Recreational Habitats: Hamptons Hideaway
On March 9th, 2020, I visited my mother in Bridgehampton to wish her farewell as she was preparing to travel abroad; little did we know we would be quarantined together in the Hamptons for the next five months, and counting... Our house has always been our shelter, now it has become our haven. In 2006, we rebuilt our house after a devastating house fire that destroyed our original home. Thankfully, Kathrine “Kitty” McCoy, my mother and distinguished architect known for her gorgeous ‘Hamptons’ homes, designed a new oasis that now provides us with peace, privacy, and tranquility.
Most days, I work on our screened porch that faces the pond, which not only protects me from the sun but still allows the cooling Hamptons ocean breeze to come through and provides relief from the summer heat. It is my favorite enclave, and in the winter we turn on the radiant floor heat and replace the screens with insulated glass panels; perfect for our annual Christmas Eve dinner party where we set a long table the length of the porch, which is sadly not likely to happen this year due to COVID-19.
I have spent the past seven years caught up in the hustle of New York City, but this period of self-isolation has reminded me of the importance of standing still. I watched Spring turn into Summer-every day watching the garden turn a little more green and the buds of the hydrangeas that surround the house begin to bloom. Subsequently, I have also witnessed the summer heat wilt our hydrangeas. I watched a family of geese be born, grow up, and learn to fly on our pond, right before my eyes. In the evenings, I remember to look up into the sky and peer at the stars, a sight rarely seen in the city that never sleeps, and serves as a great reminder that we are just specks on a rock that is flying through space.
Our days and evenings are spent on the terraces working, grilling local produce and seafood, playing Rummikub, splashing around in the pool to cool off from the summer heat, and taking spontaneous jumps into the ocean. At 6pm, my mother and I begin to prepare dinner for that evening; a ritual I now cherish.
The stove is no longer a place for me to store my juicer machine, as it was in my apartment in NYC, but an appliance that we use to make homemade pizza on Sundays, and so much more. One day, God willing (and COVID willing since dating is not so easy right now), I will have a partner and children running around, but these are days and hours spent with my mother, just the two of us, that I will cherish the rest of my life.
Note from the Editor
Catherine Michelle is a fantastic writer and a dear friend of mine who I met one summer in the Hamptons. I have learned to love Long Island through her local point of view. We’ve had the most beautiful evenings and lazy mornings in her home featured above. I can speak from first hand experience that her home is as filled with beauty as it is with love and warmth.
-Jackie