Fire Island 2011: From Gillibrand to the Concerned Women of the Grove

Started writing at 4:42 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, as the bus on which I am traveling to Boston passed Exit 72 on Interstate 84 in northeast Connecticut.

Aside from the fight that suddenly broke out at High Tea in Fire Island Pines last night, it was a good day on the beach.

Yesterday’s packed schedule began with an interview with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at Canteen before she attended the first of two fundraisers for her 2012 re-election campaign. To say that Standard and Poors’ decision to downgrade the country’s credit rating loomed over the day is a gross understatement, but her Pines supporters gave her a largely warm welcome at Michael Lin and Jim Spencer’s home at the Blue Whale.

The day continued with the Fire Island Pines Arts Project’s Biennial Arts Show at Whyte Hall and a fundraiser for the LGBT Community Center at the far east end of the Pines. The Concerned Women of the Grove held their annual fundraiser for breast cancer research at Heaven n’ Earth in Cherry Grove. The sushi, shrimp and wine were certainly abundant, and a drag queen who stepped off a Cherry Grove Fire Department truck actually upstaged the real women who accompanied her with her ability to walk on the boardwalks in heels. Only in the Grove would one even consider this scenario anywhere near normal!



The flamingos go marching one-by-one in the Pines.



One of the works of art that Dr. Lori Zeller showcased at FIPAP's Biennial Arts Show at Whyte Hall.



The bayscape from Heaven n' Earth in the Grove.