A sure sign of summer, even in the absence of hot weather, is the sight of fishermen catching bluefish off the Montauk Harbor jetties. Schools have been within casting range at various times all week.

Bluefish are in Gardiner's Bay, and Altenkirch's Precision Tackle shop in Hampton Bays reported their recent arrival in the Shinnecock Inlet, through the canal, and into the Peconics. Altenkirch's also reports that the good news on the fluke front continues. Robbie Carr, casting from the beach at Heady Creek, caught a four-and-a-half-pounder.

Anglers should be aware that the minimum legal size limit on fluke is 14.5 inches this season. The bag limit is eight fish per day in New York. However, if you take your boat to the Hooter Buoy, or any other Block Island waters, the bag is four fluke. The size limit is the same.

Tough Decision

Montauk's Gone Fishing Marina reports excellent fluke fishing on both the north and south sides of Montauk, and strong striped bass action off the Point. Fluke have superseded flounder in numbers taken aboard the Lazy Bones party boat out of Montauk Harbor.

Capt. Mike Vegessi reported a strong day of flounder fishing on Saturday, with enough fluke mixed in for him to contemplate a switchover. The switch would entail a change of bait, from clams and mussels to spearing and squid, and a change of hooks.

But then again, the Bones, which runs two trips a day, laid into the winter flounder once more on Tuesday, her anglers boating over 20 flounder in the morning outing alone. Tough decision.

Fathers And Sons

The Viking Fleet of party boats has some special trips coming up. The Starship leaves tonight at 7:30 for Georges Bank in search of cod. It will return on Sunday at 11:30 p.m.

A father-and-son trip to Georges is scheduled for June 15 through June 18 for cod, pollack, and hake. A one-day trip is scheduled for June 13-14.

The Viking Fleet also has full-moon striped bass fishing trips plan ned for June 19, 20, and 21.

Boaters report large bass being taken in the Montauk Point rips on troll ed parachute rigs and with bunk er chunks. Have any been as big as the 37.1-pound bass caught over the week end aboard Capt. Mike Forman's Shinnecock charter boat Sandra Jean?

Like the rest of the South Fork, much of Wainscott's and Saga ponack's real estate activity is centered on gobbling up what little vacant land remains. This is the case, said Paul Brennan, the vice president of the local offices of Sotheby's International Realty, whether you're talking about a one-and-a-half-acre parcel or a 60-acre tract.

It's all a matter of "supply and demand," said John Leonard of John Leonard Properties in Sag Harbor. "There's nothing left. . . . What is left is very expensive." Mr. Leonard said he had seen prices in the area go up as much as 50 percent in the last 15 months, yet that hasn't slowed down property sales.

Bill McCoy, a partner in McCoy and McCoy Real Estate in Wainscott, confirmed this week that, in his neck of the woods, there's quite a bit of money floating around and "good properties don't stay on the market very long."

Large Farms For Sale

Historically farming communities, these two neighboring hamlets - one in East Hampton Town and the other in Southampton Town - continue to maintain their small-town appeal. Each still has its little red schoolhouse and stretches of farmland that offer fresh produce in season and vistas year-round.

More and more these days, however, instead of potatoes and corn the farmland in these primarily south-of-the-highway communities is sprouting houses and estates. Sotheby's last week advertised two large farm tracts under contract for sale - the 40-acre Szczepankowski farm (with buildings) in Wainscott and 60 agricultural acres of Cliff Foster's Sagaponack farm. However, these are likely to remain in agricultural use.

Driving Up Prices

The Wainscott farm is in contract for "under, but not by much" an asking price of $6.5 million, according to Mr. Brennan. The potential buyer, whose identity Mr. Brennan would not disclose, is interested in continuing the property's use as a farm.

The Sagaponack farm has been sold to Dan Shedrick, who owns a house in Bridgehampton. The asking price was $7 million. Though some of the property probably will be subdivided into large lots for houses, Lee Foster, Mr. Foster's wife, said a great portion of the land will remain in agricultural use. They "sold the diamond in order to keep the bracelet,"Mrs. Foster said.

Mr. Brennan noted that the buyer's plans reflected the trend toward oversized lots "to maintain a sense of space" for property owners.

The limited amount of vacant land has dampened the spirits of those who would prefer to build their own houses and has driven up asking prices for existing houses, Mr. Leonard said. He suggested that the high prices were slowing down sales of existing houses.

More Tear-Downs

And, because vacant land is all but gone, Mr. McCoy said he expected to see more tear-downs happen in Wainscott in the future, much like a phenomenon occurring in other parts of town where properties in particular areas are in high demand.

As for summer rentals this season in Wainscott and Sagaponack, there are mixed reports. Mr. Brennan said this year's rentals were "on par" with last year's. He said that average summer rentals range from $25,000 to $55,000 but that monthly rentals, especially for August, were off.

Plenty Of Rentals

Mr. McCoy was not as optimistic, saying that rentals "have not been good this year." He said there was quite a stock of rentals still available and that some renters have had to settle for less money or shorter-term leases.

Mr. Leonard said there are still plenty of rentals available, even though the busy Memorial Day weekend has passed, and that the prices are dropping.

"People who haven't rented now are calling and saying 'I'll take July, I'll take August,' which is something they haven't done before," said Mr. Leonard.

Buck Starts Here

By most reports it was standing room only in Montauk over the Memorial Day weekend. Restaurant owners and motel managers alike reported brisk business throughout the weekend. And because rainy weather cheated visitors out of Sunday, many lingered on Monday, generating a profitable weekend overall.

"It was much better than last year," said Jean Gamba, a front-desk receptionist of the Ocean Beach Motel. Ms. Gamba said reservations for the rest of the summer also seemed to be up compared to last year's.

Renee Alversa, manager of the Born Free Motel, agreed. "We had a wonderful weekend," she said. The Born Free is almost booked for the entire summer. "And they're long stays," Ms. Alversa said, "not just a night or two here and there."

Don't Go, Rain!

