Fun Indoor Activities For Kids & Family That You Can Enjoy All Winter Long!

There may be a chill setting in the air, but don't let the winter cold slow you and your family down! If you're looking for fun indoor things to do with your family, then we've got you covered! From great spots to take the kids out and spend the day, to fun activities and recipes that parents and children alike can enjoy in the comfort and warmth of home, there's plenty to do - even on a snow day.





Check out the Guide in Full on LongIsland.com!

When you're stuck inside with a case of the winter blues, what do you do for fun? Let us know, and your idea may be featured in one of our upcoming articles!

Disco Fever this Weekend in Patchogue with Mickey B!

Dutch Christmas at Meadow Croft, 2011

Photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

A DUTCH CHRISTMAS AT MEADOW CROFT

Bayport Heritage Association invites all local-area residents to their

DUTCH CHRISTMAS AT MEADOW CROFT,

which will be held on

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3rd, and 4th, 2011,

at the Meadow Croft estate located at

299 Middle Road at Brown’s River on the Bayport Sayville border.

Meadow Croft is the 1891 estate of John E. Roosevelt and family. The Roosevelts were, of course, Dutch by ancestry. The house will be decorated in a Victorian/Edwardian motif with beautiful wreaths, poinsettias and greenery magnificently reminiscent of a hundred years ago and tied in with a Dutch flavor.

Musical selections will be played on the original Roosevelt grand piano filling the house with the music of the season.

Upstairs, special exhibits, including electric trains, vintage clothing, woodcarvings, and Christmas specialties, will be on display for public enjoyment.

Hot chocolate and cookies will add to the coziness of the occasion. St. Nicholas, the Dutch version of Santa Claus, will be there to look up individual children’s names in his ledger and he’ll find out who’s been ‘naughty and nice’ in 2011.

This Dutch Christmas at Meadow Croft is open from

noon to 4 PM both days.

Admission is only $5 for adults and $3 for seniors & children age 4-12.

Not suitable for children under 4 years of age.

All the decorations will be raffled off.

Info: 631-363-6487

October 16, 2011 House Tour

The Bayport Heritage Association is having their 25th Autumn House Tour,

Sunday, October 16th.

Tickets are $25 per person and all proceeds go to the Bayport Heritage Association.

A limited number of tickets will be sold!

Ticket are now available at these locations:

• Country Junque on Middle Road
• Bayport Flower House
• Bayport- Blue Point Library

After the tour, refreshments will be served at Meadow Croft on Middle Road in Sayville.

The tour takes place at seven different locations throughout Bayport and Blue Point. Six homes and Meadow Croft are featured, including the estate home designed by George B Post, architect of the NY Stock Exchange.

• Website: http://bayportheritage.blogspot.com
• Phone: 631-419-6044
• Email for questions: mont4@optonline.net

• Price: $25

Bayard Cutting Arboretum

photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

Dahlia Garden in Oakdale

The Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale has a beautiful Dahlia Garden.

The dahlias are in full bloom and spectacular in color and design.

Take a ride over there. For directions, visit their website: http://www.bayardcuttingarboretum.com/

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From their website:

The Dahlia Garden is located in the easterly end of the park behind the Cow Barn. It was planted and is maintained by the LONG ISLAND DAHLIA SOCIETY. There are currently approximately 500 plants and over 400 varieties. This is one of the largest dahlia gardens on the east coast. The garden peaks in September and October. The LIDS holds flower shows at the Arboretum in the fall of each year. Membership in the society is available. For further information contact the Arboretum at 631-581-1002.

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Problems with the National Flood Insurance Program

The National Flood Insurance Program, run by FEMA, comes up for renewal again in September. There have been several lapses in the program in the past few years because it gets used as a political football. Members of congress who are NOT in flood-prone states hold up their votes to force others to support their particular bills and projects. Congress is trying to start work early on the process, but there are several obstacles.

