Saturday 30 April 2011

Ashore On Fire Island III



Unless television has lied to me, the surest way to make something disappear is to hire an excavator from Ronkonkoma. Yesterday, almost a month after she ran aground, bulldozers and backhoes used brute force to move Le Papillion down the beach and north across the island through a pathway known as the cut.  The hull suffered damage in the process.
I'm not sure what happens next, or how she will be transported off the island.


Thanks to RK8776 at Noreast.com for the photo.
Tugster: Ashore 6
Frank Markus: Removal Gallery

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By going to www.brittanyexpert.com (link opposite) and buying an E-book about Brittany! Lots of titles available. Only 3�. There's a free one too.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Fleet's Cove Beach





It's an unintentional habit of mine to be out the door much earlier this time of year. I wake-up at the same hour, but the 6 a.m. sunrise and warmer temperatures seem to get me moving much sooner. No need to be reading an upteenth story about Donald Trump, when instead, I could be somewhere such as Fleet's Cove Beach, in the Centerport section of Huntington.
Early mornings in spring bring the usual small group of stereotypes to the beach: there's the retiree with the metal detector; a jogger or two (one looks like he needs the exercise, the other doesn't); the inevitable guy on a cell phone while walking a labrador retriever; and the pouty woman with pricey athletic wear, performing some sort of new-age exercise which I am not familiar with. Housewives of Huntington?


But just beyond the beach, maybe 100 feet from the shoreline, was someone standing with water up to his waist. His back was turned to me so at first it didn't register, but then I saw the waders and rake, and knew he was digging for clams.


He went about his work rather methodically, tossing the stones and smaller shellfish from each dig back in the water, and keeping one or two. His path seemed predetermined, as he would concentrate his digging in particular areas while completely ignoring others altogether. As he made his way westward, I thought about taking a picture before he was out of view, but  decided against it. I didn't want to intrude on his privacy or interfere with his early morning solitude. He looked at peace with his surroundings and his work and who was I to disrupt that?


And besides, Ms Tai Chi Versace Lady might have felt jilted if she discovered someone else receiving more attention than  she.


Fleet's Cove is one of eight beaches operated and maintained by the Town of Huntington. From late May through early September, a permit is required for visitation. Located at the western end of Northport Bay, it provides a panoramic view of both Eatons and Lloyd Neck which extend northward along the massive Huntington Bay.


Lori at Jarvis House has some great photos from a visit this winter.
Town of Huntington: Permits and Fees


Tuesday 26 April 2011

What a walk!


It's hard to imagine a more beautiful or more interesting walk than this one at any time, but in such amazing weather with nature at its finest, let's call it memorable! Much of the route was shady, in woodland or by the sweetly flowing Ell� where we had a welcome rest, and even the steep stone pilgrims' path to the Chapelle Ste-Barbe seemed a well-rewarded effort on such a perfect day. The jub� at the Chapelle St-Fiacre, one of the marvels of Brittany's rich religious heritage, is certainly worth more than a few kilometres of anyone's effort.
Thanks to all who came and contributed to the experience. On the dog front, Tex wins the new BWs 'Roughed up by greyhounds but still smiling' award. Thanks, Barry :-)

View on Naples from the Castle Sant Elmo

This sunday I passed in Naples. I wanted to visit the castle and the museum that you have seen together with me from the port but did not planned it for the next days. My husband said me: the weather is still good and who knows if it will maintain so -go now there. And I followed his advise. Fortunatelly -because the weather changed yesterday, it's too cold and the wind is very strong.

Here in the center, on the hill, is the place I visited. What you can see is the wall of the Carthusian monastery. Behind it is situating the castle. I thought, it is the castle from early medieval times but I was wrong. It was built in XVI century. The monastery is older.

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The castle is interesting because there are very beautiful views from it's walls. There were 2 exhibitions there, too. One, I did not visit it, -something about cartoons. Ther other is permanent and you can follow the development of the trends in the painting from the beginning till the end of the passed century. The guides explain what you see there.

