Pat’s Wildways: Long Island, New York

It’s a ritual we perform every summer: a quick trip to Long Island to connect with Bucko’s family. The family is shrinking now, with his mom gone, and only two sisters left in the area. But Bucko’s dad, Sars, is doing well at nearly 100 years old. Here’s hoping this longevity runs in the family.

Long Island is charming this time of year, with the well-kept gardens and flowering shrubs and trees, the glimmering waters of the Great South Bay, and the heavily accented locals. I remember how long it took for me to truly understand that New York accent, but after 50 years in the Turley family, I’m surprised I don’t talk like that too.

This trip had a sad undertone. Bucko’s sister Kathy lost her husband a few weeks ago, and we had to miss the funeral due to my pneumonia, but now, all better again, we took the ferry across the Long Island Sound to Connecticut with Bucko’s other sister, Susan, to drive to her home. Although I’ve been on ferries before, and even this one, I am always like a kid, looking at the sights, snapping lots of photos and talking with anyone sociable. This trip I had a lengthy chat with Mohammed, a powerboat racer who is a reserve member of the Abu Dhabi team. Imagine that!

Once at Kathy’s home, we found her sitting on a chair on her front patio watching bees. It is as comforting as any scene I can imagine in times of sorrow. At least three species of bees were visiting and revisiting her blooming coneflowers only a few feet away from her chair. Soon enough I set up my own viewing station to get photos. Nature is healing, for sure.

Back again on Long Island, Bucko and I spent some quality time on Susan’s patio where we discovered a very hungry caterpillar chowing down on her cherry tomatoes. I knew all about it, having written a column recently on the same critter eating my own cherry tomatoes here in Florida. Susan decided to leave the caterpillar in place. Her tomatoes were about done, and her 4-year-old granddaughter loves bugs and would want to see it, handle it, and maybe make a pet out of it; who knows? Maybe it’s possible to put it in a terrarium with dirt to burrow in, and it will turn into an adult Carolina sphinx moth in a couple of weeks.

When Bucko and I had time to ourselves, it was focused on food, at least for me. By now we know all the “food hacks” to get the best local meals at the best price. One major find of ours is the local Blue Point pub, Cavanaugh’s, just down the block from Bucko’s childhood home. This popular establishment has been at this location since 1986 and is still run by members of the founding family, some of whom have known Bucko over the years. Cavanaugh’s is a Suffolk County off-track betting establishment, with television screens on all wall surfaces showing horse races, sports, and betting apps surrounding the patrons. The crowd of locals there at happy hour are always happy to welcome new people as long as you don’t take up one of the few valuable seats at their regular bar!

My main purpose in going to Cavanaugh’s every trip to Long Island, and three times this trip (!) is for their steamed clams. Clams are part of Long Island’s heritage — nearly everyone Bucko’s age once worked as a clammer, as did he, for a short while anyway. The clam industry has changed but Cavanaugh’s has their own clammer who provides them with fresh clams nearly every day. Although steamed clams are not on the menu, if you know, you know. There are no better clams anywhere on earth at least as far as I know and believe me, I look.

After our appetizer of clams followed by a great Irish meal of shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage, and lots of leftover food to take back to our room, we still wanted something sweet for dessert. No problem! On our first day there, I discovered La Pizzetta, a gourmet food store right next to our B&B in Bayport. Their homemade pistachio tartufo is an amazing frozen treat of pistachio gelato with a nodule of fruity chocolate inside a shell of dark chocolate. And, as with the clams, I had this every night we were there.

As always, our yearly trip to Long Island was a rousing success! I can’t wait to go back!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. patandbucko@yahoo.com