Departure Day, 13 October: after a gorgeous Columbus Day weekend, we headed south in the rain and fog, fetching up at McCulloch’s Leap (see the link for the history of the name from one of John’s ancestors!), the home of Katie’s cousin Brookie and John McCulloch, in Portsmouth, R.I. The color along Route 295 in Maine was still wonderful even in the rain, and having arrived as it did at the ultra last minute this fall. The house that John and Brookie built on a cliff above the Sakonnet River is lovely – full of light and interesting spaces that open out toward brilliant gardens and woodland and water views.
Click once on small images to enlarge.
Brookie gave us a splendid tour of the area, including Newport, and covering everything from Mansion Row to the old parts of Newport, the Coast Guard station at Castle Hill, and the harbor with its spectacular spread of yachts, ranging from the gorgeous classic wood to the wretched excess of the mega-yacht. The Newport Shipyard seems to be thriving on their business, and we had lunch at Belle’s on their pier, in the company of a wide assortment of yachties, yardbirds, owners and service crews. John treated us all to dinner at the New York Yacht Club station, in one of the old mansions, with an unparalleled view over the harbor.
Saturday morning we headed off early to the Cross-Sound Ferries, from New London, CT to Orient Point, L.I. on our way to meet Katie’s brother Warren and Cynnie Motley at their place in East Hampton. The weather had returned to gorgeous, the wind blew force 5 right on the nose all the way across, and we got off and crossed the two little ferries onto and off Shelter Island on our way to East Hampton: an old inn that has been in Cynnie’s family for years.
We’d been here before in 2004 when we came to collect Spindrift from her owner on Shelter island from her owner and take her on a 42-hour journey to her new home port in Small Point. Leaving New London at least one nuclear sub was visible in its pen at the Electric Boat Co. Crossing the sound there was a terrific display of lighthouses but no one was out enjoying the wind and weather on the water.
Warren and Cynnie had a delicious lunch of local produce waiting for us after we crossed to the southern shore of Long Island. It was Dan’s first visit, so touring by car, and the next day, by bike, was in order. Warren kindly drove us all to Montauk to see the tip of the island that we had glimpsed from the sea as we approached New York on the QEII AFS crossing in 1997. We could see all the islands between Montauk and the distant coast of Connecticut. Gorgeous.
We are now at our friend Beth Olesky’s peaceful, Japanese-inspired house and garden in Bronxville, N.Y. – just down the hill from Sarah Lawrence College, where Beth and Katie were roommates Freshman year. We had lunch on Monday with Sarah Gund in Riverdale, and a short, but fascinating walk in the Wave Hill gardens overlooking the Hudson. Yesterday found us having lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station before taking in the exhibition of Picasso drawings and re-visiting the many treasures of the Frick Collection. Beth is feeding us altogether too well as we reorganize our belongings in preparation for our next destinations: Takoma Park to see Anne and Emil, and DC to stay with Allyson Terry.
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