This morning we packed up the house in Orient, divvied up the remaining food stuffs, and set out for a neighbor’s beautifully restored nineteenth-century horse farm. The couple bought the property in 2000 and spent three years restoring, renovating, and landscaping. Their property extends a little more than 1/2 mile to the Long Island Sound, where we strolled along the pebble beach and counted jellyfish. A 10-minute walk to and from the shore, however, yielded mosquitoes, poison ivy, and an unidentified insect that stung/bit Amy’s foot.

On the way out of town we stopped for lunch at a place called Orient by the Sea, next to the dock for the Orient-New London, CT ferry. We shared mussels, fried clam bellies, fish and chips, Caesar salad, and Arnold Palmers. Then Yuji and I took off for my grandmother’s, stopping at three different stands along the way for: more of those berries plus a cantaloupe at Oysterponds; cukes, tomatoes, and peaches in Southold; and Braun Seafood in Cutchogue.

The plan was to grill at my grandmother’s for dinner, in Levittown, before heading back to Brooklyn, so we picked up local flounder and scallops. Yuji lit the grill while I cleaned and seasoned the fish: salt, pepper, olive oil, and my homemade garam masala from last week’s curry post. I made a salad of halved Sun Gold tomatoes, slices of cucumber, and ricotta salata, dressed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.

It’s a real pleasure cooking for my grandmother—I don’t know whether she tells the truth or not but she’s typically effusive with praise and tonight was no different. She licked her plate clean, enough evidence for me.