Friends*

My best friend Grace visited me in the village last week. It was a short but sweet visit - we caught up, ate some great pizza, drank some beer, and went out to Fire Island for a visit. The pre-storm weather was perfect; here are some pictures from the lighthouse on Fire Island - what a beautiful day, and a great time.








*Thanks for the photos, Grace!*

The Crabs In Our Driveway

Since we're almost out of the thick of this hurricane and we haven't lost power yet, I thought I'd share some photos of the damage around here.

Walkin' on Water

The yard is underwater and the garage and basement are flooded, but we avoided any major damage, Thank God.

On a lighter note, there were crabs swimming in the driveway not too long ago, and I just saw a picnic table floating up the river with a duck sitting on it.

Had to throw this novel and lovely photo up.

Dorks!!

Drift

Drifting is nice. It's all I've done since I've come back - no plan, here and there, everywhere, nowhere.

It's also so nice to lie floating in the ocean, the thick underwater silence filling your ears, being carried atop the emerald-crested waves, surrounded by the teal abyss.

The sea always provides the best soundtrack, but here Andy McKee has a nice theme for your drifting, should you not be enveloped by the rich greens and blues of the august sea.

Enjoy, and thanks to this phenomenal musician.

The Beach

I went out to the beach today. I had gone out there two weeks ago for a couple of rain-soaked days, but today I visited a few memory-laden places that sent me on a trip down the lane. How much things have changed there! Houses I used to frequent no longer belong to the family, and others still do, unchanged. Walking up the walk today felt natural, like I had just strolled up a short time prior. But as I savored the familiar sights and sand in my flip-flops, the thought occurred to me - it feels as if I were here yesterday, but it's been two years, really. All places change, but some are timeless regardless of change. And those are the best places.

On our way

Bayside

Oceanside

Keep the beach healthy!!

Hey!!

Hey, where'd you get that hat?!?

Kids these days...

Nueva York

My how nice it is to be back in the homeland. I had dreamed of and waited for this for so long.

At the time of writing this, it was exactly two weeks ago that I was inbound to JFK from Istanbul via Madrid. Looking out the window on approach, I looked down and saw Long Island, and discerning the geography I could see the Great South Bay, and Fire Island, and, smirking, I thought, "Yes, there's home right there. Welcome back."

Being a citizen is nice - you can sail past the long lines of tourists at Homeland Security. Everyone in the States complains about Homeland Security, but I love them - they keep us safe (I was happy to be literally molested by a tall Spaniard in Madrid for the sake of everyone's safety), and every time I come back to the States they are always so friendly. Waiting in line for quite some time because of problems with the people before me, I approached the booth. The CBP guy looked tired.
"Rough day?" I asked, handing over my passport.
"Yeah, you know. Spanish people and all their different names. How are you?"
"Great. Happy to be back."
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Oh, I've just come back from living in Istanbul for a year and a half," I replied.
"Did you like it?"
"Well, it was interesting, but let's just say I'm glad to be back," I said.
"Well, you're all set," he said, stamping my passport. "Welcome home." I always loved that, coming back through passport control: Welcome home.

Back at one-one-five (and that makes seven, you know!).

Wubba says "Welcome home, Kyle!"

It was so nice to come back to Laurel St. that day, just in time to watch the sunset from the dock. I shed my shoes and savored the soft coolness of the driveway cobblestones, and the smooth organic suavity of the grass in the backyard.

Inviting, isn't it?

When I had come back in December, I was upset that nothing had changed and everything was the same. This time, however, I was happy just for that reason - everything was the same, waiting for me, it seemed.

I haven't done much since being back - shuffling my things around in the attic, reading, writing, taking boat rides, swimming in Paula's pool, and cooking dinner. Haven't made it out to the Beach yet, but I made a visit down to Delaware to visit my father last week. It was hot, the corn was delicious, and although we didn't do much besides go to the beach, it was nice. Naturally, I missed Dad and Jeanne, so it was great to see them again. I also got to see and catch up with my best childhood friend Aaron, and that was great. It's nice when you haven't seen someone for years and then when you do see them, it's as if you saw them yesterday. I wish we had had more time to spend together.

On the way back to New York, I made a stopoff in New Jersey to visit my best friend Grace. We caught up on her back porch and went to a funky bar to meet up with some of her friends, who were quite fun. It was so great to see her again, and catching up with her and spending time together, I've never felt more at home. Thanks for everything, Grace.

My best friend.

I'm so happy to be back in New York. Things are slow and relaxed in our bubble at the end of Laurel St: the wind rustles in the pines, the melody of the windchimes slowly, strangely, and perfectly accompanies the rhythmic clacking of mast lines in the wind, and the water laps softly against the boats in the slips. It's better than Puerto Rico, here on our Northern islands. Hopefully I can finally get out to the Beach soon, but I'm in no hurry to leave here again.

We're all waiting for you here, amore!

Sit in the shade...

...and enjoy the view.