Insider Guide to The Hamptons

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Stunning Waterfont Views

Everyone has their postcard-perfect picture of the Hamptons—an indelible first image of the Atlantic's ferocious waves crashing on East Hampton's Main Beach, or the pastel evanescence of Napeague Bay at sunset. Where else in the world do endless green lawns and box hedges creep so near to the glistening sea? No wonder this landscape has attracted so many generations of artists, from 1891, when American impressionist painter William Merritt Chase started the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art, to the 1950s, when Jackson Pollock and later Willem de Kooning immortalized it in their work.



Secret Spots

Times have changed. These days, instead of donuts and penny candy at Dreesen’s, visitors buy $5 ice-cream cones at Scoop du Jour. Places change, perhaps more than people. But if you know your way around this end of Long Island, there are still countless simple pleasures and secret spots to discover.



Fresh Produce

With farms being the traditional natural resource of the area, many of the East End's best-kept secrets involve fresh food. East End residents and visitors will go to extremes to track down the best ingredients and produce. Most of these farms have been in the same families for generations, which is what makes them so good.



Beach Picnic
 

Scenic Routes

Other pretty places to visit include Sag Harbor’s Old Whalers' Church, with its grand white facade and prim, peeling pastel interior; Gardinier’s Bay in Springs, and the modest wood-frame house and studio on Accabonac Creek where Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock lived and worked.



Cuisine

A hike along Mashomack Preserve's 20 miles of trails circumventing the coastline is a perfect precursor to an indulgent dinner at the nearby Vine Street Café. Pack a picnic from a not-so-secret spot in Sag Harbor: Cavaniola's Gourmet, where you can buy artisan breads and freshly fried potato chips.

In Sag Harbor, Bay Burger bake their own buns and grind their own beef. They even make their own ice cream, in flavors like Cookie Jar, Mud Pie, and Black Cherry. Each pint comes with the perfect tag line: "It's from the Hamptons, so you know it's rich." 


Hanna Liden
Lobster Roll

Thriving Art Community

Another longstanding and vital part of East End communities is their artists, with many in residence (Cindy Sherman, Donald Sultan, April Gornick, Eric Fischl) and new art centers popping up in random places. Who can miss the enormous barn-like Herzog- and de Meuron--designed Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill? Not everything is overscale, though. Former ballet dancer Edsall Williams cultivates an intimate crowd at The Fireplace Project, a contemporary gallery in a onetime garage across the street from the Pollock-Krasner House. Shows for artists such as Martin Oppel, Hernan Bas, and Aaron Young have attracted high-wattage locals like Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Melissah xox


Check out my other blogs Scrapbook and Country Style Chic

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Dealing With the Loss of A Pet: You Don’t Have to Deal With It Alone!

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Sadly, just about about anyone who has ever shared their life with a dog knows what it is to lose one. I think the worst thing about our pet friends is that our span is so much longer than theirs. And though we treasure them and love them, eventually we are left alone. It’s a sad reality, but it can be very, very difficult to deal with.

One of the things that can make dealing with the loss of a pet even more difficult is the fact that a lot of people just don’t get the depth of loss and despair that losing an animal friend can cause. Though they may be trying to be kind, people sometimes make it worse. Someone telling you to get over it or -- perhaps worse -- get a new pet to help you cope with the loss of the old one can just make a grieving pet owner feel all the more alone and isolated.

It was this kind of emotion that holistic counsellor Melanie Yearow, a pet owner herself, responded to when started doing counseling to help people deal with the loss of their pets.

“The loss of a companion animal may be one of the most devastating experiences in one’s life,” Yearow says. “It is not uncommon for this loss to surpass the pain involved in losing a human being.”

It became important to her to let pet owners know they didn’t have to go through this alone. On her web site, Yearow outlines the services she offers grieving pet owners:

  • Creating a safe nonjudgmental place where you can express your deepest feelings and thoughts.
  • Helping you cope with and work through the difficult and, at times, intense feelings of shock, anger, guilt, sadness, and depression that often arise when a beloved pet becomes ill, dies, or is lost.
  • Helping you understand and come to terms with the pain and guilt you may be feeling around anticipating having or having had your pet euthanized. Although euthanasia is an utmost act of love and kindness that ends your pet’s suffering, it may be the most heart wrenching decision you will ever make.
  • Working with you around any issues of unresolved grief from your past that may surface when your pet dies.
  • Helping guide you through to the other side of your loss, where you will once again be able to think of your companion and the special relationship you shared with peace and happiness.
  • Discussing with you the timing of and what to expect when getting another pet.

Yearow’s office is on Vancouver’s west side. Call her at 604-730-5002 or visit her web site for more details.



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