1. Getting to spend time with family: our son, soon-to-be daughter-in-law (and her wonderful family!), and our grandson. Since we live so far away from them, this month-long stay was a luxury that has spoiled us getting to see them so much!
2. The Vineyards. Out of the 60 some-odd vineyards on the North Shore, we were able to visit a good number of them. The off-season timing of our visit to New York worked in our favor, as many times we were the only visitors in the tasting rooms and were able to enjoy many long conversations with the vineyard owners and staff. Our favorite vineyard, by far was Castello di Borghese Vineyard. They have the most wonderful Cabernet Franc as well as a luscious White Pinot Noir. On our last visit there before going home, we got to meet the owner of the vineyard, Bernard, whose thick Italian accent was a delight to hear.
3. The ocean. We took advantage of our month-long stay to visit as many shoreline hiking trails as we could. My favorite was Inlet Pond Preserve, right here in Greenport. At the beginning of every sunny, warmish day, I would say to Fred, "Let's go back to Inlet Pond!", he would respond, "What is it with you and Inlet Pond?". "It's just sooo pretty!" I would respond!
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| Montauk Point |
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| Shadmoor Preserve |
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| Inlet Pond Park |
4. The parks and preserves. There are tons of places to hike on the Long Island. We hiked at Arshamomaque Preserve, Inlet Pond Preserve (twice!), Mashomack Preserve, Montauk Walking Dunes, Montauk Point, and Shadmoor Park.
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| Inlet Pond Park |
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| Walking Dunes of Montauk |
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| Inlet Pond Park |
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| Mashomack Park and Preserve |
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| Arshamomaque Preserve |
5. The friendly people of Long Island. Everywhere we went people were so friendly and welcoming to these two Arkansans. The staff, teachers, and fellow classmates at NOFO Wellness in Cutchogue made us feel like we were natives. There was one lady in Spinning Class who said she has a cousin who lives in a town in Arkansas with a lot of lakes and in an area called "The Highlands". We said, "Hmm, we live in "The Highands", in a town with a lot of lakes". Turns out the cousin actually lives in Bella Vista, AR too! The folks remodeling the apartment above where we were staying were also great! They were more than willing to help us out with anything we needed. The friendly, family-owned shops and restaurant owners were to fun to visit with. It turned out that even though quite a few attractions were not open yet in April, we were fortunate to see the North Shore as most natives to the area know and love the area.
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