Having lived in San Diego, I’ve been to my share of bonfires, but never to a clam bake. I guess it’s more of an East coast thing to do, and now I know what I’ve been missing! We heard about this fantastic event through a friend and promptly signed up. We arrived in time to make some new friends and enjoy a few pre-dinner drinks (none for me, since I was the driver for the night). As the sun was setting, the food arrived - freshly steamed clams, mussels, lobsters and corn on the cob! What a decadent feast. Afterwards, we enjoyed clear skies and bright stars, bonfires and s’mores, quite a perfect summer night in the Hamptons.

Week 3 Ferners: Heather, me, Emily, Paige, Amy and Nicki

The crowd

The beach

Amy and Heather

Nicki and Heather

Emily and Paige

Mussels and clams and lobsters, oh yum!

I could only fit this much on my plate. This did not stop me from shamelessly going back for more clams and mussels. A few times.

Lobster makes Heather savage.

Paige had a friendly lobster.

Week 2 at Camp Fern - Saturday started out hot and humid, and after a few hours at the beach, a crazy rain storm hit the Hamptons. Everyone was wiped out from a rough week at work, and family dinner was the perfect remedy. We loved having a grill and a big kitchen. This time it was soy-lime marinated chicken, burgers, hot dogs, asparagus, green beans, corn on the cobb and salads. We eat well at Camp Fern!

Grill Master Paige

Quinoa salad with lots of veggies

Green salad with lots of other veggies

Asparagus and green beans, cooked on the grill

Burgers, chicken, and a veggie dog

Yummy!

Don’t forget dessert! Did you know you can also make s’mores over a gas grill?

Now that Corin walks, our video chats have become quite entertaining. All the girls of Camp Fern loved meeting him, and he was happy to show off his favorite kitty, Danny, and some of his favorite toys.

Happy 5th of July!

Corin says “I love Mommy and Danny!” (Danny was not very happy about this hug fest)

I wanna ride a real NY taxi!

Flirting with Heather

Poor Danny…

Practicing rock climbing on his personal climbing wall.

Ride ‘em cowboy!

Two of our requirements for a summer house in the Hamptons were a good kitchen and a grill. We all love to eat, and most of us like to cook. On Friday night, after our beach stroll, we put together a couple of healthy salads, and threw some veggies, burgers and dogs (veggie for Lori and me!) on the grill. It was a great team effort, with delicious results!

While Emily and Heather went to pick up Nicki from the train station, Lori and Paige fired up the grill and enjoyed a lovely rosé. I documented the evening.

Paige proved to be an expert at the grill.

Salad with red lettuce (from the farmers market), tomatoes, cucumbers and mango, and a tangy vinaigrette.

Quinoa salad with green beans, red bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and onion.

Zucchini from the farmers market

Beef dogs and veggie dogs

My plate - corn (also from the farmers market) was also cooked on the grill.

This delicious meal was made with love and devoured with pride by the girls of Camp Fern!

When I first moved to NY, my goal was to experience as much of the NY lifestyle as I possibly could. In almost 6 years, I’ve had my share of celebrity sightings, eaten at some of the best restaurants, visited the museums, seen lots of shows, spent a weekend in Fire Island, played slots in Atlantic City, watched performances in the parks, and I can find my way around The Village. Now I can check one more off my ever-growing list - a summer in the Hamptons! My friends and I are sharing a house for the month of July, and now I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner (oh, right, I couldn’t afford it before…). The house, which we’ve nicknamed “Camp Fern,” has a pool, a deck, a large kitchen, a grill, and is a mere mile and a half from a gorgeous beach! And bonus, there’s a farm on the way to the beach that sells fresh produce every day! I was a little sad to be missing my beloved farmers market for a whole month until I discovered this little gem. Here are some pics of our first evening’s stroll to and along the beach.

Long road leading to the beach

Gorgeous estates with fancy cars

I really wanted to crash this party. They had a great view, a guitar, and a bonfire.

And a BBQ and something delicious cooking in a very large pot.

Not a bad view!

Lori, Heather and Paige enjoyed the evening beach stroll.

Emily showed off her guns.

Wild life! There were lots of little bunnies on the side of the road and in the yards of the fancy homes. Most were camera shy.

More bunnies! There’s some truth to that joke…

Fancy home

Fancy estate

Stay tuned for more pics of my Hamptons summer adventure!