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IN SWELTERING TIMES LIKE THESE, even the sight of water is a relief.
Oceanfront may be out of reach for most of us, but if bay, sound, harbor, creek, or inlet will do, that opens up the possibilities considerably.
Here’s a 1960 Cape-style cottage on 1.25 acres at the head of Pipes Creek in Greenport, on Long Island’s North Fork, with views out to Shelter Island Sound. It’s got 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an enclosed porch. Total square footage is 1,890, and taxes are $6,500/year (bit of a bummer, that).
To see pictures of the interior, go here.
It’s an exclusive listing with Jeanmarie Bay of Town & Country Real Estate,
631-298-0600 x 109 or 917-519-4180, jbay@1TownandCountry.com. Tell her I sent you.
THE 4th OF JULY found me on Shelter Island, chillin’ in 100 degree heat at my friend Debre’s extraordinary Carpenter Gothic farmhouse.
Somewhere between the Jamesport Vineyards sauvignon blanc and the Wolffer Estate rose (we like to support our local wineries), we decided to re-arrange furniture. We were sitting on the wraparound screened porch, which Debre added, along with new bathrooms and many other upgrades, since buying the house about three years ago.
There was no shortage of furniture to re-arrange. Debre is an avid yard-saler, and the porch — a U shape, 8-10′ wide around three sides of the house — is well stocked with vintage wicker sofas and chairs, a sectional rattan set, and various occasional tables. Our re-decorating frenzy began because there was a carved wood 19th century mantelpiece, originally out of a house in Harlem, behind one of the wicker sofas. Only I never knew that, since it had been hidden under a dusty plastic drop cloth since my first visit to the house over a year ago.
We pulled the plastic off so that I could see the mantelpiece, and discussed various possible placements for it. We decided there really isn’t any place for it in the house, style- or space-wise (the mantel is for sale, therefore; e-mail caramia447[at]gmail[dot]com for more pics and details.)
Then we started moving stuff around for the hell of it, switching out some of the wicker, top, for more modern rattan, below, in one corner of the porch, then styling it up with fronds cut from a stand of bamboo in the yard.
It’s not really a matter of ‘before’ and ‘after’ — just different. We both have interior design backgrounds, and this sort of thing is our idea of fun. Debre’s three cats seem to like the results, too.
To see still more pictures of Debre’s house (in addition to the link at the top of this post), go here.
TIME FOR A MID-SEASON APPRAISAL of annuals.
Some are disappointing. I won’t show pictures of them. You don’t need to see ‘Durango’ yellow marigolds that for some mysterious reason are not thriving, despite sun and even some Miracle-Gro, or common ‘Hawaii Blue’ ageratum turning all brown at the centers (why?).
In other years, I might not bother much with annuals, but because this is my first season gardening here in East Hampton, and my perennials are still babies, I wanted some additional spots of color. And of course, I always do annuals in containers.
There are quite a few successful, satisfying plants, both in the beds and in pots. The winners are pictured here.
To all a happy 4th!
‘Bada Boom’ white begonias, ‘New Look’ dusty miller, and caladiums, thriving in shade.
Chartreuse coleus? Can’t find the label, but its color really pops in the beds.
Celosia ‘Fresh Look’ – my favorite new annual. I may never go without its bushy gold plumes again.
‘Sweet Caroline’ green/yellow Ipomoea batatas — a type of sweet potato vine. More commonly used in hanging baskets, but I’ve planted it in a bed near the front door.
Dark rose ‘Angel Mist’ angelonia, caladium tubers, dusty miller, and a supermarket oxalis left over from St. Patricks Day, flowering white in a pot on my front deck.
“SECOND HOUSE” IN MONTAUK, out at the tip of Long Island, is so called because it was — you guessed it — the second house built there, when Montauk’s 15,000 acres comprised America’s first cattle ranch. First House, built in 1744, burned down long ago. Second House, now a museum maintained by the Montauk Historical Society, went up in 1797 — the oldest parts of it, anyway.
It served as an inn for travelers, fishermen, and hunters, later as a summer home for a family named Kennedy. I’d driven past it many times but never found it open.
Today I went inside for the first time (it’s open every day but Wednesday in summer) and can report that Second House is filled with furnishings in styles ranging from Colonial to Victorian, along with displays of old tools and framed photographs of local scenes.
There’s also an array of Montauk-abilia, including an arresting portrait of Stephen Talkhouse, below, the legendary 19th century Montauk Indian and Civil War vet said to be able to walk from Montauk to Brooklyn (a distance of 100 miles) in a day.
There’s a fine cottage garden surrounded by a picket fence, and an interesting rockery/herb garden alongside one of the outbuildings.
For the $4 price of admission, it’s definitely something to keep in mind for a rainy day at the beach.
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