The Royal Atlantic Motel, which sits on an ocean dune in downtown Montauk, is already 80 percent booked for the summer, according to Anthony Kalimnios, the owner. He said 150 of 162 rooms were occupied on Memorial Day weekend. "Now we just need the weather," Mr. Kalimnios added.

Restaurants and shop owners may be the only ones who appreciate rainy days. Jim Hewitt, who owns the Shagwong Tavern, had to call employees in earlier than scheduled on Sunday to keep up with the demand of hungry customers. "Because of the rain it was as busy during the day as we usually are at night," he said.

Roberta Gosman Donovan, whose family owns Gosman's restaurant, also claimed a good weekend "in spite of the rain." Waiting lines for a table during the day and evening were as long as an hour, she said.

Bernadette Castanza of the Montauk Beach Store confirmed that the weekend had been good to her. Since this was the shopkeeper's first year in business, however, she had little to compare it to.

If the weekend was any indication of what's to come, it may be time to hang out the Help Wanted signs!

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend trips an alarm in the brain of the part-time gardener, the same way the Friday after Thanksgiving does with Christmas shoppers. Break from the gate, urges some inner signal, it's time to plant - and whammo, they're off and running toward the petunias.

The nurseries are never better stocked than on that morning; the only problem is finding a place to park and a little red wagon to bear away the spoils.

Plant sales abound, too. The East Hampton Library had to cancel its Memorial Day book sale this year because of construction, but nothing could stop the annual plant sale on the library's back lawn.

Exotic Treasures

Because this is no ordinary town, that is no ordinary event. In among the hanging begonia baskets and the flats of Early Girl tomatoes generously donated by local nurseries can be found some treasures that you would not normally see except in a botanic garden or a private greenhouse.

Several members of the Garden Club of East Hampton, which runs the plant sale for the benefit of the library, do indeed rejoice in their own greenhouses. One such is Sue Bullock, the mother of former Town Supervisor Tony, who during the winter months grows hard-to-find vegetables and flowers for her own use and that of a few lucky plant-sale early birds.

A potted pelargonium purchased at her booth three or four years ago has more than repaid its $4 or $5 cost in interest - the cliff-hanging kind. It is a toss-up every winter whether this little geranium, called Vancouver Centennial, will make it through to spring. By March it is denuded of all but two or three leaves, yet by August, after a summer on the screen porch, it has triumphed over adversity once again.

(Night)Shades Of Umbria

The flowers are sparse and don't look like much. It's the rarity of the thing and the challenge of its precarious survival that matters. And, of course, its local roots.

Last year Mrs. Bullock had some exotic tomato seedlings, greenhouse-grown old-fashioned varieties and foreign ones, that were too intriguing to resist. Imagine picking your own Italian plum tomatoes just once removed from an Umbrian hillside.

Unfortunately, the results were not what could have been hoped for. The French tomatoes, not pumped full of preservatives or whatever it is their American cousins have, succumbed to root rot and the Italian ones to blossom-end blight. The cool summer didn't help any.

Improved Impatiens

One item that sold out early on Saturday was New Guinea impatiens, a large, lush variety that seems to be replacing the old-fashioned kind in the affections of suburban America. They were snatched up by the flatful, like so many Beanie Babies.

Whoever hit on the idea of hybridizing New Guineas for the commercial market really did build a better mousetrap. They're bigger and bushier than grandma's Busy Lizzies, they come in more colors from delicate to flamboyant, and, best of all, they groom themselves.

In that way, they resemble cats. The everyday garden variety, on the other hand, are doglike, shedding bits and pieces all over the place.

I like dogs more than cats and heirloom plants better than modern introductions, but I have to admit I prefer New Guinea impatiens to the commonplace kind. For one thing, seen from far away in a planter or basket, they are so much more eye-catching.

It's like the "Anything You Can Do . . ." song from "Annie Get Your Gun": They can fill it better.

Turtle Crossing

221 Pantigo Road

East Hampton

324-7166

At present open for dinner Thursday through Monday and lunch Saturday and Sunday; also takeout.

     Having eaten before at Turtle Crossing (what a great name!) I knew that you can expect generous portions of high-calorie food. So my fellow diners and I had eaten very lightly on the day we went there.

     That was a mistake, because we arrived hungry and judgment-impaired - a state not helped by a round of very good margaritas.

     Turtle Crossing's exciting Southwestern menu turned out to be full of new dishes that begged to be tried, and although we restricted ourselves to three appetizers divided among five, we still over-ordered wildly. ("They have the best corn bread, we have to have some of that." "We can't eat Southwestern without trying the guacamole.")

Wide Range Of Options

     The prices range all over the map - you can eat cheaply or you can eat expensively, depending on what you order and whether you share dishes.

     Roughly, the appetizers range from $3.50 for spicy french fries to about $10 for chili-seared shrimp (which comes with guacamole, salsa, corn relish, greens, and tortillas). For an entree you could have a quarter chicken with cornbread and two side dishes for $7.90 or any one of a number of interesting wraps for a few dimes more, or you could have a steak for as much as $22.90.

     There are also plenty of salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, and a children's menu.

Giant Hush Puppies

     To start your meal, the crunchy blue corn oysters cannot be recommended too highly. They are served with a very interesting homemade tomato jam and a little spicy triangular sandwich of corn kernel cake filled with goat cheese. If you have a cooling romance, share a plate of these oysters - it's more than enough for two - and you'll leave like ravening beasts.

     We also tried the jalapeno cheddar cheese hush puppies ($5.90) and this dish, seriously, is enough for four. Golf ball-sized, crunchy, fun, and served with spicy garlic aioli, these should be called jalapeno cheddar cheese Saint Bernards.

     And of course we tried the corn bread (and it is indeed the best on the East End) and the guacamole (very simple, very good) and the salsa (excellent).

Woodsmoke And Wraps

     And somewhere along the line someone had sneaked in an order for two cobs of char-grilled corn, coated in parmesan cheese and chili powder. Try it - it's great.

     We could have stopped there - we'd certainly eaten enough. But another round of margaritas and we rallied for the next course.

