Sandbags placed on the Gardiner’s Bay shore on behalf of the designer Stella McCartney and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, and a neighbor have blocked a traditional beach access path used by residents of Bay View Avenue on Lazy Point in Amagansett.

When fires break out, fire departments and ambulance companies are well equipped for emergencies, but they are not always prepared for dealing with four-legged victims, although they try to do so.

Was it fate that sent a reporter who had awoken to sharp lower back pain, and nagging worry about car trouble, to Hamptons Float in Water Mill?