S. Galardi
DAN'S PAPERS, July 18, 2008 Page 29 www.danshamptons.com
Farm Fashions Scarecrows Dressed in Latest Styles Appear on our Landscape By Susan M. Galardi On a newly plowed, small farm lot at the southeast corner of 27 and Town Line Road, two unusual, Tim Burton-type figures have made an appearance. In the field, owned by one of the Schwenks (a long time farm family on the East End) stand two scarecrows, facing west, toward Town Line BBQ. These scarecrows are interesting, first of all, simply because they are there, in full view — a rare sight in the Hamptons. But what’s most intriguing about them is how well they are dressed. They both seem to be male. One is in black — the New York uniform. He’s wearing flowing,
possibly knit black trousers that puddle fashionably at the cuff, a nonchalant long-sleeved black t-shirt, and a white baseball cap — a bold choice. It’s the perfect outfit for the edgier Hampton benefits or club scene when you want to go against the grain of madras, seersucker, and pastel striped shirts. The other scarecrow is sporty, in flowing, drawstring khakis and a fleece zippered pullover in fire-engine red, plus a blue baseball cap — very Americana in a hip, casual way, and just the right outfit for a clam bake, afternoon barbeque or tea dance. Why would the farmer choose these clothes, rather than the typical overalls, checkered
shirt and straw hat? Too Wizard of Oz? Driving by for the past week, I’ve looked to see if anyone is in the field so I could ask, to no avail. People told me that the Schwenk who owns the farm is a somewhat elusive character who does things his own way. Richard Hendrickson, a true Bridgehampton gentleman farmer, simply described him in his polite manner as “a little different.” Hendrickson is from a long line of Halseys who have farmed the East End since the 1800s. He said that scarecrows were very common out here for centuries. “You start with two sticks, get an old hat – didn’t matter, cap or felt hat, a jacket or a coat,” he said. “The idea (continued on the next page)
On the Edge: I TEXT, THEREFORE I AM By Victoria L. Cooper First there was the chess championship. Then came sand castle competitions, ping-pong tournaments and air guitar battles. But nothing trumped the advent of the Nintendo World Championships — young players white-knuckling controllers in an attempt to beat the Legend of Zelda within the timeframe of six minutes and 21 seconds — until now. Welcome to the second annual LG National Texting Championship. The prized thumbs receive $50,000 (double what the prize was last year) from the company that put this whole thing together, basking in the glow of the motto, “Life’s Good.”
On July 9, out-texting more than 15,000 entrants, Nathan Schwartz, 20, from Clyde, Ohio, took home the title of “fastest texter in the country,” not to mention the $50,000 check and bragging rights for his high-speed thumbs. Schwartz’s winning phrase was “Does everybody here know the alphabet? Let’s text. Here it goes...AbcDeFghiJKlmNoPQrStuvWXy & Z! Now I know my A-B-Cs, next time won’t you text with me?” $50,000 for a “Sesame Street” spin-off of the ABCs? That’s more than most people make in a year. He completed the phrase in 60 seconds without a single error. Similar to the 2007 com-
petition, contestants were asked to type out phrases on their LG handsets exactly as they appeared on an overhead LG plasma screens, without typos or abbreviations. Last year, the championship was won by 13-year-old Morgan Pozgar from Claysburg, Pennsylvania, who successfully texted, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough you’ll always sound precocious,” in 42 seconds without a single typo. In this competition, however, there’s no shorthand lingo — no lol, omg, wth, or l8r — and time (continued on page 36)