Welcome to the little jumping dog house

The last thing you should have to do while you’re here is sweat the details, so here they are all in one place for your convenient reference

house binder

Let’s start in the kitchen.

There are two cooktops in the center island.

The gas burner to the left lights by electronic ignition as you turn the knob to the high setting. In terms of settings, the high is respectably high. The low setting is actually still pretty high, not really low. To get the secret simmer settings and everything in between, you sneak the knob carefully back past high toward the off position. This workaround allows you to dial in fairly exact heat. In general, the cookware for the gas burner is kept on the shelf directly underneath.

The induction burner to the right is set to operate low to high by numbers 1-20. It is very accurate and super powerful. On 20, the 16 quart full stock pot will boil rapidly in five minutes with little or no heat added to the house. Once boiling, reduce to 8 for a comfortable boil. The pot will simmer perfectly for hours on 01. The white button on the control pad changes the read out to temperature and wattage output. You shouldn’t need to change the read out. In general, the cookware for the induction burner is kept on the shelf directly underneath. Remember: if it’s not magnetic, the pot will not work on the induction burner. So the aluminum saute pan under the gas burner_NOPE.

You’d think this would go without saying, but please don’t use the cookware as sand toys; there are plastic toys in the Fish Shack with the rest of the beach gear.

Over to the left of the sink, is a basket case where we keep dishtowels, cloth napkins, mugs, snacks…

The dimmer switches on the wall by the back door control the kitchen lights: the top switch for the swag lantern over the chopping block and the bottom switch, the sink light. The middle switch is for lighting pending.

The silverware drawer is in the cabinet below the basket case as is the drawer style dishwasher. It’s very easy to use, no fancy settings. Plates and silverware only. Please wash glasses and cookware by hand; do not put them in the dishwasher.  Please use only the dishwasher pods under the sink. The turtles and dragonflies under the house like them best. The pod is placed on the little tray in the silverware caddy.

Across the kitchen is an open shelf cabinet that holds the toaster oven, the microwave/convection oven, and too many other kitchen necessities and gadgets to mention.

The refrigerator dispenses cold water and ice. Click the desired button and press your glass against the paddle below the chute.

If you need it, more ice is available out back in the Fish Shack. The ice maker will be on and full. The Fish Shack refrigerator is off limits and will be locked.

The drawers under the chopping block keep knives and peelers and openers and utensils and many other things.

Directly behind you is the double decker pantry. We would never begrudge you a pinch of this or a cup of that.  Please feel free, but if you do use anything up, let us know so we can replace it when we return.

On the back deck you will find the outdoor dining table and gas grill.

To grill, open the valve on the enclosed propane tank, rotate the right-side knob on the grill to high and push the igniter button, wait to hear the jet light, open the left side knob and set to the desired heat. For best results, close the lid and preheat for ten minutes. Once you’ve finished grilling, set the heat to high, close the lid, and carbonize any leftover grease. After five minutes, turn the knobs to off and close the valve on the propane tank. Wipe up any grease that might remain.

There are eight white bistro chairs that go around the outdoor dining table In the Fish Shack directly adjacent. Please take them out to use them and put them away after meals. We’ve had them for nearly thirty years. They are in good shape because we NEVER leave them out in the rain or overnight.

Any of the cast iron cookware from inside can be used on the grill. Unfortunately, the flat top griddle is too large for the current grill. There is also a stainless mesh screen in the kitchen that fits the grill for things that prefer to be grilled on mesh screens.

The charcoal grills and crab boiler are off limits.

Little Jumping Dog House is home to a Lelit Bianca dual boiler single group espresso machine and a modified Mazzer Super Jolly burr grinder. The set up is carefully dialed in for the beans we provide. Right now we’re using single origin Colombian beans from Sweetleaf Roasters in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The scope of these machines’ use is beyond this binder. If you are interested, the tutorial is available for review here LELIT BIANCA CHEAT SHEET. Please don’t change the espresso machine or grinder settings or attempt to change the beans. You SHOULD ADD beans from the extra bag provided to keep the hopper full; a full hopper grinds best.

