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November 10, 2005 - A hurricane-free hideawayIOA • The Suffolk Titres • November 10, 2005 A h tu (""an ree iau._..awa%,, 1 WE LEFT WHEN i HF, Sky W&S Over- cast and there was a chill in the air. I fed the chickens for the last time and gave the three cows their ration of bay. A few last- minute jobs and we were off to the airport for a two-week mini vacation at our hideaway on the Guff. It isn't a real hideaway, for it's open to all the kids and grandkids to use when- ever they can fit it into their schedules. We were impressed by tight secu- rity at the airport. I have to be one of those who gets an extra - FOC U S thorough going over because of ON my metal knees. NATURE Then there were the suspenders by Paul that tipped the Stouteftburgh metal detector off Even the shoes had to Lowe off and be checked. We passed inspection and waited to board our plane. Just sitting there I marveled at the wide variety of people who make up our world today. They fascinate me. We no longer are what we once were; rather, we are a blend from all around the globe. Each one has his or her own story to tell that travels with them: heartbreaks, joy, sorrow, laughter, deep grief — all part of the people who walked by us as we waited The flight to Florida was smooth once the pilot got through the thick layer of clouds that had greeted us a This looks like something left over from a horror movie. What it Is actually Is a brown pelican flyfng low, looking for an easy meal from a flshefwmn on one of the litany piers that lot out Into the Gulf. earlier in the morning, and we were soon in a world of sun. Looking out the little windows of our plane, it looked serene and peaceful- We drift- ed in a special world of luxury above all the busyness of the world below, There was even tip for a short but rewarding nap. Two hours and 20 minutes later we touched down in Tampa, Fla. Then an hour's ride by Mau m "& � r C_ TV . k eit Order ibr Tile CijCsa vi "Y11 J COOKED TURKEY DINNERS o n I anksgiving D&y ASO LARGE FRESH TURKEYS for you to Gook HMS for stuffing Fresh-baked —DA PIES rd,a rye 1rid 2e - �, X70 ` e eg MantRuck ipienty Of pafkii i3 in rear of Store) IMF taxi and we were let off at 74 Midge Court. Little had changed since we were here last. We were pleasantly surprised to find our hideaway in good shape- Somehow the area had escaped the wrath of the many hur- ricanes that had battered Florida so badly. The new rugs and couches bought last year beckoned us to enter and relax. We were a stone's throw from the inland waterway, with its laughing gulls that patrolled the waters for the first sign of breaking fish.Then there were the heavyweights, the pelicans. of the One never tires of watch- ing them as they pump away with their wings and then glide, almost touching the water as they squeeze the fast bit of flight out of their glide. We'd have to take a quick walk over to the Gulf to see that it was still there with its sparkling emerald water that always brings back memories of the tropic, Isere we were, in long pants and jackets, while everyone else wore shorts as they walked barefoot along the sandy beach that ran to the north and south. We sat for a while absorbing the sounds and smells about us when, not 100 feet offshore, a pair of dolphins rose, blew a bit of spray in the air and slipped effort- lessly beneath the crystal -clear water of the Gulf. As we smiled at our good fortune in seeing the dolphins, a single frig- ate bird drifted by on a high thermal; its long, pointed wings and forked tail told us exactly who it was When other birds are feeding, the frigate bird notoriously becomes a villain by robbing their catch. Often you'll see them in hot pursuit, almost on the very tail of a gull or tern that worked so hard to secure its prize only to be made to drop it, letting the frigate bird catch it in midair and then be off without the tedious job of catching its own fish. When we first approached the beach there must have been 20 or 30 fish crows noisily gleaning the beach and the two refine cans that must have held some speedai good- ies, for three or four were fighting and squabbling over who gets what. The call of the fish crow is different from the boisterous call of our com- mon crow. Every once in a while we'll have a visit to our loco shores from this smaller fish crow; usually they are seen to our west. I'm sure in the future we'll see more and more of these southern crows showing up, just like the cardinal, the mockingbird and others that have moved up north. Evidently they have solved the riddle of our winters and are now part of the bird world we all have come to expect Walking home, Barbara spotted with her sharp eyes • big, bulky stick nest of • colony of noisy monk parakeets that had chosen tjtj$g, to build amongst the elec- tric wire. Why the whole thing didn't short out the wires and burn up, I don't know. We have had this green parakeet visit the Fast End but they never have really taken hold here. perhaps our winters are too cold and there's not enough winter fruit to see them through. And so our mini vacation has started. We see lots of familiar faces and there's always something inter- esting to do. It's like that old adage: Life is what you make it. So wel- come aboard this fascinating world we live in. The Gulf's sparkling emerald water always brings lack rite. modus RV^ C -0 B S HANDVfADE JEWE1r2Y ENGRAVING-BRIDAL New M sill menlgi ZF *,# tole Hitt '. 