New York Thanksgiving

After our trip to Washington DC wrapped up on Tuesday, November 21st, John and I caught a late night plane up to New York to visit his family in Huntington on Long Island. His Dad has recently been declared cancer free after months of treatment. Now his Mom is undergoing chemo therapy to treat cancer. John has gone to see them several times, especially when his travels take him to the east coast. Although I’ve gotten together with his family at other locations, it’s been many years since I’ve gone to New York.

John’s brother Roy arranged for a limo to pick us up at Kennedy airport. We joked that we hoped it wouldn’t be like the Seinfeld episode when Jerry and George stole O’Brien’s limo and it turned out that O’Brien was an anti-semite and white supremicist. 
Our limo experience was quite the opposite. Our driver was a Sikh whose home was in Connecticut. He drove all through the New York area making his living. I was glad he was driving and that John’s parents or sister hadn’t come to get us. It’s usually a 45 minute drive, but holiday traffic was heavy with accidents dotting the way.

Huntington and Northport are on the north shore of Long Island.

John’s sister Jane who lives nearby greeted us at the  front door and helped us lug our bags into the house that John spent his teenaged years in.

Welcome home!

 

Mom and Dad Stark looked great. That surprised me especially about Mom since she had her first chemo treatment that morning.

The next morning, Wednesday, Mom went to the Ecumenical Council Food Pantry that she has run for 33 years. She's made sure that thousands of families have food to eat.

The food pantry is in basement of the
First Presbyterian Church in Northport, New York.

Thanksgiving is their busiest time of year. She checked up on the volunteers helping out and made sure things were running smoothly. Dad went to the pharmacy to pick up Mom’s anti-nausea medications.

Jane made an airport run to pick Roy up. He flew in from Florida. John’s other brother Glenn and his wife Cheryl spent the holidays in North Carolina with her family. John is the oldest sibling. Next is Roy, then Glenn and Jane is the youngest.

For lunch we ordered take out from a small Chinese restaurant, Lai Lai Kitchen at the top of the hill nearby. John is a big fan of their Shrimp in Lobster sauce. I could definitely see why. We also got an order of Chow Funn noodles, General Tso’s chicken, and other favorites. It was delicious, better than what I ate in Washington DC’s Chinatown!

Sitting in the kitchen eating, we compared “war stories” about getting through airport security. John got extra scrutiny because he mentioned the metal rods in his back from his surgery two years ago. Roy was deemed suspicious because he had a tin of toffee in his carry on. (That just made that toffee taste even better!)   Both of them got pulled out of line for body searches and their carry-ons also got double checked even though we all had TSA Pre-check clearance. For once, I didn’t have a problem.

Eating breakfast and lunch around the kitchen table literally gave us a window on east coast nature. John’s parents’ house is set into a wooded hill. They have set up bird feeders and sprinkle bird seed along the top of their wooden wall in the morning. Watching the wildlife in action was as entertaining as TV.

New York birds

In Washington, we also have a wooded backyard and when John recuperated from back surgery, I set up bird baths and feeders to create a nature sanctuary.

Our side garden in Washington.

 
We also sit at our kitchen table with bird books and binoculars close at hand and watch the nature show.

New York red fox.

It was interesting comparing the wildlife on two different coasts of America. In the New York backyard, we saw a fox, several chipmunks, eastern gray squirrels, a feral cat and totally different birds than we see in west coast Washington.

They have blue jays, cardinals, red belly woodpeckers, tufted titmouses (titmice?), slate juncos, and doves. Although we didn’t see them this time, they also have deer and raccoons.

NY blue jays.

Cardinal

Red belly woodpecker

But the mysterious star of the show made a special appearance. John’s mom had been trying to identify this particular bird for weeks. She consulted her wild bird books with no luck. She told Jane that she was sure John would be able to identify the wild mystery bird when he got there.

Domesticated blue parakeet or budgie.

Sure enough, within minutes of sighting him, John identified it as a blue parakeet. Someone’s pet had gotten loose. We worried about its survival, but it was a pro about defending its food, chasing the wild birds away. Dad went out early one morning to replenish the bird seed and was puzzled about a blue ball. It was the parakeet, curled up to stay warm. It unfurled for food. We are all hoping it finds somewhere warm to survive the winter.

In our Washington backyard, instead of blue jays, we have Stellar’s Jays. They screech to be fed if we don’t get out there early enough and they will even chase the crows away. Just like the New York Stark bird ritual, John goes out here every morning to feed our Washington feathered friends.

Washington Steller's Jays

Steller's Jay

John’s mom said they haven’t had crows there since the West Nile virus wiped them out in the early 2000s.  We don’t have any cardinals. We do have lots of Oregon juncos, chickadees and flickers.

Oregon Juncoes

Varied thrush

Oregon junco and flicker

Varied thrush, pileated woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers also show up at our feeders. They love suet!

