Born in Brooklyn, raised on Fire Island has long been Mark Miller’s catchphrase when talking about his baby. Trangleball is the game he invented and trademarked in 1992. His following was modest but it grew steadily, so much so that annual tournaments were soon organized to satisfy the demands of its most ardent players who recognized the potential of this team sport.
“I was throwing a handball around in my music studio,” explained Miller when discussing how the idea came about 20 years ago. “Then the ball bounced off the inside corner of the room in an unusual way and I saw the possibility for a good reflex game.”
Mark Miller is from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, a breed of beach town that while very different still shares some affinity with Fire Island. Anyone who has spent time in the southern Brooklyn enclaves of Brighton Beach, Coney Island or Sheepshead Bay knows that handball is king, and the courts are always busy.
But Miller was also a surfing enthusiast coming out to Fire Island to catch the waves. With a three-sided pyramid prototype he found a way to bring a variation of handball to the beach. Its “court” would not require walls but take advantage of the sandy terrain itself.
Over the years the rules of Trangleball as a game would evolve and become refined. As it gained momentum the game was not just being played on Fire Island anymore, but the far-flung shores of Japan and far off lands like the Czech Republic. It was also not strictly a beach game, for it was being played on the well-manicured lawns of athletic fields, and the floored interiors of gymnasium courts. Trangleball made the adaptation every time and is testament to its success.
When all is said and done however it is still necessary for Trangleball to return to its Fire Island roots in the summer, thus underscoring the importance of these tournaments. On a sunny and sweltering August 4th folks congregated on the beach of Corneille Estates to reaffirm their connection to the game. The Trangleball Champions of 2012: Alex Sandler, Zuri and Caden Pavlin are young men all born after the creation of the game itself, yet another benchmark of its longevity. May the game be enjoyed on Fire Island for generations yet to come.
Mark Miller offers Trangleball start-up kits to day camps in any Fire Island community free of charge. Visit www.Trangleball.com to learn more.
By and large most Fire Island cookbooks are community ventures produced by local fire department auxiliaries or homeowner associations with various residents contributing a recipe or two and then spiral-bound at the local copy shop. As charming as these homespun efforts may be the outcome is often too predictable: clam chowder, baked chicken, macaroni salad, and what Fire Island cookbook is complete without a reference to blueberry pie? Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen have finally broken this mold with The Fire Island Cookbook. (Atria / Emily Bestler, $30.00 list price.)
“We wanted to digress from being too regional or ‘New Englandy,’ ” explained DeSimone when discussing some of the bold decisions he and his partner made in determining the direction of this collaboration.
The seminal work includes lush photographs, printed on quality paper, even a foreword contributed by the television personality Al Roker. Indeed Mr. Roker sums up the book most adamantly when he states “I don’t plan on spending half the day looking for a truffles zester or whatever arcane piece of kitchen gadgetry…” the recipes in The Fire Island Cookbook are sophisticated, but not at the sacrifice of common sense. The called ingredients are surprisingly ordinary and instructions not fussy – so much so that even the novice chef will feel empowered.
One unique feature of The Fire Island Cookbook is how it has been organized. Rather than the typical soup, salad, main course, and desert chapters, DeSimone and Jenssen opt for menus instead: Enough fully planned menus to take you through the Memorial through Labor Day season of weekends on Fire Island or a two-week beach stint. Most of the recipes call for morning prep so a day can be spent at the beach with minimal kitchen time to serve, while a few are more elaborate for those rainy beach days we all know are somewhere in the summer forecast.
The authors, also known as “the wine guys” happen to be the Entertaining and Lifestyle contributing editors of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. This gives the book an unexpected bonus of knowledgeable wine advice to compliment the planned menus. Jeff and Mike presently summer at the community of Fire Island Pines, but their work takes them to exotic locations like Spain, France and the Mediterranean countries. Their travels are directly reflected in the cuisine described in their book, and this is appropriate for the palette of Fire Island menus have become steadily more cosmopolitan over the years.
Yet many of the tantalizing dishes described in these pages are very much down to earth: Mike’s Caribbean spiced ribs; blue cheese, bacon and fried onion sliders; and the mouth-watering strawberry-blueberry shortcake. Only released last April sales are strong making it to two of Amazon’s best seller lists in the home and Entertaining categories.
“We want people to have fun with this book and hope it will become a summer house classic in Fire Island kitchens,” said Jeff Jenssen near the conclusion of the interview. “For what you might spend on a bottle of wine it makes a great host or hostess gift.”