29 FRONT STREET • GREENPORT, NEW YORK 11944 • 631.477.9761 WWWJACOBSJEWELRY,COM • OPEN 7 DAYS • 10AM -6 PM The Suffolk Times • November 10, 2005 hurricane -free hl*deawa Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh This looks like something left over from a horror movie. What it is actually Is a brown pelican flying low, looking for an easy meal from a tisherman on one of the many piers that jut out into the Gulf. The Gulf's sparkling emerald water always brings back memories of the tropics. WE LEFT' WHEN THE sxy Was over- cast and there was a chill in the air. I fed the chickens for the last time and gave the three cows their ration of hay. A few last - minute jobs and we were off to the airport for a two -week mini vacation at our hideaway on the Gulf It isn't a real hideaway, for it's open to all the kids and grandkids to use when- ever they can fit it into their schedules. We were impressed by tight secu- rity at the airport. I have to be one of those who gets an extra - FOCUS thorough going O N over because of my metal knees. NATURE Then there were the suspenders by Paul that tipped the Stoutenburgh metal detector off. Even the shoes had to come off and be checked. We passed inspection and waited to board our plane. Just sitting there I marveled at the wide variety of people who make up our world today They fascinate me. We no longer are what we once were; rather, we are a blend from all around the globe. Eacl one has his or her own story to tell that travels with them: heartbreaks, joy, sorrow, laughter, deep grief — all part of the people who walked by us as we waited. The flight to Florida was smooth once the pilot got through the thick la er of clouds that had greeted us earlier in the morning, and we were soon in a world of sun. Looking out the little windows of our plane, it looked serene and peaceful. We drift ed in a special world of luxury above all the busyness of the world below. There was even time for a short but rewarding nap. Two hours and 20 minutes later we touched down in Tampa, Fla. Then an hour's ride by we were let off at 74 Little had changed since we were here last. We were pleasantly surprised to find our hideaway in good shape. Somehow the area had escaped the wrath of the many hur- ricanes that had battered Florida sc badly. The new rugs and couches_ uvugnL last year beckoned us to enter and relax. We were a stone's throw from the inland waterway, with its laughing gulls that patrolled the waters for the first sign of breaking fish. Then there were the heavyweights, the pelicans. One never tires of watch- ing them as they pump away with their wings and then glide, almost touching the water as they squeeze the last bit of flight out of their glide. We'd have to take a quick walk over to the Gulf to see that it was still there with its sparkling emerald water that always brings back memories of the tropics. Here we were; in long pants and jackets, while everyone else wore shorts as they walked barefoot along the sandy beach that ran to the north and south. We sat for a while absorbing the sounds and smells about us when, not 100 feet offshore, a pair of dolphins rose, blew a bit of spray in the air and slipped effort- lessly beneath the crystal -clear water of the Gulf. As we smiled at our good fortune in seeing the dolphins, a single frig- ate bird drifted by on a high thermal; its long, pointed wings and forked tail told us exactly who it was. When other birds are feeding, the frigate bird notoriously becomes a villain by robbing their catch. Often you'll see them in hot pursuit, almost on the very tail of a gull or tern that worked so hard to secure its prize only to be made to drop it, letting the frigate bird catch it in midair and then be off without the tedious job of catching its awn fish. When we first approached the beach there must have been 20 or 30 fish crows noisily gleaning the beach and the two refuse cans that must have held some special good- ies, for three or four were fighting and squabbling over who gets what. The call of the fish crow is different from the boisterous call of our com- mon crow. Every once in a while we'll have a visit to our local shores from this smaller fish crow; usually they are seen to our west. I'm sure in the future we'll see more and more of these southern crows showing up, just like the cardinal, the mockingbird and others that have moved up north. Evidently they have solved the riddle of our winters and are now I of the bird world we all have come to expect. Walking home, Barbara S with her sharp eyes a big, bulky stick nest of a colony of noisy monk parakeets that had chosen to build amongst the elec- ric wire. Why the whole thing didn't short out the wires and burn up, I don't know. We have had this green parakeet visit the East End but they never have really taken hold here. Perhaps our winters are too cold and there's not enough winter fruit to see them through. And so our mini vacation has started. We see lots of familiar faces and there's always something inter- esting to do. It's like that old adage: Life is what you make it. So wel- come aboard this fascinating world we live in.