After it I went up on the wall and made some photos. Here is the "classic" view of Naples with Vesuvius. By the way, if you look forward, behind the volcanoe, more or less the same distance, I think, will be the house where I sit now to tell you about this city. :-)))

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Here is the other famous image. Probably you've seen it many times. But I'm sure, you did not associated it with Naples. Next time you'll visit it, remember that this helmet ("elmo" in Italian) is collocated in Castel dell' Elmo (with the island Capri behind it).

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Surprising was the other view from the wall. The very desired in the Roman times part of this region where there were ( and there are till today) healing springs. Where Virgil ( Publius Vergilius Maro) collocated the entrance in the Hell. Where the other volcanoe, Solfatara, scares the persons living around it. Where there are many interesting attractions for the discovering this zone tourist.

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Saturday 23 April 2011

Le Faouet, Tuesday 26 April

Our next walk is this Tuesday at Le Faouet, leaving at 2pm from the market hall in the main square. It's an exceptionally beautiful and interesting walk, passing the Chapelles of Ste-Barbe and St-Fiacre (with its famous rood-screen) as well as following the river Ell�. There are two climbs, a steep one up from the town on an old pilgrims' path at the beginning, and a final long gradual rise back to the town at the end, but we'll take these slowly! Otherwise the walk is quite straightforward and extremely scenic, even more so than when this picture was taken. Look forward to seeing you there.

Friday 22 April 2011

Fire Island Schooner Update





I've been unable to make a return visit to Fire Island for an update on the schooner? Le Papillon, which has been beached at Saltaire for over three weeks now.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, Tugster, Saltaire38, and Frank Markus have provided some photos of her from last weekend. With each passing day, she looks less like a beached schooner, and more like a shipwreck.



Tugster: Ashore 4

Saltaire 38: After An April Storm

Frank Markus: Photo Gallery



Soundbounder: Ashore On Fire Island



photo credit: Frank Markus, copyrighted (top); Tugster (bottom)





Le Papillon in better days. I received an email last week from Shirley who knows the boat well. She wrote: "I sailed with her in Moorea some years ago & wondered where in the world the schooner was now. I attached one of the photos I took that year."

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Wednesday 20 April 2011

"East Egg" Estate Demolished



"I spent my Saturday nights in New York, because those gleaming, dazzling parties of his were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music and the laughter, faint and incessant, from his garden, and the cars going up and down his driveway. One night I did hear a material car there, and saw its lights stop at his front steps. But I didn't investigate. Probably it was some final guest who had been away at the end of the earth and didn't know that the party was over."

F.Scott Fitzgerald; The Great Gatsby


Mansions of the Gilded Age: Lands End, Sands Point Demolished

Old Long Island: The End of Lands End

Gothamist: Faux Gatsby Mansion Faces Demolition

photo credit:  Gary Lawrance; Mansions Of The Gilded Age  

Eternity

I thought about the Eternity after I've discussed the life of Jesus between His childhood and 33 years. My friend wanted to know what I think about the possibility that Jesus passed some yars of His life in Tibet.

Well, I don't want to speak about it now. I simply wanted to understand: what feelings I have after this call. I opened the photos of my visits of Greek and Roman sites this year. And understood that all  I feel now is possible to explain in only one word: Eternity. Maybe I'm not right, maybe I choosed a wrong definition. Here are the photos that made more impression on me.
Do you agree with me? Is it the right word to explain the concept?

(Photo 1,2 -Paestum; 3 -Roman town under  Naples; 4 -the view from the crater of Vesuvius on Sorrento coast and Capri)

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Tuesday 19 April 2011

More E-books!


More titles available from www.brittanyexpert.com and there's a FREE Brittany Basics book to download.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Brittany E-books finally available!


