & 10

I had such a great day yesterday on my birthday that I forgot to blog, or was it the champagne/birthday cake combination. Well tonight I have started early, I have watched the sun disappear over the creek outside our patio, and before drifting off to sleep have decided that it is time to write.

Birthdays at my age and I suspect at any age are best spent surrounded by loved ones and friends, so this one proved. As it was a holiday Marion was around all day, our friends and distant relatives Karin and Rob from Vermont also joined us.

Being on holiday on Shelter Island meant that the day had a different flavour. There were several firsts, it was the first birthday I have been kayaking and it is the first time that I have eaten soft-shelled crabs, delicious by the way.

The kayaking was from the landing stage by the house in a two-man kayak so that Rob could provide expertise. It was great to see the area from the water, and just peacefully enjoy nature. We also ventured onto open water where in choppy conditions we struggled to steer the kayak to the left. Rob was very polite but I am sure that it had something to do with my inexperience.

We had our birthday lunch in Greenport. They had run out of the tuna burger, which was great as the alternative was a soft-shelled crab served tempura style as a BLT. It was a great taste sensation. Prior to that I had started with clam chowder with fresh clams, one of my favourite all time dishes.

So when we returned to Shelter Island, Marion and Karin surprised me with a delicious chocolate birthday cake. All it took was for them to allow me to win at scrabble to end a perfect day.

Shelter Island – Days 7 & 8

My apologies for no blog yesterday, this is down to our good friends Karin and Rob leading us astray, with good food, good wine and Scrabble. Also I suppose it was a problems of my lack of will power.

 The weather was much better, so with Rob’s guidance we used the house’s kayak to paddle round the creek. It was a lovely experience, we were on the calm water looking into the lovely houses and out to sea over to Long Island. It gave a completely different perspective to the island.

In the afternoon we took a gentle hike around part of the 2000-acre nature reserve on the island. It was a fascinating mix of fresh and seawater habitats, with some lovely plants already exhibiting some autumnal colours. It was good to have local expertise to identify the plants.

The evening was a time for interesting conversation, particularly obtaining a different perspective on the US presidential race. The opinion here is that at the moment none of the Republican field is electable, and it maybe sometime before a viable candidate emerges. On the Democrat side Hilary Clinton is not considered a certainty, and that in any presidential election she would be a polarising figure. Despite our friends being Sanders supporters I perceive that there is no confidence that he will reach the final ballot paper.

Following this we played a deadly game of Scrabble, won by Karin - tonight is the time for payback.

It rained heavily during the night, but today was warm if a little cloudy. We ventured over the water to the North Fork at Greenport. The town was transformed from weekdays and was busy with day-trippers. We visited the small but interesting Long Island Railroad Museum. It reflected the history when Greenport was a major railroad port with extensive freight and passenger facilities. Now of course the railroad is a husk of its former self, but it is still possible to travel to New York on the train. We watched the lunchtime train depart and moved on towards the south.

First stop was the Greenport Harbor brewery where we sampled four excellent ales, varying from an IPA to a dark porter type beer. The atmosphere was great as we sat outside being entertained by a bluegrass band. Finally we dropped by a winery for some tasting and shopping.

I am now being seduced by the smells of Rob’s cooking, goat steak followed by veg from his garden, and then as I said it will be the revenge scrabble game. So a great couple of days and fantastic friendship.

Shelter Island – Day 6

Ok so today’s writing will be a little eclectic, today was of course 9/11 and I have been impressed by the dignified way in which it has been remembered out here in rural New York state. All the flags have been flown at half mast, the local fire station had one a huge flag draped from its extension ladder,

so that the flag hung over the main street, nearby was a simple memorial with a fire mans jacket and a wreath laid alongside each other. I found it all rather dignified and touching.

This evening we bought some Mexican take-out that was rather good. However we waited for it to be cooked in the micro-brew pub next door. So up comes this rather weird contraption that looked like a cross between a bicycle and a model T Ford. The owner was very proud of it and told me how it was one of only two in the world. It was supplemented by a small electric motor running on some revolutionary battery technology. By now the technical details were starting to go over my head, though I remembered that it covered the equivalent of 1100 miles per gallon.

This evening our friends Rob and Karin arrived from Vermont. So tonight we have had an energetic conversation regarding Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn. Sanders is very much the outsider in the same way that Corbyn is and eschews personality politics. He does also seem to me a divisive figure who will polarise opposition to him, the big question is he electable. This conversation will continue in the morning!!

Shelter Island – Day 5

Well it is raining cats and dogs here breaking the unbroken sunshine that we have experienced since we first arrived. We took the pragmatic route today and went shopping, not my favourite activity but great for Marion who likes some of the US clothing retailers. It had an added benefit in that we found an old fashioned diner on the way back to Shelter Island. It is great to come across these uniquely North American institutions; it is also appropriate that Marion is eating the quintessential Reuben’s sandwich inside.

They have a sort of timeless quality and conjure up countless Hollywood movies. The weather can be seen in the picture through the window.

Indeed when we continued our drive we came across a blizzard of blue flashing lights. At first we thought it was an accident, but actually a power cable had fallen over the road!! A diversion was called for.

Today has been exciting for me as for the first time I have had access to the virtual world of my university course. It is both thrilling and daunting as I face academic life for the first in almost forty years. I also have to change my mind set. Forty years ago you were given reading lists and you went to the library to borrow them or more often read them in situ. Now I am in a virtual world where texts are available almost instantly on-line.

Similarly no longer do I go down the pub with my fellow students, but I communicate in a virtual “Railway Tavern” by way of a blogging structure. It is also interesting to see the structure and rigour behind the course. As an old codger it has always been too easy to say that things were different and probably more exacting in my day, well this is changing my opinion, perhaps we were the ones who were less rigorous.

One question I still have is can I have a virtual hangover?