“The Graduate”
August 13, 2017 10:45 am
I have never been to a graduation at Yale, Harvard or any other Ivy League school, mainly because I couldn’t... Read Story
Author Archives for Dallas Cobb
August 13, 2017 10:45 am
Love in the Open Hand
August 13, 2017 7:37 am
I cannot hold back the tears running down my face as I sit down on the sands of the umbrella... Read Story
The Unexpected Gift
August 13, 2017 1:38 am
As the bustling crowds grew larger in the small East Hampton town shops and the pavement covered in powdery snow,... Read Story
The Goldenrods
August 12, 2017 11:50 pm
It was the summer of “Star Wars,” it was the summer of the Son of Sam and it was the... Read Story
A patch of sun
August 12, 2017 8:46 pm
I always wanted to be a painter. I just never had the right tools or the space for it. It... Read Story
Straight From the Heart
August 12, 2017 8:24 pm
It was exactly seven days before the wedding of her precious granddaughter. The two of them had clicked like soul... Read Story
A True Phoenix
August 12, 2017 7:52 pm
A few years ago my childhood dog passed away. Yes, I realize this is a solemn way to begin a... Read Story
Razor Clams
August 12, 2017 6:03 pm
My daughter asked about the pitchfork when I cleaned out the garage last week. Actually, I hadn’t noticed it, leaning... Read Story
To Rise on Some Other Shore
August 12, 2017 4:13 pm
When I was ten, I came home to our Shelter Island cottage on a summer’s afternoon to find my parents... Read Story
Aubade
August 12, 2017 3:03 pm
I flicked the yellow of the pencil I had been chewing on from my front teeth and stared out across... Read Story
She Was Dancing On The Edge—My Last Memory Of Marilyn
August 12, 2017 12:59 pm
There are times when a ringing phone cries out that bad news is coming. I reach for the receiver in... Read Story
Happy Fourth
August 12, 2017 12:09 pm
The Fourth of July is an interesting day. All around America, people celebrate the Declaration of Independence by throwing parades... Read Story
27
August 12, 2017 12:06 pm
It took me a while to to figure out what I wanted to write about. The possibilities were endless! I... Read Story
A Girl, A Car, The Hamptons: What Possibly Could Go Wrong?
August 12, 2017 11:16 am
While generally considered a smart person (double Ivies, high-end SAT scores, Advanced Placement everything), I am totally useless when it... Read Story
Captain Ahab at the Shinnecock Inlet
August 12, 2017 11:10 am
Captain Ahab at the Shinnecock Inlet Many summers ago, my wife and I rented a small cottage in Hampton Bays,... Read Story
People of the Open Book
August 12, 2017 9:45 am
An independent bookstore in the Hamptons relies on the people who visit each summer for its survival. My bookstore in... Read Story
Wednesday at Two Mile Beach
August 12, 2017 8:34 am
South Fork sun warming our shoulders, Jen and I peddled up the road to Two Mile Beach like kids on... Read Story
The Long Island Express
August 11, 2017 10:24 pm
Long before Superstorm Sandy hit the New York area, a hurricane of great magnitude struck the east end of Long... Read Story
1920’s Ghost Stories
August 11, 2017 9:44 pm
One of my father’s favorite things to talk about is the history of my childhood home. He loves to paint... Read Story
A Homegrown Hampton’s Woman
August 11, 2017 9:41 pm
There is a woman that I have known all of my life that I only recently began to truly understand.... Read Story
Stairs and Ropes
August 11, 2017 9:39 pm
You are seven years old. The abandoned bunkers you and your family find at Shadmoor State Park tower twenty feet... Read Story
A Homegrown Hampton’s Woman
August 11, 2017 9:38 pm
There is a woman that I have known all of my life that I only recently began to truly understand.... Read Story
1920’s Ghost Stories
August 11, 2017 9:35 pm
One of my father’s favorite things to talk about is the history of my childhood home. He loves to paint... Read Story
The Waters of the North Fork
August 11, 2017 6:05 pm
Long Island’s North Fork is like any other body of land surrounded by water. Yes? Well, not really. We can... Read Story
Montauk, who whould have thought?
