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November 12, 1987 - East End: An OverviewEast End: An Overview By PAUL STOUTENBURGH It is surprising how most of us are literally tied to the land. Yet there are those who have freed themselves by becoming flyers. In my youth I, too, had learned to fly but then get- ting married and raising a family in those days left few funds for keeping it up. Today I once again had the op- portunity to get off the ground but this time my son was the pilot. For those interested in the world around them, it is a great way to see the panorama of expansion throughout our East End. The first thing I noticed as Peter's plane roared down the runway into a slumbering southwest breeze was the paved surface rather than the old bumpy grass runway I remember and, of course, the plane itself was bristling with instruments that were neither dreamt of nor invented when I flew. The familiar part that one never forgets is the turbulence of the air, something like the waves of the sea. Once understood, it too is ac- cepted as part of flying. We were to pick up friends at Brookhaven Airport, a short hop to the west. The sparkling water below to our south seemed so timid and calm. Yet if you looked close enough along the beach there were strings of white waves moving to the east. The surf was running. From the air you could see most of the fall colors had either been blown away in last week's storm or through attrition had turned to a rusty brown. Occasionally there still could be seen a clump of color here and there but even that lacked fall's usual glow. We landed and after a short greet- ing were airborne again with our friends. This time we headed along the south shore. Smith Point Bridge moved astern leaving the natural dune and beach area that has taken the abuse of Mother Nature through eons of time. Like a living thing it has moved, been washed over, filled in, revegetated and yet -- untouched by man -- still continues to do its job of protecting the inner bay and main- land from the abuse of the sea. Moriches Slips By Below Moriches Inlet with its rock jetties slid by. We could see a few surf fishermen had ventured out by beach buggy in hopes of picking up some blues. As we moved eastward, the scene changed drastically. There were homes along the beach or was there a beach? The surf was rolling right up underneath the homes. We couldn't believe our eyes. House after house was standing high on stilts with the water boiling below. Could it be an extra high tide with the full moon? I remember seeing the area from the ground last year and there was water in front of the homes but nothing like this. At one section it seemed as if the ocean had come up to what was once Dune Road. We looked at each other in awe but you can't linger when flying and so we continued eastward. Shinnecock Inlet passed beneath and I could see the new County Dock with its fishing boats tied up. I'll bet they stayed in during those windy days of last week. Now we had time to look more in detail at the spread- ing new homes below us. It seems as if every other house had a swimming pool. It's so obvious from the air to Focus ou Nature see the aquamarine spots dotting the landscape. This was not a phe- nomenon only of the big houses along the beach for later we'd see them throughout the land. There seemed to be pools of blue wherever we looked. Some place along the way we saw a huge earthen pit with what looked like water in the center. I think it was in East Hampton. We circled and dropped down for a closer look. It was a landfill being constructed with a new black plastic liner. A sign of things to come for sure. Once again man is slowly realizing he no longer can continue to function as before for now we know dumps (or in today's world landfills) are polluting our pre- cious water supply. Further on we left New York's furthest point east with Montauk light standing on the brink of the sea. Tiny boats below with their white wakes streaming out were i probably rushing to the fishing grounds. Others already were trol- ling hoping to pull aboard the glis- tening, snapping, thrashing blues. Headed for Block at 3000 Feet Now we were in haze and the plane seemed to hang in space with no re- ference points at all. Peter worked a few digital readouts on the instru- ment panel, checked a chart in his lap and we flew on at 3000 feet. No- thing but the roar of the engine could tell us we were moving. Occasionally the crackling of the radio told me we were in contact with Block Island and sure enough as we dropped down -- there it was. We had breakfast at the little snack bar at the edge of the airport and then got a cab for a tour of the island. This was to be a treat for our friends and they were looking for- ward to it. The island is back to nor- mal like most of our East End towns seeing the summer madness has left. The stone walls and empty roads with now strong winds gave us an in- kling of what life must be like here year round. They say Block Island has 360 freshwater ponds and I almost be- lieve it for it seemed at every turn there was a little hollow with water in it. To help locate these ponds, the scarlet berries of the black alder win - terberry punctuated each spot. These alders love to have their feet in wet- ness. Even from the air when we came in we could see this concentra- . tion of color wherever this handsome shrub grew. At one spot we called to our driver to stop at the edge of the sea. There was a concentration of gannets feed- ing close in shore. A more spectacu- lar sight I've never seen. These hand- some white birds with black- tipped wings and a wing span of over six' feet were diving for fish. Like a pro- jectile they would hit the water, sending up a geyser of spray. One after the other they'd plum- met from above. First their wings would be half folded to help guide them and then at the last moment they would completely fold along the body as the bird rocketed into the dark water below. They'd stay down The Suffolk Times /November 12, 1987 /Page 9A Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh WEST CREEK, NEW SUFFOLK - -From the air one can see the changes that are fast overtaking our East End. Hopefully our creeks can stand up under these seemingly endless pressures. below for five or six seconds before popping to the surface. We watched for five or 10 minutes spellbound at their dazzling display, reluctant to move on. We often see these birds offshore but seldom as close as they were today. Nothing could top that. Later, as we took off, the red berries of the black alder seemed to glow below us and way off in the distance in our imagination we could still see the plummeting gannets. It was a day to remember. 9 .,A NORTH FORK RESTAURANT North Road, Southold, N.Y. 765 -2111 MAJOR CREDIT CARDS Closed Mondays =r JOHN C. ROSS Chef /Owner 94anks9Evi.n9 1�Ennvt 1987 cl{owu: 2 - 8 /.m. 17akEa PgstE21 CQSino of CauLi`", _P-a 50.P <-�Roast(��ua�Ey [wJit/prx �otn�nE ^^ad GSt/uffi,,9 (nuan&% %y10,Lan9E cr�Ea11/a and _'Putzz PotatoEl .23uttEanut _Syualfa, BtU11ELi 4touti, _'rPaunifii 13YEA 19Rumfikin C& f fon 9D,, 1on9 9ifand Cfiau%nna y (,Pxice: $25 nniadtEn: $15 %atm lbuc4 Sa ad with of cm&ttiE1 Ba4Ed :/"tawni wit Aa¢yfa.d Ct ab --Stuffing 16En1E 6740W atz OV lOUi1E with JWo :=S-aucz1 1'on9 _qliand cSalwiq.o. Dian, J ticE: $27 offs zd _1'Pta u, tnocktad // /� 0-ai(riE'�d 13i[Ett Aignon wit4 AEttot .&ucE J4i1/2 CoffnE 3ud9E JCE CtEa. DclE, fang _q11andA,, -L'ot P¢icc: $30 VVV 'r(7Z will & closing for a ea cattE Cuncfzon and dinner on Isanday, ::NouzmbEt 29. J/aE ustautant wif DE often for /xattiES of 20 ox mote bzolifz untia l cczm&% 23. We wiff %zo/icn fox tiac 1988 season in 9EAuaty. 'bank you fat yout su ##ott doting tfm Y9871Eason.