If it’s all too much for you, there’s a Mr.Coffee and another burr grinder to the left of the Bianca. You should bring whatever coffee you would like to use in Mr.Coffee. Please do not use the Sweetleaf espresso beans in Mr.Coffee.

You can boil water for tea in the Alessi teapot. There is a selection of teas on the open shelves next to the espresso machine.

You will notice that the area around the house is wetland. We do all we can to respect this and for good reason. It’s totally working in our favor.

The phragmites surround the house in privacy above ground and below, their network of fibrous roots hold the sandy soil in place. During Hurricane Sandy the Great South Bay rose and flooded the property with four feet of salt water. The house actually lifted and the front walk was floated completely out of the ground. Neighbors’ decks from up the walk were washed downhill and left in a heap at our front gate, but the phragmites held and the house resettled. The center set of doors still sticks a little and we rebuilt the walk. Again this past Autumn we had some high bay water. The salt burned out the blackberries and whacked back the wild roses, but despite a very dry June, the phragmites are thicker than ever. Unfortunately, so is the poison ivy. Just be careful.

Under the house, snapping turtles and dragonflies keep the local mosquito population at bay. Thanks to them, you can keep the the front doors wide open all day long for the breeze. If a dragonfly gets stuck in the house, shoo her out. Burn an incense punk to keep the flies out and the kitchen god happy. Don’t let anyone suggest you put dunks under the house. Likewise, if the town or county comes around wanting to scatter insecticides, have them call us. This only happens every few years. Close the front doors before sunset or for the storms.

Beyond the kitchen toward the dining room is a set of closet doors. On the left, the utility closet and on the right, the laundry. Please use the detergent in the plastic tub, Molly’s Suds, only, again, for the underhouse environment. One scoop in the detergent dispenser per load. We do not use dryer sheets.

Next to the television is an entertainment cabinet with a shelf of remote controls.

Step One: The Samsung TV remote turns the television on and off using the top left red POWER button. The top right SOURCE button brings up a menu. Use the left and right ARROWS to choose between digital antenna broadcast television and HDMI (Roku and DVD). The CH up and down arrows scroll through stations while watching the digital antenna broadcast. The VOL up and down arrows aren’t used on this remote.

Step Two: The Yamaha amplifier remote turns the system on and off using the top right red POWER button and adjusts volume using the white up and down VOLUME ARROWS. Directly below the POWER button, the far left white button labeled BD/DVD accesses the Roku streaming device. The second white button labeled TV accesses the digital antenna broadcast. To access the DVD player use the grey up and down INPUT ARROWS to find HDMI 2 on the display on the Yamaha amplifier.

The Roku streaming device is loaded and signed in. Press the OK button to wake it up if its’ menu doesn’t automatically appear on the TV screen after you’ve followed steps one and two. Please feel free to sign us out if you’d rather use your own accounts.

The hot tub is very simple. A miniscule amount of Dichlor added with each filter change neutralizes organic matter and an ionizing filtration system removes the resulting debris from the line. Natural tannins in the cedar barrel discourage bacterial growth. Very nearly pure and almost fool-proof as long as everyone follows the single simple rule: you MUST BE CLEAN before you go in. If you use lotions, oils, conditioners, soapy detergents…anything like that, you MUST WASH them off. Believe it or not, Ocean and Bay water aren’t as bad. Take a shower anyway.

You will know when someone has skirted THE RULE. The once perfectly clear water will suddenly be sudsing. Not much you can do but wait for the system to catch up. If it’s really bad, use the filler hose to overflow the tub. That’s fun to do anyhow. Use that same filler hose to bring the water level back up after a bunch of people have gone in and overflowed the tub. The tub also leaks a little sometimes. Water evaporates. The filler hose is there so you can keep it full.

The hot tub pump is set to run automatically from around eight in the morning to midnight on normal cleaning speed.

In the Fish Shack on the back wall is a small off-white air button on a white box above the spa controls with hello kitty sitting on top. TAP the button and the pump will run the jets at high speed. TAP it again to turn them off. VERY IMPORTANT that someone be responsible for remembering to TAP it off and back to normal speed after everyone is out of the tub. High speed bypasses the cleaning filter. High speed is louder than normal speed. Easy to hear.

