Thursday, September 20, 2018,

This is ‘Breaching Whale’, the latest sculpture by local artist John Scarola. It stands just over fifteen feet tall and is the newest installment at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. I think the sculpture will help to draw more attention to the museum, which is in an often overlooked building just east of the main part of town. It’s a great museum and maybe now it will get more of the attention it deserves. The whaling industry is what put Cold Spring harbor on the map and this sculpture may just put the Whaling Museum back on the map of Cold Spring Harbor.

Breaching Whale is not Mr. Scarola’s only sculpture in Cold Spring Harbor. In fact, his sculptures now bookend the town. With the award winning ‘Two Schools of Thought’ to the west, at Billy Joel Park,  and now ‘Breaching Whale’ to the east, John Scarola’s works can now be seen coming or going from Cold Spring Harbor. In my opinion, the town is all the better for it. JK

Wednesday, September 12, 2018,

This unlikely-looking bird with the serious underbite is called a Black Skimmer. It uses that unusual bill to skim the surface of the water in search of fish, crustaceans, and anything else that might be lurking on the water’s surface. They fly just above the water and literally skim the surface with that lower mandible extended into the water. When they feel or sense a fish or other edible tidbit, the jaws snap shut and voilà! Dinner is served. JK

JK