August 11, 2017 4:15 pm
Ah, summer in the 1960’s, on Long Island couldn’t have been any better for a ten year old. School was... Read Story
General Delivery: Shinnecock Hills
August 11, 2017 2:57 pm
Our car crept along Sunrise Highway as we drove east. “Are we there yet?” The year was 1958 when driving... Read Story
One O’Cat
August 11, 2017 2:47 pm
Good old house. Sealed up with everything that made last weekend fun and life palatable for another week. Love-hate is... Read Story
The Memory Rock of Montauk Point
August 11, 2017 2:34 pm
There was a keen sense of history in the air that summer of 1976. On the steamy, Sunday morning of... Read Story
HEAVEN ON EARTH
August 11, 2017 1:38 pm
On a Sunday morning in July, Paul and I drove from our home in Springs to Montauk Harbor and boarded... Read Story
LIE-ing in Wait
August 11, 2017 1:04 pm
We load up the car for our traditional trip East, the destination reflected in our cargo of bikes, bathing suits... Read Story
All Sound and No Fury
August 11, 2017 12:15 pm
Summer in the City and we were Movin’ Out, making that East End Run for two months of complete contentment.... Read Story
The Improbable Trip to Montauk
August 11, 2017 11:44 am
He was stuck, trapped really, in a chair made of metal, rubber and plastic. He had once been free, an... Read Story
The Duck Idol
August 11, 2017 11:18 am
The duck that rests in the field of Flanders lies like an idol of a dead civilization. Wire-frame and concrete.... Read Story
My Resilient Sea
August 11, 2017 10:30 am
Resilience; the ability to become strong, healthy or successful again after something bad happens, to recover from or adjust easily... Read Story
Summer Girl
August 11, 2017 8:48 am
“Aah,” the fireman said knowingly, looking me up and down. “You’re a Summer Girl.” We were beside each other in... Read Story
Ninevah
August 11, 2017 8:44 am
Old. New. Fear. Excitement. Historical. Cultural. These are the words that came to my mind during the last Ninevah Beach... Read Story
Edward Hopper verse ‘The Thunderdome’
August 10, 2017 11:31 pm
Pull it together. Take a deep breath. Cross those fingers at their ten and two o’clock positions. You are about... Read Story
The Solace of Songbirds
August 10, 2017 9:21 pm
Traveling toward the tailfin of our strikingly piscine island has always been a highly anticipated and greatly coveted adventure for... Read Story
The Solace of Songbirds
August 10, 2017 9:19 pm
Traveling toward the tailfin of our strikingly piscine island has always been a highly anticipated and greatly coveted adventure for... Read Story
Stroke of a Brush
August 10, 2017 8:56 pm
THE STROKE OF A BRUSH Hippies, music and protests is what I thought about while attending Southampton College during the... Read Story
Whiskey
August 10, 2017 7:45 pm
Raindrops tap dance on the car roof. The downpour is as heavy as my encounter with a long-ago storm while... Read Story
Farther east: Napeague by the numbers
August 10, 2017 3:15 pm
I’ll never fully understand the ambition that drove my father to build a beach house in the Hamptons. Dad was... Read Story
I’m An Indian, Too!
August 10, 2017 2:11 pm
When we think of the word territory, we might think of the Louisiana Territory or the Northwest Territory, very historical... Read Story
The Bridge in the Canal
August 10, 2017 11:12 am
Nana at the Canal. My maternal grandmother was called “Nana.” She was quite a sight and a true old-world woman.... Read Story
Big Shot
August 10, 2017 10:38 am
“Let’s tell them we met Billy Joel!” I say to Sally, my skinny and tall-for-her age friend who wore her... Read Story
Center Moriches – More Than A Gateway
August 10, 2017 9:08 am
Somewhere, nowhere, to the west of Westhampton sits a quiet little town that keeps to itself. It’s unsung, it’s unnoticed... Read Story
Beach Houses
August 10, 2017 8:44 am
You move to New York City and find success in some industry and of course, you want to go to... Read Story
Palm Sundays Warmed Up and Served Cold
August 10, 2017 6:31 am
I have always been a true believer in the Horatio Alger myth –Work hard and get ahead, tossed in with... Read Story
My Story
August 9, 2017 5:17 pm
I never wanted to come to America. One evening, my father walked into our kitchen and announced that we had... Read Story