     Turtle Crossing is known for its woodsmoked barbecue. The ribs ($16.50) were about as good as ribs get but the pulled pork ($13.90) beat them by a nose and was judged best entree of the evening.

     The wraps are based on everything from lobster or steak to chicken or curried vegetables or, believe it or not, Peking duck. We couldn't resist trying that. It was only $8.50 and the huge portion - bursting with duck, black beans, quinoa, fresh spinach, hot corn relish, scallions, and hoisin sauce - was deliciously interesting.

Notable Side Dishes

     Also good, though a wee bit tough, was the large helping of chicken-fried sirloin steak ($14.90). The only disappointment of the evening was the tuna burger, which was a bit dull and whose ginger mustard glaze was too cloying. But this may well have been in comparison to the other, more exciting, dishes.

     The side dishes are not just afterthoughts or plate decoration - the broccoli was just right, the baked beans were rich, the spicy french fries are a great idea, and the garlic mashed potatoes would have been fine if they had been hot and not lukewarm.

Proceed With Caution

     And can you believe we ordered a dessert? It's just that it sounded so good. The hazelnut praline cheesecake came beautifully presented with three strawberries cut like fans and pollocked with melted chocolate. It surpassed its description.

     Turtle Crossing is a funky, no-tablecloth place with funny signs and Southwesternish decor. To get to the dining room you pass through the take out food area and the bar, where you can also eat. The food is \ g-o-o-o-d.

     But remember, you'll be tempted to eat too much. Try to keep a tight curb on your greed or, as I did, you'll have a bitter encounter with the bathroom scale the next morning.

The raising of Norman Edwards's small dragger over the weekend was a carefully orchestrated community effort that participants said reflected the respect held for the 76-year-old fisherman, who died on May 16 when his boat capsized in wind-whipped Gardiner's Bay.

On Saturday, the Little Robert E lay upside down less than a quarter mile off the beach near Hog Creek. The crew of the 41-foot patrol boat from the Montauk Coast Guard station attached a line to the overturned boat in an attempt to stabilize her enough for East Hampton Town Police divers to place air-filled 55-gallon drums beneath the hull.

Because of the swells, they could not get the boat stable enough, however, and the salvaging effort was suspended until Monday.

Pulled Ashore

Also on Saturday, the East Hampton Hazardous Materials Team placed absorbent booms around the vessel to corral the little bit of oil that had escaped. None washed onto the beach, harbormasters reported.

On Monday volunteers began attaching lines to the boat beginning at 6 a.m. Two bulldozers supplied by Carmine DiSunno arrived an hour later and were successful in pulling the Little Robert E ashore.

The boat was pumped dry, refloated, and towed into Three Mile Harbor. The Little Robert E was finally placed on a trailer at about 2 p.m. Monday. Gordon Vorpahl towed it to Mr. Edwards's house on Atlantic Avenue in Amagansett. Volunteers said great care was taken not to damage the vessel.

Community Effort

"I hate to name individuals because I don't want to leave anyone out. It was a community effort. There were a lot of people involved. It was really great," Capt. Norman Edwards Jr., the drowned fisherman's son, said on Tuesday.

The fisherman's grandson who graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last year is named Jonathan Baker. He was misidentified in last week's obituary of Captain Edwards.

The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee completed this year's town election picture at its annual convention yesterday, nominating Job Potter of Amagansett and Lisa Grenci of Montauk to run for Town Board and Cathy Lester to seek re-election as Supervisor.

The Democrats last night also nominated a full slate of Town Trustee candidates and backed the Democratic incumbents - Town Justice Catherine Cahill, Town Clerk Fred Yardley, and Town Highway Superintendent Christopher Russo - for the upcoming November elections.

Though Mr. Potter, a four-year member of the Town Planning Board, had been an expected pick for a Town Board seat, the nomination of Ms. Grenci represents an interesting twist on the ticket.

Registered Republican

Ms. Grenci, an activist with Montauk causes such as the Stop the Ferry Group, Tuthill Road Association, and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, is a registered Republican, long associated with the local party.

During the turmoil within the town G.O.P. surrounding the 1995 elections, Ms. Grenci even ran for a seat on the Town Republican Committee - with the goal of unseating its chairman, Perry (Chip) Duryea 3d.

Deciding to seek a Town Board seat this year, Ms. Grenci first approached the Republicans. Her disputes with the Duryea family over the closure of Tuthill Road and, more recently, the Duryeas' plans to expand their restaurant and seafood business, rendered her an unlikely pick, however, for the G.O.P. She screened with the committee, but was turned down.

A separate story involving Ms. Grenci and Mr. Duryea appears on the back page.

Switching Parties

"I had planned on screening with the Democrats," Ms. Grenci said yesterday, "but before that, I wanted to settle things with the Republicans. . . . Obviously I wasn't going to get in, but I was going through the motions." Ms. Grenci sent out her form this week to switch her registration to Democratic.

"It's not uncommon for people to switch, when they discover their party isn't in sync with what they believe in," said Christopher Kelley, town Democratic chairman, who gave Supervisor Lester as an example. Ms. Lester was originally a Republican.

Mr. Kelley said that the committee was looking for someone to represent Montauk and liked Ms. Grenci's activism in environmental and civic groups there. Montauk representation became an issue in the 1995 election, with both the G.O.P. and the Democrats running candidates from the hamlet. Roberta Gosman Donovan, who ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic line, had been a possible pick to run again.

Ms. Grenci, the wife of Town Police Officer Tom Grenci, works as a real estate broker with Blue Bay Realty in Amagansett. A mother of two, she also runs Montauk Home Surveillance, a 30-year-old house-watching service in Montauk.

In a written statement about her candidacy, she said her goal was "to be a voice for environmentalists, locals, and blue-collar workers and for Montauk in general."

Ms. Grenci announced yesterday that she would step down as president of C.C.O.M., saying, "I don't want to mix the business of protecting the environment with politics." She will be replaced by the current vice president, Bill Akin, as acting president.

