FAIR HARBORBy Emily S. BrafmanComing back to the island after a two-week hiatus, I expected the typical hustle and bustle of August to be upon us. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that though there are people everywhere, it seems pretty chill. We spent a greater part of the week at the beach enjoying the perfect ocean waves. Now that we are deep into summer, my children have become legit ocean swimmers. I want to thank the ocean lifeguards for watching over my family and me for years. Frank and Pete Lepore, Anthony O., Peter H., Shawn D., Brian K., Steve T to name a few. The job they do is incredibly important and I always feel safe under their watchful eye. My kids were lucky enough to have ocean lifeguard, Jack, give them a short talk about ocean safety.“The ocean is always in charge!” says Jack. “Always stay calm in the water. If you are being pulled past the flags left or right by an undertow get out of the water and walk back to the front of the stand to swim. If you are unable to get out of the water, swim diagonally to exit. If you are in trouble, never hesitate to call or wave for help.”My kids are already following the new rules of the ocean and this anxious mom is feeling a little bit calmer.While I was on the beach I ran into my friends, Arlene and Jen Cohn. They asked me to wish their son and brother, Jordan, a speedy recovery after his encounter with a large fishing lure that “caught him” while he was swimming in the ocean. They said he is doing great and resting comfortably at his house in Saltaire. Jordan, sending you love from me and the Fair Harbor community!The Labor Day ParadeSunday, Sept. 6, is our annual Labor Day parade. Have your children line up on Oak Walk at 11a.m. dressed in their “Fire Island Favorites.” I must say the past few years the parents of Fair Harbor have been getting their children dressed to impress! The parade is crowded with children adorned in themed costumes. I love this year’s theme. I can’t wait to see what you all “love” about Fire Island. The best part of the parade is that every participant walks away with a sweet treat and a huge applause from their community members. I’ll be marching alongside my children. See you there!Oh Baby Deer…..Fair Harbor has an unusual amount of baby deer this summer. I know there are plenty of you out there that are not pleased with the deer population on Fire Island but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t gush over a baby fawn adorned with spots and all. I myself am ultra aware of the deer this year because I don’t want them to eat my tomatoes. But our deck is secured with gates on all sides and as long as they are kept closed I am happy to share our island with our local wild life. We have a mama and baby deer that have found comfort below our deck and my kids and I were lucky enough to see the mama nurse its baby. For those of you new to Fire Island, please don’t pet the deer because they do carry the Lyme disease ticks and they are wild animals. My son is hoping to see a fox next!!The Tomato PatchSo my babies are full grown adults measuring in at over 6 feet tall. Currently I have approximately 25 green tomatoes on their branches and I am eager to feast on a huge tomato salad in the next couple of weeks. I was never able to get rid of the bugs that are eating the leaves but it does not seem to be affecting the tomatoes so I’m not so worried.PupScouts follow up from Jen Moyer:On Sunday, Aug. 9, the NYC troop of the PupScouts paid a visit to Fair Harbor to visit their national troop leader, Meteor, at the Little Jumping Dog House on Spruce. Twenty-one pups and their families had a wonderful time playing on the beach, swimming and floating in the bay. They thank Fair Harbor for being such a dog friendly place and hope to be able to do more good deeds here in years to come. For more information about joining the PupScouts, please visit www.PupScouts.org.As we head into the final couple of weeks of summer, I wish you days filled with fun and sun and all good things! As always if you have any news, feel free to e-mail me at fairharbor@fireisland-news.com.
