It’s a looong drive from JFK to the very eastern end of Long Island to reach “Shelter Island” which nestles between the North and South Forks. The way  onto the island is to take a short ferry ride. Lulled by the sound of the car engine as our driver drove along the Belt Way I fell asleep. I awoke with a jolt and looked  of the window to discover that our car appeared to be driving across the ocean. What? Oh! I see – we are on a pontoon. 

The minute the car drives off the ferry it travels along tree lined roads dotted with houses. 

Each house is unique in style but they do have one feature in common: steps. Steps up to the porch. Steps down to the garden. Steps up to the first floor. Steps down to the basement. Didn’t any of the people who built them have arthritis? These homes are definitely for the young and fit!

What image comes to mind when you hear the term “holiday home”? I imagine a small house with very basic amenities. The very spacious modern home we rented had a basement and an upstairs plus a pool. The finishing touch was that it had its own landing stage. The house was used by the Owner and Family all summer. The kitchen had every appliance imaginable, including a hot water tap directly over the hob and a massive fridge-freezer. But, oh dear! The kettle had a metal handle and took forever to boil. How could they have a state-of-the -art kitchen but a totally inefficient kettle?

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