Out in the world. Isn’t that where we all want to be this time of year? Whether that’s heading somewhere far or just taking a breezy stroll at the end of the workday down your own street to decompress. There’s wonder and beauty near and far and everywhere in between, if you just tune into it a little bit.
Most of you probably don’t think much about how these pages wind up in front of you. (And why should you? That’s our job!) What I can tell you is most of these stories are shot and put together anywhere from an entire year beforehand to months in advance. To that latter, that means it’s still winter and we’re writing and editing and problem-solving hunkered down in down, dreaming of robins and tree buds and springtime. It’s one of things I really like about our “Great Outdoors” issue—it inspires me to get outside, tune into nature and my community, and just see what’s around me.
Like osprey! Sure, the red-breasted robin gets all the hoopla for the vernal equinox, but any East Ender knows it’s that formidable bird of prey soaring through the sky and bolstering up its nest that’s the real harbinger of the spring and better days to come. I learned so much from Stephanie Villani’s fantastic story on osprey (along with some awesome action shots from photographer Dietmar Riccomini—
see p. 57) and got pretty excited to spot my first one in the sky for the season!
Less majestic but no less important to our local ecosystem are the small-but-mighty creatures and critters whose existences are so intertwined with each other—and the ultimate health of our local environment—that they hum like a quiet little machine beneath the surface, keeping everything around us in good growing order. Parker Schug peered between the grass blades and tree branches (with a little help from our local chapter of the Audubon Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension, ReWild and Group for the East End) to learn about the fascinating “Horton Hears a Who” cohesive world of our local birds, bugs and plants (p. 86).
Speaking of our local ecosystem, I think all of us at Northforker are pretty fascinated by the waste-not work of local artist Cindy Pease Roe, who found her sculpture and mixed-medai muse in literal garbage that washes up on the beaches. This visionary has not only created stunning works well-regarded both locally and by the international arts community at large, she’s folded into her work a message of conservation and care for our waters (p. 70).
And me? You might say I got the sweetest assignment of all. Head to p. 42 and check out my story on the thoroughly wonderful Chaudry Ali, whose Magic Fountain Ice Cream is the source of smiles all year long.
Like always, there’s lots more spring fun on these pages, like a visit to the thoroughly transportive SpecialTea House (p. 28), a shopping spree at Salt + Sea (p. 24), a seasonally inspired mushroom galette from the one and only Mary Schoenlein (p. 101) and even a visit to Veme Studios, where art and community meet (p. 98).
Get out in the sunshine, North Forkers—take in the season for all the good reasons!
Amy Zavatto
Editor-in-Chief
