Living

The time is nearly upon us when many older East End residents pack up their houses and head south for the winter. To Dr. Charles Guida, a practitioner of internal medicine and gerontology since 1996, who also teaches in Stony Brook Medicine’s intern and resident program at its Southampton Hospital campus, The Star posed this question: “Is it safer to be a snowbird?”

Some say passion is impossible to fake, but for some South Fork retirees, it has also proven impossible to ignore, driving each to worlds beyond their fruitful, long-lived, and long-loved careers.

Studies show that social isolation among older adults can cause health problems, and that active seniors often lead happier, healthier lives. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control, “Social isolation was associated with about a 50-percent increased risk of dementia and other serious medical conditions.” Fortunately for seniors, South Fork institutions such as libraries, theaters, and health care facilities offer plenty of ways to connect with others — with just a few of their many offerings listed here.

The fellow giving out awards following the U.S. Open said tennis players live longer, as if it were settled science, and perhaps that is true — and I hope it is, for I am a tennis player — though three experts of my acquaintance with whom I spoke recently, all knowledgeable when it comes to tennis and golf, were in agreement that should you be wondering on the eve of your retirement whether to take up golf or tennis, you should take up golf, if for no other reason than it’s easier on the body.

At its most basic, estate planning doesn’t need to be overcomplicated — but that doesn’t mean it’s easy, because it’s emotional, with death and dying looming over the necessary conversations.

Mansell Ambrose married her longtime beau, Henry Beveridge, on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 in the gardens of Villa des Amis in Bridgehampton.

Mike and Liz McCarron of Montauk have announced the engagement of their son Benjamin Knute McCarron to Colleen Elizabeth Sherlock, whose parents are Kevin and Debbie Sherlock of Montauk and Delray Beach, Fla.

Amanda Calabrese, an East Hampton native and former lifeguard at Ditch Plain and Indian Wells Beaches, with her friend Greta Meyer, has disrupted the female hygiene industry so prominently that they have been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2023.

“When I created Lifted, I really wanted to use what I learned as a pro athlete,” said Holly Rilinger, a former professional basketball player turned trainer and all-around inspiration to a largely middle-aged female crowd aspiring to get, and stay, in shape. The workout and wellness studio that she created with her life partner and business partner, Jennifer Ford, occupies a space on Montauk Highway in East Hampton.

Along with a number of parties and events last weekend, Guild Hall's annual summer gala took place in East Hampton on Friday, starting at the museum and continuing with cocktails and dinner served at Mulford Farm. The evening marked the opening of Leo Villareal's new exhibition and Renee Cox's ongoing show in the newly renovated galleries. Ken Wyse was the evening's honoree.

Edison I. Bolivar and Maria Camila Alvarez Franco were married on April 30 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton. Town Justice Steven Tekulsky officiated.

Lily Singer and Evan Schumann met in their freshman year at East Hampton High School in 1999, but it wasn’t until the fall of 2019 “that they had their first date after reconnecting during a surf session at Georgica Beach’s first jetty,” Ms. Singer wrote. “They bonded over a shared love of the ocean and a recently piqued interest in birding on Lily’s part (Evan was already an avid and accomplished birder).”

Abigail Balnis and Gabriel DeWalk were married on April 29 at the Randall House in Greer, S.C. The groom’s uncle Jonathan Powell officiated.

An abundance of activities, educational programs, and clubs are aimed at meeting the needs and interests of East Hampton's older residents, Diane Patrizio, the town's director of Human Services, said last month, noting that people 65 and older are projected to outnumber those under 18 by 2034, a first in American history.

At 88, I've been granted tenure in an institution called "old age," a.k.a. "senior citizenship." It resembles a lifetime appointment in a university, where tenure is granted because of your books, articles, the quality of your teaching. But in tenure due to elderliness, the entrance requirements are entropy, chronological time, the density of your complaints, and your bone density. Aging into senior citizenship transforms your transient maladies into thermodynamic decay.

This was supposed to be a compendium of not-to-be-missed films from the '30s, '40s, and maybe '50s, but truth be told, excepting maybe for King Kong and Snow White, the 1930s really don't deserve all that much ink. Along with some over-the-top Ziegfeld-y musicals and rudimentary westerns, the Depression-era decade gave us a lot of forgettable flicks designed to arouse social consciousness. Most of them sank like a stone. The '40s were quite another story.

The volunteers of the Springs Library, Meals on Wheels, the food pantry, and other agencies are some of the many faces of dedication to community, speaking to a kind of altruistic giving that Dr. Stephen Post, director of Stony Brook Medicine's Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics, says is the mark of someone who stands to a live a longer, more fulfilling, and happier life. "There's an endless list of benefits that are well studied," Dr. Post told The Star.

These days, many people are living well into their 80s and 90s. Lois Nesbitt, a longtime yoga instructor and teacher-trainer who lives and works in East Hampton and New York City, specializes in helping older adults maintain their strength, stamina, flexibility, and balance, and has a lot to say about movement for older adults.

In simpler times, the most prevalent scam to be on the lookout for was the so-called "Nigerian Prince" email scam, in which a fraudster would send out an email that persuaded a potential "mark" — often an older adult — to wire them some money in order to trigger the release of a bigger pot of money that was coming the victim's way. More recently, scammers have gotten menacingly creative and even use technology to take advantage of victims.

The enthusiastic booksellers at BookHampton in East Hampton Village want readers of all ages to feel inspired, entertained, informed, and enlightened. But for an older demographic, Jesse Bartel, the store manager, has curated a special summer-reading list.

The Traceys are embarking this season on an expansion that will see them transition from their previous location, a Peconic Land Trust plot of a little under an acre behind Balsam Farm in Amagansett, to a three-acre property on Montauk Highway that was known as Bhumi Farm for a couple of years.

Frederico Azevedo has always been enamored with nature, flowers in particular. “As a child I would rearrange the plants for fun and plant the ingredients for my favorite foods,” he said. “The exciting thing about this medium is how it can make people happy and open up new parts of your life.” His business, Unlimited Earth Care in Bridgehampton, is celebrating a milestone this year.

Let us introduce you to the Landcraft Garden Foundation, the North Fork’s fraternal obverse to Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse Reserve and a paradise that Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith have been building on the North Fork since 1992.

The Star’s hunter-gatherer, Durell Godfrey, went looking for the kind of stuff that Mother Nature would be happy to use — and reuse whenever possible. She loves sustainability, and so will you. Shop locally and thoughtfully.

. . . They’d ask for wallpaper, and they’d ask for Heather Dunn.

The gardens at Home, Sweet Home Museum were dedicated on Sept. 29, 2022, to Loretta Orion, who spent many years restoring and tending them. Ms. Orion, an anthropology professor, a French teacher, an author, a private duty nurse, a seamstress, and an etcher, died in July 2022 at the age of 77. The gardens are always on view for visitors at 14 James Lane.

Doug Tallamy, an entomologist, author, and professor at the University of Delaware, encourages homeowners to think about the role our yards play in the food chain that sustains birds and wildlife. The immense decline of the bird population by one-third over the past 50 years has opened eyes to its urgency.

At first, I liked the bamboo. It was a comforting green wall, separating me from my neighbor’s pool. When the wind blew, it sounded like one hand clapping. At the same time, I found myself thinking, “If the revolution comes, I will dig a trench around my house and fill it with bamboo spears.”

A home vegetable gardener offers some hard won advice for getting the most out of your garden along with what grows best here.

Laura Elizabeth MacPherson and Russell Edward Young of East Hampton were married on Jan. 21 at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk with the Rev. Liam McDonald officiating. A reception followed at Scoville Hall in Amagansett.