pimblr.com

(6/11/2008) The only thing better than discovering a great new restaurant is returning to one you’ve been to before, with no expectations whatsoever about the food, and being delightfully surprised. This was exactly what happened at Sunset Beach on Shelter Island recently.
I have been to the restaurant a few times over the last 10 years — for lunch, for dinner, by boat, and by car. Either way, the only guarantees were: the fries were superb while the rest of the food was mediocre, you would be stared at upon arrival by the somewhat louche clientele, and the drinks would be astronomically expensive.
On this visit, only two out of three were true. The drinks are still expensive, the roués are still in place, but the restaurant has experienced a welcome transformation. On two recent visits, I went with a sizable gang, which enabled us to try almost everything on the menu, and just about everything was excellent.
But first a bit about the atmosphere, because this is really what Sunset Beach is about. Tucked neatly into the curvature of Crescent Beach on the north side of Shelter Island, it looks casual and unassuming from the water. Get a little bit closer, and you may start feeling as if you’ve landed in St. Tropez.
Bistro chairs, oilcloth tablecloths, scantily clad staff, ambient music, and twinkling lights all add up to a charming, relaxed, sexy atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve taken more than a short drive or boat ride to the Victorian grande dame that is Shelter Island. On the first level is a bar, a lounge area (with hardcover books!), and some outdoor dining. Beyond that, there are three more levels, the uppermost is just partially shaded and truly does feel like a tree house.
For starters we tried the shaved fennel and radish salad with bottarga and lemon, crispy calamari salad with frisée and carrot-ginger dressing, the panier de crudités with aioli and tapenade, and crostini with three dips — anchoiade, eggplant caviar, and fava purée. On a second visit we had the gazpacho, gambas grillées with chickpeas, romaine, tahini and harissa, and the tomato-mozzarella di bufalo salad.

easthamptonstar.com

DUNEDIN - An area man who devotes his volunteer efforts helping sea turtles in Honeymoon Island State Park was recognized this week with a Point of Light Award from Gov. Charlie Crist.
Ken Baker, who logged 800 volunteer hours last year, was honored at ceremonies Tuesday at the Rotary Centennial Nature Center, on Honeymoon Island.
Baker, who has helped out at the state park for the last six years, accumulating 6,000 volunteer hours in the process, is active in the park’s sea turtle nesting program. He locates turtle nests, places protective cages over their nests and evaluates their habitat.
He has taken an interest in training volunteers and staff, said Peter Krulder, Honeymoon Island Park manager.
Baker, 56, a Tarpon Springs resident who retired early from the telecommunications company now known as Verizon, started volunteering before his retirement. He spends about three days a week making sure sea turtles stay protected and assisting the Florida Park Service on Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island or Anclote Key.
All three parks are part of the state’s Gulf Islands GEOpark System.
Baker said he likes working on Honeymoon Island because every day there is different.
Krulder said he was thrilled that the staff at the park nominated Baker for a Point of Light Award. He is one of those people who are always available whenever the park service needs help, the park manager said.
In bestowing the honor, Crist said, “I am proud to honor Ken this week for his dedication to one of Florida’s most precious animals, the sea turtle.”
Baker is certified in prescribed burning, boat operations, herbicide applications and turtle-nesting analysis.

suncoastpinellas.tbo.com

Island runner Janelle Kraus started strong at the Olympic marathon trials in Boston Sunday. She was within seconds of a 6:00 mile pace at the halfway point. But then a hip injury that has plagued her since February manifested itself. Her gait and grimace told the story — she would not qualify for the Olympic team.
She “hung on” despite the pain, her former high school cross country coach Cliff Clark reported after watching the race, to finish 57th in a field of 162 with a time of 2:45:01.
Mr. Clark described the race conditions as “perfect. The weather was clear, the temperature in the mid-40s with a modest wind at the 8 a.m. start.”
Ms. Kraus, interviewed via email this week, was moved by the event. “The atmosphere in Boston on that day was unlike any race I have ever seen before; there were crowds at every turn cheering for everyone in that race. I am so grateful to all my family and friends that were there to support me.” In addition to Mr. Clark, the fans cheering her on in Boston included parents Chuck and Linda Kraus, Janelle’s siblings Amanda and Patrick, uncle and aunt Ken and Gina Kraus, grandparents Ceil and Charlie Kraus and many friends including Melanie LoBue, Fay and Warren Walker and Kevin Barry.
Mr. Clark described the course, which “started near the Prudential building in mid-town Boston and made multiple loops around mid-town, across the Charles River via the Harvard Bridge to Memorial Drive (between the Charles River and MIT campus) and back across the bridge to mid-town.
“Janelle was running magnificently through the first half (13.1 miles) and a little beyond. Note one of the pictures that shows the halfway clock at 1:19:01. … She looked great through that point, from every measure. She really looked like she would run the second half faster than the first.”

www2.timesreview.com

By Jim Loney
MIAMI (Reuters) - In the heartland of opposition to Fidel Castro, some Miami exiles expressed relief at the Cuban leader’s resignation on Tuesday but others said they doubted it would end his overwhelming influence on their homeland.
The news that the 81-year-old Castro would not seek a new term as president after nearly a half century in power sparked no immediate celebrations in the streets of Little Havana, the neighborhood west of downtown Miami that is home to many of the area’s 650,000-strong exile community.
“It’s very good that Fidel resigns. But if Fidel dies, it’s better,” said physical therapist Juan Acosta, 58, as he stopped for a newspaper on Calle Ocho, Little Havana’s main street.
“The system there is almost over. You are seeing the end,” said Acosta, who left behind his mother and sister when he left the island in 1980. “The dictatorship is over.”
A subtropical U.S. city just 200 miles north of the Caribbean island, Miami has been dominated by Cuban exiles for as long as Castro has held power.
Among the thousands who fled the island after Castro’s 1959 revolution were Cubans whose property and businesses were nationalized, survivors of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and many who say they were jailed and tortured or lost loved ones to government executioners.
Miami became a hotbed of exile politics where virulently anti-communist militants plotted against Castro and those who failed to oppose him found themselves targeted by hate campaigns and, occasionally, car bombs or Molotov cocktails.
But as some of Castro’s most ardent foes died and younger generations of Cuban-Americans, born in Florida, became the majority, the exile community mellowed. Continued…

reuters.com