Montauk

Dear Dad,

I’ve kept my promise to G3. We’ve only been having school four days a week instead of five. Today — since the weather forecast said it would be the warmest and sunniest day of the week — we skipped school and drove out to Montauk. The last time we were there was ten years ago — May 2011 — when G3 was only a year old. That day, you decided to take the ferries across instead of driving. You claimed it probably wouldn’t save us any time, but the ferries would be more fun, and it would be a new experience for G3. That’s what you enjoyed most — expanding his world by taking him to see and do new things. At the time, he enjoyed being on the boats, watching the water pass under him. But the day lives only in my memory, not his. He was too little to remember it.

When we went, the lighthouse was closed. However, the attached building was open and we went inside. While we were sitting down, a woman walked up to us. She said she was a teacher and that she noticed the brightness and intense look of concentration in G3’s eyes. She said it was an indication that he was smart, and she encouraged me to cultivate his intelligence. You beamed, thanked her, and said that I was already tending to his education, that books were a big part of our lives.

I missed you today. I have been to Montauk several times. Mostly when I was a kid. Always with you. This was my first trip without you. The first time I actually had to drive, and we drove instead of taking the ferries because it was cheaper. While G3 didn’t remember the ferries we took when he was a toddler, he got to experiences ferries last summer on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, so I figured we could skip them this time.

Our plan for the day was to do the Adventure cache located near the point. There were five locations. We had to drive to each of them, but the distance between each wasn’t far. They were all off Route 27. You would have greatly enjoyed this cache. We did. I think it was my favorite Adventure one because it had the perfect blend of history, nature, and hiking. The first location brought us to what was once a sacred place for the Montaukett tribe. Not only was it a burial ground, but the giant rock — now in the center of a traffic circle — was a meeting point for the thirteen local tribes.

The second location took us to Shadmoor State Park. During World War II, soldiers were stationed there to protect us from a possible attack. The buildings in which they lived and the artillery was stored are still there, but they are in a crumbling state of disrepair. The site was also significant during the Spanish-American War. Returning soldiers camped there. Many of them suffered from Malaria, which they contracted while abroad. Pictures on the sign showed Theodore Roosevelt with his Rough Riders. Since we were there, G3 and I decided to hike into the park. We were curious about the World War II barracks and wanted to see them. G3 was impressed. He had no idea that Long Island had any war history at all. I didn’t either. There was one traditional cache off the main trail so we stopped grab it. It was a quick and easy find.

Stop three brought us to one of dozens of beaches on the South Fork where we learned that East Hampton was first settled by the British in 1648. The following stop took us to the oldest cattle ranch in America. It dates back to the decade following the settlement of East Hampton. If you had been with us, you probably would have insisted we go inside and go horseback riding on the beach. G3 would have enjoyed that, but I didn’t even get out of the car. I knew — based on how expensive everything is out there — that a horseback ride would not be within our budget. I felt bad, but I couldn’t snap my fingers and make the money appear.

Our final cache destination took us on a forty minute hike through Montauk Point State Park. We took the Seal Haulout trail in hopes of seeing seals resting on the beach. They can often be found at that spot in late winter and spring. I wasn’t surprised to find that luck was not on our side. G3 was extremely disappointed that we didn’t see any seals. We did, however, find the answer to the final question which awarded us credit for the cache. While we were hiking, I called G3’s attention to particular spot in the woods. There was a pond full of silvery gray stagnate water, and it was surrounded by trees. There was plenty of semi-open space to sit and think. And the branches of the trees were unique in the way the twisted at odd angles out of the tree trunks. I commented that it would be the perfect setting for a scene in a novel or a short story. He loved that idea and immediately started to spin an Edgar Allen Poe type tale. Before our hike was complete, he challenged me to a short story contest. We each have to write a story set in that particular spot and then find judges to determine whose story is best. I’m going to do it, because I think it will be fun. But I’ve no doubt he will beat me. He has a much more vivid imagination than I do.

Once the cache was complete, we drove to Montauk Point to see the lighthouse. Did you know it was the first lighthouse built in New York State. George Washington authorized it to be built in the late 1700s. After stopping in to the gift shop — you know how much G3 loves looking at touristy things — we took a walk on the rocks down by the beach. As always, G3 was a little mountain goat bounding over the boulders. I think he enjoyed the walk.

Before heading home, we stopped to grabbed a couple more traditional caches. It was getting late — going on five o’clock and we still had an hour and a half drive ahead of us — or we would have gotten even more.

G3 spent most of the car ride reading Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Do you remember how much he loved that movie? I lost track of how many times he watched it with Mom. For Easter, she bought him the novel since he said he wanted to start reading some of her books. He’s really enjoying it. I loved hearing him discuss the differences between Christie, Doyle, and Poe. According to him, Christie and Doyle are great at the mystery part of the story. They solve the crimes. But Poe shows the crimes being committed. He gets into the heads of the murderers. On our walk near the lighthouse he told me, “If I’m ever a successful writer like Poe, I’ll have you to thank.” That’s the closest I’m going to get to a compliment from him.

The big news in America today is that Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. You missed it. You died before Floyd was killed, but his death sent people across the country into the streets to protest police brutality. Finally, a cop has been head accountable for his deplorable actions. Hopefully, this will force cops to realize they are not above the law, that if they want to be treated with respect, they need to treat everyone respectfully. 

The other big news is that after a year of being a white belt — in taekwondo — my spouse has gotten her orange belt. We have graduated from an Oreo family to a Halloween family.

I miss you!