The biggest obstacle is that the whole FEMA Flood Insurance program, both here in New York and around the country, has been losing money for years, where it is supposed to be self-supporting. Naturally that means higher rates but that is not a very popular idea with members of congress.

Another area they have been looking at is whether catastrophic windstorm (hurricanes) should be added to the flood insurance program. Hurricanes are not so much of an issue in the Midwest where they are experiencing record flooding because of record snows this past winter. But here on Long Island and all along the east coast, hurricanes are a HUGE issue and something that needs to be addressed.

So some politicians want to add wind coverage to the flood insurance policy. But others are against it for several reasons. First, it is available in the private market and our system of government is based on private business wherever possible. But also, if they have been losing money on the flood insurance, chances are they would just lose even more money if you added windstorm coverage.

Today the GAO (General Accounting Office) issued a report that severely criticized the management of the National Flood Insurance Program, and says that if they don't make significant changes, they will never become profitable. So again, the fear is that if they were to add windstorm coverage, the program would lose even more money.

I just hope they figure it out quickly enough that the basic program is renewed in September.

Take a ferry ride this weekend!

photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

Check the ferry schedules for the new spring/summer runs.

Nothing to do this weekend?

Take the ferry to Fire Island or Connecticut!

Check the schedules here!

They leave from various towns and there are activities everyone!

Combating weekend boredom on Long Island

Now that the weather has finally broke and summer is right around the corner, the pressure will really be on to find things to do on Long Island and entertain your family come the weekend.

With gasoline prices sticking above $4.00 a gallon, more people are saying that they will forgo the plane rides and stick close to home come their vacation. And Long Island is an OK place to be.

Of course, you have the beaches and parks. You have the great wineries on the north fork of the east end and the Hamptons and Montauk on the south fork. There are over 100 museums. You even have amusement and water parks.

But don't forget to look for the great events featured on Long Island. Each weekend, there are countless events taking place that will cater to almost every taste. The events section is the most popular category on LongIsland.com. Some are free while others charge a nominal participation fee.

Check out the local Long Island Events.

Find a local Long Island Business

Until next time...

LongIsland.com is on the move

The long awaited renovation of LongIsland.com is finally in the starting blocks.

As the new kid on the block, I hate to bash the LongIsland.com design. After all, in it's day, the website was state-of-the-art. Unfortunately, it's day was 2002.

The process to get here was painstakingly slow. There are hundreds of categories and thousands of pages to deal with, and the project was not taken lightly. But in the end, the wait will be well worth it.

We have looked at dozens of other geo sites to come up with a template for what we want. Sites like www.SanDiego.com gave us inspiration and a feel for what our end product can look like. We knew we were close because in recent weeks, we went from frustration to excitement.

I will share the process with you. I can't wait for you to see what we already can. The aesthetics will only be topped by the exceptional content we promise to deliver. Whether you are looking for restaurants, things to do with your kids, or just about anything Long Island, LongIsland.com promises to deliver.

Stay tuned. Your new and improved Long Island resource for everything is right around the corner.

Until next time...

Updates in the Insurance Market

It's been a while but the insurance marketplace has been quiet. Still, there are a couple of new items to report.

Across New York state, a law was passed a while back making it illegal to be using anything other than a hands-free phone while driving. I don't know how it is in the rest of N.Y. but here on Long Island it seems that almost half of the drivers going by my office every day are on a hand-held phone. But now the law has been given more teeth. As of yesterday, a cel phone violation will now add two points to your NY driver's license and motor vehicle record. That means that if you get a couple of other tickets, a cel phone violation could be the difference that causes your license to be suspended (for accumulating more than 11 points in an 18 month period). Insurance companies will also be more likely to charge for cel phone violations now, although New York car insurance companies use a different point system.

Research has shown that driving while talking on a hand held phone gives you about the same chance of having an accident as driving while under the influence of alcohol. So this is a real issue. Of course, so are other distractions such as applying makeup, texting (possibly the worst) or reading the paper while drinking coffee. The bottom line is that when you get behind the wheel you are now in a potentially deadly weapon, and we all need to be more careful.

