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August 21, 1997 - A Nautical Overnighter on the Bay8A • The Suffpll� Times,* Auggst 21„ 1997, A Nautical Overnighter on the Bay When we go anywhere on the water, we usually throw a face mask and snorkel in the bag we take along. It's a shame more people aren't comfortable with having their face underwater and just paddling along in the shallows. I guess the thing that is most concerning is using the snorkel. It takes a little practice and a few mouthfuls of water but in the end it pays off, for it puts you in another world. We just came back from an overnight stay on our son's boat with his 9- and 1I- year -old — what a way to expand their horizons. It Focus was one of those On perfect days when time seemed to Mature flow into a world of delightful things by Paul to see and do. As Stoutenburgh we left the still waters of our creek, we counted the acorn- size heads of diamondback terrapins as they poked above the water's surface. Then as we approached, down they would go, fearful of man and his machines. Diamondback terrapins are true salt- water animals that enjoy the protection of our bays and creeks. Like most turtles, they lay their eggs in Mother Earth and leave the incubating to her. Usually this is far above the high -tide mark in a sandy place. Often you can see the tracks where they waddle up the beach from their watery home. Catching the female digging her hole and depositing her clutch of eggs is some- thing else. Whether she does it at night or just when we're not around, I don't know, but the tracks in the sand are the only signs we've been able to find so far. No, I shouldn't say that. I've seen the opened - up egg shells after a raccoon had dined on them, but that's the closest I've come to finding their nests. Like most turtle eggs, they are creamy colored- with the pliable feel of a ping -pong ball. We often see these cold - blooded dia- mondbacks sunning themselves on a float of some kind, an old mooring or perhaps a piece of wood. Two or three or more will be there until you get too close and then they slip into the water and patiently wait until you go by, then back to their warm sunny spot for more basking in the sun. the famous landmark pagoda built on a huge glacial boulder marking this stony northwest point of Shelter island, then a short way to Conkling Point, where the endangered piping plover and least terns nest each year. We could now see our next wasn't long before grandchildren and all were headed ashore to explore the water's edge. Fiddler crabs were in their burrows as eager hands grabbed for the prize to show all. Water squirted from soft clam holes telling of the treasures below. The low tide had revealed a whole new area to explore. Everywhere we looked, there was something to see, to touch, to pick up, to talk about. We watched a crafty gull dispatch a sand or lady crab on the beach. When we went to check it out, there was nothing left but a hol- lowed -out shell and two claws that defied the hungry gull. Snorkeling, we found a small scallop that opened and then snapped closed as if try- ing to escape the curious hands that held it. We could see the white muscle inside, a gourmet's delight, and wondered just what the scal- lop saw with all those emer- ald eyes lining the outer shell. We're told by those who are supposed to know that they merely detect light and dark and nothing more, but then there's the wonder .of children who speculate beyond the cold facts of sci- ence. Back in the water, our scallop settled to the bottom and awaited quieter waters to open part way and start its endless filter feeding. Then my son came up with the attraction of the day: a whelk laying its string of egg clusters. Often we find these parchment -like egg cases dried and stiff at the high -tide mark. Evidently something cuts them loose from their moorings below. The foot - long string of eighth- inch -thick discs, about the size of quarters, hold a fabu- lous collection of tiny whelks. When dry, you can open them up and empty them into your hand like jewels from the sea. Now freshly formed, they were soft and pliable, their contents still in the unde- veloped stage. As time passes, the two dozen or so embryos in each case will form into perfect one eighth -inch whelks and escape through a small opening into their new world. After exploring the beach and the waters of the bay, we went back to the boat and had dinner. The glorious sunset wrapped us in the wonders of the night that soon followed. Stars like you can never see at home speckled the sky from horizon to horizon. Familiar constella- tions met new followers and the new moon lay low in the west as we watched shooting stars dazzle our new explorers. Then to top off the evening there was fishing in the dark and that moment when the youngest fisherman aboard got a ter- rific hit with a great swirl of water at the surface. He lost the fish but that never -to- be- forgotten moment of night fishing should stay with him a long time. We hope our young passengers absorbed some of the wonders around them, for once that appreciation is gained, the rest pretty much falls in line. Stewardship, which means "taking care of," will hopefully be part of their life. This planet of ours needs all the help it can get, incltt&g that of 9- and 11- year -olds. ■ �L9. ■ ..I. IS - -g- aa0a a YYYA a011011a 75 Years Ago Aug. 18, 1922 Lively Livestock: Exhibits of improved livestock and poultry at county and state fairs this year promises to be unusually interesting, according to information received by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from many sources. In practically all parts of the country excellent livestock exhibits are to be attractive features of fairs. The attention which breeders and farmers have been giving to good livestock, combined with good feed and care, have resulted in some exceptionally well -bred and well- fitted animals. 50 Years Ago Aug. 15, 1947 Better Train Service Wanted: The Public Service Commission has announced that a hearing will be held on Monday to consider the demands of a number of North Fork commuters who are asking improved passenger service on the main line of the Long Island Rail Road, particularly between Ronkonkoma and Greenport. Express service to New York with no stops west of Ronkonkoma is one of the aims of the 35 petitioners. The petitioners are also dissatisfied with the four -hour, 90 -mile run of the eastbound morning train to Riverhead and Greenport, objecting particularly to the delay of 30 minutes or more at Riverhead to unload express and mail. Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh C WITH EGG CASES —Often we see these of egg cases dried up along the high -tide line. vhen opened, will spill out a multitude of tiny, per - rmed whelks, one of the wonders of our seashore. landmark, the village of Greenport, that bustling little seaport town that attracts visitors from far and wide with its contin- ually running ferry shuttle to Shelter Island. A mile ahead was Orient Harbor, where we'd finally drop the hook and spend the night. We pulled a small dinghy along and it 25 Years Ago Aug. 24, 1972 Bank Moves Quarters: In one swift operation, to the amusement of several spectators and surrounded by a flurry of policeman and squad cars, George Behringer, manager of the North Fork Bank and Trust Company, Shelter Island, transferred all the cash from the bank's vault in the old frame building on the Heights to the new branch at the corner of West Neck and Menantic roads on Saturday morning. A for- mal opening was observed by the bank's personnel and their guests at the new- offices and later that evening a cocktail party was held at the Dering Harbor Inn. Cartoon Festival in Mattituck: A program of car- toons by the distinguished film- making couple, Faith and John Hubley, will be shown at the Mattituck Free Library tonight. Cartoon films made by the Hubleys have won honors at film festivals, as well as Academy Awards. John Hubley start- ed as an animator with Walt Disney, working on "Snow White," "Bambi," "Dumbo" and "Fantasia." He and his wife have now, however, developed a skill and perception that go far beyond the Mickey Mouse era. They often commission original musical scores to accompany their films and add their animation to works of art already created by independent artists.