Four All Souls members—Marly Gonzalez, Mary Ann Lang, Liddy Paterson, and Bry Benjamin—spent a busy and enjoyable November weekend as guests of the 75-member First Universalist Church of Southold, Long Island. The trip provided opportunities for interaction with other UUs in the area and gave visitors an overview of the North Fork of Long Island, a historic area less well known than the Hamptons to its south. All Souls members, Sandra Ekberg and George Wing, who spend time on the North Fork and are active in the Southold church, coordinated the visitors’ stay and led local tours.

Arriving on Saturday morning, the group toured Greenport, once an active seaport for whaling ships with oyster shucking factories along its waterfront, and now home to a growing number of art galleries and antique shops. After lunch at a sunny, seaside restaurant, the group stopped at a few of the area’s vineyards, then participated in the church’s Chili Cook-off for the community, a fund-raiser that supports services to the homeless. On Sunday, they attended church services in the 175-year-old white, clapboard church, and later, heard a duo piano concert there that featured the church’s accomplished Music Director. The day provided opportunities for All Souls members to mingle informally with their Southold counterparts, who would like to strengthen ties with All Souls.