Fire Island

I just returned from 2 days on Fire Island for a friend's bachelorette party.  It was really a night and a day because I had a bit of travel trouble, but no matter.  It was a fun time just the same.  Wonderful friends, absolutely stunning weather, delicious food and a delightful place to stay.

Fire Island is a barrier island off the south shore of Long Island, New York.  It is 32 miles long and at most, a mile wide.  Most of it is protected and will remain undeveloped, but what is developed are casual little communities serviced by ferries.  There are no cars on the island except for service and fire vehicles.  So walking, bicycling and golf carts are the way to go.  That's how little the communities are.

We walked 3 miles on the beach to a maritime forest called the Sunken Forest.  A couple of us were too tired to walk back (the others ran back!) on the beach and we couldn't walk on the paved path because the communities were gated.  So we were stuck.  It was sort of a strange feeling. We asked how to get back to our community, and just as normal as telling us where to get a cup of coffee, they told us to call a water taxi and they would be there in 10 minutes.  Voila!

We had the whole water taxi to ourselves.  I forgot how much I love being on a boat and near the water.  Which made me remember how much I love to fish.  The last time I went fishing I was in Portugal.  I was there for a wedding but vacationed for 10 days.

Bridgette, my dog, also had such a great time.  Two other dogs were there for her to play with.  She is absolutely exhausted.

It is the first time I drove back into the city and didn't love the chaos. . .