Reason To Smile

At 7 months of age there are many joyous discoveries and Oliver Scott seems to enjoy them all!

Waves of Fun

Nephew Troy, during his July visit, handles the Fire island surf like a pro!

Carnival Ride

Just something about young people turning fear into excitement...and loving to scream about it. It's ageless, as is the profitability for those who recognize this phenomenon.

Marina Resident

Just "hanging out" on a lazy summer morning...

Classic Pennant

Still snapping proudly this Chris Craft pennant celebrates boating from an earlier era.

(best in large view)

Timeless Toys

The toys of July, ageless and universal.

Happy Baby

Oliver Scott at 7 months.....yet another proud grandpa photo!

Sail Home

...as seen through the fisheye!

Afternoon Breeze

A lazy afternoon, a light breeze and a downwind reach...perfect combination for a relaxing sail.

Shea Goodbye

The old and the new...Citifield takes shape just feet beyond Shea Stadium's iconic scoreboard. Only 31 home games remain for Shea!

Pirates!

The Pirates have been "making the rounds" this summer. This nefarious character was recently spotted on the south shore at a local festival...

Blustery Beach

A stong sea breeze brought on by high temperatures combined with off shore storm surge has made for some very rough surf the past several days. Still, the beach is about the best place to be during this heat wave!

Summer Swing

July on Long Island and the local street fairs are in full swing.

Downwind

On a recent sail the breeze dropped off to a whisper. The spinnaker caught just enough air to give us a pleasant downwind ride.

Muffy In Tow

Fisheye view of Muffy the dingy. As always, faithfully tagging along...

Craftmanship

Maintaining the orginal beauty of wooden boats is a labor of love. The bow of this classic sailboat caught my eye...

Classic Century

A 1964 Century runabout in pristine condition at the Antique Boat Show on Long Island's South Shore. Back in the day when it seemed like a good idea to make boats look like cars, helms were right out of the auto plant (many still had the Buick/Chevrolet logo). Note the dashboard and rear view mirror!

2008 Parker Rally

6th annual White Water Parker Rally..Sister ships berthed side by side fill the Riverview Marina along the Connetquot River at Saturday's event. Recess recieved two awards including "Best Family Crusier" for 2008.

Tailsman Anchorage

Boat access to Fire Island via the Tailsman beach anchorage where the depth allows for a short walk ashore. There is plenty of room on the weekdays but on a hot Sunday afternoon this site can see over 100 boats competing for scope on their anchor rodes. (best seen in the larger view)

Beach Breeze

A refreshing sea breeze on Fire Island means a very choppy boat ride on the Great South bay!

(best in large view)

Fire Island Resident

Adding a touch of nature to our beach experience this guy took his time "checking us out"...

Keeping Watch

This guy is standing guard over Brother-In-Law Peter's farm project.
Peter has gained a great deal of personal satisfaction from his volunteer work in reviving this old Long Island farm site. Local food kitchens and church pantries will benefit from the harvest.

God Bless Oliver

Oliver Scott is dressed and ready on the day of his Baptism!

Mikey Micro Wave

Nephew Michael shows how it's done.... :-)

Sisters

Fourth of July weekend being celebrated in true style!

July 4th

From sea to shinning sea...a red white and blue day! Happy 4th of July!

Summer Surf

Nephew Michael shows some style with the Boogie Board in the Fire Island surf. Celebrating a holiday weekend visit with the clan from Pennsylvania...! :-) (check this in the large format!)

Betty Boop

Just came off the Good Ship Lollypop...gotta love summer!

June Evening

Peace and quiet by the bay....

Thrills Still

The Cyclone...Still coasting along. As a backdrop to last weekend's parade this Coney Island classic was as busy as ever. (Best viewed in large format, click on the image)

Flying Scott

For some 20 years or so my Dad spent his summers at the helm of his Flying Scot. At 19 feet, this open boat carries a large mainsail and jib and combined with her overall light weight she has only one speed...fast! The local "Sayville Wet Pants Sailors" sponsor Flying Scot races on Thursday evenings, providing me with an opportunity to be nostalgic!

