Exposed

Yesterday morning was very fogy with a heavy dew in my front yard. I learned that my lawn was spotted with spider nests. The spider ducted down the tube into his lair when I approached.

Embracing the Wet

It is hard to keep a photo blog going with all this damp dreary weather. I chose to embrace it all, this is a photo of my pool light in the rain.

Cover Up

This field of verdant green is a cover crop just planted at the end of summer to recharge the earth for next springs crop.

Layers and Layers

Keeping a house dry inside is complicated. As the outside temperature warms & cools part of a house contract and expand thus it is very easy for cracks to form that will let moisture inside. We make a home water tight by wrapping the structure in layers with special joints when needed. Here we see tar paper on the roof an an underlayment to the shingles that will be the top layer.

Road Hog

Bicyclers in this area best be on the lookout for encroaching hedge.

Little Red

The Dune Church in Southampton must have gotten a paint job this summer as I do not recall this rich red tone. The church is only open for services in the summer season. The attractive interior is of a rustic arts & craft style with some very fine Tiffany windows.

Surf

This sure was a nice wave. The air is a little cold now for swimming up here.

Whale of a Log

This log appeared on the beach after hurricane Irene. I do not think it washed up on the shore, I think it was exposed from beach erosion.

Fly Trap

I was at the Halsey farm stand on Deerfield Road this past weekend. While there I was given some tips on fruit fly traps. This trap is made with a cone of white copy paper with a small hole at the tip. Old ripe banana makes a good bait in the bottom of the jar The jar sides should be clear with a shoulder. The trap seems to be working well in my kitchen, drawing the flies off my fruit.

Traffic Alert

The pumpkins are here in full force. Irene blew away most of the leaves but the pumpkins are looking great! Expect the usual delays with cars parking and all, located just east of Southampton Village Pumpkin Town is romping.

Pre Thermal Pane

In the 1600's this leaded glass window in the Halsey Home on South Main Street would have been cutting edge technology and a sign of wealth and luxury.

Whats old is New

Heirloom tomatoes once very dear, have come down in price in the last two years. I have found them to be rich in  flavor and worth the bit extra. I tend to select the less irregular fruits as they are easier to work with.

Quiet Day on the Beach

September can give us some very fine beach days

With families back home for school and sports there is plenty of room for a beach blanket or two.

One of a Kind

This cozy ocean front cottage looks to be from the early 1900s. This house is made from concrete with exposed aggregate and broken tile decoration. The bell tower and green ceramic tile roof complete a  romantic arts & craft package from another world. What a nice place to curl up by a fire and hear the surf.

Blood Grass

Ornamental grass has become very popular in landscape design, this blood grass looks especially good as the fall season approaches.

Grand Dame

This fine oceanfront home on Gin Lane was featured in the Woody Allen film Interiors. In the 90's the owner added a guest house on the street side, duplicating this distinctive profile on all four sides.

Summer Blue

I have not seen classic morning glories in a garden in years. Something about their blue just says summertime. The opposite of the moon flower these blooms open first thing in the morning and close by evening.

Hamptons Get-Away

Some of the older ocean front estate homes have a beach side bungalow to get away from the aways. This home is part of a significant home on Gin Lane.

Rose Hips

Rosa Rugosa is the local wild beach rose that seems to tolerate our sandy soils. This shrubby rose has open flat blooms in late spring that form these reddish fruits known as rose hips. The fruits are an excellent source on vitamin C and can be made into jelly or jam.

Big Blue

No this is not an undiscovered Milton Avery it is a section of parking stripe in Southampton Village. I liked seeing the layers of color tones from past years.

Night Owl

The Moon Flower is grown best from seed. The green vines grow discretely in the garden till the full moon in August when large saucer like blooms open at night. The timing of this plant in our climate leaves it vulnerable to strong wind storms. A temperamental plant I find the flowers very rewarding.

Farm Country

This handsome new construction on Wickapogue Road is an updated farmhouse design. Located on the south eastern side of the village, this is the last area of Southampton Village to still have active farming.

Specimen Tree

I like the Park Like Setting of this property.

Comfort Food

This cool damp day put me in the mood. Spaghetti Pie: This custard based casserole is made in a 9" X 13" deep dish pan. Cook one pound of whole wheat pasta (the whole wheat has a nice nutty flavor) spread in greased pan, cover with a custard made with one qt of half & half mixed with milk, 12 mediums eggs, Parmesan cheese, grated Cheddar cheese and a little butter. back at 350^ till the top is golden brown across the whole top. Let cool some, cut and serve.

Sneak Attack

Almost a week after hurricane Irene passed through here a latent reaction has surfaced. Salt spray burn has appeared on trees and shrubs all over the village. It seems starnge to see the leaves turning brown now as we had thought these trees had escaped storm damage. Next spring will tell how permanent the damage will be.

Higher Guard

If you look closely you can see that the pickets on this gate have been extended. I believe this was done to ward off the recent influx of deer in Southampton Village.

Almost Tropical

This version of hibiscus has large dinner plate size blooms in rich pink tones. The plant manages to winter over in our climate. This version also likes having wet feet and clings to the edges of our fresh water ponds.

In The Big Top

Once a year I go to the Hampton Classic horse show to help with the exhibitors party. This is a free dinner offered to the people who make the show happen. I have been working on this party for over twenty years. They started with tents with wood center posts. Every few years there were less posts, now they have metal tent frames and almost no posts at all, very nice. Tent parties are very popular in the Hamptons, some events have air conditioned tents.

Blast Zone

Driving up Deerfield Road I noticed that the roadside woods looked different. It took me a few to figure out why, dappled sunlight was now hitting the forest floor. The trees here do an efficient job of capturing most of the sun's energy before it hits the the ground. After the storm blew off so many leaves more light than usual is getting through.