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Columnists

Gristmill: Raise a Glass

Remembering Peter Walsh and Coogan’s, his storied Washington Heights bar, at the resurrected Potato Hampton 5K in Bridgehampton.

Sep 25, 2025
The Mast-Head: Hard Aground

There is a saying among sailors that there is no shame in running aground because it happens to every one of us eventually.

Sep 25, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Little Monsters

I’m childishly optimistic that this will be the year that Halloween trick-or-treaters return to my front door.

Sep 25, 2025
Gristmill: Cooper’s Cave

In James Fenimore Cooper’s steps, Glens Falls to Sag Harbor.

Sep 18, 2025
The Mast-Head: On This Side of the Sound

Cerberus, my 1979 Cape Dory sloop, has made the crossing from Connecticut.

Sep 18, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Remains of the Day

September brings a distinct change in the inner weather, too. “Bittersweet” would be the apt word for this moment on the Julian calendar between Labor Day and Columbus Day.

Sep 18, 2025
Gristmill: The Great Ape

Gorilla Grodd lives.

Sep 11, 2025
The Mast-Head: King Clam

The town trustees’ clam contest is a lovely event. But where do the giants come from?

Sep 11, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Sad Disco

Last week I came across something new and interesting on Facebook for the first time in years.

Sep 11, 2025
Gristmill: Ad Sick

Divorced from reality, sanity, and the actual mechanics of driving, the new car commercials are as depressing as they are slick.

Sep 4, 2025
The Mast-Head: Home With a Sting

A reminder of how wasps like old boats.

Sep 4, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: On a Clear Day

Tumbleweed Tuesday was the best day of the year, weather-wise. Of course, I am prone to such pronouncements. I can’t help it.

Sep 4, 2025
Gristmill: A Fan’s Lament

Dreams of tennis, yearnings for Queens.

Aug 28, 2025
The Mast-Head: Horn Summer

Horns beget more horns, and, where once they were rarely used, they are now a near-constant Main Street intrusion.

Aug 28, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Home Alone

All of a sudden the nest is empty, and it’s just me rattling around and opening the refrigerator door and wondering if I need to cook something for dinner or if I should just have Stoned Wheat Crackers and cheese.

Aug 28, 2025
Gristmill: Well Run, Milady

Camaraderie and collegiality at the Ellen’s Run 5K in Southampton.

Aug 21, 2025
The Mast-Head: On the Water Again

Where did all the boaters go?

Aug 21, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: All Quiet

A strange scene in D.C., where National Guard members roam.

Aug 21, 2025
Gristmill: Bird Brains

When animals send a message — of annoyance, of need.

Aug 14, 2025
The Mast-Head: Oh, Deer

It turns out that deer have a preference for native plants and will clear these out, allowing invasives to take over.

Aug 14, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Under the Trees

Wandering up and down Main Street on my nightly perambulations with my dog, I visit familiar tree friends, and even address them out loud.

Aug 14, 2025
Gristmill: Dylan at the Beach

A fine, if pricey, time at the redone Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh.

Aug 7, 2025
The Mast-Head: Shade Tree Mechanics

With help from YouTube, I solve problems with my Toyota Tundra myself, albeit very, very slowly.

Aug 7, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Comforters

Decorating a bedroom is one of the pleasanter chores of parenthood, and it occurs to me this is probably the last time I’ll have the privilege.

Aug 7, 2025
Gristmill: Local Hero

Out of shape? Getting older? A little rain? No matter, showing up for Jordan’s Run is always worth the effort.

Jul 31, 2025
The Mast-Head: Blue Spaces

I have taken note of a science article about the benefit of “blue” places, like oceans, bays, ponds, and rivers.

Jul 31, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Lost in the Supermarket

It’s my belief that the cashiers at this one supermarket — as at most groceries and gourmet marts in our neighborhood — are only mirroring the incivility of many of the customers.

Jul 31, 2025
Gristmill: Turning It Over

Once more unto the broken-down car.

Jul 24, 2025
The Mast-Head: Nature, One Step at a Time

Among the many community groups hereabout I admire, the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society stands out for its uniqueness of purpose.

Jul 24, 2025
The Shipwreck Rose: Stairway to Heaven

We are somewhat view-starved in 2025, having spent 100 years and more cluttering up the joint with signage, driveway gates, ever-higher houses, powerlines, and Green Giant arborvitae.

Jul 24, 2025