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September 26, 1985 - Water, Water EverywherePage 16 The Suffolk Times Water, Water Everywhere By PAUL STOUTENBURGH Our lives here on eastern Long Island are affected greatly by the water around us. This is particularly true when it comes to humidity and temperature. Our spring comes a few weeks later here than on the west end, and in the fall, we have the good fortune of lingering in the warmth of the passing summer. Proof of the spring warming first each year is obvious, as the yellow forsythia blossoms and the Norway maples leap out where my Aunt Martha used to live down in Stewart Manor. Now there was one of those households that never changed, at least I never thought so. The tall Chinese vase at the foot of the stairs always fascinated me -- and the china closet that held those brilliant cut -glass bowls and dishes, along with my very favorite set of rainbow - colored goblets. But now I'm getting off my topic of how we East Enders are closely as- sociated with our water. I remember hearing John Wickham say that if you traveled along the shores of our bays, Sound and creeks you would cover 250 miles. Our Sound shore is pretty well - defined as a rather straight east and west coast. But our bays and creeks are another story. There is such variety and beauty along these shores that it's easy to see why the majority of people settled there. Right now, as with each fall when the weather gets cooler and water temper- ature drops, our water starts to clear up. By November we can see through it, like water in the tropics. The reason for the cleanliness is that the many or- ganisms that make our waters so rich during the warm summer days have by then diminished. This, along with the motor boats churning up the water and other summer activities, all adds to the Focus on Nature summer cloudiness. Good for Crabbing We used to notice this when we went firefighting for crabs and eels. In the summer, you'd have to stay in the shal- low water. But if you went out in the early spring or late fall, you could see the bottom clearly to a depth of six or eight feet. Once when I was out with Harry Waite, an old friend, I speared an 11 3/4 -pound weakfish in six feet of water in the bay. That's how clear it was, though it was an exception, for most of the time we'd hug the shore where the eels came in to pick up min- nows and other small fish in the shal- lows. We'd dodge in and out around the docks, only occasionally stopping to Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh HEADWATERS OF WICKHAMS CREEK - -Only from the air can you grasp the tremendous amount of waterfront on the East End. If one were to travel along our bay, creek and Sound frontage, some 250 miles would be covered. We've Been Getting Complaints You Can't get your mail here anymore, but you can count on us for great food! Breakfast special... 2 eggs on a roll with bacon, ham or sausage /coffee or tea $165 M'I P'M SPECIALS THIS WEEK... 1 lb. Randall boiled Ham ..................... 1.99 1 lb. Bologna ..... .............................99 1 lb. Liverwurst .... .............................99 Featuring: 765 -5070 • Complete Deli Service • Gourmet Foods • Hot and Cold Sandwiches • Fresh Breads • Fresh Baked Goods • Meats • Cheeses Hours: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Mon. - Thurs. 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat. 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sunday Pizza: 765 -5721 • 12 Different Varieties • 3 Sizes Specialties: • Sicilian Pizza • Pineapple Pizza • Black Olive Pizza Hours: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sun. - Thurs. Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Italian Dishes • Heros • Eat In /Take Out • 765 -5721 CATERING 01de Pos,t Office ft Del 1 Pi h% d MAIN ROAD, SOUTHOLD VILLAGE Tall Ship Schooner RACHAEL & EBENEZER at Claudio's Wharf September 26, 1985 pump the old gas light up to see better. The fall thatch grass in the marsh has started to turn its golden brown and the salicornis -- or glasswort -- has al- ready started to change to its brilliant red of fall in some spots. I hope most of you are acquainted with this low fleshy plant that grows in our upper marsh. In the summer it is about as thick as a piece of wool and grows to a height of eight to 10 inches. It's good eating, espe- cially used fresh in a salad or as a snack when you're out on the marsh. The low grass you see in our salt marsh is also turning now. This salt hay gets its name from years ago, when farmers went into the marsh to cut it. It was a festive time in Colonial days, and lucky was the man who had his own meadow of hay to cut from. It is still being cut in big marshes along our seaboard and will eventually wind up in neighboring nurseries and an excel- lent ground mulch. Its beauty is that it lasts for more than a year and carries no weed seeds, as other straw and old hay do. Look for the delicate white salt marsh aster now blossoming among the salt hay. Asters of all sorts line our road- sides and fields, and in the fall they'll start to show their full color. Why this little marsh aster escaped to the salty bottom lands of our marshes is hard to figure. At least out there it has no other competitor except the salt hay. The fall marsh, like the ripening fields of grain out west, blow to the winds of fall. They'll stand erect and golden until the first killing frost, which will dull their colors and stamina. Later, ice and snow will break their backs and they'll fall to be di- gested in the muck and mire of the marsh. Then, at each change of tide, the richness of the marsh will go out to feed a varied world beneath the surface of our bays and creeks. RESTAURANT & MARINA American & Continental Cuisine Overlooking the Bay FOOT OF MAIN STREET, GREENPORT, NEW YORK Reservations call: 477 - 98001477 -0627 CLOSED TUESDAYS Luncheon served 11:30 to 3 p. M. daily. Dinner and A La Carte menu served all day until 9 p. m. Sundays and weeknights, and until 1.0 p. m. Fridays and Saturdays. Live Dinner Music Saturday and Sunday by Bobby Clark and his musical accordion (Farfisa). For your listening and dining please, and available for private functions. Our topside deck dining area overlooking scenic Greenport Harbor and Shelter Island is available for special functions or just ex- cellent dining. MARINA OPEN: Marina Tel: 477 -0355 FREE WHARFAGE FOR LUNCHEON AND DINNER PATRONS WITH RECEIPT GAS • DIESEL • LUBRICATING OIL • ICE • OVERNIGHT WHARFAGE "Now improved 600 -amp electrical service on the dock. 30-amp and 50-amp individual boat service."