The hot tub heater is located on the south outside wall of the Fish Shack down the stairs inside the pump house. It is set to 102 degrees or thereabouts. Keep the cover on the tub overnight and it will still be hot the next morning. If you want a cooler pool on really hot days, you can switch the heating unit off. Please don’t set the temperature above 102 degrees.

In addition to regular cleaning schedules and practices, immediately before your arrival, the hot tub is completely emptied and the tank and lines cleaned and flushed. A brand new filter is installed, the pool is refilled, and proper dichlor level is estimated. A new heavy duty ionizer element was installed at the start of the season and is being checked regularly. In short, you can be sure that the water in the hot tub is squeaky clean and is yours and yours alone.

For 2023 there is a new bicycle rack out front, off of the walk and well inside of the gate. It’s very spacious and very easy to use: simply lift the handlebars into the orange-on-black hooks and you’re parked, hung by the handlebars. No squeezing in between other bicycles. No balancing. No bending the front rims. No kickstands. You will be amazed!

There is a small ratchet lock on the hook for each bicycle. Please keep them locked when you’re parked to discourage crimes of convenience. Also, please leave the small ratchet locks locked at the hooks when you take a bicycle out. Larger traveling locks will be in the Fish Shack. You must lock your bicycle wherever you stop while you’re out. Unfortunately “borrowing” has become rampant. If you lose a bicycle, we are going to ask you for replacement value even if you lose the rustiest one we have so it’s just best to be careful. The secret universal lock combinations will be provided in a separate email.

There are over-the-handlebar bicycle baskets for shopping and a tool for adjusting seat height in the Fish Shack also.

There is an air compressor for filling tires hanging in the Fish Shack. The tank will be empty when it hasn’t been used for a while. Flip the red power switch from O to I and the extremely loud pump motor will kick on. It takes a minute to fill completely to 150psi, but you can use it as soon as the gauges get into the 30’s. You also don’t need to fill it completely before you turn it off. The regulator is set to 35psi, bicycle tire standard pressure. If a wagon tire loses air, you will need to lower the regulator pressure to 20psi. It’s not usual for a wagon tire to need air. Remember to flip the switch back to O or the extremely loud pump motor will kick back on periodically to keep the tank at full pressure.

When you arrive, you’ll find freshly made beds with a duvet cover on each comforter and an optional top sheet folded and left at the foot of each bed.

At the end of your stay please simply strip the beds and leave the bedding in the laundry basket in each room. We will launder it. Please don’t combine all of the bedding in a single basket: it takes too much to sort it back out.

Towels are in the linen closet to the left of the door to the guest bathroom. All towels can be used on the beach as well as for showering. There are also beach blankets in a basket in the Fish Shack. Please launder and return the washed towels to the linen closet and beach blankets to the basket at the end of your stay.

In the Fish Shack there are six beach chairs, three or so beach umbrellas, and a bin of beach toys. There is also a broom and a dust pan usually.

There is a small kitchen garbage can and bags under the sink. Place your full bags of garbage in the black can in the garbage corral outside of the gate in front of the house. Please make sure the lid is on tight and the bungie cord is clipped; Fire Island animals learn very quickly which cans are easy to get into and will spread your garbage all over the front of the house. Not fun to clean up. Compostables like egg shells, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable scraps can be added to the pile down the stairs on the bay side of the house. Most of it will be gone by the next morning. Bottles and cans are placed in the tan recycling bin in the garbage corral, cardboard and paper on top or next to the recycling bin. Garbage is picked up twice a week on Monday and Thursday early in the morning around 6:30. Recycling is picked up on Wednesday if it hasn’t already been included in the Monday/Thursday pick up.

The cushions on the roof and on the front deck are OK to stay out in the rain. If it really pours you might want to flip them a few times to get them to dry more quickly afterward. The green bean bag furniture should be brought inside if you know it’s going to rain, but better to leave them out if they’ve already gotten wet.

The wifi is Little Jumping Dog House and the password is arfarfarf37