Block Island

Block island's Northeast Lighthouse...Located some 18 miles from Montauk Point and 13 miles from Rhode Island, Block Island is a major cursing destination for boaters from Long Island and New England. This, the Northeast light, is in stark contrast to the dramatic cliffs on the opposite side of Block. The beach access here makes for a popular summer spot!

Fall Colors...Autumn in Coney Island. Umm, maybe the colors really don't change but the beach crowd sure does and the roar of the roller coaster gives way to the sound of the waves. Ahh, the change of seasons...

Wonder Wheel

Coney Island...After the post of Montauk point it's only fair to head all the way in the other direction! It always struck me as strange to have a vacation area/shore point in the same city where you live. Philly has the Jersey Shore, New York has Coney Island which is in New York? Guess my Philly roots are showing. Anyway...the "Wonder Wheel" can be seen from pretty far offshore, the empty beach is a sure sign of late fall.

Windy Shore

Windy Shore, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
No snow but plenty of wind….The arctic blast from the north has created some rather treacherous sea conditions in southern Florida. Small craft advisories have been posted for several days now. Shifting winds from the north and east in the 25mph+ range make for unsafe boating conditions.

Davis Park Beach Breeze

Davis Park Beach Breeze, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Now THAT is a sea breeze! Long Island's afternoon heat has the classic southwest winds off the ocean cooling things down at the beaches.

Juno Surfer

Juno Surfer, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
The surf's up along Juno and Jupiter's beachfront. That can mean only one thing...surfers (and photographers) flock to the beach. Showtime, however, seems to involve the same five or six surfers in spite of the fact that the waves are filled with folks "sitting" and "bobbing" on their boards! Fun to watch...

Keys Beach

Keys Beach, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
It's the end of April. A pleasant surprise for this lingering snowbird is that the crowds have left for cooler northern climes. Granted, the afternoons can get a bit warm away from the water and the A/C needs to run more often but the beaches are uncrowded. Gone are the long waits for that six o'clock table and busy highways seem like country roads. So as I take a compass heading and prepare to follow the flock, it's worthwhile to take a long last glance before taking flight.

Beach Patrol

Beach Patrol, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
On a much happier day......

Powerful

Passing Storm, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Sandy has departed. The destruction, heartbreak and chaos lingers. I am left pondering the serendipitous nature of random catastrophic events. Why are folks just miles away devastated? Why is my house spared? What cosmic forces are at play here?  Nature's power is indeed awesome and evokes a new sense of respect.
Fortunate? Blessed? Lucky?....What I am is grateful, thankful and eager to be helpful....

Dune At Sailors Haven

Dune At Sailors Haven, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
I just love these kind of "gifts"....a perfect October day on Fire Island. Miles of spectacular beach, comfortable temperature, brisk fresh air and not a single person in sight! Life is indeed good.

Bye To Summer

Bye Summer, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Say it isn't so.....

Robert Moses Bridge

Moses Bridge, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Summer crossings.....The Robert Moses Bridge is THE roadway linking Long Island's Suffolk County to "the beach" (aka Robert Moses State Park).  At the end of most summer beach days the north bound traffic can be a tad crowded!

Beach Fence

Beach Fence, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Okay, this is what so many Long Islanders wait for... weekend mid-July, the water temperature is up, the sun is shinning and the beach awaits. Life is Good.

It's HOT

Rough Surf, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
The talking heads on my TV point to maps highlighted in red and temperature readings in three digits. The camera pans out to show these readings in red to cover most of the continent. Baby, it's hot outside...get thee to a beach, a pool or just hunker down in the A/C. And...here's an interesting factoid: there are more annual fatalities from heat than any other weather related event. A curious statistic considering all those tornados, hurricanes and blizzards. Stay cool...

Point O' Woods

Point O Woods, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Private ferry, Private community....Point O' Woods was founded as a religious enclave in the late 19th century and is one of the oldest communities on Fire Island. Extremely private, Point O' Woods is family oriented with strict rules for renters and potential buyers. The screening process for possible residency requires buyers to rent for at least one season before approval. With no restaurants or bars the town is very quiet by design. No weekend rift-raft here.....

Dune Fence

Dune Fence, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
Reclaiming the beach...The littoral drift, the shifting sands and man's endless attempts to control it all are evident here on Fire Island. This past winter was fairly free of beach destroying northeasters, those storms that linger and eat away at the beach. The use of snow fence to hold sand and rebuild dunes does work but only with a little help from mother nature!

Evening Air

Lifeguard Stand, originally uploaded by Chris S Thorpe.
At the end of the day...yet another "it doesn't get any better than this" moment. A light breeze, fresh salt air and an empty beach, priceless.

Back To School

It's official, schools are back in session. The local media is filled with those iconic "Back to School" images: backpack adorned tweens exiting a large yellow bus, parents waiting at suburban street corners,  and beaming attractive female teachers smiling in the front of a classroom (obviously prior to having cafeteria duty). So....I set out to find my own "back to school" image. I was struck by the peaceful scene of an empty beach on a rather perfect beach day in early September. Yes, indeed school is in session! Life is Good.

Summer Steps Down

Labor Day is an annual benchmark. For years, when the first Monday of September rolls around, I have pointed to the fact that September 21st marks summer's official end. Lately though I have become resigned to the fact that things do feel quite different the day after Labor Day. The beach is empty, the school buses are running (or rather stopping in front of you!), the mornings are cooler, the temperature drops much more quickly after an earlier sunset and it's more about football than baseball. For better or worse, change is in the air.

BTW: Happy Labor Day.

Summer's End?

Can it really be September? Does my calendar show Labor Day Weekend? How fair is it that the blur of summer's warmth so quickly crashes into the cool of September.....?