Meanwhile in the Long Island homeowners insurance market, if anything it has eased up a little, though the larger carriers continue to cancel and non-renew some homeowners policies, especially along the south shore in Suffolk County. But some new, smaller insurance carriers have come into the market, and competition has caused some pricing to drop. So if you had to buy expensive homeowners insurance because you were canceled or you bought your waterfront home in the past couple of years, you might want to contact your agent to see if he or she can shop around for you a little.

Christmas at Meadow Croft 2010

The "1910 Christmas at Meadow Croft"

will be on held on Saturday and Sunday

December 4th and 5th, 2010

12 noon to 4 pm

Visit Santa, see exhibits, eat cookies, drink hot chocolate,

hear carols on the Roosevelt grand piano.

Holiday displays and collections are on exhibit upstairs and rooms will be beautifully decorated by local flower houses, garden and community clubs.

The rooms will be gorgeous in Holiday Finery, all donations by the organizations listed here:

• Bayport Flower Houses
• Bayport Homemakers
• Daisy Garden
• Lea Rose Interior Designs
• Le Soir
• Neighbors & Gardners
• Audrey's Bakery
• Rambling Rose
• Sayville Flowers
• Sayville Flower & Garden Shop
• Sayville Garden Club

All arrangements will be raffled,

with the winners to be called December 6th.

If you haven't purchased raffle tickets already,

they can be purchased at Meadow Croft, December 4th & 5th.

Admission: $5 adults, $3 seniors and children 12 and under.

(This event is not suitable for children under 4. Please no strollers.)

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Bayport Heritage Association and the Bayport Memorial Park Board will decorate the

Memorial Park Gazebo

again this year with a lighted tree, roping and bows, the first week of December--

-our own Norman Rockwell lovely holiday scene for the community to enjoy.

Stop by to see the decorations!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hope you have a happy, healthy, thankful, Thanksgiving Day!

Photography Exhibit

Do you love nature photography?

Well, if you do, don’t miss this show!

The NWPLI (Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island) will have its annual Autumn Exhibition beginning

November 7th through December 5, 2010.

The reception, with refreshments, will be November 7th from 12noon-3pm.

It is being held at the

Castello di Borghese Winery in Cutchogue.

The exhibit will showcase the group’s best work in nature,

wildlife and landscape photography.

NWPLI has been awarded numerous honors for its work, most recently winning the Nature’s Best Photography International Awards (Camera Club Category) sponsored by Nature’s Best Photography Magazine.

Visit the group's website: http://www.nwpli.com

The photography on display will include natural subjects that have been captured with digital and film cameras.

Photos are from Long Island's own natural surroundings.

Some selected images will also be available for purchase.

The Show will run from Sunday, November 7th - December 5th, 2010,

during winery hours.

For directions to Castello di Borghese…Click Here!

For additional information, contact Lou Buonomo at lou@nwpli.com

I hope you have the opportunity to stop by the exhibit on your yearly autumn visit to the wineries and to the pumpkin farms!

It’s nature photography at its best!

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24th Autumn House Tour-Bayport

The Bayport 24th Autumn House Tour will take place on

Sunday, October 17, 2010.

1 pm to 5 pm

Tickets, $25, go on sale Friday, October 1st at Country Junque on Middle Road in Bayport

and the Bayport-Blue Point Library.

'Tis the Season (Hurricane Season, that is)

We will all be watching carefully as Hurricane Earl chugs up the coast this week towards Long Island and the rest of the eastern seaboard. If you want a little more info on hurricane preparedness, here are some handy links:

www.ready.gov is fema's site. www.southamptontownny.gov has a cool book you can download. Suffolk has info athttp://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/departments/firerescue/ and the Town of Babylon info can be found athttp://www.townofbabylon.com/emergencyinfo.cfm

Home Insurance - Going to the Dogs?

