Sunken Meadow Sunset

After many years of absence, I recently returned to Sunken Meadow State Park (on the north shore of Suffolk county) and enjoyed the beautiful sunset views from the boardwalk. My pictures don't do them justice, but take a look at the similarity between the colors of the placid sound and the slightly hazy sky and imagine how impressive it was to behold such a large expanse of soft bluish tints. One of the prettiest natural sites I've seen in a long time, it reminded me of how impressive sunsets can be on the North Shore of Long Island.









































Photos: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? TRIPLE CROWN 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

This time around, the competition revolves around guessing the top finishers of Saturday's Belmont Stakes. As you may know, Big Brown (a horse associated with Long Island) has a chance of being the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. And the horse has dominated so far. But it has a hoof injury that might give it trouble.

As of yesterday, the field of horses consists of these ten, listed by post position.

1. Big Brown Kent Desormeaux 2-5
2. Guadalcanal Javier Castellano 50-1
3. Macho Again Garrett Gomez 20-1
4. Denis of Cork Robby Albarado 12-1
5. Casino Drive Edgar Prado 7-2
6. Da'Tara Alan Garcia 30-1
7. Tale of Ekati Eibar Coa 20-1
8. Anak Nakal Julien Leparoux 30-1
9. Ready's Echo John Velazquez 30-1
10. Icabad Crane Jeremy Rose 20-1

For this week's competition, pick the first three finishers in order by 5pm EST on Saturday, June 7. You can change your guess right up to that moment—and it's possible there will be scratches by that point. I haven't figured out exactly how I'll dish out points, but I do recommend you play this round. I will definitely consider special points to anyone who does better than I do—and in this case I will tend to follow the morning line. So at the moment, my selection is

Big Brown
Casino Drive
Denis of Cork

Looking for tips? Don't look at me, kid! Here's something from Steven Crist and here's something else from Timothy Peach.

And root for the horses to come out of this healthy as a...well, a horse—because if any of them seem to be seriously hurt, all bets may be off. (I am actually extremely ambivalent when it comes to this sport—and this year's Triple Crown contests have already resulted in the death of the filly Eight Belles.)

So leave your guesses in the comments section using a distinct moniker so you're not confused with the other players.

And, after the race, your self-scoring will be appreciated.

FAREWELL, FAIR MAPLE!

We were all very fond of the big maple tree in the backyard. The stump had...character.
























I used to climb the tree, actually.
























But that was long before it grew this high, and got sick.
























Now it's gone...
























...and only chips and memories remain.
























Photos: David Marc Fischer