Pileated woodpecker

A few times we’ve had owls, but so far they have not preyed on the birds that flock to our feeders.  

Barred owl

Ana hummingbirds love our hanging baskets of fuschias and the sugar water that we put out for them (with heaters when the temps drop below freezing). They have to eat every twenty minutes and hover using their beaks like straws. Mom and Dad Stark haven't seen any hummingbirds on Long Island.

Then there are our gluttons--rascally, acrobatic squirrels who gorge themselves on suet and peanuts. We have to make sure that we give them enough time to jump from the deck onto a branch of the cedar tree before we let the dogs out.

Eastern gray squirrel scarfing down suet.

We’ve also spied raccoons and opossums cutting through our yard and have watched coyotes walk up our street. Deer frequent the neighborhood woods. There have been reports of bears nearby, but luckily we haven’t seen any. And, we always keep an eye out for Big Foot who was spotted around these parts in 1983.

Meanwhile, back in Huntington, New York, we caught up on everybody’s lives and listened to Dad play classical piano pieces on their grand piano.  We had a running joke that we shouldn’t talk politics, but it was more of an introduction to political conversations. Most of the time we were on the same page, or at least the same chapter so it wasn’t a problem.

Jane showed us her new apartment in the neighboring town of Northport. The sun was out so we walked down along a pier on the Long Island Sound.

Laura and Jane

Laura, John and Jane Stark

Roy, Laura, and John Stark 

Three Stark Siblings: Roy, Jane, and John

Northport, New York

It is a beautiful area and there was still some fall color left.

That night we ate in an Italian Restaurant Joanina.

 John had eaten there a few times before.  We started off with an appetizer, Calamari Fritti—fried calamari with a spicy tomato sauce. The calamari was tender and tasty. John ordered Fusilli con Carciofi e Gamberi (Spiral pasta with Artichokes and Shrimp). I was all set to order that too until the waitress told us the daily specials. I couldn’t resist the Fettucine with Shrimp and Asparagus. To top it off, we split a few desserts between us—apple crumble, and pumpkin tiramisu. Everything was deliziosissima!

The next day was Thanksgiving. We relaxed in the family room and watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Millions lined the parade route and extra trains were running into the city to handle the crowds. As Mom aptly pointed out, we had the best view and it was warm, right there on the couches in their family room.

We watched the dog show also and enjoyed guessing which canine would win Best in Show. Mom was feeling tired from the chemo. I was surprised that she had been so energetic the two days before.

Mom and Jane had bought all the Thanksgiving food beforehand, keeping it simple. Jane cooked the turkey and microwaved premade mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. I took care of the stuffing. We worked together on the gravy. I whipped up heavy cream to top the pumpkin pie from Costco. Roy and I licked the beaters. Someone magically set the table. Everything came together like clockwork. Just like everyone across America, we were thankful for our blessings, and stuffed ourselves to prove it.

John, Laura and Roy at Sunken Meadow Park
thankful for sunglasses.

The next day, Friday, Jane drove us out to Sunken Meadow Park in Smithtown which was near where she used to live. It was another bright sunny day, such a contrast to Washington’s gloom at this time of year. We walked along the boardwalk and looked out across the water toward Connecticut.

John, Jane and Roy Stark--two of them really were lifeguards
although they weren't officially on duty.

On our way back to Huntington, we spotted two bald eagles! One was flying over Fort Salonga and landed in the woods. The second one was soaring over the water of Mill Pond close to the Vanderbilt Estate. We often see bald eagles in Washington, but in New York they are a rare sight.

Later that day, we went back to Northport, ten minutes away. That’s where The John W. Engeman Theater is. You can see Broadway plays there that are performed by Broadway actors who are bussed out to Long Island. Lucky us! Roy had bought tickets for all of us to see a matinee of Annie! 

The talent was amazing! Lynn Andrews, who played Miss Hannigan the Director of the Orphanage stole the show, but the entire cast was top notch, including Moon, the mutt who played Sandy. He was adopted from a shelter and a very confident dog.

Mom was not feeling up to going out, so she and Dad stayed home. That was a smart move. There were a lot of kids at the play since it was a matinee. This is the time of year when lots of people have colds. The last thing she needs is to be sick while going through chemo.

After Annie, Roy, Jane, John, and I went to John’s top restaurant pick: Bistro Cassis.

We thought it was French, but found out that it is Belgian. John had also talked about this restaurant after coming home from his New York trips. His favorite dish there is Magret de Canard au Cassis which is sliced duck breast, and duck leg with a mushroom confit gratin, fresh raspberries, and Cassis sauce. Jane agrees that their duck is the best so she also ordered that. Roy loves the Bouillabaisse, which is only served on Fridays, so we were there on the right night. I ordered (and devoured) the Onglet de Boeuf Bordelaise: Grilled hanger steak in a Bordeaux wine demi-glaze, with sauteed spinach, and pommes (potatoes) lyonnaise. It was a sacrifice, but I managed to savor some Crème Brulee for dessert.