The Democrats' other nominee for Town Board, Job Potter, is no stranger to the political realm, having twice run for a seat on the Town Trustees. In his four years on the Town Planning Board, Mr. Potter has taken firm stands in favor of environmental protection and open space preservation. He said he would seek to do the same with a seat on the Town Board.

"I really think I've reached the point where I have something to contribute to town government," he said yesterday.

He elaborated in a written statement to the press. "As interesting, rewarding, and frustrating as the Planning Board can be, it is largely a reactive body, more like a panel of judges. I am eager to move up to the Town Board, where the future can be shaped," he said.

Property taxes and development pressures, Mr. Potter said, were crucial issues in this election and in the near future. "I see future home density as a critical threat to the town's well-being, with the cost to cap or mine the landfill as the greatest economic threat," Mr. Potter said. He said he "strongly" supported the town's upzoning plans.

Fiscal Matters

If elected, Mr. Potter said he would focus on fiscal matters such as the town landfill, and planning and environmental issues such as groundwater protection, creating affordable housing, and streamlining the planning review process.

A real-estate appraiser with Clark and Marshall Appraisers in East Hampton, Mr. Potter is the father of two. He lives at the Stony Hill Farm on Town Lane, Amagansett, and has been involved in dividing his family's large holdings in the area, preserving significant amounts of farmland through the Peconic Land Trust in the process.

Majority At Stake

Mr. Kelley said the two candidates, along with Supervisor Lester, make for "an outstanding ticket. We're delighted to have two very vibrant young people, one from Montauk, one from Amagansett. . . . Both bring an interesting combination of knowledge in real estate and business and also the environment."

Mr. Potter and Ms. Grenci will be running for two Town Board openings. Town Councilman Thomas Knobel is leaving his seat to run for Supervisor against the incumbent, Ms. Lester, and Councilwoman Nancy McCaffrey is running to keep the seat she has held for two terms. The G.O.P. held its convention two weeks ago.

At stake in this year's election is the Republican majority on the Town Board. With the election two years ago of Councilman Knobel and Councilman Len Bernard, the G.O.P. won its first majority on the board in 14 years.

G.O.P. Actions

The majority has used its regained power by voting to reorganize the Town Natural Resources Department, effecting changes at the town's recycling center, attempting to give the Town Trustees more authority, and appointing Republicans to several key positions.

Mr. Kelley said the Democrats' campaign would "address what we consider the arrogance of the Republican majority." He pointed to the majority's attempts to relocate Ms. Lester from her office at Town Hall.

"Can you imagine if we had tried to kick Mary Fallon out of her office?" he asked, referring to the town's last Republican Supervisor.

The majority's plans to grant more power to the traditionally Republican Town Trustees would be a key issue in the campaign, Mr. Kelley predicted.

"Power Grab"

"They're not happy with the Town Board majority, now they're trying to set up a shadow government," he said, calling the proposal a "power grab."

The Democrats have fared poorly in recent Town Trustee elections, gaining only one seat in the past several years. The holder of that seat, Harold Bennett of Amagansett, will run again.

The other Democratic nominees for Trustee this year are Richard Lester of Amagansett, a bayman; Frank Kennedy of Springs, the town code enforcement officer and former town harbormaster; Mary Gardiner of East Hampton; Pete Kromer of Amagansett, a bayman; Martin Bennett of Amagansett, office manager of Miller Fuel; Barry Leach of East Hampton, an air traffic controller at Islip Airport; Rick Rozos of East Hampton, an attorney and a Democratic Committeeman, and Eric Brown of East Hampton, an attorney whose family owns the John Papas Cafe and a Democratic Committeeman.

Overton A Shoo-In

The Democrats have renominated all their incumbents in other positions. The Town Clerk, Fred Yardley, will run against the G.O.P. nominee, Edwina Cook, a Wainscott accountant, in a bid to retain his seat.

Town Administrative Justice Catherine Cahill will vie to keep her seat against Robert Savage, the town attorney, and the Town Highway Superintendent Christopher Russo will run for a second time against the Republican nominee, James Bennett.

The Democrats did not choose a candidate to challenge the Town Assessor Fred Overton, a Republican who is seeking his third term.

At Mercy Of The Sea

Montauk

May 26, 1997

To The Editor:

It is with all the sincerity and respect in the world that I write this letter on behalf of the men and women of the Montauk Coast Guard station.

I have lived in Montauk over 30 years, and, along with my mother and father, I have run a family boatyard and boat rental business. My family has witnessed many storms and tragedies and has always had the highest respect for the Montauk Coast Guard station for the many times they have had to go out in the worst of conditions to respond to a call of someone in distress.

I've never called a mayday in my life, until May 16. A friend and I were caught in a storm 10 miles east-northeast of the Montauk Lighthouse, in a 23-foot Seacraft that took a beating from cresting 10 to 12-foot waves. We got to within five miles of the light when increasing winds and wave heights broke on my boat. The engine went under, and we were at the mercy of the sea. There was not a boat in sight, as my friend, Bob Bushman, and I ran to the bow hoping to counterbalance the water in the submerged stern of the boat.

Now broadside to intensifying waves and winds and holding tight to the bow railing, we radioed in a mayday to the Coast Guard. They immediately responded by radio, and, not knowing at what moment we were going to be overturned, I gave my approximate location and situation. They kept in contact and comforted us by letting us know they were under way.

They had other distress calls at the same time. For the next 20 minutes, we sat there, not knowing if we were going to make it. Their constant communication comforted us somewhat. Their 44-footer reached us in seas that were too rough for them to take us aboard. We secured a line, and the two-and-a-half-hour tow home, at three knots, began.

During this time, three young girls in a sailboat were rescued about five miles east of us, and my friend's father lost his life, when his 38-foot boat capsized near Lion Head Rock, by East Hampton.

I do not know how my boat wasn't rolled over by the waves, and I, in retrospect, do not know how the 44 and its crew got to us so fast. Hearing them, seeing them, and then being with them was a feeling of comfort you could only know if you were in our shoes.

