long island for a year

The past ten days were very busy and almost every night I was falling asleep soon after my kids: still, I didn't feel there was a day I wanted to sit at home by the beautiful weather and went to a couple of interesting places. I had planned this a while ago for and eventually I visited the Whaling Museum in Sag Harbor . Lately I am observing that - since we are in the US - my kids learn to know different animals than they would in central Europe, starting with "quirrl" (squirrel), chipmunks (a novelty for me, too), interesting birds and - even if not live - whales. Admittedly, I had the impression that the history of whales is more or less a history of men, but it was nevertheless fascinating to learn more about this mammal; there are different kind of whales and their bodies were used for the most various purposes like fuel for lamps or tennis rackets, cosmetics and fashion products, like corsets (and here you find me totally against it). Whaling itself was a na...

Driving through the Flanders we got (finally) to see the so famous landmark.  I didn't stop by the duck, this image is from www.lukecole.com The Big Duck used to be a store where one could find ducklings and duck products; this is a fun example of road-side architecture, but what I didn't know is that the word "duck" specifically defines a kind of building which shape refers to its product; in other words, if you had a peanut-shaped store  you'd immediately know where to buy peanuts, peanut butter, reese' s, P&J sandwiches...and that'd be a duck. Ducks don't need any ads (like decorative shed do): their shape is the ad itself. The idea of a duck-store wasn't an original of Long Island but it was  patented here: the inspiration for it was a Californian coffeepot-shaped coffee shop, but the triggering motivation was that in the '30s the duck commerce on LI was so huge one had to stand out among the masses of farmers selling ducks. Far...

As a Bnl employee's spouse I take part in some activities connected with the Lab, mainly a playgroup where my kids meet children their age and with a similar background. The playgroup has a designated meeting place but sometimes moms and kids would meet outside, or decide on some specific activity. Bottom line, because of the kids I get to go to places I would not dream of going to - or I wouldn't be allowed in. One of these is the CMEE, the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, designed by Lee Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership . What an amazing place! On a beautifully arranged mix of interactive spaces  children can dress up as princesses or pirates, explore the interior of a submarine, fish, play in the ice-cream parlor, sit in the library, exercise or do crafts. Just to give you a sample of the choices offered . I forgot the fire fighter truck, a hit for Bastian When they say that TV substituted the fire place ...