Long Island Fall Foliage Camping

This beachfront cabin is absolutely our most phenomenal lodgings EVER for our annual fall foliage camping trip.  We stayed in Heckscher State Park in Long Island in this stunning cabin, feet away from the Atlantic Ocean.	What is so awesome about this beachfront cabin besides its modernist design and barefoot beckoning sand is that it looks different at various times during the day, as the sunlight changes.  Monet would love it here.
This was the view of the beach, Atlantic Ocean and setting sun from our cottage deck that initially greeted us.	Water is life.  It refreshes the soul, cleanses the spirit and constantly renews as it baptizes us anew.
We were in Long Island for Mateo's Manhattan Soccer Club Travel Team Northport Tournament.	Mateo displays so much joy when he plays soccer, and it is totally contagious.
This beautiful illuminated beachfront cabin awaited us that evening when we returned from Mateo's soccer tournament games.  The front of the cabin is a multitude of windows letting sunlight in during the day and electric lights stream out at night.	The back of our cabin consists of a few simple windows, with wood walls dominating since it opens up to parking spots.  The true beauty awaits around the corner when you catch sight of the sea and hear the roaring waves of the Atlantic.
It is really difficult to start a campfire on a windy beach.  Our neighbors taught us the secret to a huge campfire: douse your wood with Purell hand sanitizer (key household item to clean your hands during a global pandemic AND have a campfire for s'mores!).	We were skeptical that Purell would work, though the proof is in our roaring campfire.  The spark caught immediately on the Purell doused wood, and was no match for the Long Island wind.  When we go camping from now on, we will bring the Purell!
S'more prep from the kid who coined the phrase "smells like s'mores!".	Mateo and Alexi roast marshmallows over burning embers to make perfect s'mores.
With Halloween just around the corner, Mateo shows off his mummy, frankenstein and bat donut PJs....	...as well as the jack-o-lantern boxers he put on.
Mateo and Sharon are HUGE fans of early morning walks along the beach.	It was a very chilly October morning, though that did not stop this little beach trekker.
Mateo shows off his champion celebratory pose...	...as does Sharon.
This crazy kid is about to venture into the chilly Atlantic...	....as is his equally crazy mom in a bikini in October!
It was so difficult to leave this stunning beachfront cottage on the final day of Indigenous Peoples/Italian Heritage long weekend.	The blow of leaving was softened by plans to reserve this same cabin for our fall foliage camping trip in 2022(!)                 PS - Mateo, play soccer in Long Island again
On our last day on Long Island we ventured to the Hamptons, since it is featured in the 1,000 Places To See Before You Die book (Sharon's bible).  The book recommended Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton, so of course we had to stop by.	Campers cannot survive on camp food alone....it was time for a hearty brunch, eaten in an actual restaurant, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  David made this his non-vegan day to have an omelet with toast and hash browns.
Mateo shows off his SMS hoodie while drinking a vanilla egg cream....	...while Alexi shows off his "I.C.E. bear with the sunglasses" while enjoying a chocolate egg cream.
The best part of the meal was dessert!	Ice cream sundaes are always a huge hit with this fam.
Next we headed to East Hampton for the best attraction for athletic boys: batting cages.  Mateo is up to bat first...	...and then it was Alexi's turn for a bunch of swings.  Our kids last played on a baseball team pre-pandemic.
Our family could not resist a round of Hamptons Mini-Golf on this absolutely lovely course.	Alexi pretty quickly got a hole in one (the only family member to do so).
Sharon adores mini-golf courses that reflect the history of the communities they are in.  Here Sharon lines up her ball by a replica of the Montauk lighthouse (which she ascended to the top of ages ago before children after biking the Montauk Century!)	And David takes his swing at a replica of the Old Hook Mill, one of the best preserved windmills in the Hamptons.  Normally it is open for tours, though it is closed (like so many other things) during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
As Manhattanites, we spend our days on our own little island, surrounded by both the Hudson and East Rivers.  On this fall foliage camping trip we got to venture to another island, Long Island, to get back to nature and witness lovely sunsets like this one.	We were surprised and thrilled to stumble upon Old Hook Mill while driving from Bridgehampton to East Hampton.  Sharon has had a thing for windmills every since biking in both the Montauk and North Fork Centuries (100 miles each!).  We most definitely will be back out on Long Island next autumn.

New Hampshire

We stayed at the Hilltop Equestrian Center to break up the drive back to NYC from Maine.  It was Alexi and Mateo's first time in New Hampshire, and Sharon and David's first time there since 2006.	Sharon found the Hilltop Equestrian Center on Air B&B (currently for sale if you are interested-the whole farm!), and a horse farm is absolutely the coolest air b&b we have ever visited.
Mateo and Alexi pose in front of one of the horses.	Many of the horses at this family farm had their faces covered to protect them from flies in the summertime.
Mateo is a big time animal lover (like Sharon).	Here, Mateo pets one of the friendly horses.
We hiked around the equestrian course.	Alexi is a big fan of walking sticks while hiking.
Sweet Chipper is the offspring of a championship trotter.	Alexi got to take the first ride on Chipper.
Mateo got the second ride on Chipper.  It was soooo cool and our first time riding a horse bareback.	This was also Sharon's first time riding bareback, and it was really fabulous to have a co-owner Jim as her guide and his loyal dog following Chipper and trotting around the track.
Award-winning horses abound at the Hilltop Equestrian Center.	The best part of air b&bs is they have kitchens where you can cook.
After a day of traveling and horseback riding, we happily collapsed into our beds.	We had to go to bed early, because a great activity awaited us early the next day...
Alexi and Mateo dressed warmly in their matching Acadia shirts and are all smiles in anticipation of....	...our whale watching adventure!  We had planned to go whale watching in Bar Harbor, Maine, though the tour was sold out.  David found this awesome Granite State Whale Watching Tour in New Hampshire online, and though the day was stormy, the whale watching was a go.
We dressed in our raincoats due to early morning showers...	...though by the time we boarded, the rain had mostly subsided and the only water we felt was the spray from our boat.
When you sight your first whale, you feel such a rush of awe and happiness.  All the whales we saw were humpback whales.	Usually only part of a whale's body is seen above water, so when you see the whole body emerge it is really breathtaking.
The marine biologist who served as our tour guide introduced us to Satula, who is spotted often at Jeffrey's Ledge since it is a feeding ground.	This is Owl.  Whales are purposefully not given human names, since it is usually difficult to tell the gender of the whale.  Marine biologists saw this whale pregnant, so they know this is a female whale.
You bond with your fellow boatmates while on a whale watching tour, and alert others when you spot a whale.  It is quite amazing to see the tail of the whale (the largest of all!) above the water while the rest of its body is submerged.	The tale of the whale is the last part of the whale's body you see before the whale dives below the surface of the water to feed.  There were "oohs" and "ahhhs" on our boat when we saw Satula's tail in a perfect arc above the water.
It was a super wet and windy day, and we are so happy that our whale watching tour did not get canceled.	Whale watching and bareback horseback riding are experiences we will always remember and treasure when we reminisce about New Hampshire.