Out East

Orient, New York
A Toy Village by the Sea
At the tip of the North Fork of Long Island, New York, is the tiny village of Orient. When you are in this village of small lanes and tidy houses, it feels like you are on a game board. Throw the dice and turn right at the Monument. Enter Village Lane which runs down to the sparkling, blue water of Peconic Bay. Another throw: ride your bike to The Country Store for a 25-cent individually wrapped Hostess cupcake. Your turn again? Ride to the P.O. and see if there's a letter in your box. And if you win the game, you get a small Sundae at The Idle Hour, Orient's much-beloved ice cream parlor.

I'm in a reverie in late-afternoon sun in Orient.
Saint James tee and vintage bead necklace.

My family has been summering on the North Fork for half a century. Today, my brother, David, lives there full time, and my sister, Jeanne Markel, has a summer home in Orient. In August, Richard and I rented a house in Orient for two weeks.

A Summer Benefit

Orient was founded in the 1600s and its history and legacy are now in the hands of the Oysterponds Historical Society. The society "preserves and interprets the unique history of the area through special exhibitions, tours of its period buildings, lectures, educational programs, special events and scholarly publications." Jeanne and her husband, Chris Wedge, are Patrons of the Society and invited Richard and I to the Summer Benefit held in Poquatuck Park.

The Summer Benefit and art auction is an elegant affair.

 Richard enjoys a chilled white, local wine.

 One of the buildings belonging to the Oysterponds Historical Society.

The view from Poquatuck Park to the Bay.

Love the ruffles on this Les Copains dress.

 From left: Jeanne Markel, Barbara Friedman and Krista Stanley.

The white pant is always a good idea.

Chilled Gazpacho

Orient baby.

 A straw boater makes the look on this gentleman.

 Black and white elegance under the tent.

Shorts, brown & white spectator brogues and slightly rumpled socks.

Perfect.

 Me, Jeanne and Chris.

Sylvia Newman, fiber artist and Barry Bergdoll,
 The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art.

Barry was an auctioneer for the evening.

Burke Liburt and Troy Gustavson, former editor of The Suffolk Times.

E.J. Camp, photographer, Laura Weil and Jane Freisen

 The live auction with Mary Dorman and Barry Bergdoll.

 The theme was "Illumination" and pieces by local artists were auctioned.

 The Orient harbor at the foot of Poquatuck Park.

 The Orient Yacht Club is in the distance.

 Amanda lives in London and summers in Orient.

 Julia Warr, artist and filmmaker.

Carrick Rowe, interior designer, looks lovely 
and cool in this 1950s black linen frock.

Farm and Sea

Orient is surrounded by water with Long Island Sound to the north and Peconic Bay to the South. It's also home to farms owned by the descendants of original settlers. Latham's Farm, a beautiful spread of land hard by the sea, is one such place.

Looking through the farm stand, Latham's fields by the sea.

The Latham farm stand, just outside the village of Orient.

We feasted on corn and ate peaches everyday.

A roasted-vegetable platter at one of our dinners.

Where to buy the bounty from the sea --
Alice's in Greenport

 Peconic Bay

Marsh land on the Peconic.
Ospreys and Piping Plovers are protected species.

Alice's Fish market

Rocky Beach on the Long Island Sound side of Orient.

These boulders were deposited on the north shore of Long Island 
when the glaciers melted after the Ice Age.

A girl collects shells along the shore of
Peconic Bay

 A charming farm stand in Orient. It's all on the honor system.
Just leave money in the jar.

Dining Out

Claudio's touts itself as the oldest family owned restaurant in the U.S.

 Eating on their dock is fun for clams and oysters.

First on South in Greenport has a cute chalk illustration for decor.

Or take the ferry to Shelter Island to Sunset Beach, the Andre Balazs hotel and restaurant.
Très chic and European. 

 My sister, Susan, and her husband, Rick, took
us to Salt, a bistro on Shelter Island.

Susan on the ferry back to Greenport from Shelter Island.

All Roads Lead to The Idle Hour

 Dianna enters as Michael waits to order.

The Idle Hour shop dates back to a simpler time.

Rosie, the darling proprietress.

My nephew, Jack Wedge, 15 and already a heart throb.

 Jeanne, in pert & pretty mode.

The Artful Brother

This is my brother David's barn in Southold.

David is an estate liquidator and an artist. Here are some of his sculptures.

 The Robot, created with Jack Wedge.

Orient is for Dreaming

Riding my bike at sunset ...

dreaming of a cottage by the sea...

 the cares of the world are far away...

and Beach Plums make good jam.

 Happy 80th Birthday, Richard Cramer.

Clockwise from upper left: Samantha Payne-Markel, Carol Markel,

 Richard Jahnke, Susan Markel, Jack Wedge, Jeanne Markel,

 Richard Cramer and David Markel.

À Bientôt, mes amis.

Femme et Fleur

will be away for about a month, as

I will be traveling in France.

But I assure you that I will

return with lots of fabulous pictures 

and stories for your amusement.