Adventure on Montauk Lake
August 9, 2017 1:17 pm
Montauk Lake is particularly alluring. Years ago, we stayed at the Shepherd’s Neck Inn and played miniature golf within view... Read Story
THIS IS A TEST – DO NOT RATE
August 9, 2017 12:05 pm
THIS IS A TEST, DO NOT RATE Without a doubt the most beautiful beach pavilion in the Hamptons is Main... Read Story
A Home Is Not a House…Or Be Careful What You Wish For
August 8, 2017 7:28 pm
A Home is not a House or Be Careful What You Wish For I discovered the East End in the... Read Story
I’ll Always Come Back
August 8, 2017 6:55 pm
The salt always stings before it heals. I stood where the waves broke, even though I knew better, and I... Read Story
No Clouds
August 8, 2017 5:28 pm
The Channel 12 TV Long Island, New York weather guy is visibly excited. “Today, not a cloud in the sky... Read Story
Heart of the Comet
August 8, 2017 5:15 pm
“End of world.” my grandmother, Mary said. She gripped the arms of her black naugahyde recliner and peered out the... Read Story
A Seal in the Surf
August 8, 2017 3:10 pm
Walking the beach off Old Montauk Highway is a summer ritual for me, and one that keeps me going through... Read Story
Master in his Own Time
August 8, 2017 3:07 pm
Though he may not possess the worldly renown of a White, Hunt, or Trumbauer, Benjamin Glover contributed his share to... Read Story
The House of Memory
August 7, 2017 4:32 pm
I was driving down Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton on a brilliant summer day in 2015, in search... Read Story
Coming In, Or Going Out?
August 7, 2017 3:59 pm
When I pick a spot to set up shop at the beach there are three things I want. 1. A... Read Story
The Big Fish
August 7, 2017 1:27 pm
My mind couldn’t keep up with how fast my life was changing, nor could my stomach keep up with the... Read Story
Skipping Rocks
August 7, 2017 11:21 am
Skipping Rocks by James Michaelson “The trick is finding the perfect rock,” my Grandma explained as she scoured the sand... Read Story
Locals
August 7, 2017 12:00 am
One time at a family gathering, my aunt asked me if she and her family were locals yet. They’ve owned... Read Story
Wednesdays
August 6, 2017 11:55 pm
Every Wednesday my mother, my brother, and I would pack up our silver minivan with plastic sand toys, three beach... Read Story
Fireworks
August 6, 2017 3:53 pm
The familiar boom in my chest, that shuddered my insides brought comfort. For as long as I can remember, going... Read Story
Sushi with Sacks
August 6, 2017 12:26 pm
My close friend, Oliver Sacks, died 2 years ago. Together, we did many things, many times, but none more often... Read Story
Miss Mexico City
August 6, 2017 8:10 am
In February, Greenport is a tired-looking, pushed around, weather-beaten boat wreck of a town. This is not the simmer of... Read Story
Snakes in a Sedan
August 5, 2017 9:50 am
It was 1962, and we were heading out to Montauk for a frugal vacation. Although my dad was a travel... Read Story
A Brief Family History: Between Two Cottages
August 5, 2017 12:28 am
On Egypt Beach, multicolored umbrellas flutter in the wind while leathery couples lounge under their shade, probably sifting through Dan’s... Read Story
October Morning
August 4, 2017 4:15 pm
I awoke out of a sound sleep. Outside it was dark, the air was crisp, the stars were so clear... Read Story
Building Pottersville
August 3, 2017 9:55 pm
Do cultures dream? Perhaps they do, especially if they exist on the 42nd parallel of the Northern hemisphere. The proof,... Read Story
Beginning at the End
August 3, 2017 6:59 pm
It was my usual Monday morning in Montauk.The alarm woke me at 4:30 am although I needed no alarm. I... Read Story
SEARCHING FOR THE ENDLESS MONTAUK
August 2, 2017 5:46 pm
I arrived at Michael Dweck’s studio in the West Village to discuss his experience creating The End: Montauk, NY. He... Read Story
My Last Ditch
August 2, 2017 4:33 pm
Smoke filled the kitchen as a pungent liquid splashed from the pot. My dad remarked that had I been wearing... Read Story
A Little Wild
August 2, 2017 7:49 am
Summertime, and adventure is afoot. My daughter Ava leads us outside, silencing her younger brother and sister with a hand... Read Story
The Celestial Menagerie
August 1, 2017 11:13 pm