Many things change over the years, but these two things haven't and never will. That is, first, the dedication, skill, and responsiveness of the members of Montauk Coast Guard Station, and, second, my family's respect for them.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

HENRY UIHLEIN

The Eunuch Party

East Hampton

May 22, 1997

Dear Mrs. Rattray,

Whew! it was a close call, but the Air Force has saved me from Kelly Flinn.

They are right. We cannot afford to have an adulterer with a finger on the nuclear button.

Thanks to our courageous Air Force, this is no longer a danger.

I am particularly grateful to the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Donald Fogelman, who made it clear to the nation and his underlings who would serve as judges on any court martial that he already knew Lieutenant Flinn to be guilty as charged. I can only hope that, in similar moments of national peril, Chief Justice Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court will find within himself the same courage to express his opinion on the guilt or innocence of persons awaiting trial in civilian courts.

The morality of our country has sunk to a new low. We need such leadership.

Goodness gracious me, have we been lucky. What about our known-to-have-been-adulterous Presidents, Kennedy and Johnson? Their finger was on the nuclear button too. Really on it. And we have survived nearly five years of Clinton with only three, at the most, to go.

But we must not relax our vigilance. There is a solution. The Eunuch Party. Only certified eunuchs and clitororeductives will be allowed higher office or to serve in the Air Force, though exceptions might be made for people past the age of 85 so long as they do not come from Sag Harbor, where there is known to be a lot of zinc in the water.

During its first week in office, the Eunuch Party will issue an executive order to destroy all memorials to past leaders who are known to have been sack-hoppers. They will therefore blow up the Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt Memorials, and whatever happens to be around for Harding, Cleveland, and those guys. Then, with our reliable all-eunuch Air Force we will nuke England, France, Russia, Pakistan, Israel, China, and any other nuclear nation whose leaders are non-eunuch and therefore not to be trusted with their fingers on the nuclear button.

Sincerely,

RICHARD ROSENTHAL

Letter Home From Boynton Beach

May 22, 1997

Dear Editor,

Conclusion

In the '20s, when Prohibition was the law of the land, a new form of entertainment and relaxation commenced to creep in the homes of America. It was called radio. Estimated sales, in the early years of the decade, were over $60 million. By 1929, they had soared to over $800 million.

The first radio that I recall listening to was a crystal set assembled by Uncle Everett, Father's younger brother. As it did not have a speaker, we took turns listening through an earphone. The static, at times, was horrendous, making reception difficult to comprehend. The sound vacillated. First, it was so faint, it could barely be heard, and then suddenly, it would peak to a crescendo. Nevertheless, we listened, for on the morrow we wanted to boast that we had received KDKA, Pittsburgh, WLS, Chicago, WPG, Atlantic City, or WGY, Schenectady.

In a short time, radios with built-in speakers became the rage, causing radio sales to steadily increase. Shortly, radios, installed within attractive cabinets, became part of the living room furniture arrangement. In the beginning, the broadcasting of music played an important role in promoting radio sales and would continue up through the Hit Parade years. Phonograph sales boomed as recordings of popular songs, first heard over the airwaves, increased. With nearly everybody humming or whistling the popular tunes of the day, hand-cranked 78 R.P.M. phonographs began to enter many households.

In our home, we listened, among others, to recordings of Paul Whiteman's "Three O'Clock in the Morning," Irving Berlin's "Always," "What'll I Do," and "All Alone." Who, of the folks who recall those years, can forget Frank Crumit's recording of "Ramona," or Gene Austin's "My Blue Heaven"?

Sad ballads, such as "The Death of Floyd Collins," "Wreck of Old 97," and "The Prisoner's Song," were very popular in the mid-'20s. The granddaddy of all the ballad singers was Henry Burr. Often, my cousin, Bob Rickett, and I would reminisce about the times we would snicker at our dear Grandmother Hawkins, as she wiped away the tears while she listened to Henry Burr's rendition of "The Baggage Coach Ahead," or John McCormack's recording of "Mother McCree."

Although radio became a part of our lives, we did not become shut-ins. People continued to visit each other in the evenings and went to the silent movies and early talkies.

Television had a different and greater impact because people, once home, rarely left the house after dinner. They seemed to have become mesmerized with the tube, despite faulty reception.

One Friday night in early '48, I went to Cavagnaro's Bar to watch a Friday night fight coming from Madison Square Garden via Channel 6 in New Haven. After the bout was under way, Mrs. Cavagnaro came in and looked for a moment or two at the set.

She turned and said to George, her son, "Those two men must be crazy."

"What do you mean, Mama? That's a boxing match we're watching," he responded.

"Any two men who would fight in a snowstorm have to be crazy," she added.

Another pastime, which I enjoyed immensely, was going to the East Hampton Free Library. In an era when television lay far in the future, there wasn't much for a young person to do in the evening other than to read or listen to the radio. Most school kids went to the movies only on Saturday afternoons. The cold months, November through April, were called the quiet months, because most boys and girls remained at home in the evenings, except on every other Friday night, when the girls and boys basketball teams played at home.

Usually, I read until bedtime, and if the book was exceptionally interesting, I'd read by flashlight beneath the bed covers. In our home, when it was time for "lights out," lights were extinguished, and there were no ifs, ands, or buts.

Library hours, back then, were from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. We were allowed to borrow three books for a period of two weeks. If overdue, a fine of one cent was levied on each book for each day overdue. Rain, snow, or blow did not prevent me from going to the library.

In the late '20s, when I commenced to go to the library, Miss Ettie Hedges was the librarian. Miss Hedges graduated from East Hampton High School in 1895, with May Conklin, Mary G. Strong, Bessie Gay, and Edmund Tillinghast. She became librarian in the summer of 1898, and continued into the '50s, long after her marriage to Morton Pennypacker.

Mr. Pennypacker was a noted Long Island historian and spent his time in the Long Island room of the library. He is credited for discovering the identity of Gen. George Washington's principal spy in the New York City area, Samuel Culper Jr. Culper was really Robert Townsend, a prominent resident of Manhattan and highly respected by the British, who were occupying the city. Washington did not know Culper's true identity, nor did he want to.

