Long Island Getaway

Anyone who grows up near the ocean and moves away misses it—forever, I've learned. For many, many summers we've gone back to Long Island to visit Jim's family and the towns on the south shore that are so familiar to him. The photo of a mother with child in tow, pulling a wagon full of gear, brings back fond memories of vacations spent at the beach with our three children.

A couple of weeks ago we were able to combine a family reunion in Bellport, where Jim's sister and her husband have a house, with a wedding in Bridgehampton for the daughter of dear friends who were Pershing Place neighbors years ago.
A town beach on Bellport Bay, above.

A ferry crosses Bellport Bay, an arm of the Great South Bay, from the town marina to Ho Hum Beach on Fire Island, visible in the distance. The beaches on Fire Island, or any of the beaches on the south shore of Long Island, are absolutely stunning, and in most areas, not crowded at all.

White fences and manicured hedges add to the charm of Bellport, above and below. The town is about 60 miles east (yes, east) of New York City.

I love this stunning variety of hydrangea which was planted everywhere.

 

One day we visited Jim's aunt in Westhampton, and then spent some time at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, above and below.

Statuary (not identified) on the grounds of the Parrish Art Museum.

An outdoor display at a florist shop near the Parrish Art Museum, above and below.

Coincidentally, the swimmer caught someone else's eye too, as she showed up in a recent Bill Cunningham piece about the Museum's Summer Gala in the NY Times.

The plantings lining the path to Ralph Lauren's shop in Southampton.

As you might imagine, every display in the courtyard leading to the shop looked as if it was straight out of a perfectly-styled photo shoot, above and below.