I hadn't been to Long Island in a few years, so I decided to go ahead and make a trip up there over the summer. It would be a long trip; some three weeks, but I would get to see friends I hadn't seen in a long time.
During the drive north, I stopped off in Maryland to visit my old friend Mark Acerenza. Mark and I joined the Navy together back in 1981. He got out of the Navy after either four or six years (I don't recall which it was) where I did a 20 year career, so our paths rarely crossed after he got out. The last time I'd seen him was in Charlotte, North Carolina back in 1988 or 1989. I made a point to see him on this trip though, and it was damn good to see him.
The guy's a ridiculously good cook and a tremendous host. Now that we're on the same coast, I think we'll get together a bit more often:
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| Mark at his backyard grill in Frederick, Maryland... |
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| Even though he's cooking ribs, Mark's inner Italian comes out... |
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| Here's to ya', pal... |
I only spent one night in Maryland, heading to Long Island the next day, where I'd be staying at my cousin's house.
While on Long Island, I wanted, of course, to get some shooting in.So, to do that, I met up with another old friend of mine, Stan Balafas. Stan's originally from Mt. Sinai, Long Island, but I met him when I checked on board the USS Chandler (DDG 996) back in 1983. Like me, Stan's long since retired from the Navy, and now lives in southern California. It just so happened that a business trip for him put us on Long Island at the same time.
We decided to venture over to Port Jefferson and some surrounding areas. "Port Jeff" is a great little town of both high-end dining and beat-to-Hell dive bars, but they coexist well. I'd never done any serious shooting in this area before and, to be honest, I still haven't. I would love to spend an entire week shooting Long Island's north shore:
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| The tug "Resolute" in Port Jeff Harbor... |
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| This is a view out from near Mt. Sinai... |
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| Port Jeff Harbor... |
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| A lone moored sailboat near Mt. Sinai... |
I also wanted to make sure that I stopped by the Hauppauge Fire Department while I was on the Island. The Fire Department was a large part of our lives while I was growing up, as both my Dad and my brother were volunteer firemen. Now, though, I was eager to see the 9/11 Memorial they've built in the back of the property:
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| The 9/11 Memorial at the Hauppauge Fire Department on Rte. 111 in Hauppauge... |
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| Looking back towards the "main house". The steel girder was recovered at Ground Zero... |
After spending a few days on Long Island, it was time to head further north. I was going to Pennsylvania to visit the camp where I shot last year, as well as Manhattan and some other locales in Pennsylvania. There was a lot to be shot this trip, and I was just getting started...
Enjoyed the photo journey and commentary. My old stomping grounds was Hauppauge . I lived in Astoria , Queens till 11 and then we moved to Long Island. Beautiful shots....you need to put it all in a book form maybe...would be neat
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