Oysterponds News: Saturday Afternoon Piano Music on Sept. 20

The annual meeting of Oysterponds Community Activities will be this Saturday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. at Poquatuck Hall. An open house with wine, cheese and music by Louise Pecoraro will follow. Everyone is invited to come hear the plans and dreams for our community’s historic gathering place.

Poquatuck Hall will also be the site of the next event in the concert series, when pianist Anne Tedesco presents Saturday Afternoon Piano Music. Anne, who has impressive credentials, will perform selections by Tchaikovsky, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Mussorgsky on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call Jane Smith at 323-1378 for more info.

There is no one more fitting for my analogy/visual of a spirit sailing into the sunset off the OYC dock than Orient’s most recent loss, Village Lane’s Ret Millis. He had an impressive and busy life but loved being in Orient Harbor sailing his boat or running a race committee at OYC. He was probably one of my first small worlds back in the late ’80s when, having met Ret only fleetingly the summer before, I heard a news broadcast about an earthquake in Russia that was being narrated by Ret Millis on an NBC feed from Moscow. At the time, Ret was based in their London office and in those days it seemed quite remarkable to connect with someplace so far away. Oysterponds extends sympathy to his bride, Alison, and sons Andrew, Peter and Robert. May he be sailing in good winds with a steady compass on a joyful course and may he rest in peace.

There will be a celebration of Ret’s life this Sunday, Sept. 14, at OYC from 1 to 3 p.m. Please send remembrances/photos, etc., to his son Andrew at [email protected].

Daughter Sarah had a fun small world on Labor Day. She was in Miami taking in a Marlins/Mets game when Jordan Bogden and his new bride, Nicolle, spotted her two rows in front of them at the 37,000-seat stadium. It was fun but would have even been more fun if they had won.

Welcome to Samuel Tate Hulsmann, who arrived in this world Sept. 1 at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, weighing at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. The proud parents are Allyson and Mark Hulsmann and the thrilled first-time grandparents are Bob and Ann Hulsmann. Samuel’s timing was good since Ann and Bob got to experience the fun of their first Grandparents Day. Congratulations to all.

Orienteer Diana (Dede) Whitsit represented the Terry family/farm last week when she sat on a panel at the American History Museum in Washington, D.C. They discussed farming on the East End during the War of 1812 and the impact on farming today. Catch her for more details.

This is a heads-up: If you are dropping your children off at school in Greenport, there is a new 20 mph speed limit on Moore’s Lane. Be aware.

As the season was winding down at Trumans Beach there were two rescues in one day — and not the kind one would think. The first was the rescue of a duck that was totally entangled and trapped in fishing line. The beach attendant used her skill to free the grateful bird. Even more grateful was a cyclist who arrived at the beach from the ferry in a state of overexertion and heat distress. The attendants aided her and arranged for a pickup truck to take her and her bike back to the ferry. It was heartwarming to hear that she learned firsthand about our Oysterponds hospitality.

Without a doubt, most people over 20 can tell you exactly where they were 13 years ago today. I Googled “Village Lane to ground zero” and it said 111 miles. That was an eerie number but my purpose was to check just how far away we are. And yet, at the time, every child in the OCC playschool had some sort of connection — a parent, aunt, uncle, friend — in or near the WTC. I was on the ELIH board at the time and we were prepared to accept survivors but, alas, none came. What did come were days of ghostly silence and a world that was changed forever. May God bless all families and friends who still grieve their loss from that day and, as always, may God bless America.

Contact Oysterponds columnist Carol Gillooly at [email protected] or 323-3899.