Another busy weekend is finished, and with each one it seems to take a little longer for me to recover. I am amazed at how many events there are this season, and most of them on the same night—Saturday. This makes it almost impossible to get to all of them … but I gave it my best shot.Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of being invited to a friend’s summer rental nestled on Peconic Bay. We enjoyed cocktails by the bay while we watched the sunset, which was absolutely spectacular. Truly a slice of old Southampton: good friends, great conversation and an amazing meal—what more could you ask for? Thank you to my hostess for a delightful midweek treat.
Thursday night, it was over to another friend’s home for drinks. This party was in honor of the delightful and always funny Elizabeth Bowden, whom I know from Palm Beach. Elizabeth and her sister Joan McGowan came up for a visit. They were joined by fellow Palm Beachers Jan Cantor and Larry Zaffutto, and their dog, Gimlet. I haven’t seen Elizabeth since May, so it was wonderful to catch up and find out what she was doing this summer.
Afterward, a small group of us, including Elizabeth, went to Le Chef for dinner. I always forget about this restaurant when it comes to making dinner plans, but after our delicious meal, I’ve marked my book to remember to go back. Thank you, DM—you did a great job, as always.
Friday evening, I was invited to the Meadow Club for dinner. We had drinks on the porch, followed by a fantastic buffet dinner. The club’s food just keeps getting better each year. Of course, I could not resist the macaroons for dessert, which, needless to say, my waistline did not need, but they were amazing, as always. Thank you to my hosts for a delightful night.
Saturday morning, I got up early and ran into town to do errands and was on my way home when I saw the Art in the Park and decided to take a quick look. It is interesting, the diverse group of artists who exhibit at this event, and I always seem to find something that I love for the house.
The afternoon was spent working in the garden, which proved to be too hot and did not last very long. A dip in the pool did manage to cool me off a bit, but the steamy weather was more than I could handle. I relaxed in the air conditioning before heading out for the night’s round of parties.
First stop was on Brick Kiln Road for the Designer Showhouse. I always like going to this event to see the latest ideas from the design world. It seems that neutrals have replaced white and, unfortunately for me, there were not enough bright colors—but, then again, one can easily tire of color quickly.
I loved the butler’s pantry, which was done by Judy Hadlock of Old Town Crossing, which used the Scalamandre Zebra print wallpaper. It was proof that you can use a large repeat in a small space providing you have the right person to do the job. The other room I liked was Barbara Page Glatt’s guest bedroom on the second floor, which used a neutral gray Moroccan wallpaper accented by rich lavender silk drapes. The splash of color was the perfect addition to the room. Brian Brady’s guest bedroom off the kitchen is another noteworthy spot to check out—clean, simple and very elegant.
As I was leaving, I ran into Shannon Donnelly and her friend Cornelia Jones. Shannon came down this past weekend from Newport for a visit. For those of you who don’t know, Shannon is the society and charity writer for the Shiny Sheet in Palm Beach. It was great to chat, but I was off to the next stop of the night, which was back in Southampton at the Historical Museum.
Pianofest held its “We Love a Piano” fundraiser, including a guest appearance by Isabel Rose, with accompaniment on the piano by Konstantin Soukhovetski. What a treat listening to the cabaret style of Isabel as she dazzled the crowd in a stunning Caroline Herrera yellow-and-white dress and, of course, her amazing voice.
Seen enjoying the evening: Jane and Bob Fear, Sophy Haynes, Annalisa Sorros, Larry Horton, Maria and Daniel Del Rio, Peggy Hill, Angela and Mike Errico, and Ellen and Jim Marcus. Paul Schenly was beaming in the background, as the evening was a musical success. There is still time to go to the Avram Theater to listen to performances by these talented young pianists on Monday nights starting at 5:30 p.m.
I was off to Great Plains and the lovely home of Annette and Gerry Geddes, who hosted a wonderful old-fashioned Southampton cocktail party, complete with a musician playing the steel drums. We enjoyed cocktails by the pool and delightful nibbles as the guests chatted the night away.
The final stop of the night was the beautiful home of Sandra McConnell for the Southampton Animal Shelter’s annual dinner dance. Chuck Scarborough was the master of ceremonies, and fellow NBC colleague Jill Rappaport was being honored by the shelter. It was very hard, during the cocktail hour, not to fall in love with one of the dogs that were available for adoption. I have to keep my distance, otherwise I would bring them all home with me! (I was very pleased to learn that adoptions at the shelter are up 43 percent.)
Robins Wolfe catered the event, while Alex Donner and his band had the guests up on the dance floor. The speeches did run a little long, and one guest could be heard begging for them to stop. I had no idea that such a petite woman could be that loud!
Seen enjoying the night: Judy and Denis Dwyer, Raya and Cliff Knight, Kristi Witker (former “Beachcomber” scribe) and Walter Elliot, Nancy Stone, Sharon Kerr, Paul Herman and Joel Cooper, Henry Buhl, Nancy and Peter Larsen, Cindy and Ladd Willis, Kim Renk (owner of Sequins) and husband Greg Dryer, Faith Lovejoy, Lee Sable (owner of Zoom), John Pettenati and Robert Bridges from Fiduciary Trust (corporate sponsors for the evening), Cathy and Jim Duemler, Lucy Puig and Jose Pincay-Delgado, Jean and Marty Shafiroff, Rosalie Brinton, and Kevin Maple.
That evening, it was over to Wainscott for a dinner party. The hostess is an amazing cook and outdid herself with a veal stew that was to die for, and finished the night with her special bread-and-butter pudding topped with bourbon sauce. Thank you for a fabulous night.
This weekend is filled with events that are not to be missed. Thursday evening is the opening cocktail party for Art Southampton, which is bigger and better than last year. Friday is the Garden Club’s lecture series and garden tour, which is a must. Saturday evening, St. John’s Church will host its Art Fair.
Triform Camphill Community will host an arts and crafts exhibition and reception at the music room at Whitefield. Take the time to stop in and support this important charity and view the arts and crafts created by the Triform’s community, including Southampton resident Robbie Haynes.
Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center will host its annual cocktail and dinner party. This is always an interesting event filled with various live art installations on the grounds of the center. This is one that is not to be missed.
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