Remarkable value Brittany E-books are now available on www.brittanyexpert.com.
These cover specifc topics or places in Brittany in depth, with lots of photos and suggestions for visits. Currently on offer are Megaliths, the Nantes-Brest Canal, Food and Drink, Walking in Brittany, History Essentials and Parish Closes. Those to come shortly include Rennes and Quimper town guides and the Monts d'Arr�e. Many others planned. You can buy via PayPal without a Paypal account, cost �2.50 or 3�. All books are well-illustrated.
To get the flavour, download the FREE E-book Brittany Basics directly from the site. This gives a general overview of what Brittany has to offer. It can be used freely as a marketing tool by businesses and B&Bs. Links enable clients to buy specific topic books later.
Comments and suggestions for future titles welcome. Please send the link to anyone you think might be interested: www.brittanyexpert.com

Saturday 16 April 2011

Walking Meditation

Details of the Walking Meditation on May 24th are now on the website (www.brittanywalks.com). This will be held at the hamlet of Le Cloitre near Huelgoat, at the House of the Menhir du Cloitre.

Any Day Now

Sagamore Yacht Club, Oyster Bay


Sagamore Yacht Club: website

Friday 15 April 2011

Lightables


My friend Brad recently showed me a site that can display your flickr pictures in an interesting way. If you'd like to check out my page, you can click the picture above or follow this link (if it asks you to type in a flickr screen name, you can type "sitzmansitzman"). 
Thanks for checking it out, and have a great day!

Oak Street Beach In West Haven





The West Haven shoreline has an impressive network of beaches and parks providing 3.5 miles of  public coastal access. Many of these spaces are linked by a 1.7 mile walkway, or "urban greenway", which extends from Sandy Point to Bradley Point. Once the site of the Savin Rock Amusement Park, the city displayed remarkable foresight by purchasing this land after the park closed in the 1960's.

One of the more popular destinations is Oak Street Beach, which includes a sandy beach, fishing pier, activity building, and bocce court. Connecting the walkway to the beach and pier is a large deck that has become the focus of a local, heated debate.

For two decades, the deck has been the site of evening dances, complete with disc-jockeys and large audiences. In 2009 however, a woman fell, broke her pelvis, and threatened West Haven with a lawsuit.



According to the New Haven Register:

"The city, armed with a letter from its insurance carrier,..... said the city-owned deck wasn�t made for dancing, needs repair and is unsafe".

The city wants "to move the dances to a concrete pad in the nearby Old Grove Park".

"The Parks and Recreation Commission also wants to require the volunteer DJs to pay $100 a year for permits and may require them to buy their own liability insurance."



I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but when I stopped by in late November, winter was fast approaching and there were no dancers to be found. Instead I spent a snowy day in January trying to brush up on the issue by forcing myself to sit through the directors cut of Footloose and Dirty Dancing. Research can be painfully exhausting sometimes!


I don't know if the dances have continued, been shut down, or moved to another location. Hopefully a compromise can be reached.
There is, however, one happy outcome from this story. I found a YouTube video from a 2008 dance at Oak Street Beach. It was comforting to learn that there are actually people who exist with worse wardrobes and dance skills than yours truly.




CT Coastal Access Guide: Oak Street Beach

Thursday 14 April 2011

The Riptide Is Ready



Tomorrow marks the opening day for many party fishing boats on Long Island Sound. While some boats head south for the winter, or fish offshore for cod on a limited schedule, the majority of them close down from December through March.

The Riptide, based out of City Island in the Bronx, will be making daily trips for blackfish (tautog), starting Friday. When I stopped by Jorgensen's Landing two weeks ago, the captain and crew were getting her ready for another season of fishing on the Sound.



Riptide III: website

New York: Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Connecticut: Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Soundbounder: Directory of Party Boats Located on Long Island Sound

 

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Gulf Beach Pier

Gulf Beach Pier, Milford; with Charles Island in the distance.



CT Coastal Access Guide: Gulf Beach

Map

Sunny Rennes


We had a very enjoyable trip to Rennes, with good weather for exploring the medieval and neo-classical quarters. It really is an interesting and visual stunning city, although strangely quiet at this time of year when the 60,000 students are on holiday. Thanks to all who came and shared the experience.

Monday 11 April 2011

The Very First Baptistry

Spring is just the main character of the life in Italy, we had more than a week of the relatively sunny days, and all the institutions awoke after the letargy of the winter inactivity. In Naples, there are different and very interesting exhibitions, an entire bunch, that are connected to the week of the culture, when the entrance in all the national museums is gratis.

