Long weekend with good friends

This weekend, our friends Brad and Bob are visiting. Marc first met Brad and Bob over 20 years ago. I met them not too long after meeting Marc (and, as I've mentioned a few times, that's coming up on 10 years ago).

They got here Sunday afternoon, and we spent time relaxing and catching up. Yesterday, we used the holiday to drive out east and enjoy the beauty of Long Island. We went all the way out to Montauk Point (which is roughly 125 miles east of New York City).

We visited the Montauk Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York (commissioned by President Washington in 1792). I took this shot of Brad and Bob standing in front of the lighthouse grounds...



Yes, if you're wondering, they're a couple. Yet another example of those gay couples who can't commit and shouldn't be able to marry (that's sarcasm, in case it didn't come through clearly). After all, they've only managed to stay together for 27 years (well, I exaggerate--it's not 27 years until next month; only 26 years & 11 months, as of now).

Okay, this isn't supposed to be a political post, so I'll get back to the fun stuff.

We walked down to the beach, and I enjoyed the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. Isn't that the most relaxing sound? Well, I have no wave sounds to share from yesterday, but here are a couple of pictures...





We were walking around there for a bit. Here, we see Marc taking a break...



...before going back to hunting for rocks...



Hunting for rocks? Yes, for the rock polisher. The rock polisher is a machine we have--a throwback to my childhood--that takes ordinary rocks, smoothes them and polishes them. We rarely use it, but all of the nice rocks there at the shore inspired me to fire it up again. So Marc and I filled our pockets with rocks for the polisher.

After leaving Montauk, we headed to Sag Harbor, a quaint old village that now does a heavy tourist trade. It was packed, and parking was a nightmare, so we just cruised through and headed up to North Haven where we caught the ferry to Shelter Island.

Shelter Island is situated between the forks of Long Island. It was settled in 1652. Well, actually, white people showed up there in 1652. The Manhasset tribe was there long before that.

One stop we made was at an old cemetery. Even the newer headstones there are quite old, and looking at them feels like a glimpse into history. What amazes me are the ripe old ages to which some of the people lived. Here's one for a lady who died in the early 1800s at the age of 75. That's a pretty good run, considering how people lived back then...



One interesting feature are the stones that are set into tables like this...



This one, for a member of a family that was among the first settlers (a prominent family whose name is on historic markers on this island), is showing its age. I guess that's understandable, since it was put there in 1752...



After more exploring on Shelter Island, we headed to the "North Ferry". That took us to Greenport. The trip itself is lovely. On the way, we watched other boats pass by...



Including one of our ferry's sisters...



Here, we're approaching Greenport, a truly lovely little town...







Once in Greenport, we (barely) found a parking space. Then we went for some health food. Okay, so it was ice cream...



After Greenport, we headed west to Pindar Vineyards, a favorite winery of ours. Pindar, like the Village of Greenport, is located on the North Fork of Long Island. They make wonderful wines, and we love taking people to their tasting room. Sorry, no photos from that--my hands were too busy with wine glasses--but we had fun. (Note: I drank very little overall, so I could drive. I wouldn't want to leave the wrong impression!)

Then we headed closer to home, stopping at Robert Moses State Park, so Brad and Bob (who hail from land-locked Kansas) could enjoy a bit more time at the shore. You can see pictures from a prior visit to this beach here.

After that, we came back here and had some wonderful Italian food.

Today, we're heading into Manhattan. We'll be roaming around, seeing what fun we can find. Then, this evening, we're going to see Avenue Q. Brad and Bob bought tickets for all of us. Wasn't that nice of them?

Tomorrow, we may head north, exploring the Hudson Valley a bit. I say that we may, because it will depend upon the fatigue level of all concerned when tomorrow arrives! :)