Indeed the time has come for Fire Island cookbooks to be reinvented. These two gentlemen have set the new standard for many years to come.
Winners will be announced on or before labor day 2012!
By Catrina Christensen
As the temperatures rise, more and more people are going to the beach. It’s a place we all know and love. All to often people forget that we need to respect the water. Every summer along the beaches and bays, lifeguards protect the lives of everyone on the beach.
I wanted to share some basic water safety tips that myself and other lifeguards feel it is important to make sure people know. Please just read through them, because you never know when you might use it!
Respect the water.
The different color flags on the beach represent different water conditions.
-Green: Low hazard
-Yellow: Swim with caution
-Red: High Hazard-Strong surf/currents
-Crossed Red Flags: Swimming prohibited.
3. Listen to the lifeguards and only swim while they’re on duty. Hours, months, years have been put into training and gaining experience to ensure your safety.
4. Don’t swim while impaired. Every year guards make so many saves on people who have been drinking or using drugs
5. Watch your children. All it takes is one wave, he or she getting tired, or just wander off for something to happen.
6. Don’t turn your back to the water.
7. Learn about rip currents and how to get out of them.
8. Lean how to swim.
9. Don’t swim alone.
Last summer there was a terrible tragedy in Ocean Beach where a young man went swimming at night and drown. The water conditions changed from being calm all day to rough at night. With no way to really tell, it became an extremely dangerous situation. We need to remember this and learn from this horrific tragedy to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Overall, the beach is the best place to be, so just be mindful of what you do while there. Look out for yourself and those around you. Play it smart and safe, but overall have an amazing time!
By Catrina Christensen
The Long Beach All-Stars kicked off Memorial Day weekend at Houser’s in Ocean Beach last night. Covering a variety of Led Zeppelin songs, young and old locals, tourists, and even the staff were rocking out. It was a ton of fun just dancing around, playing darts, and of course, sipping on a zippy. The band and everyone at Houser’s had such a fun, carefree time that it went on into the early hours in the morning. As always, the owners did a great job picking a band to entertain everyone. I’m looking forward to more great bands and fun times at Houser’s this summer!
A significant and fast moving fire erupted damaging parts the Fire Island Pines commercial district as well as at least one private residence.
Late in the evening on Monday, November 14, 2011 20 fire departments were called to support the Fire Island Pines Fire Department. According to early reports the Fire destroyed numerous landmark buildings including the Pavilion, the town’s premier nightclub, LaFountaine’s, Sip N’ Twirl, and the Pines Bistro. Unconfirmed reports suggest the fire started around 9:00 pm at the Sip N’ Twirl before igniting gas tanks at La Fountaine which spread to the Pavilion. It is very likely heavy wind apparently played a role in the spread of this Fire. If these reports are valid this could be the worst Fire in the community since 1959.
Fire Island Pines Fire : Pines Pantry Web Cam
The Fire Island News reported that Walter Boss of the Pines Fire Department confirmed late Monday night that the fire destroyed the Pavilion, La Fountaine and a bay-front home. Businesses north of the Pavilion along the harbor appear to have been unscathed, he told The News.
Walter Boss
Unfortunately, Fire Island has seen its share of disasters from fires to flooding, hurricanes to nor’easters. Fire Island is a very sensitive environment and disaster can be elevated by the very things we love most about it, in particular the lack of roads and the beautiful isolation. As one local resident pointed out “When a fire breaks out on the island, it spreads quickly and access to it is limited”
With a very limited off season population, the pines Fire department was joined by other fire island firefighters from: Ocean Bay Park, Davis Park, Point O’ Woods, Cherry Grove, Ocean Beach, Fair Harbor, Saltaire, Kismet, as well as mainland departments including Bay Shore, East Islip, West Islip, Sayville, Bellport, Green River, to name just a few.
Pines Fire Department
The news of this fire spread quickly through social media outlets. The Fire Island Facebook page that reaches over 12,000 people had 100’s interacting late into the evening and early hours Tuesday. Fire Island related tweets were also on the rise. Josh Ocean re-tweeted on the Fire Island Pines Cherry Grove page “Omg! RT @cherry_grove: A fast moving fire destroyed Pavilion and at least two other structures in the Fire Island Pines” DJ James Anthony tweeted @fireislandnews – “my thoughts and prayers are with the FIP community this evening” on the Fire Island News Twitter page, and Jess Freund tweeted: “Thoughts with the OBFD. Be safe! @fireisland” Fire Island twitter page.
