This is the third in a series of articles commemorating the 50th anniversary of our family’s move from New York to Hawaii.

We moved in 1969 to a Hawaiian paradise. But what we left was paradise too: a wooded hillside on Long Island’s “gold coast” overlooking a beautiful valley filled with flowers, pathways, gazebos, and even a castle.

In 1955, the year of my birth, my parents, Robert and Lola, designed their dream home in Huntington Bay, New York. Our split-level contemporary home had energy efficiency, modern conveniences, flexible living spaces, and a stunning vista over the surrounding beauty of nature.

The valley below was uninhabited but owned and beautifully landscaped by a man who did so for pleasure on weekends. The rest of the time, it was our private delight.

Our home was named “Stepping Stones.” Of course, we were the stepping Stones. But my mother, also the diligent landscaper and gardener, created stone pathways lined with azaleas, bleeding hearts, a Japanese garden, and flowering bulbs.

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Inside was an architectural splendor of stone, wood, and glass. Many famous and fascinating people would come to visit my parents and see our home, such as film director David Lean and his wife. The home had a massive fireplace, a sunken tub, greenhouse, baby grand piano, and hanging horizontal refrigerator (no doubt to keep out a certain young boy). My parents built Stepping Stones in 1955 for $52,500 and sold it 14 years later for the same price. Today, it is valued near $1 million. They it seems were always ahead of their time.

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As for me, when not exploring the woods, playing with friends, or laughing with sister Lynne, I would enjoy my chemistry set, Märklin trains, model rockets, stamp collection, star gazing, swimming, sledding on snowy hills, and inspirational American Basic Science Club kits. And of course four whole channels of 1960s TV! My cinematographic skills at this age were poor, but here are short videos from our Huntington home: Video 1 Video 2

There really was a castle across the valley, Ferguson’s Castle from the “Great Gatsby” era. This forty‐room, Italian Renaissance‐style, ornate structure had three-foot-thick walls, and a four‐story bell tower. It was built in the 1910s by the Armour meat-packing heiress. Long-abandoned by the 1960s, as kids we would sneak in and scare each other with tales of a rumored dungeon. Indeed, Huntington had a rich history even preceding the Revolutionary War. Nathan Hale was captured near my home and my elementary school was named after him.

A brief walk away was Huntington Harbor which opened to Huntington Bay and Long Island Sound. We always enjoyed the seashore and bird life, from white swans on the harbor to forest birds near our home who mom would feed in the winter. Indeed, Stepping Stones and its natural beauty inspired my mom’s poetry and some paintings. She wrote this post about her dream home, its genesis, activities, and meaning.

During the Huntington years, my father had a public relations practice, was editor of the Huntington Times, and began his successful career as an author. His writing prowess ultimately enabled our move to Hawaii.

Fifty years ago, we quickly embraced the palm trees, sun, and beaches of Hawaii, but never forgot Stepping Stones, the paradise we left behind.