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October 27, 1988 - The Cycle of the Seasons�,? Focus on Nature The Cycle of the Seasons By Paul Stoutenburgh Fall brings us a variety of weather pat- terns. The cold and blustery days tell us of things to come. Yet there are other delightful days when the sun and warmth remind us of summer days just past. The back pasture absorbs this lingering gift of warmth with every blade of grass and every weedy leaf so that it might strengthen itself to endure the cold months ahead. Spared by the cows grazing, seeds form and dry to await one of nature's many methods of dispersal. It could be the fierce northwest wind that shakes and rattles the tiny seeds until they break through their parchment confinement and are whisked away only to lie dormant until the warmth of spring rains stirs them to awaken and renew their role in the chain of life. Or perhaps those dormant seeds are captured by an army of starlings that march across the fields like some miniature panzer divi- sion absorbing everything edible that lies in their path. Once ingested some seeds somehow miraculously do not become ab- sorbed but pass through and drop miles away from our back yard. Nature disperses its seeds in many fascinating ways. In the meantime, the world of insects, birds and animals is preparing for the mon- ths ahead. The friendly garter snake who enjoyed the freedom of the pasture now in- stinctively feels a new awareness, a new urgency in its life. The cold blood of its body makes it sluggish in the cooler weather and yet it knows it must probe the area for a space to spend the winter. Hopefully it will find a place that will hold the warmth of the day through the night. The old pile of rocks pulled from the field when the pasture was formed could well do. Rocks Provide Warmth Here each night it coils up letting the rocks warm it like some cumbersome blanket. Others also will seek out this spot for it will act as a mecca for all the garter snakes in the area. As the sun warms the ground a little each day and as each day grows shorter, more and more garter snakes will appear, each testing the air for friend or foe with its long tongue that picks up tiny molecules of scent that drift in the air. Its a welcome world at this meeting place of fellow snakes who have traveled their own lonely way throughout the sum- mer. Theirs is the life of the hunter, for this is what life is all about in the natural world. They slither through the grasses unobserv- ed, quietly stalking their prey — insects of all sorts, with the earthworm being the favorite and staple. When the snake is older it will be able to catch small toads and frogs but it will always fall back on the night crawler, the lowly earthworm. Garter snakes are the last to hibernate and the first to emerge in the spring. Often they will venture out to bask in the sun as the winter months move in. One would think that once a "snake den" had assembled its clan and burrowed into the soft earth below, it would be the last we'd see of the snakes till spring, but no, there always seem to be those few who venture out in hopes of grab- bing the warmth of the sun on those rare days in the fall. It's then that sitting atop my windmill a red - tailed hawk comes into the picture. Red -tails can be seen in almost every cor- ner of our East End soaring in great circles above and occasionally sitting like statues on a tree, surveying the area below. They are a grand bird to watch and sometimes if you are lucky you'll hear them screaming their wild call, seemingly just for the joy of it. Red -tails Nest Nearby We've had a pair nesting in the back woods across an abandoned farm field for the past two years and since we put up our windmill, they have taken a liking to its height and we see them perched there often. Sometimes we'll get both the male and female sitting on it at one time, but usually I ust one sentinel seems to be guarding our pasture. Of course, Mr. Red -tail is not guar- ding anything. He's hunting. Although it looks as if he is just resting, in reality his eyes are in a continual searching pattern. Looking closely with binoculars I can see his head turning giving him a different view of scanning. A sickly bird, an unsuspecting mouse or rat, a rabbit caught off guard, a garter snake moving to a better location in the sun, all come under his calculating eye. You can usually tell when the hawk is going to move. It readjusts its stance and then the body seems to stiffen and he pushes off, the big broad wings spread out in a diving glide and from atop the windmill he drops to the ground, feet outstretched, talons open. That snake hasn't a chance for it's not yet warmed up and its body movements are stiff and sluggish. There is a brief struggle but it's short - lived. Satisfied with its catch, the red -tail flies off to the woods across the field to enjoy his feast in solitude. The snake, now dead, still quivers and moves in its grasp. All that is left to show of this daily occurrence is one small feather that was lost in the scuffle. Underground, the now- clustered ball of snakes continues its hiber- nation unaware and unconcerned about what has gone on above. Perhaps others will venture out and .perhaps they, too will be taken by the red - tail or perhaps by now the cold will keep them in till spring. Then, as the warmth penetrates their den, they'll be stirred to a new awakening. Slowly, one by one, they'll work their way to the surface. Winter's sleep has been long and their body reserves mostly used