A variety of articles on people's passions, pastimes, and personalities.

Newsday •

Train buff and author shares his fascination for the LIRR

When Teddy Roosevelt discovered a commotion, with people trying to shoo Roxey, the legendary Long Island Rail Road canine mascot, off the bed in his private train car, the 26th president said let him ride. And so Roxey rode the rails all the way from Garden City to Oyster Bay, home of Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt’s “summer White House.” That’s just one bit of the history and trivia David D. Morrison shared with about four dozen people who attended his recent talk about LIRR history at the...
Newsday •

Long Island Rabbit Rescue rehomes abandoned pet bunnies

Faline and Freya are sisters from a litter born to a rescued rabbit in the care of Long Island Rabbit Rescue. Credit: Katie Scarr When her family decided to adopt a rabbit two years ago, JoAnna Nicholson went online and found Ru, a mostly gray Lionhead rabbit, through Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group. “Every rabbit’s personality is different, but Ru is a combination of cat and dog,” said Nicholson, 49, an attorney who lives in Amityville. “She’ll come and seek me out for pats and...
Newsday •

Volunteers bring gift of companionship to LI animal shelters

Six days a week, Cynthia Egido can be found walking dogs around Freeport, as she has done for the past three years. A retired photographer and flight attendant who lives in Richmond Hill, Queens, Egido, 66, walks dogs living at Bobbi & the Strays, a no-kill animal shelter in Freeport. Because the shelter is short-staffed, Egido has been volunteering there for eight hours a day, including taking photos for the shelter’s website. “I give them quality time, giving them time outside of the kennel...
Newsday •

Pet Peeves founder reflects on 20 years, $1.5M in giving

Pet Peeves founder Janine Dion is winding down the volunteer group she started in 2001 but hopes to continue speaking on behalf of animal welfare organizations. Credit: Linda Rosier When discussing rescuing animals, Janine Dion has been known to say, “It takes a litter.” The litter, Dion believes, are the numerous people who contribute to the success of Pet Peeves, the organization she founded 20 years ago to help animals in need on Long Island. An outgrowth of Dion’s combined love for...
Newsday •

Centerport therapist is guiding light for men's personal growth

Members of The Lighthouse Men participate in a “Spear Conflict Clearing” at their meeting in Centerport on Sept. 5, 2022. Front row, from left, John Hammer and Glenn Davidson. Back row, from left, F. Towne Allen, Bob Woody Wilson, Doug DiMatteo and Jeff Hindla. Credit: Linda Rosier As both his marriage and business were failing, John Hammer felt like his life had turned upside down. An architect who lives in Northport, Hammer, 71, said he felt betrayed, abandoned, hurt and out of control...
Behind The Hedges •

Today’s Boats in the Hamptons: Built for Speed and Comfort

They’re slick, shiny and built for speed. Today’s boats have high powered engines that transport them over the ocean’s currents, from local waters to distant shores. Though their numbers have dwindled over the years, there are still a few boat builders on Long Island who have honed their skills crafting the ultimate watercraft for fishing and pleasure. At CH Marine, the boatbuilding division of...
Newsday •

Forage for wild, edible plants around Long Island with the Wildman

Did you ever spot some tasty looking berries in the woods and wonder if they were edible — or, possibly, poisonous? You can learn about and take home some wild plants that are both safe and delicious at the Vanderbilt estate or at one of the other "Foraging With the Wildman" adventures with Steve and Violet Brill happening around Long Island this spring. "Foraging With the Wildman" is one of several horticultural programs planned for the spring/summer as the historic gardens are restored for...
Newsday •

Her sights are set on birds

Now an inveterate birder, Dianne Taggart was, admittedly, slow to migrate to the world of ornithology. "To be honest, I came late to the outside world at all," Taggart said. "I was in my 40s before I got interested in anything in nature." As a child, Taggart liked staying indoors to read. Later, she was kept busy raising her daughter, working two jobs and going to college at night. Despite her late start, Taggart, who retired from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, is making up for lost time...
Newsday •

Great Neck North tennis team hopes fundraiser will score win against MS

Mindy Alpert is not one for the spotlight. As assistant coach for the girls varsity tennis team at John L. Miller Great Neck North High School, her place is on the sidelines of the court. For one day, however, Alpert is happy to have attention focused on her at the Play It Forward for Multiple Sclerosis Tennis Tournament, a fundraiser to benefit research and raise awareness scheduled for Nov. 6 at the high school; at press time, the effort had raised about $2,000. A former high school and...
Newsday •

Long Island Couples Prove it's Never Too Late to Fall in Love

"And it takes no time to fall in love But it takes you years to know what love is." — From the song "Life Is Wonderful," by Jason Mraz Love can seemingly happen to anyone — anywhere, anytime. Or so the modern celebration of Valentine’s Day would have us believe. The holiday, rooted in ancient Rome, has morphed into the elevation of the picture-perfect happily-ever-after. Yet for some, relationships seem easier to navigate as seasoned adults than as those in the bloom of youth...
Newsday •

