Beachcomber, August 13

It has been rather nice to enjoy all this outside dining at various restaurants in town. A small group of us have been getting together once a week for dinner. This past week, we went to Jobs Lane Ristorante, formerly Gastro Pub; prior to that, it was called Tuscan House. And if you really want to go back in time, say, 50 years, it used to be the Windmill Coffee Shop. Our dinner that night was delicious, as we shared a number of appetizers, which was more than enough for our little group.

This past Saturday evening, I headed over to South Main Street to the Halsey House. Taking a page from the hospital, the Southampton History Museum came up with a way to reinvent the Halsey House Gala. This year, instead of several hundred people gathering on the lawn, the museum came up with “Summer Supper Basket.” The idea was that guests could purchase a beautifully curated picnic basket, along with bottles of wine, and drive by to pick it up at the Thomas Halsey Homestead. You could then take your basket home to enjoy with your family.

Handing out the baskets at the Homestead were: Tom Edmonds (the museum’s executive director), along with Mary Cummings, Liana Mizzi, Connor Flanagan and Rachel Carmel. By the way, the Homestead is an official certified monarch way-station. On August 20, there will be a Zoom webinar on the monarch butterfly and the annual migration they make to the Halsey House each September.

Seen picking up their baskets: Marge Sullivan, Fairley Pilaro, Margaret and Drew Watson, Sheila and Kevin Guidera, Amy and Doug Halsey, Linda and Bob Beck, Peter Hallock, Pat Garrity, Ann Marie Carr, Laura and James Freeman, Katherine and Roy Wines, Debbie Hare, and Lisa Gillespie.

Or you had the option of taking your basket to the Southampton Inn, where you also received a complimentary fried chicken dinner courtesy of Claude’s restaurant and Dede Moan. The Inn arranged small tables for families to enjoy their dinner, all while socially distancing.

The evening was delightful, and we all enjoyed our traditional fried chicken with cole slaw and potato salad. I couldn’t resist the home-baked cookies, even though they aren’t on my diet! Thank you for giving back to the community, Dede.

Seen enjoying the evening at the Inn: Barbara and Harry Hackett, Daniela and Elyn Kronemeyer, Linda Stabler-Talty and Peter Talty, Jane Rose and Kent Atkins, Gregory D’Elia, Terry and Dede Moan, Shane Moan, and Norah Lawlor and Jeffrey Bradford.

Thank you to all the sponsors that made this event possible, including Herbert & Rist, the Halsey Farm Stand, The Milk Pail, and The Green Thumb, to mention a few. Sponsors for the evening included Jill Braufman and Dan Nir, Edward Donovan and Cheryl Carter, Kathleen King, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Willie Salm, and the Southampton Association.

By the way, on September 12, the museum will host “An Outsider’s View” consisting of a self-guided tour of several gardens of beautiful homes in Southampton.

Sunday evening, I headed over to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Shinnecock Hills to meet up with several friends for dinner. I had been telling them about the dinners they are doing at the church, and everyone wanted to try it. Well, there were a lot of very satisfied customers, as we all overindulged in some excellent Greek food. I just can’t resist a good gyro, and the spanakopita was excellent! So much for dieting — but I figured I would walk an extra mile or two on Monday.

This weekend, the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons is hosting a virtual “Bow Wow Meow Ball” at home. No need to get gussied up, no tents, no cocktail hour or dinner this year — you can stay in the comfort of your own home and tune in online at 6:30 p.m.

So, join ARF to watch the Parade of Animals, followed by entertainment from Isabella Rossellini, Robert Wilson and Christopher Mason. Make your donation so you can watch online. This year, 100 percent of your donation will go directly for the benefit of the animals.

Hope to see you — online!