Mermaid Mummer

All the way from Northeast Philly! The Mummers were among the Mermaids...!

Couch Queen

More from Coney Island's parade...A very eclectic mix of Mermaids provided a certain degree of gender confusion.

Contestant Number 511

Mermaid Parade costumes and themes were judged for originality and impact. Contestants certainly showed creativity in their styles of dress (and undress). There seemed to be traces of Coney Island from another era in this shot...

Mermaids on Parade

Mermaids from near and far made their appearance at Coney Island's annual extravaganza on Saturday.

Coney Island Elder

Rabbi Abraham Abraham the self-proclaimed elder of Coney Island at the start of the annual Mermaid Parade. The parade scene was a joyous mixture of mermaids, Neptunes, extroverts and exhibitionists. All in all a wonderful way to spend the first day of summer!

Retro Gas

Way back in the olden days....a little bell would ring when you drove into the "service station" alerting the uniformed "attendant" of your arrival. He would promptly wash your windshield, ask to check your oil level and inquire as to your tire pressure. All of that attention for 37.9!... Two dollars worth of gas took you from Friday night to Monday morning. Seems to me that "service stations" became "gas stations" right about the time they started to charge a quarter for compressed air and opened those "self-service" and "full-service" lanes. Ahhh...I'm showing my age again!

River Afternoon

The last full day of Spring 2008. The weather could not have been more Spring-like with temperatures in the mid-70's under sunny skies. No better way to say farewell to Spring than a cozy afternoon on the boat. Off the stern is the Patchogue River...

Chubby

Our neighbor's Marshall Catboat, Chubby, shows off her reflected lines in the afternoon light. At 22 feet in length, Chubby feels much larger thanks to her wide beam and shallow draft. I had the privilege of sailing her for a few hours the other day, the fact that I was at the helm is testament to how easily she handles in a breeze!

Fire Island Light

The Lighthouse at Fire Island is having some much needed painting work done. That's the good news, the bad news is that the scaffolding lines were very much visible during our "Landscape Photography Workshop" over the weekend.

Getting to Third Base

Another fisheye from Shea..... (best viewed in large format)

Earthrise

Still rather impressive after all these years...

Future Nostalgia

Creative gift idea? Early Christmas shopping?...Plans are already underway for the seat by seat sale of Shea Stadium. Rumor among the fan base has it that any part of the stadium that can be safely moved will be on the auction block. I wonder how that urinal from the upper deck would look in the downstairs bathroom....?

Back to the Future

The 1964-65 World's Fair featured the Observatory Towers looking over the Flushing Meadows fair grounds. The structures have seen very little maintenance in the past 40 years or so and have that haunting "back to the future" appearance.

Outfielders

As Citifield continues to grow beyond the center field wall fans bask in the last season at Shea. A few more wins would make it a good deal more enjoyable however...! (best in large view, click on image)

A Beach Of My Own

Not much in this image...and that's the whole point! Fire Island on a June Monday that just happens to be the hottest day of the year (to date). There's a pleasant sea breeze and not another soul for miles. After seeing a good bit of the east coast the past few years, I am convincined that what we have in our own "backyard" exsists in very few places along the Atlantic seaboard. You gotta love it......

Morning Calm

Stony Brook Harbor early on a very hot Sunday morning in June. Summer is on the radar....

Working the Bay

Another work boat shot from the other day...nasty weather and indoor projects have kept my camera in the closet!!

Philly Bound

Haven't been here in years.....Philly's Ben Franklin Bridge. Helping step-son Kevin move this past weekend to South Philly took me to parts of my old home town that I have not seen in decades. To quote many comedians.."Philadelphia is a great place to be from.."

Baymen

Made some new friends on the bay yesterday...These conch fishermen came by our boat to say "hello" and exchange smiles as they worked their trap line. Full time baymen are few and far between in recent years.