Past Signs

Located on the north side of Route 27 in Bridgehampton, Almonds Restaurant closed its doors at the New Year after a dozen or more years of business. I won't comment on the cuisine for I only ate there once, other than to say that on that occasion they served me something completely different to that which I'd ordered and it wasn't that good.

At some point this month the Almonds sign was taken down and away, revealing the old Woodshed sign on which it had been fixed. And the local conversations began! People started remembering the happy times and meals that they'd had in the Woodshed Restaurant. Do you remember so-and so? And what ever happened to, oh, can't even remember her name now?

Wonderful!

There is a rumor..

...that Leo and his barber's chair have returned to a new location. I must investigate and report back.

An extra shot, please!

Why do I make a habit of regularly visiting places like Starbucks, Seattle's Best and other chains? And why, when in foreign and exotic places (Massachusetts, Florida, Wading River...) do I seek out places where excellent espresso coffee is served in all its forms? It's not an addiction to the ground bean, at least I trust not. Neither is it a need to seek company, for I am content to sit alone with a book or laptop, or even my smartphone for company. It's something to do with drinking cappuccino, but much more. It's about soaking up the sights, sounds and smells that go hand in hand with cafe life. The hiss of pressurized steam, the gurgle of frothers, the slamming of metal; conversations near and far, whispered and announced. And the people. Customers and baristas, and (as I wrote these notes) a tiny man in a blue work-shirt, pince-nez on his nose, repairing one of the machines. And in and among all of these stimuli, these are also places to be still and think...

Mid-Winter Blues?

February the eighth, and after twenty-four hours of bearable temperatures in the 40s the reality of midwinter has now returned with a violent windchill and two days of sub-freezing weather. Diverting on my way home from the supermarket I visited the narrow bays and inlets behind Mecox Beach (see above photo of today's angry skies) - places where I usually launch an early season kayak. The first week of April if the weather is kind and the thermal gear clean! Yet today the ice on Sam's Creek looks to be at least two inches thick, and the gusting winds were blowing the pale yellow reeds down to a most painful angle.

February. It is during this month of the year, with the distractions of Christmas and the New Year out of the way, when I start to get impatient for spring. And anxious to get back to my outdoor pursuits. Kayaking is hardly an option. Hiking is no fun when even the blazed trails are covered in iron-hard ice. Fishing has to wait until May. No, it is the most frustrating time of the year.

O Lord, give me patience. And give it to me now.