Back at the house, we stayed up late into the night enjoying everyone’s company.

John D, Laura, Sally, and John C Stark

 
The limo picked us up dark and early the next morning at 4:15am to catch our flight back home. It had been a short, but very sweet visit. 

Laura Keolanui Stark is unpacked, enjoying her pets, and getting ready for Christmas. She can be reached at stark.laura.k@gmail.com.

Bird Watching, Dog Walking

Every day when John gets home from work the dogs greet him with wagging tails. They get especially excited when they hear John’s truck pull in because they know that rain or shine, it’s time for their walk. Even in the winter, if it’s freezing cold outside, John puts a pink and green reversible “down” jacket on Suzie, clips the leashes on her and T-Bone, and off they go.

They usually walk down to our neighborhood park. It has an open grassy area and a playground surrounded by woods. They love sniffing along the trails cutting through the woods.

“The Walk” routine finishes up with John taking their leashes off, and then feeding them. Sometimes he tells me about how they met up with other dogs, or how he let them off their leashes to chase a rabbit as I get our dinner ready to serve.

Last Wednesday I was out running an errand. I got home as John filled the dogs’ bowls. He opened his story with, “Something weird happened in the park tonight.”

I thought he was going to tell me that there was another creep in the park. He and Sarah had once called the police about a creepy guy lurking near the playground. But this was an entirely different story.

“We were on that old road part, just coming up to the fallen log when something big flew up from the ground and landed in a tree. Then two more birds flew up.”

       I asked, “Did the dogs bark?”

“No. But they were looking up in the tree.”

“What kind of birds were they?”

“I think they were falcons. And they were eating something on the ground when we surprised them.”

He tried taking pictures of them with his cell phone. To keep it steady, he let go of the dogs’ leashes. Ever faithful T-Bone sat by his side and waited. Ever curious Suzie, took off through the undergrowth of blackberry bushes. John was focused on the birds, which he thought were falcons.

After a few minutes, he started calling Suzie. In her typical dachshund way, Suzie wouldn’t come. Her nose had taken over. She was on the scent of something.

John called our house and told Johnny and his girlfriend Sarah K. (Suzie’s “mom”) that he’d lost Suzie. “Come to the park to help me find her. Johnny drive your car. Sarah bring your camera.” Johnny has a loud muffler on his Honda Accord. Suzie and in fact the entire neighborhood can hear him coming and going. Johnny is Suzie’s favorite person in the whole world so she perks up whenever she hears his car rumbling.

Sarah K. took off on foot.  Johnny revved up his car. As soon as he pulled into the small parking lot at the park, Suzie popped out. He ran over and grabbed her leash.

John told Johnny and Sarah about the falcons. They went back on one of the trails and just over their heads, three of the birds sat perched in the Douglas Fir trees staring down at them. Sarah snapped some pictures of them as they confidently posed.

The next day, John was out of town. I was eager to see the birds of prey. Johnny and I took the dogs for their walk and he took me to the falcons hang out. Sure enough, they were there again. They are about eight inches tall, with noble faces. They were not afraid of us at all. We spent at least fifteen minutes taking pictures of them and watching them.

They towered above us looking down at us as if they were wondering why we were whispering. They are not skittish at all, but I guess if you’re the predator, what’s to be scared of?

The next time I saw them was walking the dogs with John. When we got to the usual spot, they weren’t there. I wondered if they’d come if I “called” them. I tried imitating the sound I’d heard them make. We heard one answer from a distance. The next thing I knew, one of them came swooping right at me! At the last second, it veered upward and landed on a branch 10 feet above my head.

His (or her) two siblings joined the party within minutes. When my heart stopped pounding, it was picture time again.

Afterwards at home, I skipped looking through our bird books. I went right online and searched for them. We think they are juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks, however, they could also be Cooper’s Hawks. John sent one of our pictures to a bird expert that he knows, asking her if she could identify it.

Yesterday we took our daughter Sarah to see them. We showed her where their nests are. Once again, they weren’t there, but I called them. They swooped in. She was as impressed as we are and zoomed in on them with the camera.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website says: “Sharp-shinned Hawks are agile fliers that speed through dense woods to surprise their prey, typically songbirds. They do not stoop (sic) on prey from high overhead. They may also pounce from low perches. When flying across open areas they have a distinctive flap-and-glide flight style.” The first time that one answered my call, it definitely surprised me! Maybe my “call” resembles prey in distress!

I prefer to think they’re eating rats and mice in the park, but I won’t call them from our backyard deck near our bird feeders. The dogs have been patient with our hawk obsession. There’s something about spotting wildlife in its natural environment that is amazing.

Laura Keolanui Stark is taking more walks in the park. She can be reached at stark.laura.k@gmail.com.