Mastic Beach's Anna Wintour On David Letterman

Mastic Beach is home to an array of famous people including artists, writers, politicians, editors and more. One of our most famous residents is Vogue magazine editor, Anna Wintour. Also known as the inspiration for the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada", Ms. Wintour recently spoke about this and more on the David Letterman show.

Letterman asked if she was as cold as the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" portrays. Wintour demurely replied, "Well, I'm very decisive and I try and give very clear direction to the people that I'm working with, and sometimes, unfortunately, they don't hear the answer that they would like to hear."

Wintour further commented on a recent New York times article claiming she's an ice queen. "I read in the New York Times this week that I'm an ice queen, I'm the sun king, I'm an alien fleeing from District 9 and I'm a dominatrix. I recon that makes me lukewarm royalty with a whip from outer space. What do you think?"

Wintour removed her signature sunglasses for the Letterman interview and wore a fabulous black and white dress by Carolina Herrera.

Kate Browning Visits Bay Manor Reunion

For decades, people sent their children to preschool at Bay Manor. Located in a cozy little room at the Grace Lutheran Church, many happy memories were made at Bay Manor. Both of my children attended this preschool. It was a joyful introduction to learning and we made several lifelong friends.

Due to lack of funding, Bay Manor finally closed their doors. Last year was the first year people did not have Bay Manor to send their children to. It was a sad moment for many of us.

On July 26, Miss Maria decided to host a Bay Manor reunion at South Haven Park. It was a beautiful afternoon. Miss Rosie and Miss Debbie were there to celebrate with many Bay Manor students and families. We all picnicked, talked and had a great time.

Kate Browning visited the Bay Manor reunion to give kudos to Miss Maria for her dedicated service to the children and community. Miss Maria was touched by the lovely commemoration she deservedly received.

I wrote an enthusiastic article about Bay Manor preschool years ago if you want to read more about it. For many Mastic Beach residents, Bay Manor was the beautiful beginning of community life in Mastic Beach. We will miss you, Bay Manor, and look forward to future reunions!

Mastic Eyesore Co-Owned By Assistant Principal

I was alarmed to read a recent Newsday article about Rob King, the assistant principal at Paca Middle School in the William Floyd School District. The article states Rob King co-owns a Mastic home the Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko claimed is "one of the worst properties in the entire Town of Brookhaven. It was unfit for human occupancy."

The house located at 120 N. Titmus Drive, Mastic, was illegally rented to tenants. King, who works in our community but lives in Smithtown, co-owns this Mastic home with a resident of Nesconset since 2003. King claims to be unaware of the situation and thought the co-owner was residing in the home to make renovations for legal rentals.

Since King is present in Mastic Beach everyday for his job, I'm unsure why he never checked the house. The lack of electricity, presence of a generator and outdoor cooking conditions were obvious from a quick perusal. According to King's attorney, his client states he never signed leases or received rental income from the home.

It upsets me a school administrator would be part of the slumlord problem in our community, whether knowingly or unknowingly. What I found even more perturbing were statements made by a few neighbors that one of the tenants was a sex offender. I cannot substantiate this rumor but find it even more disturbing.

It is rather surprising we heard so much about a store proprietor giving a robber a loaf of bread but there was little publicity about this serious problem. Our community has suffered as a result of careless behavior from "investors" for too long. To find them employed by our school district and taking home a salary while living miles away is offensive to me. Why wasn't this home found in the Town of Smithtown, where the co-owners reside? How do you feel?

Shirley Store Owner Helps Robber - Only In Our 'Hood

I wasn't surprised to hear about the Shirley convenience store owner who wound up praying with a robber and giving him $40 and a loaf of bread. That's just the kind of neighborhood we are.

Newsday reports a masked man with a bat entered Shirley Express Convenience store on William Floyd Parkway. He demanded cash and store owner Mohammad Sohail grabbed his rifle and ordered the man to the floor. Suddenly Sohail felt compassion as the robber said, I have no money. I have no food. I haev no job. I have to take care of my family." The man indicated he wanted to be a Muslim, too, and prayed with Sohail.

Sohail gave him 40 bucks, bread and when he went to get him milk, the robber fled on foot. Sohail doesn't want him arrested or punished but hopes he learned a lesson from the experience.
By the way, the gun Sohail brandished was legal.

It's a great example of the understanding and compassion people of all ages, backgrounds and circumstances show for each other in our neighborhood.

Memorial Day In Mastic Beach

Happy belated Memorial Day! Some bad news in our family has kept me away from my personal blogs for a few weeks. This past weekend, we took some much-needed time out. We got out on our boat for the first time and launched at Mastic Beach Marina I. As always, everyone was friendly and helpful. It felt good to get out on the bay and get some sunshine after a backyard barbecue with family. My husband is a disabled Vietnam veteran so I try to infuse a little joy into this day filled with sad memories.

How did you spend Memorial Day and are you looking forward to summer as much as I am? (Although the last couple of chilly, gray days don't feel anything like the warm, hazy days of summer I was dreaming of...)

Happy Spring & The 14th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Happy first day of spring! The telltale signs are appearing with budding flowers, longer days and warmer sunshine. As spring approaches, many of us are consider Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets.

The Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics and Shirley are holding their 14th Annual Spring Egg Hunt on April 4, 2009, from 10 AM to 1 PM at the William Floyd High School Gym. The event is limited to 800 participants and is open to children under 10 years of age.

Children must have a ticket to attend. Tickets can be picked up at Century 21 Cor-Ace Realty, Hansen Carpet (where we usually go), Ice Cream Cottage (their rainbow cakes are incredible) and Subway on Montauk Highway in Shirley.

For more information, call Joe Asaro at 878-3400 or Bill Ryan at 399-5502.

The Loss of Corey Stark

Posted on the William Floyd School District website:

Tuesday, February 24th 2009
The William Floyd School community is saddened by the sudden loss of one of our students, Corey
Stark, a high school senior, who passed away this afternoon. Counselors will be made available at
the high school for our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with Corey's family and friends
during this difficult time.

Our community is terribly saddened by this tragic loss. Prayers, sympathy and support go out to Corey's family and friends.