A visit in Southold and the New London Ferry

We flew to JFK Airport and spent the night in Jamaica, NY. The next day we were going to visit Eva and Bill in Southold, Long Island. We had invited them to lunch somewhere in their neighborhood, so we planned on getting to Southold around 1 PM. We got up at 7.30 times and ate breakfast at the hotel. When we left the hotel, we changed ourt Garmin GPS from Denmark to USA and made ready to go in our rentes Impala. The gps guided us safely along the freeway to Riverhead, Long Island.

From here we took the New York Route 25unto the the North Fork of the Island. Although we had our GPS, we stopped to buy an updated Rand McNally Road Atlas, to replace our old well-earned 2002 edition, which we deliberately had left at home. As we drove out of town, we encountered a sign that told us we were entering Long Island Wine Country, and we had indeed passed many vineyards and wineries along Route 25. These wineries, we decided to dpass at that time then visit some of them when we got back to Long Island later in the trip.

When we arrived at Southold, it was only around noon. As we was aware that , Eva and Bill usually rested at that time, we decided to continue further out along the island to Orient Point. Later that day, we were going to take the ferry to New London, Connecticut, ants we wanted to know how long it took to go fom Southold to the ferry. When it was around a quarter to one, we went back toward Southold. Here our GPS announced that it was low on battery. We did not understand why, until we discovered, that our plug did not fit quite into the 12 volt outlet in the car. So much for standardization. When we got to Boston a few days later, we had to buy another plug! Anyway we found Eva and Bills address without problems, and as we approached the street the leived on, Dorte told me that we would not have trouble finding the house, because when she and Carl Jorn visited in 1998, they had stuck a Danish flag outside the house and they would certainly do so again. And indeed, when we saw the house, a Danish flag was outside the main entrance, next to Stars and Stripes.

As we drove up the driveway Bill came out and embraced us, and inside the house Eva was waiting. We were received very exuberant, and was invited into the parlor, where we - as desired - got a glass of water while we chatted. Bill told me that since they had not known exactly what time we would arrive, they had booked a table at a restaurant at 2 PM, and it suited us just fine, so we could chat a little more before we had to go. When we did leave, we went in their car, as Eva had some trouble getting in and out of small cars because of hip trouble. The car turned out to be a Lincoln Continental Towncar. Bill said they had bought the car not so long ago, to replace their old Cadillac.  Bill told us, that they had made reservations at a restaurant with a beautiful view of Long Island Sound, Sound View Inn.

After lunch we drove around Southold, where Eva and Bill showed us the local attractions. Then we drove back to their house and had a cup of coffee while we chatted on. When they heard that we had to catch the ferry at 7 pm, they asked us to return later at our trip, which we promised to do. After coffee we got a tour of their rather large house that resembles a hybrid between a geological museum and an art museum. They told us that they actually have bequeathed many of their collections to various museums. I took a few pictures from inside the house who knew very well illustrates the museum idea. Eva and Bill were both artists. (Eva unfortunately passed away in the beginning of 2010 at an age of 94). She was a painter and sculptor and along the way been a professor at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, where she also at one time had studied.
Moreover, Eva worked for many years decorating a large home in New York.

Bill has not worked professionally as an artist, but uses a lot of time carving wood. Moreover, both are collectors by nature, and the house is filled with paintings, sculptures, stones of all kinds, "eggs" in all shapes and colors and more. In the basement they had arranged workshops for them both. From Eve's studio, there was direct access to the garden, which borders a small coastal inlet. We also enjoyed their garden and admired their waterfalls, the small pond of tadpoles. After the tour we walked back up the sittiing room. Here Eva  asked Dorte to select a painting for herself. She picked one, and it appeared that it was Eva's first painting, painted i 1928, when she was only 12 years old. It now has the honory spot on the sitting room wall in our house in Denmark.

When it got time, we said out goodbyes and once again promised to get back once again, and then we drove to the ferry. We had an easy trip to New London, where we found a hotel and went to bed early, still suffering a bit from jet lag.