I read an interesting statistic recently. These days one out of every three homeowners insurance liability claims across the country is coming from the family dog! Those are lawsuits since they fall under liability, not cases where the dog chewed up a piece of furniture. And that is a national statistic, not limited to New York or Long Island.

Anybody who has changed (or been forced to change because you are 'too close to the water') home insurance in the last few years knows that you now have to answer a bunch of questions about your dog if you own one. Certain breeds are not wanted by almost any insurance company here on Long Island, where lawsuits are even more common than they are in other areas.

The latest development is that ISO, the Insurance Services Office who comes up with the standardizes policy forms used by many insurance companies all over the country, is including a canine exclusion in their next major revision to the homeowners policy form, due to come out later this year. That does NOT mean that all policies will immediately exclude dogs, but it DOES mean that, if approved by the N.Y. State Insurance Department, the exclusion will be available for insurance carriers to use.

I believe this has become one of the 'dirty little secrets' of why there have not been more insurance companies coming in to the Long Island area to write new homeowners coverage after the massive pullout by the 'big companies' that has been happening for several years now (think good hands, good neighbors, etc). I am not criticizing those companies for reducing their exposure to major storms in the New York coastal areas, because they definitely had too much financial exposure to large losses from the inevitable big hurricane.

But the companies that HAVE come in to fill the gaps, including Lloyd's of London, and other 'non-admitted' insurers, have all included dog exclusions in their policies. They can do this because as non-admitted or excess lines insurers, they are not subject to New York rules. So while their hurricane exposure is greater, the day-to-day problem of dogs is gone. This also applies to their exclusions for trampolines, another seemingly minor thing that has become a major issue.

One company has even come up with a specific liability insurance policy to cover dogs. Unfortunately it costs $800 PER DOG! But the reason it's so high is that they feel the only people who will buy the policy are those who feel they have the kind of dog who needs to be covered. So it's not like most folks with a sort of normal, happy-go-lucky dog will feel they need it, but the ones with the pit bulls, dobermans, and rottweilers might.

Ferries from Long Island

photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

Are you looking for a one day adventure?

There are many choices and a ferry ride to somewhere new is always an adventure!

Here are some ferries and a list of the destinations.

From Sayville to the Pines, Cherry Grove, Sunken Forest and Water Island:

To New London Conneticut from Orient Point:

From Bay Shore to Atlantique, Robbins Rest, Ocean Beach, Seaview and Ocean Bay Park:

From Port Jefferson to Bridgeport, Connecticut:

From Montauk to Block Island:

To Shelter Island.

Hope you enjoy the day!

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Happy July 4th!

photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

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Hope you have a wonderful Independence Day celebration with family, friends and good food!

Be careful of those fireworks and play safely!

Happy July 4th!

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Hometown Huntington

Exclusive Premiere

Monday, June 7th at 8 pm on WLIW21

Visit wliw.org/huntington for more information.

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From the WLIW website:

There is no place like Huntington. With its harbor villages and picturesque towns it has long been a haven for residents and tourists, ripe with glorious beaches, abundant fishing and a sense of place that embraces both the quintessential Main Street and the height of sophisticated culture. A place where Gold Coast mansions were matched in riches by the cherished storybook childhoods and close-knit communities of post-World War II suburbia. If you were lucky enough to grow up here, you knew Freddie the Shoemaker and Tony the Fruit Man, not faceless chains; the joy of a burger served hot off the train at Hamburger Choo-Choo; and many other special shared memories. WLIW21’s new productionHometown Huntington brings together past and present residents, including Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone, actor Ralph Macchio, cartoonist Bunny Hoest (The Lockhorns), historians, and renowned Huntington families like the Finnegans and Sammis, plus home movies, photos and letters to celebrate a place rich in history, natural beauty and charm. Hosted and narrated by Lloyd Harbor resident Bernadette Castro.

Memorial Day

photo courtesy of Alida Thorpe

Memorial Day

Remember why we celebrate this holiday......

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May.

Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died

while in the military service.

First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War

(it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War),

it was expanded after World War I.

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