I wanted to visit the castles situating over the city but the weather was not too good and I decided that the most wise way is to stay in the museums that morning. So, the itinerary was urgently changed just in the car and I had to visit the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro (here is the photo of the best piece-the mitre http://www.museosangennaro.it/ )

The actual Dom is built near one of two antique doms of the city, that is actually called Basilica of S. Restituta. Very beautiful and unique building that was created in IV cent. (!) Today, it practically has not the traces of that initial sanctuary.



The right part of the Basilica has an interestiong mosaic inspired, I think, by the mosaics of Constantinople, created in 1322.



On the left, you can find access to the most antique Baptistry (in Europe). It was built at the end of IV century and has unique, literally, mosaics that no one other site has. The Baptistery is actually opened for the visits after many years of important restaurations.



What is interesting in this site that the capitals of the columns are not from the Roman villas -that is usual- but they have signs of the cross and other christian symbols.

The catechumen had to rise his eyes to the god during the christening and could see all these signs over him.

Here are some photos of the mosaics.





Thursday 7 April 2011

Weekly Picture Project: Week 13 (M)

I'm a few days slow on posting these pictures, but that's because we've had a house guest (Andy aka Chorizo, who you'll see in one of the pictures below). In any case, I hope you like something here!

Picture 1: Mata. I realize that this may be stretching it for an "M," but a houseplant is normally called a "mata," at least in Costa Rica. We got this one the other day at a hardware store, and it's pretty cool.

Picture 2: Metal. This is the front of my in-laws' truck. I borrowed it to go pick up some lattice in Palmares.

Picture 3: Mischief. This picture happened to be taken on April Fool's Day, which makes it a bit more appropriate, perhaps. This kid was running around the fountain in Palmares.

Picture 4: Mariela Mora and Mr. McClellan with a Metal church. Andy came and visited us, so we took a trip to see the metal church in Grecia. Here's another (bonus!) picture of the church the same evening:


Hopefully there was something interesting there. If not, we'll see what I can come up with for "N." Thanks for reading and looking, and have a good one!

New Pictures!

April 3 - Leftovers #1, originally uploaded by sitzmansitzman.

I've been uploading some pictures from the last week or so. There are some cool pics, including some of Andy (Chorizo), who's been visiting us. This one is of the church in Sarch�. We went there the other day to see the World's Largest Oxcart, only to find it missing. 

In any case, feel free to check the pictures out!

Santa Lucia in Naples

Quarter Santa Lucia of Naples is very beautiful. You have to go for a walk there if you visit this city. And it's unpossible that you miss it, if you decided to walk there. Because this quarter is situated just behind the Royal Palaceabout a km far from thje port where your cruise ship waits for you. By the way, I've just wrote about the restructured port of Naples ( �New� Port of Naples and Mariner of the Seas in Naples ) and went in the city to see the ship of Royal Caribbean, Mariner of the Seas. Because the weather was so good and I had free time, I decided to spend some hours to see the places I like there.

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I wanted to visit the fortress Castel dell'Ovo (on the photo, in the sea) to take some photos in this incredible medieval building, but did not want to walk all that way from the port to the castle -about one km, I think. So, I asked one man that was clearly from this place about a short way. He said me that there is only one but not very nice street, and, at the end, decided to accompain me. You can see the mountain road we took just behind the 5-star hotels of the sea front. You will see it, that road, on my next photos closely.

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All the street was this way: go and return. 100 meters forward, 100 meters back.

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And the castle was just under me, so near but so far... The first Greek sailors decided to leave on that rock in the sea and they used this mountain to excavate the caves for their needs and for their gods.

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One of the bends of the street opened a splendid palace. Abandoned. The man that accompained me told, the residents burned it once to protest when the muni?ipality wanted to transfer them from the caves where they live (you can see them on my next photo)

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These "houses" and "apartments" are the caves in the side of the mountain. Did you ever claim your house? Look at this photo in the period when yoou are not content with your accomodation. But they are sure, I think, that their houses can not fall down during the earthquackes...

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