Dogs' Best Friend: Dix Hills Resident Works for Access at Long Island Parks

On any given day, you might find Ginny, Sophie and Cody out walking at Heckscher Park in Huntington. That’s Ginny Munger Kahn, president of Long Island Dog Owners Group, an organization that seeks to increase outdoor access for dogs around the Island, and her two glorious golden retrievers. "My main exercise is walking my dogs," said Munger Kahn, 66, of Dix Hills. "That’s what I love to do: I don’t run; I don’t bike." Dogs, like people, should have access to parks and beaches...
Newsday •

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane with Long Island's Nostalgia Shops

These are just some of the 1,500 different nostalgic candies, toys, merchandising signs, and collectibles available, at Bobb Howard’s General Store, where you’ll find penny candies, like Necco Wafers, Wax Lips, Atomic Fire Balls and Whistle Pops, starting at 5 cents and going up to $3-plus, for pre-packed assortments. "In dark times, people want comfort," says Eileen Caplin Wysel, who’s owned the New Hyde Park store with her husband, Ronnie Wysel since 1982. "There’s nothing better than...
Newsday •

One surgery launches Gift of Life and 35,000 more in Manhasset

What began with one cardiac surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill to save a 5-year-old Ugandan girl has morphed into more than 35,000 life-giving operations around the world, largely due to one man: Robbie Donno of Manhasset. The operations have been organized and sponsored by Gift of Life International, a program of Rotary International begun by Donno 44 years ago. “When people ask my profession, I say, ‘I’m a garbage man, and I do heart surgery on the side,’” quipped Donno, 73...
Newsday •

Cotton grows in Roosevelt Community Garden, makes debut at history events

The fact that cotton makes most people think of the South has not stopped one Long Islander from growing it here. Gloria Cassell, who has a plot at the Roosevelt Community Garden on Fulton Avenue, cultivated the cotton from a plant her dad brought home five years ago from Tamms, Illinois, where family members grow the plant as a hobby. “He brought it back and said, ‘If anyone can figure out what to do with this, I know you can.’” An avid gardener since moving into her Roosevelt home in 2012...
Newsday •

These Long Island garages are all souped up

For Long Islanders, a garage can be many different things — a place to park a car, store the lawn mower, hide away junk. And it can be a hangout spot, an art gallery . . . even a happy place. When he expanded his Huntington Station home in 2005, Bill DeBlasio upgraded his single-car garage to fit four cars, two in the front and two in the back, he says. It took 10 years for him to then soup it up, starting with covering the 800 square feet of flooring with Racedeck gray and black checkerboard...
Newsday •

'Fly Girls' soars with history of female aviators on Long island

During World War II, some 1,100 women piloted U.S. aircraft, clocking 60 million miles and delivering about 12,65o military planes. These are just some of the historical details culled from “The Fly Girls: The Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II,” to be presented in May by Bruce Kagan at the Suffolk County Historical Society. A retired elementary school teacher, Kagan, 71, of Wading River, regales audiences with stories about the first women to ferry U.S. military aircraft for use...
Newsday •

Birthday kids' smiles motivate Port Washington teens via Celebrate U

Fresh-baked cupcakes, jars of vanilla frosting, and containers of purple, green, pink and multicolored sprinkles covered the kitchen island in Sylvia Ades’ Port Washington home on a recent Friday afternoon. There, about a dozen teens, all volunteers for Celebrate U Port Washington and students at Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School, fluttered with activity, putting finishing touches on dozens of cupcakes for a party they would host the next day at Springfield Family Residence, a Salvation Army...
Newsday •

Long Island scrapbooking 'crop' events bond photos and memories

Ever since she took a scrapbooking class 23 years ago, Leane Bhola was hooked. “I started making some books, taking more classes, meeting more people and making memories,” says Bhola, 46, of Coram. Bhola and seven of her close scrapbooking friends recently took part in Just Say Scrap’s scrapbooking “crop,” a weekend of creativity, bonding and just plain fun, run by Adele Vaio Beisser and April Beisser, a mother and daughter duo who provide classes, materials and guidance. “People look at your...
Newsday •

Long Island craft classes offer modern DIY projects

As the days grow colder and you find yourself spending more time at home, you might consider sprucing it up with some crafts you’ve made yourself. And, if you’re really proud of your craftiness, you might want to give your handmade artistry as gifts this holiday season. Meryl Bohl, a frequent customer of AR Workshop crafting studio in Smithtown, plans to spread the cheer with some of her creations. “I’m getting to the point where I might be running out of wall space, so I’ll be starting to...
Newsday •

SeniorNet classes can help the 50-plus crowd get a handle on Instagram

When Maureen Boyle wants to promote a cause or charity, like platelet donations for cancer patients or the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, she picks up her cellphone and posts a photo onto @moebmom, her Instagram handle, or username. Boyle, 59, of East Islip, said she does this “to help raise awareness about important groups that need support that people might not be aware of.” Though Instagram may predominantly be the province of younger people chronicling the minutiae of their...
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