“He is dying, Aphrodite; luxuriant Adonis is dying. What should we do? Beat your breasts, young maidens. And tear your... Read Story
A Mental Picture
August 1, 2017 9:30 pm
My mother adored going to the Hamptons. She is a lawyer. When I was little, I would tell my friends... Read Story
Surf Club
August 1, 2017 6:18 pm
Surf Club We were poetry, from the get-go pure poetry. I met JJ on my 16th Birthday. For real; he... Read Story
There You Are
August 1, 2017 3:25 pm
Check the time again, check the wifi-signal. The wind is whipping around quietly, and my skin prickles just slightly. It’s... Read Story
New Beginnings
August 1, 2017 3:16 pm
Amongst the mosaic of miscellaneous clothing, antique furnishings and bric-a-brac arranged on the bleached gravel drive, I was drawn to... Read Story
There You Are
August 1, 2017 7:49 am
Check the time again, check the wifi-signal. The wind is whipping around quietly, and my skin prickles just slightly. It’s... Read Story
If I Could Tell Him
August 1, 2017 12:28 am
He was lying there in a hospital gown, his organs shutting down, and I didn’t say a word. If I... Read Story
Holding the Roots
July 31, 2017 11:26 pm
Oma was the greatest person I ever knew. Describing her as a “person” wouldn’t even begin to illustrate her angelic... Read Story
My Last Ditch
July 31, 2017 11:22 pm
Smoke filled the kitchen as a pungent liquid splashed from the pot. My dad remarked that had I been wearing... Read Story
East End Animal Memories
July 31, 2017 9:27 pm
It was a sunny April morning. The lilacs were in full bloom on the horse farm in Riverhead. The perfume... Read Story
A Bridgehampton Do-Over
July 31, 2017 8:57 pm
It’s April, 2004. I’m 40, a married mother of a three year old girl and one year old boy. But... Read Story
Is Romace still alive on The East End in 2017?
July 31, 2017 7:56 pm
“Would you like a ride on my Yacht?” he asked. She replied, “I’m not really a boat person.” He responded,... Read Story
The Transformers: Close to Home from Home
July 31, 2017 3:46 pm
All our life we spend looking for the “place for us,… Somewhere… Someday…”. The search of our soul leads us... Read Story
Molly’s Backyard
July 31, 2017 3:29 pm
In those days I would sit on the deck and wait. We had only two bird feeders (we should rethink... Read Story
The Windmill
July 31, 2017 2:46 pm
Amidst a sea of famous faces, it was the structure itself that mesmerized me most. I can still smell the... Read Story
The South Fork Jessups Looking for Adventure!
July 31, 2017 11:17 am
This summer sail into maritime history on a visit to the Men Who Hunted the Whale, an exhibit at the... Read Story
Crayons
July 31, 2017 10:13 am
I think she has about 5 words of English learned by now, including my name. Which of course in itself... Read Story
You Must Pay to Ride
July 31, 2017 10:08 am
“The road where the crash occurred is dotted with vineyards in a part of Long Island where tourists frequently travel... Read Story
The Last Landscape
July 30, 2017 7:04 pm
The deck of The Widge rocked gently in the September swells, sending tubes of paint rolling in their box. A... Read Story
East Hampton Memories
July 30, 2017 6:38 pm
As I waited for my bag to come down the carousel at JFK, which took about as long as my... Read Story
THE HAMPTONS UNSEEN
July 30, 2017 12:01 am
In a way, the weekend of Friday, October 28, 2016 really started for us on Thursday night when we picked... Read Story
“We’re Not In Brooklyn Anymore”
July 29, 2017 12:22 pm
It was 1970 and I remember the day my life as I knew it changed forever. It was the day... Read Story
“Here They Come!”
July 29, 2017 11:50 am
“Here They Come!” A Memoir by Ryan Ball It was the mid 1960s. Growing up on Long Island, my father... Read Story
Wind, Rain, Golf and Friendship
July 29, 2017 10:14 am
“I don’t know, I said. “The forecast doesn’t look too promising.” It looked worse than that. We were starting our... Read Story
Dear President Carter…
July 28, 2017 1:50 pm
Several years ago, I wrote to you. You were kind enough to reply. I was on my way with Susan,... Read Story
Automatics of Home
July 27, 2017 10:18 pm
What is home but automatic? Automatic means deep knowing, and deep knowing connotes intimacy. I recently brought a friend out... Read Story