However, nothing was as moving as what Andrew Kirtzman co-owner of FIP Ventures, which owns the Pavilion, Blue Whale, Canteen, Hotel Ciel, Deck, Rack Gym, Pines Supply Co. Sugar Shack Spa and whom is largely responsible for the Pines major redevelopment over the past few years posted on the Pines Facebook page. His message was so important I felt it best to attach it in its entity.
“This is is obviously a very difficult night for all of us, and I wanted to give everyone a status report from the scene of the fire. I am outside the Pavilion building, surrounded by over 100 firefighters from across Long Island. The fire is under control but is not completely out. Both the Pavilion and LaFountaine buildings are still standing, but they have been completely gutted by fire and water. Sip n’ Twirl, the Bistro and the stores below them are in ruin. Then roof over the Pavilion is gone, and the high tea deck has been destroyed. Small fires are still burning inside the Pavilion – the dance floor – and it’s too dangerous for firefighters to enter inside. The department has called for bulldozers to be brought here from across the bay, as it may be safer to destroy the Pavilion altogether rather than fight the remaining blazes. It is an unfathomable moment. The air in the harbor is still thick with smoke, but the fire has not spread anywhere else, thanks to the incredible work of the Pines Fire Department and the departments that raced to its aid. Firefighters will be here through the night to ensure that no flames re-ignite and create a new threat to the other properties. Canteen, Blue Whale, the hotel and Pantry are all fine. The Suffolk Country Fire Department believes the fire began outside the LaFountaine office, engulfed that building and then spread to the Pavilion. Officials tell me they don’t believe the fire to be suspicious. Seth, Matt and I want to thank you all for your notes and phone calls. Everyone has a stake in these properties, and the love and passion we all feel for them are ringing loud and clearly this painful evening. Tomorrow morning, Seth, Matt and I will begin the process of renewing this beautiful property and making it even more spectacular than it was before. Our hearts go out to Nicole LaFountaine, Patrick, PJ, Bob Howard and others in the LaFountaine building, and we will help one another get the commercial district ready for summer 2012. There is a lot of hard work ahead for all of us. We feel blessed that no one was injured, and proud to be part of this beautiful community. –Andrew”
It was a long night for all Fire Islanders. Most of all it was a long night for the hundreads of Firefighters who worked into the night risking their lives to protect our beloved Island. I want to personally give thanks to each and everyone of you and a special thanks specifically to the Fire Island Pines Fire Department.
We will rebuild.
If you have been to Fire Island you probably noticed many of the homes have names. Whether they are obscure, humorous, clever or ironic, they are all interesting. There are houses named after owners, a favorite song or just something to bring out that summer feeling. One of my favorites is “Open Your Heart” owned by a heart surgeon. As some members of the old FireIsland.com Facebook group noted, people even name houses that associate with other houses, as is the case with two Fair Harbor houses that sit side by side, one “Hiya Dune ” the other “Dune Well”. Then there is the ironic “Wrong House” in Ocean Bay Park named the same name as another house on the block called “Wrong House”. Whatever the meaning, naming ones home is certainly a Fire Island tradition.
So where did the naming of houses come from?
From what I have gathered its mostly an English and Irish custom that has been adopted by many beach communities in the United States. Perhaps because the original settlers of these areas were largely of European or maybe, like Fire Island many beach areas have limited or confusing street structures. After all, most research determines the reason for the tradition is simply because street numbers didn’t exist and naming a house was a way for people to locate and recall a specific residence. Whatever the reason we should embrace it and continue this amazing tradition on Fire Island.
I asked members of the Fire Island Facebook group to list some favorites, the response was huge. You can see the full list here, and feel free to add your houses on the FB page or right here in this post.
Bronx Zoo Too
Camp Sunshine
Casablanca
Catch 22
Choc-Full-O-Nuts
Dew Drop INN
Dome House
Don Woj
Double 40
Dress House
Fabulosity
Forever Young
Healing Waters
King’s Castle
King’s Ransom
Love 45
Mello Yellow
Old Ironsides
Piano House
Salt Air
Sandbridge
Sangri-La
Sans Souci
Shel Shocked
Shells
Simon Sez
Smuggler
SurfsUp
Sweet Revenge
Terrapin Station
The Deal
Red Onion
Tree Tops
The Duchess
Under the Pines
Wits En
I added a photo gallery of some of the homes I was able to take pictures of this summer. You can see that here Fire Island Homes.
If you have a house on Fire Island and you don’t have a name think about it give it time and see if anything evolves. Look towards your house guests as they have a habit of coming up with the perfect title when you least expect it.
