Reflections of Coming Home: New Patch Editor Takes Helm

As my first day as editor of the Sayville-Bayport-Blue Point Patch winds down, I am feeling every emotion from excitement and eagerness to that comforting sensation of going home to the place where you grew up, learned the rules of life and survived the tribunals of becoming an adult.

For the past 16 months I had been directing the Babylon Village Patch, which became a very close second home as it is nearly a replica of Sayville-Bayport-Blue Point in that residents are community minded and passionate about their hometown.

As you can read in my Patch bio, I grew up in Bayport, right on Sylvan Avenue, and graduated from the district. Back then there were more greenhouses on the block than houses, one four-way light on Montauk Highway, no apartments or Nicolls Road, no middle school, no nail salons and about six delis in a four block radius.

arrived in my senior year so it was Sayville Pizza that drove my foodie addiction for all good things Italian.

Movie nights were at the and I worked there during high school as well as Hans & Katy’s, now known as .

I learned to play pool at the Tavern, now known as and foosball at the Buoy Four, now .

Our ‘wastelands’ back in the day was Blue Point Cove, now a very family oriented beach spot but still a big draw for crabbers and fisherman just like when my mother took me there to learn the art of drop-lining for blue claws.

If I wasn’t out horseback riding on the acres of fields where now factories and Wenner Bread call home, I was swimming at Corey Beach within sight of my father’s office, as he owned a store for nearly two decades on the marina property. His desk was not cluttered with papers or photos, but tubes of insect bite balm, zinc ointment to avoid nose burns on Irish freckled faces and always a damp towel or two.

A few years ago I moved to Sayville, which is appropriately called the friendliest place in the world. It’s as vibrant and pulsing with energy as much as Bayport-Blue Point is as tranquil and peaceful.

And while all three communities offer unique attributes, they share a larger number of similarities including a strong passion for community service, providing a safe place for children to grow up and supporting advanced educational experiences for students.

I’m very happy to be ‘home’ and hope to make Patch the community gathering place that everyone in all the hamlets can rely on, share on and find needed information. And to do that I’ll need as much help and feedback as I can get so feel free to email me at judy.mottl@patch.com or call 631-316-5561.