Montauk's Ditch Beach is a natural for surfers. That's why the auction held at the Surf Lodge last weekend sponsored by Cavi, and with proceeds going to a needy local family, featured specially crafted boards and artwork depicting this beach's bluffs and beauty. Now refurbished from its local Irish pub flavor, the interior of this elite spot has the ambiance of a lava lamp. But outside, perfect for sunset ogling, mannequins sporting Cavi's special surf-side attire served as backdrop for photos and paintings from local artists wanting to contribute to a worthy cause. Walter Oost the famed Sports Illustrated photographer donated a framed collage of his journals, his wife Eva, one of her classic floral paintings. Jewelry designer Helen Fiquellora was on hand, having contributed a white gold surfboard charm on a chain. No fewer than five women had on her signature gold hoop earrings with diamond chip. Being a non-surfer, I appreciate the splendors of Ditch differently; from the shore, I envy the agility and passion of those wet suit clad silhouettes riding the waves:

Moody morning
Surfers crest in the mist.

Few haiku poets attended the annual East Hampton library book sale on Saturday, unless you count Billy Collins' baseball haiku. Writers of all kinds sat at tables amidst piles of their books. Celebrity hounds gathered around Barbara Walters and Alec Baldwin for their memoirs, Candace Bushnell, Jay McInerny and Dirk Wittenborn for fiction, critic Morris Dickstein has a new book about the Depression with the legs of showgirls on the cover; painter Eric Fishl and writer A. M. Homes' new collaboration drew crowds, and Charla Krupp sat ready to tell everyone how not to look old. Food writer Florence Fabrikant left early as her name card beside a vacant chair read: Sold Out. Try Bookhampton.

And another author was in town as well: former presidential contender Howard Dean spoke about his new book, Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform at the Springs home of Bonnie Maslin and Yehuda Nir. Before praising President Obama's health plan, Dean too was humbled by nature, worried about competing with the setting sun