Browse: November 2007

The Hamptons held the top spot for priciest residential real estate transaction for just a few short months before dropping into second place with the recent sale of the Forbe's family ranch in Colorado. Purchased by Louis Bacon, a New York hedge funder who has helped preserve over 1,100 acres here on the East End, purchased the 250 square-mile ranch for $175 million, which trumps the $103 million that Ron Baron payed for the de Menil estate on Further Lane in East Hampton.

Forbes Ranch Sold for $175 Million [WSJ]

Just a bit more mating and we can be assured of fireworks on the Fourth of July once again. The New York Times has a story about a pair of piping plovers nesting on a Revere beach in Massachusetts. In NYC terms, that's kind of like having plovers nesting on Jones Beach. But what does this mean?

Simply that plovers are on the comeback. In 2006, scientists tracked 1,743 mating pairs of piping plovers. 2,000 is the magic number to get them off the endangered species list. So it should only be a matter of mating before the little birds that cancelled the East Hampton fireworks two out of the last three years are out of the woods and we can get back to celebrating America properly. And we're sure Jerry Della Femina will have something else to gripe about by then anyway.

In Aid of a Bird, Some Inconveniences for People [NYT]

Similar to the Common Reed, the Japanese Knotweed is an invasive species that pesters East End gardeners and can hinder their growth. Landscape designer Thomas Muse shows Plum the effects of the weed and how it has become quite a nuisance in many American gardens.

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Lanscape Designer Thomas Muse joins Mike Bottini and a student from Stony Brook's Southampton Marine Station for a close look at spotted turtles, an endangered species in the Hamptons. They discuss these turtles' habitats and the impact local gardening can have on them.

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There are weeds that can destroy any garden or yard, and then there's an invasive species known as Common Reed that is native to Long Island. Landscape designer Thomas Muse takes Plum through several places in the Hamptons to illustrate how the impact of development can be measured by the growth of Common Reed and how its amount indicates how healthy the habitat really is.

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Indeed there are plenty of East End establishments that boast a great bowl of pasta, but what if you could make your own? Take a lesson from Chris Cariello of Loaves and Fishes in Bridgehampton, as he gives Plum a quick how-to on making an amazing pasta dish.

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Twas the month before Christmas and at Plum TV,
The producers were shopping in a wild frenzy.

They'd decide to shop, for gifts big and small,
Something for short folks and something for tall.

And all of these gifts, they'd put under the tree,
They also decided to feature on TV.

So tune in and watch, while you sit by the fire,
And let them give you ideas, so you won't have to tire.
They found something for grandmother,
And even your brother,
But they're still stumped what to get,
For your dear, dear, sweet mother.

But fear not because, as you drift off to sleep,
Our producers will keep shopping,
While you're counting the sheep.

So don't touch the remote, and don't move the dial,
We'll have you all set with holiday style.

Happy holidays, and happy shopping. Do your part, because the economy needs you.

It may be football season, but here on the East End the N.F.L acronym stands for North Fork Living. In this episode Agawam Albertson Principal Broker Thomas J. Scalia takes a trip to the resourceful and gentle sibling of the South Fork, where he explores KK and Ira Haspel's biodynamic farm in Southold– which is conveniently known as "The Farm."

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The name and label for your winery is almost as important as how good the wine tastes. Fortunately, we're here to help. Simply choose one word from each column and viola—you've got a name for your winery/vineyard.

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Turning Leaf Vineyards
New Hill Cellars
Fair Leaf Winery
North Bell Chateau
Sweet Ridge
Beau Light
Gin Lane
Goose Island
Stone Pond
Black Point
Pine Creek
Back Plover
Piping Stream
Arcadia Lake
Winter Harbor
Charter Field
Eagle Estate
Jade House
Miner Crest
Oak Harvest
Privet Grove
Further Peak
Spring View

A frequented favorite in Southampton.

The Plaza Cafe
61 Hill Street
Southampton, NY 11968
631-283-9323

www.plazacafe.us

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After decades of service in the Air Force and National Guard, Southrifty Drug owner and registered pharmacist Robert Grisnick now helps protect his community through different means.

Southrifty Drug
54 Jagger Lane
Southampton, NY 11968
631-283-1506

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This is a fisherman's dream. It doesn't get better than this. When the Town Trustees open Mecox Cut each year, baitfish from the bay are washed out into the ocean and it's like ringing the dinner bell for striped bass—and fisherman. As fishing-fanatic Dan Honan said, as we drove onto the beach at the Cut: "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." Pretty much all you need to say.

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Every year at about this time, the Southampton Trustees quietly open Mecox Cut. But it never stays quiet for too long. With baitfish pouring out of the bay into the ocean, it starts a feeding frenzy like few others. Word gets out. Dozens of trucks hit the beach and the fisherman get waist deep in their waders to nail a few monster stripers. The fun should run throught the night and into the morning, so hit the surf.