Lincoln's Log

I got my tax bill like everyone else in Greenwich this year- late.

Mine arrived on July 21 for bills due July 1. I had already paid my property tax and did it online. But apparently I missed the fee that came with payment online. It was not so obvious in a bill of thousands of dollars. But with my motor vehicles bills, it stood out.

Nonetheless, you don’t see the $5 fee until the very last page. The online system shows your tax bill for at least two pages without the hidden fee, so you are lulled into thinking there is no charge until the very end. It’s not very consumer friendly and the town should not be doing this.

I had two motor vehicle tax bills – $59.14 and $87.25. A $10 fee for online payment is quite a premium on top of those bills in my opinion. I resorted to a 44-cent stamp.

Normally by this time of July, sailors lament the doldrums afflicting the waters of western Long Island Sound.

But for reasons that are unclear to me, the heat wave has had a silver lining – the winds have been terrific for sailing. It’s been blowing 10-15 knots every afternoon for what seemed like weeks. Witness this sloop on a reach headed back to her mooring at Indian Harbor:

The bankers, hedgies and media mavens may sleep here, but it’s the Townies who run Greenwich.

They left no doubt about that when their overwrought, xenophobic mutterings prompted First Selectman Peter Tesei to snap to attention and order the local constabulary to weed out the outside agitators polluting the purity of our air. If left unchecked Greenwich would soon be a magnet to gangs, illegal immigrants and Communists. This is not San Francisco!

The last Republican first selectman who failed to heed those warnings – Lolly Prince – paid the ultimate price at the polls and lost – heavens! – to a Democrat! We will have none of that.

The result was an orderly – if almost deserted – Island Beach on Saturday. At least that was the view from the water. Here are the photos:

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I was walking along the beach today when I saw an unusual sight – massive party tents set up at Greenwich Point.

The inner reporter in me which is core to every vigilant blogger snooped around and found out it was the annual fund-raiser for the Greenwich Point Conservancy (nice group of people except when they start complaining about silly things like the outside ice machine at Old Greenwich Yacht Club). No one invited me, but it seemed like a nice event. Beautiful spot for a summer gala. I would have easily forked over the money to attend had I known – (tip to GPC: you still have last year’s press release on your site)

The goal this year is to raise money to renovate the “barn” at the beach which houses the science center. The plan is to move the science center to the recently renovated Innis Arden cottage – (none of this info is apparent on the OGC website btw).

There are about 38,000 beach passes in Greenwich. If everyone gave $10, it would help greatly toward achieving that goal. Greenwich Point is Greenwich’s biggest asset. Please give generously. Go to Greenwichpoint.org

The “barn”

The TV satellite trucks have already staked their positions in the parking lot in front of the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club on Horseneck Lane for tonight’s LaBron extravaganza.

This is one of Greenwich’s trophy charities if not its No. 1 charitable institution – certainly its most visible charity given its prominent location next to the Greenwich train station and Exit 3 off of I-95.

The first boys club was founded in Connecticut – Hartford in 1860 – and Greenwich started its club in 1910.

Feel free to make a donation.