The Road, Part II.

After removal and drain tile, we had it leveled and put in tons of base crushed stone, then the next they finally laid the new asphalt.  It was a big project, so hopefully we did it right and the new road lasts 10-15 years!

Road Project, Part I.

I'm pretty involved in our neighborhood association (Phase II of Del Boca Vista:  The Pines!), and after some intense negotiations with Phase I we finally went forward with a road project.  In this one we tore out and resurfaced about 500' of the road, starting with the entrance from 52nd Street.  The first step is milling and removal of the old road, then we put drain tile (drainage is a huge issue, and this will hopefully correct it) in place along both sides of the road.

Eastern Long Island: The Old Days.

First, a little history.  We have been going to to the North Fork of Long Island since about 1975.  My brother and I grew up spending most, if not all, of our summers in Southold, on Elizabeth Lane.  We stayed with our Grandparents, and usually our Mom was there too, and Dad was an occasional visitor as his vacation allowed.  Back then we didn't appreciate it much, as there was nothing "to do" out there:  No cable TV, no reception for "antenna" TV (or FM radio for that matter), no malls, no sidewalks...  none of the things that kids from "the city" expected.  But our Grandparents always made it special for us, and there was fishing, boating, exploring, and beautiful countryside that was all vastly different from our lives in Grand Rapids, to be sure.  (Yes, social commentary could be inserted here, but we'll just leave that one alone!)  As we got older we could spend less and less of our summers there, but we never missed a year, and we usually spent Christmas there as well.  To say that it's a really special place to everyone in our family is to understate it, really.

My brother and I have been working on 'digitizing' some of our old photos, so here are some "blasts from the past" before we begin our journey into the summer, 2010, trip to the East End!

In my Grandfather's garden.

My Grandfather's sailboat.  This one he bought, but he made his first one by hand, from wood, and I mean that literally.  He sailed it for years.

Out for a sail on Little Peconic Bay.

Either coming or going -- both were a huge headache.

My uncle's old bike, and the old patio.

The Soundview.  Note the name for later.

This is one of the big rocks in the Sound at Soundview.  It's also worth noting for later.

This is not related to LI at all, but I had to put it somewhere!  This is at Lake Michigan, and while I'm sure the photo speaks volumes on its own, note the rifle, me in the backpack, the dangling cigarette, my Dad using Larry for "balance", and the grin on Larry's face.  Nope, nothing to see here folks!