Samuel Culper Sr. was a rebel spy, who operated the Secret Road, which was a route from Manhattan through Brooklyn and on to the Hempstead Plains. From there, the road continued to Miller Place, and across Long Island Sound, in whaleboats to Connecticut. Culper Sr. was the code name for Abraham Woodhull. Bruce Lancaster wrote an interesting fictional account of that Long Island network in his book "The Secret Road."

Grace Miller and Florence Mulford, sisters of Maude Miller and Cortland Mulford, respectively, worked in the library for many years, where they added an old-fashioned charm to an already charming establishment.

At times, the library was so quiet, the silence was deafening, that is, until after Miss Hedges became Mrs. Pennypacker. On afternoons, while people were browsing through books, and the library was as quiet as a tomb, the silence and serenity was shattered by Mr. Pennypacker shouting at the top of his voice, "ETTIE!" Almost immediately, footsteps would be heard hastening to the Long Island Room. Oh, what memorable days of my boyhood and youth.

If there had been a good snowfall, the kids would bring out their Flexible Flyers and other brand-name sleds and go to DeWitt Talmage's hill next to the railroad tracks, near the North Main Street trestle. Another nice place, equally as good, was the hill behind Stanley Bennett's house on Cedar Street. Some of the more daring boys and girls went to Oakview Highway to slide from the Miller Lane East intersection to the Three Mile Harbor Road. Traffic, back then, was not a problem as it is today, and none of the boys and girls were ever injured.

Drivers of automobiles were more courteous and forgiving and honked car horns less frequently 60 to 70 years ago than today. During those years, Ed Sherrill, a local dairyman, would drive a herd of cows from his dairy on Springs Road, down North Main Street to Cedar Street. Then he'd herd them up Cedar Street to his Cooper Lane pasture, where the new section of Cedar Lawn Cemetery is today, or to his other pasture on the north side of Cedar Street near Cooper Lane. At 3:30 p.m. he would herd them back to his barn to be milked.

Can anyone imagine what would happen today? Why, the horns would be blowing, the cows running everywhere, and poor Ed going nearly crazy, trying to keep his herd from stampeding. People would be threatening him with lawsuits because he was denying them their constitutional rights. Poor Ed would be in a pickle with no way out. The old-timers gave little thought to the delay. It was just another day in their lives.

When heavy rains fell on frozen ground and formed ponds in the fields, often they would freeze over. Ice skaters took advantage of their good fortune and enjoyed a day or two of skating and an attempt at a few games of hockey. Usually, though, a thaw would come within a day or two, ending ice skating, until the next big rain and subsequent freeze, which did not occur all that frequently.

In the middle to late '30s, the Neighborhood House sponsored activity nights for local men, women, boys, and girls. Wednesday nights were reserved for the boys. We played basketball, pinochle, shot a few games of pool, and read in the small reading room. To some, the main attraction was playing the player-piano. There were a fair number of music rolls of popular songs from the middle teens to the early '30s. One person, happy-go-lucky Morris Hettiger, loved to play those old songs. His favorite was "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby." My, how he could make those pedals jump, as he played that song. Today, when I hear that song, I think of Morris and those long ago Wednesday evenings at the Neighborhood House.

Miss Josephine Oberhauser, known by all as Miss "O," was mistress of the Neighborhood House for many years. She supervised all the girls and boys activities and went with the girls on hikes to Maidstone Park and Springy Banks. She was a stern disciplinarian, but gentle in her demeanor.

Looking back over the years, I believe the 1938 Hurricane did more to destroy the physical beauty of East Hampton's Main Street than any other single factor, including the Dutch Elm disease. In a matter of a few short hours, the tempest destroyed 139 stately elm trees on Main Street, from Woods Lane to Hook Mill Green. Prior to that awful and unforgettable day, Main Street was a huge arched roadway, as majestic elms, on both sides of the broad thoroughfare, extended their huge limbs and leafy branches to form a shaded corridor. Each time a person entered East Hampton at Woods Lane and Town Pond and proceeded slowly toward Hook Mill, he was overwhelmed with the magnificence he beheld. Never was there a more lovely entrance to a village in this vast land. It is too bad that people who have made East Hampton their home since that terrible day were not among those who have perceived the elegance and grace that once dominated East Hampton's historical district.

East Hampton's beauty did not occur wholly as a result of a natural phenomenon. The early settlers, through some form of foresight, laid out a wide thoroughfare and adequate-sized lots which fronted on each side. Later generations planted the magnificent elms that graced each side after they had attained maturity. In 1895, a group of conscientious and civic-minded ladies came forth and founded the Ladies Village Improvement Society. It proved to be an instrument that was necessary to nurture the elegance that reached its fullness just prior to that fateful day in September 1938. Each time, as I walked along the dirt walkway on the west side of Main Street on my way to the library, I could not help but be awed by its beauty. Each walk in itself made going to the library worthwhile.

One of the most important reasons why East Hampton was such a wonderful place to grow up was its large number of friendly, ordinary, and down-to-earth residents. Most of them were hard-working and honest. Their names were their bond, and a handshake sealed a bargain. Back then, no one was running to a lawyer to sue his neighbor for the slightest infraction.

It was a pleasure to walk the village streets, knowing nearly everyone who passed you by. Family life was solid, even through difficult times, such as those of the Great Depression. As a result of strong family ties, the nation prospered, which was one of the reasons why the country was so closely united during the days of World War II. "Single parent" was an expression never heard, although some single parents did exist. When the majority of the kids came from school, their mothers were at home to greet them. We were fortunate to have been so blessed. Most boys and girls of that era credit their mothers for guiding them through difficult as well as happy times. That guidance enabled them to become responsible adults.

I feel extremely grateful to have grown up in such a wonderful, pleasant, and amiable environment. Those plain, friendly, and charitable people, now long dead, made East Hampton such an exceptional community. We learned to think well, and what we did was, for the most part, innocent and honest. It was good wholesome fun and laughter. Perhaps the most pleasant sound to be heard in this world is the laughter of happy children.

