The time in Maine flew by and it was time to think about heading back to NYC and turn in the car. There is about 300 miles to cover in the next 2 days…

We had been conversing back and forth with Laura since our visit to Martha’s Skylands home. She invited us to stop over at her Long Island beach house on our way back to the city. Laura, husband and son were on vacation until the end of the month. Really?! What a generous offer! We really did not want to intrude on their vacation, so we thanked her very much for the invitation and made plans to drive half way, find a place to rest and finish the trip to the city the next morning. We received a follow-up email from Laura letting us know they would like us to stop in for Saturday night. Wow! This was such a generous offer! During our tour of Martha’s Bedford home we had such a nice time with her. We were looking forward to spending more time with her and meeting her family. Laura gave us directions on how to catch a ferry from New London, Connecticut to Orient Point, Long Island. This put the excitement right back into our vacation!

We got up early the next morning and drove from Portsmouth, NH to New London, CT. It was a smooth drive and we were able to catch the 1:30pm ferry. The boat ride was about 2 hours on calm seas and very blue skies. Once the boat docked we pulled the car off and headed towards Laura’s place. This was our first time to visit Long Island. Lots of first times on this trip… We arrived to the house where we were greeted by Laura, Randy (husband), Charlie (son), Chelsea (Charlie’s girlfriend).
We immediately felt welcome!

We found out that this beach home has been in Randy’s family for many generations. Stepping into the home was like stepping back in time. They have managed to keep all the furnishings and decorations throughout the generations.

It is such a peaceful and beautiful home. You could spend hours looking around and see something new each time… We were shown to our room and made plans to jump in the water. The water was just the right temperature and so calm. This was clam season and you could easily get loads of them by digging around in the sand beneath your feet. Some of these things were huge! We decided to save them for a later date since dinner had already been planned.

After swimming about and getting cleaned up we converged to the patio to share in great conversation. Laura put out a nice spread of cheese and crackers which went great with the white wine.

Do you ever get the feeling like you have known someone for a long time even when you have just met them? This is how we felt with Laura and family. They are so easy going and natural -no need to impress. Laura had prepped some things for dinner and we all stormed the kitchen to lend a hand. She is a pro in the kitchen; very much like her big sister. Thank you for the delicious meal!

It was great having this time with such a nice family in this beautiful place! This may have been the most relaxing time of our trip. After dinner we headed out to the beach to see the rouge fireworks displays from homes across the way. Didn’t take long until we were all yawning and ready for bed… It might have been before 9pm. So relaxing…

The next morning we awoke early to a calm sunny day. After a nice cup of coffee we went for a stroll on the beach.

There is a nature preserve right next to their property where the Osprey nests are carefully guarded. We were able to see the young Osprey ready to take their inaugural flight. They were flapping their wings and crying, I think they must have been trying to motivate themselves to take the leap of faith. I’m sure by now they are soaring high in the sky above. There is an abundance of life in the waters here and one of the neighbors was even growing his own oysters. Thank you so much for this great experience; it is one we will cherish forever! Please come visit us in Hawaii this very soon. Our door is always open…

We thought it best to head out early and get back to the city for one final look around and last chance shopping. Since we didn’t get to visit Chinatown, we decided to go there and have dinner. It was delicious! The rest of the day went by in a flash! We were booked on the 10am flight out of JFK on Hawaiian Air; which turned out to be smooth and event free. All good things when it comes to flying. What a great experience this last 2 weeks were! Thank you to all those who made it possible and for sharing your lives with us! We look forward to the time we meet again.

Thank you for taking the time to read these blog entries! It was so much fun to share these experiences with you.

Aloha, Yukiko