East Coast - West Coast

From the North Fork


From the Pacific Northwest


For more of Today's Flowers click here.

Clouds

Looking at the Shinnicock Hills club house from the Peconic Bay



Robins Island from a mile out in the Great Peconic Bay


Unloading a cooler at the East Creek Inlet


For more Sky Watch photos click here.

Sanctuary

Found objects and driftwood on the beach + creativity = Beach Art

Take a stroll several hundred yards east of the Mattituck inlet and discover a magical installation of driftwood that evokes images of creatures and humans in skewed proportions, whimsical and animated. The centerpiece is a driftwood enclosure. Inside one finds a place to sit and is welcomed to sign a guest book and leave any thoughts that you wish to. It is unlike anything I've seen before and instantly put a smile on my face. Reportedly one very uptight neighbor abhors it but I doubt his sense of fun or vision. I read the comments to discover he is the only one who feels that way.

Click here for more My World Tuesday photos.

Foggy Morning

When the sky is low enough to walk in it...

For more Sky Watch photos, click here.

A Walk Around New Suffolk

For more My World Tuesday photos click here.

Wooden Boats on Creek and Bay Waters

Back to Skywatch click here.

Kids & Fish

Most kids like to fish at least for a little while. Thrilling excitement, concentration and fear all play across their faces as they feel the tug on the end of their line and realize that they are now connected to an unknown, unseen "something" down in the water.

This gentleman's congratulations became a bit much for his grand daughter and her snapper catch.

In the lower photo my nephew was proud of his first striped bass catch on the Sound. If I hadn't grabbed his pants I think he'd have gone over the rail when the striper hit the clam-belly bait. Upon returning home to Florida he told his dad that he wanted to live with his uncle Mark on Long Island :-)

For more My World Tuesday photos from around the globe click here!

To enjoy Summer Stock photos click here!

Amy's Stuffed Striped Bass

Fresh striped bass meat is firm textured and not "fishy". A whole fish yields mostly white meat. Fish size is limited only by the size of your oven and bakeware (this one fit nicely in our 36" Viking). Ingredient amounts are very flexible depending on the fish size. Gut the fish and scale thoroughly because the roasted skin is yummy! Remove the head and tail if they don't fit in the bakeware. Cut several places in the side of the fish to prevent curling, rub salt and lots of black pepper into the skin and coat with olive oil. Extra stuffing can be baked in a dish. Leftover striper makes great fish cakes.

For the stuffing:

Butter/bacon fat and or olive oil

Chopped onion and celery

Saltine crackers and semolina bread chunks chopped in a food processor with some dry bread crumbs

Cooked shrimp coarsely chopped

Clam juice (bottled) or chicken stock

Fresh lemon juice

White wine

Whole celery seed

Hot pepper sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thyme

Chopped parsley

Two eggs well beaten

Saute the onion and celery in a generous amount of fat until soft with a little bit of crunch. Add to the bread cubes and saltines in a large bowl. Add the shrimp. Wet the bread mixture with clam juice, lemon juice and white wine until it all holds together nicely. Season to taste with hot pepper sauce, celery seed and plenty of salt and pepper. Add eggs and blend well. Bake in and along side the fish. Place the fish on a bed of coarse salt to bake so the skin doesn't stick. Make a lot... you'll want more!

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, bake the fish for 10-15 minutes then turn heat down to 400. Roast undisturbed for another 15-20 minutes until the fish looks sizzly and well roasted with an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Don't let it bake long enough to get dry. It's not necessary to turn the fish. Use two big spoons to separate the meat from the bones. Yum!!

Morning, Noon and Night

East Creek Swan Sunrise

Bayman on the Peconic Bay at noon

Long Island Sound Sunset

For more great photography from Sky Watch Friday participants click here.