"What do you want for your birthday?"
One of the challenges Mr. Goo Shoes has had
in his relationship with me over the years
is to figure out what to get me for my birthday.
It's not that I'm so difficult (at least I don't think so) --
but after so many years, it's hard to keep coming up with ideas.
He's had some home runs (my camera, jewelry, etc)........
and some strike outs
(we won't mention the salad shooter he gave me the first year we met).
There were gifts I returned.......
and some that I kept even though I wasn't crazy about them.
Of course, there were many gifts I cherished,
and some that touched my heart.
This year, I really threw him for a loop.......
I didn't want a birthday gift at all.
Nothing. Zip. Nada.
Honestly? I couldn't think of anything I wanted.
Call it maturity, or attribute it to simply getting older,
I have gotten to the point where
I'd rather do something fun than get a gift-wrapped thing.
I thought Mr. GS would be relieved to hear this news;
instead, I set his head spinning.
He assumed it would be up to him to figure out
just what kind of "experience" to plan for me.
Getting me a thing for my birthday was one thing;
planning an experience that would be my thing was not his thing.
Got that?
Thing is, I never intended for him to come up with a plan.
Au contraire, mon amour!
I was more than happy to suggest ideas.
Ideally, I wanted to go away for a couple of days.
However, I would have been happy to go into NYC for the day,
and do something different,
or take a ride to a nearby quaint town and have lunch.
But there was one idea I kept coming back to........
going to the North Fork of Long Island.
I was intrigued by the sub-heading:
"On the bucolic North Fork of Long Island:
oysters, wineries, country roads and water views all over the place."
I didn't need to read any further to know
that this place was right up my proverbial alley.
It was just my thing, so to speak.
If you are unfamiliar with the area's geography,
the eastern end of Long Island literally splits into a giant fork in the road.
Head to the right, and it goes to the South Fork, home of the notorious Hamptons.
Head left, and you end up on the North Fork.
In between the forks' two tines (😜) is Shelter Island,
which is reachable only by ferry from both the north and south forks.
The weather forecast looked reasonably good,
so we booked two nights at a bed and breakfast in historic Greenport
(more on Greenport another time).
We dropped Sadie off at the dog sitter's,
and set out on the 117-mile drive
on a hot and sunny, summer-like day in early September.
The names of the towns we passed along the way
were as familiar to us as those on the South Fork,
yet, we had never been to them........
Aquebogue, Jamesport, Mattituck, Cutchogue, Peconic, Southold.
An American Indian tribe, the Corchaugs, were the first inhabitants of this area,
but in the early 1600's, Europeans thought it was an awesome place to settle,
and so they did.
Riding through these little hamlets, we saw lots of farmland,
and dozens and dozens of wineries.
It was the perfect combination of rural and upscale,
yet not glitzy like the Hamptons on the other, more famous fork.
Our first day was spent in the town of Greenport,
but the next day.......my actual birthday........
we drove around, exploring the North Fork,
making stops here, there, and everywhere.
The night before, my weather app gave me fits
because it looked like my birthday would be a total washout.
I consider it a gift of epic proportions that there wasn't a drop of rain the entire day!
I was actually grateful for the overcast skies,
as they made for moody backdrops to my pictures.
Even though we missed the peak blooming season,
a highlight of our drive was Lavender By The Bay,
with its acres and acres of lavender fields.
Visitors are encouraged to walk through or sit in the fields during peak season,
and inhale the calming fragrance.
I've already marked my calendar to go back next year in late June/early July.
I won't even need a hotel........just park me in one of those purple chairs,
and I'll be content to stay right there for the duration.
For now, the gift shop would have to satisfy my lavender
craving.
Lavender may steal the show in summer,
but sunflowers take center stage in September.
There are little inlets everywhere, and the marshy landscape reminded me
of South Carolina's low country.
By late morning, we had come to the end of the fork -- Orient Point State Park.
It's the North Fork's equivalent to Montauk on the South Fork.
We didn't spend much time.........just walked around a bit on the pebbly beach,
and watched the car ferry load up for its trip across Long Island Sound to Connecticut.
We got back to Greenport just in time for lunch,
and in the afternoon, we ventured over to Shelter Island on the car ferry
(more on Shelter Island another time).
The next morning, on our way home,
we stopped at Kenney's Beach on the Long Island Sound in Southhold,
just to see what it was like.
One thing is for sure - you wouldn't want to walk barefoot!
In two days, we got just a tiny taste of the North Fork.
We didn't get to any of the wineries, or the nature preserves, or farmstands,
or the wineries (did I already say wineries?).
Our conclusion?
If we want a beach vacation, the South Fork wins hands down.
The Hamptons' ocean beaches are among the best in the world.
However, we absolutely loved the North Fork and will go back again in the off season.
Chances are, we'll stay on peaceful Shelter Island next time,
maybe in early September.
When we want a little action, we'll take a ten-minute ferry ride
to either Greenport on the North Fork,
or Sag Harbor in the Hamptons on the South Fork.
That way, we can have our cake, and eat it, too).........
.......with two forks.
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