Tachyon sailing

Tachyon sailing, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

A very calm night but the sailboat race is on. This is the Great South Bay off Patchogue, just before sunset.

22ft J boat sails

22ft J boat sails, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Sailboats racing takes place on Tuesday evenings on the Great South Bay just off the shores of Patchogue. I pretty sure this is from the Sayville Yacht Club since they were returning to that area. We watched the sun set and then the sailboat race ended.
Another beautiful night on Long Island!

life guard umbrella

life guard umbrella, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Another shot from the day at Ocean Beach. It's sometimes called the "land of No" because of all the rules and signs posted about the rules.
This is the Great South Bay side of Fire Island. It's the better side for swimming if you have little children who can get knocked down from the ocean waves. The bay water is also warmer!

Keep Off! Ocean Beach, Fire Island

Keep Off! Ocean Beach, Fire Island, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Ocean Beach on Fire Island

Peconic River, Riverhead

Peconic River, Riverhead, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

In Riverhead, near the Polish Festival, is the Peconic River Herb Farm. It's a great place to purchase plantings for your home, or to just sit and watch the river. The river begins here and is slow moving and looks more like a pond, especially since we've had little rain in the last month or so. The Herb Farm has a large selection of "native Long Island" plants and shrubs, so check it out!

Saint Isidore Church, Riverhead

Saint Isidore Church, Riverhead, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

The Polish Festival is happening this weekend. This is the St. Isidore R.C. church in Polish Town. It is a beautiful church, inside and out.
Be sure to stop by if you are at the fair!

Dingy on Great South Bay

Dingy on Great South Bay, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Ocean Beach Ferry

Ocean Beach Ferry, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

In the village of Ocean Beach, the ferry "Explorer" arrives...

We took the boat over to Atlantique yesterday, docked and walked to Ocean Beach. It was a beautiful summer day on Fire Island.

We had lunch with friends at the Island Mermaid, a restaurant on the bay. We swam in the ocean and watched the sunset from the Atlantique dock. On the way back home, we anchored and swam in the bay, laughing as the darkness approached.

The summer days on Long Island don't get much better than this!

Sailing in the Bay

Sailing in the Bay, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Small sailboats racing on the Great South Bay, off Patchogue, Long Island.

Summer Fun!

ferris wheel, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

The summer traveling amusement rides are here. It's a fun way to spend an evening!

Swim Flags

Swim Flags, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Swim in the green...
Another person died this week at the beach here on Long island. Every year people drown in the ocean off Fire Island. Sometimes the waves and rip-currents are too strong and people aren't prepared. There are no lifeguards in some areas. Swim in the green flagged areas!

Lifeguards on Duty

Lifeguards on Duty, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Lifeguards at Watch Hill, Fire Island

Click on the photo to see this location on the map in flickr.

Summer in the Hot Tub

It's been a busy summer so far with lots of visits by family and friends. The kids just love the hot-tub set to 85 degrees. I won't be using this for awhile, not until it gets emptied, cleaned and refilled, and the weather gets cooler. Nothing inviting about a hot soak on hot days!

It does keep the kids busy though. They love it!

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leaving the river

leaving the river, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Lots of boat traffic on the river in hot weather. My husband and I usually stay off the water when it's this busy and wait until the weekdays when it's less hectic.

Ferry Returns

Ferry Returns, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Another week of hot weather and the best place to be is on the water.
This ferry is returning from Fire Island.

Long Island Maritime Museum

wood cat boat, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Long Island Maritime Museum, West Sayville, Long Island

Muttontown Preserve

Muttontown Preserve, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

This was my first visit to the Muttontown Preserve.

We went to the Preserve today to take photos of wildflowers and were disappointed.

The drought has the meadow very brown and dry and almost void of flowers.

Also, I was surprised at the maintenance at the Nassau County Muttontown Preserve.

The trails were not groomed and we had to walk through high grass with poison ivy.

I guess it is kept as natural as possible, after all, it is a "preserve" and as wild as you would expect of undeveloped Long Island land.

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Van Wyck-Lefferts Tidal Mill

Van Wyck-Lefferts Tidal Mill, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

A rare "tidal mill" in Hungtington Harbor, in the town of Lloyd Harbor. Built 1793-1797.

The only access is by boat or through private property. It is owned by the Nature Conservancy.

Read about the history of the mill.

More info: click here

and here.

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Tara the bride

Tara and Sean, wedding, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

Tara and Sean, wedding

Tara and Sean, wedding, originally uploaded by Alida's Photos.

My first... and probably last wedding. It was quite the experience and I now have even more respect for wedding photographers. It was a lot of work and I wasn't prepared for all the lighting, and other, challenges.

I did this for Tara, the bride, our family friend.

I watched her grow up from when she moved in next door at 2 years old.

It was a small, simple church wedding. She wore her mother's wedding dress from the 1970s and was absolutely beautiful!

I enjoyed the experience and know that I helped make her day special.

Best wishes, Tara and Sean!