76 and Counting!

The weather forecast for this week looks fabulous, with 70+ during the day! I thought I would share one of my favorite pics with you-- the water to the left at Ditch Plains looks so inviting it makes it impossible to concentrate with this as your desktop background!

Pillow Tauk

Today, I am on the hunt for some pillows and a comfy chair to brighten up the far corner of the Blue Gull Beach House's livingroom. Once again, I struck gold (to the left) online at Anthropologie, so I will hit a few shops today before making my final decision. The room has lots of navy and lime green, so I need to go back to ROY-G-BIV to find a complementary hue! This pink is growing on me, though.

The weekend was productive-- I was able to scoop up a bunch of fun stuff for my July guests (party tub, extra towels, cushions for the chaise lounges, board games) and I am looking forward to finishing that beach bucket lamp I mentioned so many weeks ago (yes, she moves with warp-like speed in theory, but in practice??)...stay tuned!

The Montauk Oyster Pond

Montauk has a number of cool trails that you can hike, and one that I recently discovered is the Oyster Pond Trail which leads to the Oyster Pond. To the left you can see some pics of the pond that I took from the overlook site. You can access the actual trail from the Seal Haul Trail, which takes you out to the beach on Block Island Sound. It is a very secluded area that gives you that "untouched by man" kind of a feeling, with no tourists, crystal clear waters and salty air.

The pond itself is an area with a rich variety of plant and animal life. When heavy rain hits it will sometimes cause the pond to connect directly with Block Island Sound, and this process typically brings in new sealife, nutrients, you name it, but can also cause schools of fish to become trapped-- as you can see being there definitely brings out a little of my inner geek!

Zagat Survey is In: Dave's and Harvest on Top

The newest Zagat Survey on Hamptons restaurants is out for 2010/2011, and Dave's Grill and Harvest on Fort Pond came out with strong scores for the Montauk area. I have blogged about my love for Harvest before, but have not had a chance to drop in at Dave's (although many people have highly recommended it). Dave's looks as though it has a great seafood lineup, and so, I will be making a reservation for the first week of June so that I can try their "Famous Fish Stew"-- I am curious to see just how famous it is!

Memorial Day Countdown!

Greetings! After an intense computer virus hit my laptop, I am finally back up and running!

The time away from the blog has enabled me to get ready for my Memorial Day Party. This year, I am hoping to make things interesting with this "drunken watermelon on tap" that I found on Evite. I thought this was so clever, the author scooped the watermelon out, made a punch with rum and the watermelon chunks, and attached a faucet from the hardware store to make a keg- like contraption. I thought it turned out kinda cool, not sure if I can pull this one off, though!

Navy Beach Opens This Week!

The wait is finally over-- I heard that Navy Beach, the new restaurant on Navy Road, will open for business on Thursday. Their website is up and running, the place looks great and the food sounds fantastic, from lobster pot pies to buttermilk fried chicken. Check out the interior pic to the left from their website. Make your reservations now!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Mother's Day! Whether you are at the beach, in the mountains, in the city or somewhere else in-between, I hope this day was a special one. We had a wonderful time visiting with Sondra and the gang-- I will leave you all with one of the Blue Gull Beach House garden pics. Stuff keeps growing everywhere, I love it!

One Fish Two Fish...

If you love to fish, Montauk is the place to be. I recently saw an ad somewhere that described Montauk as a "quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem" and that's about as good of a description as any. A number of boats down at the harbor are ready for hire to take you and your group on daily tours to catch whatever is in season. I am hoping that maybe this summer or fall I can convince my family to go out with me, I think it would be cool!


Lenny's is a great spot to grab lunch, watch them all come back in, and check out the catch of the day. If you want to charter your own boat or dock your boat there are a number of marinas nearby, including the Gone Fishing Marina, Rick's Crabby Cowboy Marina, the Montauk Marine Basin, and Uihlien's Marina. The Montauk Yacht Club and Star Island Yacht Club are also available for dockage, and Star Island has a number of shark tournaments in the summer months. I am hoping to check out the upcoming one in June-- watch out JAWS, here I come!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone! I hope you all have a margarita in hand and some fabulous Mexican food in front of you. To help celebrate, I thought I would post some pics from my last trip to Isla de Mujeres, a beautiful island off of the coast of Cancun.

What can I say-- Isla is quaint, fun, has a ton of cultural eye candy. Just a fabulous place to get away from it all. This picture above was taken at Maria's Kan Kin, one of my favorite spots for ceviche.

You can get to Isla via ferry from Cancun-- pack extremely light (your bathing suit, a cover up and an outfit for nightlife) and be sure to rent a golf cart when you arrive. First stop, Hacienda Mundaca, the house of a slave trader/pirate built in the 19th century (be prepared, there are iguanas *everywhere* and quite a little collection of monkeys on the premises). Second stop (especially fabulous at sunset) Punta Sur, the first spot for the sun to hit Mexican soil, and the site of a Mayan ruin built for the goddess Ixchel. This below picture was taken at Punta Sur.

For dinner, there are a number of fabulous options, and the downtown area comes to life with street performers. You can find authentic mexican, italian, ice cream, cafes, bars-- you name it. While a sleepy little fishing village, Isla has a magical way of making you feel close to nature and surrounded by privacy. This is one place where I will definitely be back!

Makin' Waves

Beach hair has a way of looking extremely sexy-- sun-drenched tresses that are slightly windswept can help to heat up those summer months! The best way to get this look is to get yourself to the beach, but we all can't be beach bunnies 24/7 now can we? Last week I found the perfect solution to this little problem-- if you can't get to the beach, just bring the beach to you!

One way to get the look is with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. I tried it the other day and it rocks. If you're a curly girl like me, you may want to straighten your hair before using it, but if you have straight hair just work it through your damp hair and start making some waves!

More Beach Pics

It's been a while! The great outdoors have called my name and I have been behind in my blogging duties. Hope you all are enjoying some fabulous weather wherever you are, with gorgeous blue waters nearby.

I obviously can't wait for summer, as the temperatures rise I am excited about sunning, swimming, boating-- you name it! I shot these pics (as promised!) of some local paddleboarders-- yet another sport that I have not had a chance to try. But. Maybe!