My Refuge in the Hamptons

Energized by a couple of days at fishing camp in Maine and now back in East Hampton, I decided to go for a run-walk at Cedar Point Park on Gardiner’s Bay. Cedar Point is a 607-acre county park with campgrounds and hiking trails where, over the years, I spent many a weekend running those park trails and exploring the waterfront. The running paths along the bay were a refuge from a long week of law practice. Starting in 2004, it became a sanctuary during my late wife Judie’s illness as I coped with the sadness I experienced during those years until her passing in 2017. I had not visited the park since then, as my time away from East Hampton has become more frequent. I now spend summers at my camp in Maine and winters in Florida.

Visiting Cedar Point today for the first time in all those years was a wonderful experience. I introduced myself to the clerk at the entrance, who welcomed me in a friendly Texas accent. She spoke enthusiastically about all the new things at the park, particularly the new picnic areas. However, I found the running paths to be as gravelly as I remembered-- along with all the bugs, including the ticks, in abundance. The bird song serenaded me through the cover of wild American beech and overgrown white oak trees. Small critters scurried about, disturbed by the human trespassing in their exclusive territory.

These days, I seek solace at Camp Kabrook, my camp in Danforth, Maine. There, the trails are longer but mostly uncleared of forest debris. Early in my adventures at camp, I got lost on a trail in the Wheaton Trust Preserve. I now have the waters in Maine to enjoy and, in my East Grand canoe, have explored the numerous lakes surrounding my camp. Most importantly, I do not need a refuge as I once did in previous years, as my well-being is looked after by my Patti, and I am forever optimistic about the future.