When we arrived home from school, we changed into old clothing before going out to play, for we were lucky to have more than one change of school clothes. Many kids were seen with patches on their school clothes, as well as on their play clothes, but they didn't care, for life was sweet to them.

I have described living in East Hampton, as I remember it, during my boyhood and youthful years of the '20s and '30s. I do not believe a better community existed for a youngster to grow up in. Bitter recollections are few and mostly forgotten, but the rich and sweet memories of those happy years remain.

Sincerely,

NORTON (BUCKET) DANIELS

This letter concludes Mr. Daniels's series about his boyhood in East Hampton, but readers who have enjoyed his recollections need not despair. He has promised to continue the history lessons with his memories of World War II and the effects of its aftermath on his hometown.

At this juncture, however, it is time to correct a few typographical errors that have crept into Mr. Daniels's letters. In the May 1 Star, Lewis Seitz was misidentified as Lewis Spitz. Louis Ialacci's clothing store was in the Barney Panzer building, not the Pander building, on Newtown Lane. In the May 15 Star, a typographical error greatly exaggerated the 17 flat tires an unfortunate motorist suffered while on a Sunday drive. And Mr. Daniels wished to clarify that Two Holes of Water Road, where he and his friends went to cut a Christmas tree, was a two-rut wagon path as all roads in Northwest Woods were at that time. Ed.

Two candidates who opposed each other for an Amagansett School Board seat last week have appealed to the State Commissioner of Education in Albany for a ruling on the election, after two disqualified absentee ballots were found to have been mishandled, possibly affecting the outcome.

The full School Board has joined Lucy Muhlfeld Kazickas and Rick Slater in asking Commissioner Rich ard Mills to determine whether the results of the election are valid, and, if not, to propose a course of action.

Meanwhile, the seat remains in limbo. Mr. Slater had been declared the winner, with 225 votes to Ms. Kazickas's 222.

Absentee Ballots

Two hundred votes were cast in the voting booths for Ms. Kazickas in the May 20 race, and 201 for Mr. Slater. Election inspectors tallied an additional 48 absentee ballots. Two of those, however, were deemed unacceptable, as they were not returned in the official envelopes bearing names and addresses able to be matched up with the voter registration roll.

Patrick Bistrian Jr., the acting head of the School Board, told an emergency meeting of the board the following night that the two disqualified ballots had inadvertently been mingled with the 46 valid ones. It is not known whom they were for.

When election inspectors discovered the mistake, they randomly withdrew two ballots from the absentee pile. Both of those ballots were votes for Ms. Kazickas.

Mathematical Scenarios

Cheryl Bloecker, clerk of the School District, said questions were raised when she and Superintendent George Aman discussed the results later that evening. Dr. Aman, whose area of expertise is mathematics, reviewed the possible scenarios and realized that one could have resulted in a victory for Ms. Kazickas.

If the two original invalid ballots that were voided were for Ms. Kazickas, the results would remain as announced.

If one of them had been for Ms. Kazickas and one for Mr. Slater, Mr. Slater would remain the winner, though by a margin of only one vote, not three.

But if the two disqualified votes were Mr. Slater's, the election would have ended with Ms. Kazickas the victor, with 224 votes over Mr. Slater's 223.

Mr. Bistrian said last week that by referring to the absentee voter registry and by process of elimination, the identity of the two voters could be determined, and it could be deduced that both votes were probably for Mr. Slater, meaning Ms. Kazickas would have won.

The Last Five-Year Term

The election inspectors were said to have based their action on Education Law No. 2018A, which states that if there are more absentee ballots than envelopes (on which voters sign a declaration of their eligibility to vote), ballots should be randomly withdrawn until the numbers correspond.

According to Mary Ellen Clark of the New York State Office of Educational Management Services, the inspectors "did everything that was logical" after discovering the mistake.

When the "certified vote count" was announced, Mr. Slater was said to have won the last five-year term on the School Board. A resolution decreasing future terms from five years to three was overwhelmingly endorsed by voters, 334-56.

Ms. Kazickas was notified of thesituation the same night. A meeting was held the next morning among John Courtney, the School District's attorney, Mr. Bistrian, and Mr. Slater; Ms. Kazickas was invited but did not attend.

Mr. Courtney said he could find "no precedents" for the situation.

The remainder of the board and the public learned of the problem at the emergency meeting that evening. Mr. Bistrian, who is Mr. Slater's father-in-law, said, "I feel uncomfortable with the outcome as to how the absentees were handled."

"I don't feel that the board is empowered to make the decision one way or the other," Mr. Bistrian continued. He called for an investiga tion by Commissioner Mills, who is the final authority in school board election disputes. The board un animously agreed.

If the board and the candidates present Mr. Mills with an "agreed statement of facts," a decision might be rendered more quickly than in the case of an "adversarial challenge," counseled Mr. Courtney.

Even so, said Mr. Courtney, the Commissioner might require that Ms. Kazickas, considered the "aggrieved party," challenge the election to trigger an investigation.

With 30 days to file a petition but desiring to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, the board reviewed a draft of a letter to Mr. Mills detailing the events at another meeting last Thursday night, and asked for both candidates' approval of it.

"She's calling the shots," said Mr. Slater of Ms. Kazickas. "She's the one in a position to challenge. . . . I agree, let the man decide."

Just The Facts, Please

After some discussion, a paragraph telling the Commissioner that "we believe we can accurately identify the two voters whose ballots were originally voided . . . ." and that "it is possible both votes were for Mr. Slater" was deleted from the letter.

"We should just announce the facts, without speculation as to where the votes came from," said Mr. Bistrian. "If we lay it all out, we're helping in the decision-making."

"Keep in mind that we're going to have to follow to the letter of the law [the Commissioner's] instructions," he cautioned.

"Isn't that what the law is about. . . isn't that what we're about?" said Joan Plachy, a board member.

The letter was faxed to the Education Commissioner in Albany on Friday.

Appointment

In fact, both candidates stand a chance of sitting on the board, which must appoint someone to fill out the remaining year of George Eichhorn's term. Mr. Eichhorn, the former board president, resigned last month.

