The Atlantic Ocean at the tip of Long Island in a town called Montauk
Yesterday we sweated in New York City as the temperature nudged 100 degrees.
The beach at Montauk
We splurged and rented a Prius for $49.99 plus insurance and taxes and $3.00 for an extra driver and drove east out toward Long Island.
Wave action
We languished in the air-conditioned car. We carried sunscreen, books, a change of clothing, our Google directions and a sense of adventure.
More wave action
We temporarily got lost around Little Neck or Great Neck or Throg Neck. (Seriously, folks, they take their Necks seriously around here!) But we aimed our way east out of the necks and eventually landed in the Hamptons, which went on for mile after blessed mile. There was East Hampton and South Hampton and North Hampton and the Hampton Bays and more Hamptons than we can recall.
Think twice before swimming.
Finally, 130 or more miles after Queens, the exciting Prius (in which the driver pushed a power button while braking the car to start it) that featured almost 50 miles per gallon arrived at Montauk. Montauk lies on the tippy tip of Long Island, a long island which stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean east of New York City.
Barry, this boat is for you. It will be delivered soon.
The girls walked the beach, wandered the shops, drank tea at a magnificent local coffee shop, visited the marina and basically enjoyed the freedom of exploring a new town along the ocean. We took off our shoes. We tippled our toes in the waves. We took photos. (These photos came from both Kathy and Kiah’s cameras.)
Sand, waves, ocean, sky
Later we headed back toward the Hamptons for dinner. A fierce rainstorm brewed in the west and north. Lightening sparked the sky. We aimed toward the Chowder House to outwit the storm. The storm outwitted us. We finally drove back into it after delicious salad and chowder. Rain pummelled the Prius. We drove anyway. Opened the window to feel the delightfully cool air. Drove back through the rain to New York City without even getting lost again.
Kiah wanders the beach
It was a good adventure.
Kathy feels the cool breeze
We have to return the rental car to Terrence before 1 p.m. It awaits us, parked in the street, below the apartment building.
Footsteps to the sea
Thank you for virtually accompanying us to the Atlantic Ocean. Let’s wipe the sand off our feet before we get back into the car and head into a new day.
Looks like your’e having a great time, once you escaped the oppressive heat of the city. Nothing quite like a road trip especially when the destination is the beach. Love the picture of sky, ocean , sand, worthy of framing and display for sure. Missed you in Skanee last week, hoping to get back for the Aura jamboree. Enjoy the rest of your stay!
Jeff V, sorry to have missed you. I would love to meet you guys! I will be at one of the front booths of the Aura Jamboree from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday. (Guess what? It’s cool in the city now. But nothing like the 46 degrees Barry said he had in Aura yesterday. He had a fire in the woodstove!)
Thanks for the trip to the beach! Way to enjoy NYC, Kathy. Escape!!!
Off to jump in the lake myself now.
Ha ha, Carla! That’s how I visit the city. I escape! lol. Really, it was mostly for Kiah. She hasn’t had a car in a couple of years. She was yearning for a road trip.
Yay! Ocean pictures. I had forgotten how orange the sand is!
I wonder if the sand was really as orange as it appears in these pictures. It was somewhere between orange and brown. I marvel at your attention to detail.
Oh, what a delicious adventure — and you shared it with us — THANK YOU!
Laurie, I am glad you enjoyed. Who would like to jump in the ocean first? You? Me?
It is in the very cool 50’s here (cooler at night), I have pulled out a sweater to wear today and I am wondering if I should turn the furnace back on for tonight or just build a fire. As much as I enjoyed the warmth of your beach pictures I am in no hurry for the summer heat to begin here. We had one day in the 90’s last week and that was enough for me for awhile. Glad to see you are enjoying your trip to the big city.
bearyweather, I hear you. I suddenly remember what summer entails. (Barry said he had to start a fire in the woodstove yesterday. It was 46 degrees. A happy medium might exist–perhaps? Are you out of school yet for the summer?)
Oh, how I enjoyed the beach trip! Thank you so much. The pictures had me sniffing the salt air and hearing the crashing waves. You look so content in your picture. The one of Kiah is frame-worthy. Stunning shot! And I’m partial to boats, so that’s another fave. If Barry doesn’t want it (ha!) please “dock” it on the grass beneath my window. Yummy food you had, too – salad and chowder. Tummy growls. Love being on your adventure with you. Appreciate so much your taking the time to take us along. Hope you’re having a splendid day and keeping cool somewhere along the way.
Dearest Susan D, Barry says he doesn’t want the boat. He says he has one of his own in the driveway and that’s enough. lol! it’s coming to Baraga, then. Guess what? The ice cream truck is singing a cheerful tune below Kiah’s apartment right now. Kinda makes you want to run down and buy something. Except Kiah is napping and the keys are missing so you would be TRAPPED on the street! I will choose to stay here instead with orders to wake up Ms. Ki at 6:30 to make the Greek Pizza. Yum. Care to fly to NYC for a piece?
I always enjoy going to the beach. Your photos are so vivid, I can almost hear the waves, smell the salt and feel the sand between my toes. Thank you! I’m glad you had a great time.
Nicole, what a lovely comment. I can picture you with Kiah and me. Our toes are wet and sandy. The wind blows our hair every which way. What shall we do next, Nicole, to get to know each other better? smile…sorry, a dream-moment of possibility…
WordPress needs a LOVE button along with their LIKE button! I felt like i was right there with you Kathy. What a great excursion from sweltering heat to the cool beach! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my dear Erin, what a lovely comment! You are such a lovely person! I always delight when you push the “like” button. And now you’ve pushed the “love” button. Please fly to NYC and be with us!
