Side Entry

When I built the garage I made a covered walkway connecting the garage to the kitchen door. I mostly use the kitchen door to enter the house. It is very nice to have the cover when messing with the key. You can just see the chain off the roof between the kitchen door and the column.

Gutter Chain

I have a chain that hangs at the side entrance to my house. This chain acts as a leeder directing water as it comes off the porch roof gutter. This year ice has built up on the chain making a thick glaze coating.

Blue Farm House

I like this simple blue farm house with some special details. On most homes built today the headers at the top of the windows align with the door header. The break in that alignment and the second story window set into the edge of the roof and to the charm of this house.

When it Started

Seeing this view of the tracks for the Long Island Rail Road reminded me that it was rail travel that first brought summer people out to the Hampton's. Early maps of the area show multiple stops just between the canal and Southampton Village.

It Snowed Last Night

It snowed in Southampton last night. It snowed in most of the north east. I think Southampton got off light compared with most. We got rain for the first few hours and that kept our snow depth down. The rain & snow both had a lot of wind behind them you can see this in how the snow is plastered to the side of the house.

Train Ride

This evening I took the train from Penn Station out to Southampton. The weather was expected to be bad and the LIE would be moving very slow. The train was delayed, but nothing major. Southampton Village was very lucky in the train station lottery. When the MTA was updating the stations to include raised platforms and wheelchair ramps it was possible to slip in the new platform while still using the original station. The combination is very nice.

Bittersweet, Hmmmmmmmm

When bittersweet first appeared on the scenen people seemed excited about the bright colored berries. I have bittersweet in my hedge the plant is very invasive and far out weighs the benefit of color it ads.

Water Mill Farm House

This Colonial home used to be located near the intersection of Head of Pond Road and Deerfield Road. About ten years, the owners moved the house to a spot overlooking Mill Pond, at that time the original home was expanded to meet modern needs.

Water Mill Farms

The southern half of Deer Field Road passes through a large area of active farm fields. I enjoy the view you get during the moment when the furrows come into line. The north half of Deer Field rises into the hills and is very wooded and hilly not as suitable to farming.

Brick House

This home on Elm Street with it's distinctive red trim is admired by many. The brick are similar to the brick on the Parrish Museum and many older homes in the village.

Birds in the Snow

There are a couple of bird feeders in my back yard. This is new for me the last two winters. I do not know what motivates birds, but it seems that before a storm there are no birds about. During the storm they are out all over the yard and eating like crazy.

Renovated Cape

This home on North Main Street got a major renovation a few years back. The owners did the project as a work of love stripping the structure down to just the studs and then re building the home with nice new windows and lots of new red cedar shigles. I think the project was a great success.

Choppers

Lots of times helicopters run along the edge of the ocean. I guess they like to see who is on the beach.

Foot Print

This home was built on a very special property near Fowlers Beach. The home sits between the ocean beach and a private pond. Rebuilt from ground up the architect reused the foot print from the first home to simplify the permit process. There are three government agencies with jurisdiction in this setting so the permit process can be very complex.

Beach Erosion

This section of our beach looks a lot like a chuck of the Grand Canyon, except for the scale.

School Bus Yellow

This home has been bright yellow as long as I can remember. It is rare to see a home painted a true primary color. I doubt a home so boldly painted would be received well today. I love this happy yellow home.

Radiant Heat

Even if the temperature out is very cold and the sun is far away .... the sun's heat still manages to melt some snow each day.

Four-Square House

A Four-Square home has an almost square floor plan, hip roof, full front porch and a bedroom in each corner of the second floor. This typically makes four very nice bedrooms each with a windows on two sides. Homes like this have remained very popular often with very little modification from when first built in the early 1900s.

Cold and Sunny

I had twenty birds at the feeders and on the snow just before I went out to take this photo.

Beach Access

The owners of this beach house have stair that lowers to the beach like a fire escape in West Side Story. Having the steps retract gets them out of surf during a winter storm. You can see how the dune has been cut away from wave action.

Snow Cover

Some home owners wrap their shrubs in burlap to give them protection. I am told we have we have 12 - 18 inches of snow coming tonight. I better get some burlap.

Shingle Cottage

I have always loved this home on Toylsome Lane, I think they got every detail right.

Snow Cap

It snowed here again last night. Just 2-3 inches but still more snow than we have had in past years. This pot is plastic, the  plastic pots have a very clay-like appearance and seem best at dealing with frost and freezing. This thyme has made it through the winter in milder winters.

More Cedar Shingles

Michael Davis from Bridgehampton has been a leader in bringing back this version of shingle style home. Very popular since the 1990's homes in this style can also be seen in historic Art Village. The American House Field Guide refers to this style of home as Eclectic Tudor, a bit of the Cotswold's in the Hampton's.

Osprey Nest

This stand set on a Meadow Lane marsh at the edge of Shinnecock Bay was built for osprey's to nest on. The ospreys nest as a couple and are great fun to watch when they fish, spotting a fish from high in the air, them diving down into the water and flying off with the whole fish. Private ponds full of gold fish make an easy treat.

Wickapugue Barn

This home on Wickapogue Road is built over an antique barn frame imported from England. The living room is a dramatic two-story-space with exposed post and beam framing.

Twelfth Night

Tate's Bakery with a grove of sparkly Christmas trees for the holiday. Tonight is Twelfth Night the official end of Christmas. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". PARTY !

Great Legs

This large shrub is Crepe Myrtle. Not all crepe myrtle has this attractive bark. It seems the bright pink and red  flowers come with grayer branches and the paler flowers come with these rich colored branches.

Inn in the Village

The 1708 House located at 126 Main Street in Southampton Village is a great country inn located in the heart of the village. Fully renovated and meticulously maintained  in easy walking distance to shops and restaurants it is a great place to stay the night.

Holiday Decor

The Parrish Museum installs these festive constructs with lights along the Jobs Lane garden fence. They got a makeover a few years back and look very smart now.

Happy 2011

Collard Green Packets filled with Black Eyed Peas. The filling is made with black eyed peas cooked in broth, minced sauteed onion and Parmesan cheese. Mash about a third of the peas to make a paste and combine ingredients. The collard green leaves are blanched in a big pot of boiling water then trimmed into squares and wrapped around a morsel of filling.