"We heard from the community last night," said Mr. Bistrian, suggesting that the board may not need to conduct interviews for the appointment, as had been expected, but could instead simply appoint the losing candidate.

"Maybe we can resolve this in-house," Mr. Bistrian suggested.

Turning to Ms. Kazickas, he asked, "Do you want to start from scratch, or are you willing to take the appointment term?"

"My feeling is it should go to the Commissioner," Ms. Kazickas re plied.

Interviews Postponed

Aside from losing out on a five-year seat, the appointee would have to run for re-election next year.

"Are we talking about a moral victory here or are we talking about whose ego's going to be damaged?" asked Dan Gualtieri, another board member. "I'd like to go to the Commissioner, but I'd like to know that we're in agreement that we're going to appoint the, quote, 'loser.' "

"With that kind of support for both candidates," said the board member Jack Emptage, "somebody would have to walk across the ocean for me to choose them."

Though the board can choose "any reasonable process" to fill the slot, according to Mr. Courtney, it agreed last Thursday to interview, after all, potential candidates who have already submitted their names.

The process, however, must wait until Mr. Mills makes his decision, meaning it could take months before the interviews start.

Three-Member Board?

With no newly elected member and with the appointment process on hold, the board's number will dwindle to three upon Mr. Bistrian's scheduled retirement July 1.

A short-term appointment could be made to avoid that, or Mr. Bistrian could stay on until new members are in place. Mr. Bistrian was asked last week if he would consider extending his 30 years of service. "If I have to," he said.

Compounding the never-a-dull-moment mode, the board met with its attorney last week in executive session to discuss "litigation related to a board member" and "matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person or corporation" - two subjects that may legitimately be discussed in closed session under the State Open Meetings Law.

There was another development this week in the long-running dispute between Martha Stewart and Harry Macklowe, high-profile neighbors on Georgica Close Road in East Hampton. A landscaper working for Mr. Macklowe, a New York City developer, has complained to East Hampton Village police that Ms. Stewart backed her car into him on the night of May 21, pinning him against a gate.

Ms. Stewart, the homemaking authority and television personality, had not been charged with any crime as of press time. Village Police Chief Glen Stonemetz said, however, that an investigation was continuing and indicated that Ms. Stewart would be arrested sometime next week.

She is expected to be charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing, said the chief. In a "worst-case" scenario, he said, a charge of assault could be lodged.

Bruised On The Hip

Police learned of the incident just after noon last Thursday in a telephone call from Michael Walsh, Mr. Macklowe's Water Mill attorney. Chief Stonemetz would not release the name of the landscaper who later filed the complaint, though Newsday has identified him as Matthew Munnich, an employee of Whitmore Worsley in Amagansett. Mr. Munnich could not be reached by phone.

The chief said the complainant was bruised on the hip in the alleged incident, but did not go to the hospital. Mr. Stonemetz said there was "a whole list of complaints that we're investigating."

Police have refused to release the complaint, citing the ongoing investigation.

Unintentional

According to published reports, which Chief Stonemetz would neither confirm nor deny, on the night of May 21 Ms. Stewart drove into the driveway of Mr. Macklowe's property, where landscapers were said to be erecting a fence.

Words were apparently exchanged, and then, the complaint alleges, in backing up her vehicle Ms. Stewart hit the landscaper, pinning him against the control box of a gate.

The act appeared to be "reckless" and not intentional, Chief Stonemetz said.

Any charges filed against Ms. Stewart, he added, will depend in part on the County District Attorney's review of the complaint.

Village police have completed their own review, said the chief, and have sent the information to the District Attorney's East End Bureau.

Asked if an arrest was likely, the chief responded, "Yeah."

Ms. Stewart reportedly spent the Memorial Day weekend at her house in Westport, Conn.

Calls to Mr. Walsh, Mr. Macklowe, and Leonard Ackerman, Ms. Stewart's East Hampton attorney, went unreturned by press time. Susan Magrino, her Manhattan publicist, referred calls to a Manhattan attorney, Larry Shire, who said, "Any implication that Martha Stewart did anything unlawful is patently ridiculous." He would not comment on the complaint, but said he did not believe "it will get to that point" - meaning an arrest.

Acrimonious History

The two Georgica Pond neighbors have been wrestling over plantings along their common border for more than a year and a half, and are currently embroiled in lawsuits.

Mr. Macklowe sued Ms. Stewart as well as the Village Zoning Board of Appeals after the board gave her permission to remove plantings and lighting fixtures and their associated wiring, which she claimed Mr. Macklowe had installed illegally.

Some but not all of the trees and shrubs were removed within minutes of the Zoning Board's decision, before Ms. Stewart was notified that Mr. Macklowe had won an injunction barring her from proceeding.

The plantings must remain in place while Mr. Macklowe's lawsuits are pending, the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court decreed in the injunction.

Disputed Plantings

Mr. Macklowe, whose property is held in the corporate name of KAM Hampton I Realty, was cited by the village for allegedly installing the plantings and lighting without a wetlands permit. A trial before Justice Roger Walker on those charges is scheduled in East Hampton Town Justice Court for July 8.

Ms. Stewart's house, one of two that she owns in the village, was designed by the late architect Gordon Bunshaft for himself and his wife. She bought it in 1995 for $3.2 million under the name of the Travertine Corporation. Her other house is on Lily Pond Lane.

Ms. Stewart and Mr. Macklowe have also disputed just which of them owns the piece of land where the controversial plantings and lighting were placed. She has alleged some of them were located within a scenic easement, where such work is prohibited.

Challenge Rebuffed

Earlier this year Mr. Macklowe appealed the certificate of occupancy issued to Ms. Stewart, claiming that a 726-square-foot studio improperly contained a kitchen, full bathroom, and various partitions.

In April, however, the Zoning Board of Appeals denied his request to revoke the C.O., saying it was untimely and should have been filed within 60 days after the February 1995 certificate was issued.

The board also noted that the issue was raised in Mr. Macklowe's lawsuit in State Supreme Court.