Thank you Kathy. And believe me, I would love to fly to NYC to join you. For sure my 14 yo daughter would. it’s her dream to go to NYC. She wants to go to photography school there! I will have to move heaven and earth to get her there… at least I have a few years.
I do appreciate the invitation to join you. Think the weather will change soon? It’s so nice here I can’t believe it’s really June.
I hope your daughter gets the opportunity to go to NYC, Erin. As for the weather~~it’s changed already~~nicely “cool” temps in the 70’s and 80’s.
Wonderful Photos Kathy ~ there’s nothing quite like soft sand under our feet ~ Gaia’s softness….
Sand is delicious, Jeannie. So are waves, lapping in toward earth. Gaia is beautiful! And so are you.
The beach looks deserted, apart from you and Kiah. Lovely photos, and my kind of beach…quiet, clear and beautiful. The Pacific Ocean is only fifteen minutes drive away from here, so thank you for the trip to the Atlantic, Kathy. 🙂
Joanne, funny that you should think this beach deserted. Compared to an Upper Peninsula of Michigan beach, it was teeming with people! smile. It was a fun day. Are there hundreds of people on Australia beaches? I remember being on Fort Myers, Florida, beaches with walls of humanity. In other places, it was virtually deserted. Nice to see you again…
I love adventures! This one was perfect!!!
Thank you, Dawn, for enjoying! You are the best.
Fabulous! I loved every moment. Lovely photos of the beach action. What a lovely spot. I enjoyed your telling the story of your day. It was delightfully soft and peaceful. Loved it!
Dear Mimi, I am so glad you enjoyed! It is so fun to tell stories like this. Thank you so much for reading…
That looks like so much fun – both the beach and the Prius.
Gosh, Tammy. Now I want a Prius. Bad. But Barry says a Prius wouldn’t make it during our hard winters. He said there was ONE Prius in our town, but it’s now gone. Sigh. It was SO fun. Kiah keeps saying, “Remember when we had a car?” lol!
oh those long island beaches… the misty crashing waves and cool breezes!! so glad you were able to add those to your adventure…
today i had an adventure of my own.. fishing 6 miles out with friends, honoring our fisherman friend who passed last year.. it was glorious!!! and yummy fish for dinner tonight!!
keep those stories rolling my friend.. you are revisiting the adventures of my youth!
Osa, I can almost feel the excitement of your fishing trip six miles out, the bittersweet adventure of fishing and honoring your dear friend. Wondering what kind of fish you caught. I am glad you like these stories, Osa. Your words make me want to continue to share.
That was nice. It may be the only chance I get to go beach crawling this year. Thank you!
Elle, if you breathe a little deeper you will smell the salt air–wherever you are. You will feel your toes in the cold water. Glad you enjoyed!
Kathy, you travel so beautifully! I love love love your travels. And why is it that I can actually smell the sea air in your words and feel the wet sand and the wind. And taste the chowder. Tis magic……..
Don’t you just love driving a hybrid. The hardest thing for me to get used to (and remember) is how quiet they are when they’re in battery mode. It doesn’t even whisper! Yikes, does anybody hear me?
Awww, thank you, Colleen. We certainly aren’t traveling like your usual tourists in NYC visiting all the sites. We’re off the beaten track this trip, and that is surely fun. Oh yes, indeed, you can never figure out if that Prius is running. All you can do is stare at the words “ready” and hope it’s right. Barry says we couldn’t have a Prius in the U.P. He said there was one in L’Anse for a year or so and then it disappeared. He thinks they don’t handle snow very well…I dunno. But it sure was fun to drive now!
Oh how I wish I could be there right now (I’ll take almost any sandy beach, though)
I wish you a sandy beach in your near future. Your VERY near future, Micheala!
Nice! What a fantastic day. The beach looks very inviting.
Marianne, I am looking at these pictures again, and remembering this day. We felt so free. Even though I never saw the movie Thelma and Louise, that’s what I’m picturing. Two girls just headed wherever their car might want to go next…
Oh Kathy these are beautiful pictures! I love the “sand waves ocean sky” and the two of you and Kiah..very beautiful shots! Very beautiful ladies! Looks like you got the heat that visited here on the 6th and 7th…was 101 on Monday and 103 on Tuesday, then 80 on Wednesday and from Thursday till today it was in the 60s topping off at 70 today. We’re all laughing that summer lasted for 2 days and now it’s fall again! Sure would have been a gift to be on such a lovely beach on those 2 very steamy days! 🙂
Thank you for calling us “beautiful ladies”. What a good way to start today! You guys had 101 and 103??? That was even hotter than NYC!! In the Upper Peninsula, 70 degrees IS summer. lol! That’s why I was caught off guard by those tropical temperatures. Actually, it was near 80 here yesterday. Barry called it “hot”. I told him he didn’t know what “hot” was. tee hee!
Yep…it seems long ago now because it’s been like fall since then and raining like crazy. But yes..101 and 103…warmest it’s been in 23 years. It was HOT! I much prefer cooler temps like in the 80s with a few low 90s for good measure…lol Right now it’s raining and 59…feels like fall. I think the gardens and flowers and trees will all be confused about what season it is! If I see geese flying south then I’ll panic! 🙂 Sure hope Barry’s back is feeling better and that you are all rested up from your adventures with Kiah!
All the beach photos were most incredible; each wave frozen in time over the sand. Very nice, glad you could escape the city for bit.
Jane, it’s hard to believe a week has passed since our visit to the beach at Montauk. It was a special time, indeed!
Hi Kathy! I enjoyed your post about your little escape! Love your photographs – my favorite one is “Footsteps toe the sea”
Have a great week!
Jan, you would have discovered many things to draw/paint on this escape to the sea. You would have liked the feel of Montauk, I think. May your week be wonderful, as well.