up. It's again time to start their endless hunting. Their favorite food, the earthworm, will also be freed from his frozen cover and ven- ture to the surface. The cycle of life will move as before. My pasture will have its garter snakes, and hopefully my red -tails will still be sitting atop my windmill. Early Island Stations (Continued from Page BI) sengers to experience the old waiting room virtually as their grandparents knew it when high - wheeled steam locomotives sped them off to the big city." In 1902, when status - conscious Southamp- tonites petitioned the LIRR for an edifice that would be more in keeping with the village's growing prestige as a fashionable resort than the small wooden structure that had served ical of the architectural details at Southampton's depot that add up to what Ron Ziel calls "undisputably the most handsome train station on Long Island, and one of the finest anywhere." —Ron Del Photo BE PREPARED IT MORE THAN A MOTTO. Being prepared is a way of life. A way to protect and save lives. It's the way we approach each day at Southampton Hospital. And we would like to share some knowledge with you for quick action you can take in case of an emergency. Because proper action could lessen an emergen- cies consequences. Until your doctor is reached or trained emergency personnel arrive, there are things you can do to relieve anxiety, reduce danger and retain control. That's why were offering you a free 64 page handbook on virtually every kind of emergency. (From A to W, Accidental Amputation - Winter Storms). The Southampton Hospital Emergency Hand- book and Directory provides concise, easily - understood explanations and directions in dealing with children and adults in a wide variety of circumstances. The handbook should be close at hand in everybody's home. It could help save a life. It could certainly keep you prepared. We think this book is so significant, we en- courage you to send for it today. Do it now. Don't put off 'til tomorrow what you can do today. That's another good motto to keep in mind. t: % SOUTHAMPTON H e South ampton, New York 11968 THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS / OCTOBER 27, 1988 Weekdays 9 AM - 5 PM — Call 283.5730 k Weekends and after 5 PM — Call 283.2600 --- — ------ ------- SHPC 10/27188 Please send my Emergency Guide to me today. 1 a Address City—State—Zip Code Telephone Number I I I---------------------- - - - - -J since 1870, The Southampton Press com- mented that the new building, which the rail- road had agreed to provide, would be "a credit to our prospering and growing vil- lage." Although there is no written record, legend has it that the thousands of oyster shells used for its surface were the idea of a wealthy summer resident and when she mailed her suggestion to LIRR President William Baldwin, he replied that the addi- tional $1,000 could not be justified. "A week later," writes Mr. Ziel, "Bald- win is said to have received a personal check in the full amount from the determined mat- riarch." While there were others at the time (including the station at Oyster Bay, where oyster shells also were used) that might have challenged the Press's claim that Southampton's was "the handsomest station on Long Island," Mr. Ziel states categorically that "85 years after its completion, Southampton— inside and out —is indisput- ably the most handsome train station on Long Island, and one of the finest anywhere." Among the Missing Alas, not every depot has been as staunchly defended as East Hampton's or as obvious a candidate for survival as Southampton's. Among the more heartbreaking shots in Mr. Ziel's book are those of Bridgehampton's handsome 1884 depot. There is a 1905 view that shows it head -on with its charming saw - tooth canopy, wood platform and some of the common depot accessories of the day — Fairbanks scales, baggage handcart and the station staff's bicycles. A second Bridgehampton view, shot in the early '20s, shows the platform for the Sag Harbor Branch connecting train with its own diminutive canopy. A third photograph off- ers evidence of its deteriorating condition in the late 1940s, and a fourth provides chilling documentation of the coup de grace delivered by a wrecking crew in May, 1964 (the same year that the splendid Quogue station met a similar fate). A little further afield, but just as poignant to those who remember it as the magical point of disembarkation, are the shots of New York City's Penn Station, the "Temple of Transportation," as it was called. The world's largest station, it boasted a main waiting room that was 277 feet long "crowned by a ceiling of intersecting vaults and elegantly decorated." In June, 1964, a lit- tle more than a half century after its con- struction (though it was built to last 500 years before requiring major structural repairs), it was demolished, a victim of rising costs and diminished revenues, in a move The New York Times called "a monumental act of vandalism." Passengers awaiting their train in East Hampton find themselves in a setting almost exactly like the one their grandparents experienced. Only fluorescent lights and vinyl floors show that the above photograph is actually current, taken in 1988 by Ron Ziel. Originally built as a real estate sales office, the station at Shinnecock Hills served until the late 1930s as a combination station and post office. —Photo from Ron Ziel's Collection CENTRAL VACUUM SYSTEMS SaleslInstallation Service New & Existing Homes East End Centro Vac., Inc. 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