| Issue #35, November 24, 2006 |
Letters
THE NEW A&E SECTION
Dear Dan and Sabrina,
I would like to thank you for your article this week about my book Chasing
America. I was pleased by the fact that you seem to sense what I am
trying to do with my work. The article was an unexpected boost last
weekend.
Thanks again.
Regards.
Dennis Watlington
Via e-mail
IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Dear Dan,
I did not yet go see what the Dan’s Papers current cover is all
about, rendered by your artist Sonia Grineve - (Hey! GRIN Eva!). To
me, it’s some kind of natural outdoor scene – birds in flight
over some kind of land that could be the East End, which it probably
is.
But I saw something else: It seemed to me I was seeing penguins out
of their natural habitat and what looked like two people, center right.
It looked like an Indian holding the head of another Indian, or maybe
a dark-haired white man; or maybe it was a white man (of the Old West?)
with long hair holding the head of an Indian. Yet, Indians were the
ones who beheaded people more, like the tribe my mother’s ancestry
comes from – Seneca, Illinois.
By the way, the one holding the head (my first concept) appears to have
one leg, in a reclining position. Maybe he’s the dead one, being
held by the other, perhaps the rest of his body intact.
So, what do you make of this perception? I’m sure the artist did
not intend to have people see that. But in art, people see different
things!
Toby Van Buren
Via e-mail
Did you see the dinosaur? –DR
BEST IN NY
Dear Dan,
My sister, who lives in Southampton, sent me your bagel article. It
was very funny and it is all true! I grew up on Long Island and have
lived in San Francisco and Marin County for twenty-two years. The bagels
do suck and so do the Jewish delis. But, if you ever come to Marin –
maybe on a drive to Pt. Reyes or the beach – stop in San Anselmo
and try Barton’s Bagels. These are the ones my husband (also from
New York) says come closest to H&H (no where near as good, but the
best ones we have found out here).
By the way, no ex New Yorkers who live here like Noah’s.
Good Luck!
Margie Harris
Via e-mail
Is Moses out there? –DR
DEER ME
Dear David Lion Rattiner,
In your article “Hot to Trot,” you indicate that the deer
are quickly losing their habitats and we are losing the reason why most
of us came here. When we moved to Montauk 20 something years ago, there
were many more deer than there are now – I don’t believe
that bow and arrow hunting (an especially cruel sport) was allowed.
I overheard a conversation in White’s Drug and Department Store
when bow and arrow hunting was introduced to Montauk – the “idiot”
was laughing about how difficult it was for him to track a deer that
he had shot with at least four arrows – “He ran and ran
trailing blood and I still didn’t get the S.O.B.” Are these
normal people? I don’t think so – not when there are birth
control darts that would solve the problem.
I’ve written many times to B. Castro and others about the hunting
situation here – they seem to not see that reducing the speed
limit on Montauk Highway would eliminate 95% of encounters.
I’m not like you but you must have had some kind of “epiphany”
to do a 360-degree on the deer situation – as you imply in your
last paragraph. Last year you loved seeing them. This year you want
them killed. What gives??
We’ve lived in Montauk for over 20 years and have yet to see deer
dancing out in the middle of the street – sometimes they walk
slowly across – sometimes they just rush out. But in either case
– speed of your vehicle is the issue.
And you mention the case (unfortunate) as it was of a deer run-in with
a bike rider. Well they should “can” triathlons here –
my neighbors and I were stuck for hours at the beach because hundreds
of bicycles blocked the road and took over. It was a dangerous situation
for anyone caught up in it – I had an elderly relative at home
alone. We told her we’d be back in fifteen minutes and didn’t
arrive back for three hours – give me the deer any day –
I was never stuck anywhere because of a deer – Montauk cannot
absorb the number of people who choose to be involved in these races
– cut the numbers to 1/4 of what is allowed to at least give some
respect to the residents and the deer.
C. Lawlor
Via Mail
I give up. –DR
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