Downtown Pilgrimage

Some trips are adventures.

We don't know exactly what we are getting ourselves into,

but we are curious

and open.

Some trips are clearly a pilgrimage from the start 

or else a series of tiny pilgrimages 

to places we love

or places that remind us of those we love

I love the NY subway system. I love the challenge of negotiating the city through streams of people on these multi-levels of track and tunnels. I'm terrified by it, as well, but DH is a master of the subway and so it is no great navigational challenge for him. He knows when we should head down the subway stairs or when we should hail a cab instead. Some stations may be new to him, but he has the basic logistics fixed in his mind - from many years of commuting to school and wandering the city.

There is a certain beauty to the subway, in spite of the trash and film of grime that covers everything.

There is something beautiful in the grids of tile and support beams.

Some stations are gorgeous.

Seriously beautiful

Others, not so much. But they are alive. Buskers perform. People hurry.

Subway tile

I've heard of all kinds of stuff carried aboard a train. Here we just had a bike.

We headed to a station (in the same block as our hotel - this isn't my first rodeo) and purchased our 7-day unlimited passes through the not-necessarily-handy nor user-friendly machine. It is at times like this I think about how different travel is with the availability of credit cards. And how challenging it is already becoming to us as we age. 

We caught a train and headed downtown towards the 9/11 Memorial and St. Paul's Chapel.* Now, we didn't get there easily. Every time we have visited the area has changed dramatically as construction transformed the face of the neighborhood. We took a few wrong turns. We were almost blown down by cold winds whirling down the canyons of skyscrapers. Every now and then we would move around the corner of a building or into a foyer to check the map.

We slipped inside here - the New York Athletic Club lobby.

We were reminded of how much the children, when tiny, loved the revolving doors.

We had found ourselves down near the NY Stock Exchange (No, we did nothing to cause the recent free-fall). We only realized it when we saw tourists lining up for photos with the Charging Bull. Once I saw the "bull" I looked for the "Fearless Girl"*** statue. And there she was!  Few people were interested in this strong young woman. But as I started to take photos, a few tourists joined us. It was a strange reversal of the experience from our early trips with the children when people would ask to take photos with our three little blondes. We have photos (of people taking photos) at the Statue of Liberty as well as on the observation deck of the Empire State. There may be more, but those stick in my mind. So I snapped photos of the tourists and the girl. She is fierce!

Fearless Girl and with tourists

Finally we reached Ground Zero and took a few moments to stare at the elegant World Trade Center Building and more time at the National September 11 Memorial. Few people were braving the wind with us. We read names and talked about how fitting the design. Then we hurried along to St. Paul's, a place of welcome always. We would not face the museum on this day.

The water was off because of the weather. It was still beautiful.

The World Trade Center viewed from the back door of the chapel.

St. Paul's is where first responders came to eat their meals and rest between shifts. It was (and continues to be) a place of refuge.

I do not know how many times I have been inside St. Paul's, but I do know that each time it is different. Once it was hung with weavings created from millions of pieces of string, yarn, and ribbon sent from all over the world. It was also hung with long garlands of peace cranes**** as well as patches from police and fire departments everywhere. It became a sort of shrine for police, firefighters, and the world.

We returned for the baptism of a first responder and member of DH's reserve unit and later for the Army ceremony recognizing service members who were there during those terrible days. I try to visit whenever I'm in the city.

Once again we found the place transformed. The benches were gone - replaced by an open square of chairs, perhaps in preparation for lunch. The 9/11 history has earned a separate shrine in a corner of the facility. All of the other cards and memories respectfully boxed up and stored.

There is one bench displayed as well. It is a reminder of the makeshift dormitory the church became for so long as it was needed.

Directives to volunteers were logged in this book.

St. Paul's continues after 253 years of service to presidents and paupers and me. We warmed ourselves, lit candles, spent some time in the memorial room, and commented on the spectacular chandeliers. [No, they were not made by Waterford, but DH loves them anyway.] 

The center aisle with chairs and a few people. I took this photo because of the reflection of the chandeliers.

And here they are (well, a couple of them. There are more.

Next on the agenda was The Strand Bookstore. It has books - and so much more. It is almost overwhelming - where will I spend my allotted time? I drink it all in - the signs, the people, the colors, the T-shirts and bags, the cards and buttons, and the BOOKS (18 shelf miles)!

I eventually found the craft section and looked through the pottery section. I found The Zen of Pottery and it came home with me. I also found this copy of The Potter's Manual with an inscription.

My dear Martin, Remembering our conversation on art and beauty. I truly believe we yearn to become creators because of our constant longing for a spiritual connections with "The Creator." Here's hoping for you to find that connection that let's His creative spirit flow through you. Save a piece for me. Love and Prayers Always! Sarah Midzalkowski****

A few options for T-shirts. I got one of the standard shirts. It's a replacement because my dog at my T-shirt.

"Button, button. Who's got the button?"

The guy responsible for this temple of ideas, Fred Bass, died in January. He was 89. R.I.P., Fred!

One of my favorite moments was when we saw the bird woman in Union Square Park. Of course we talked. I asked if I could take her photo with the birds. She consented, as long as I did not show her face. We talked about the birds and the food she brings - seeds for the pigeons and sparrows, fruit for the starlings. She circled that area of the park and threw out the food in almost a dance. "Some people get mad that I am feeding the birds," she lamented. As we talked about birds, I told her about the herons and egrets at the ponds near our home. She acknowledged seeing them when she goes to Florida.

Bird lady obscured by fluttering wings. This is not the same bird woman I found when I Googled. That woman wouldn't mind the photos.

As I chatted with the lady, DH drew my attention to House Sparrows perched in the small trees and hopping around on the ground.

I noticed these Common Starlings. I am pretty good with identification of common birds.

What next, you ask? I suspect we rested before heading to Rye to visit JR, one of DH's high school buddies. We took the Metro-North train from Grand Central Station to Rye, NY. Even though it was a ride during evening rush, we arrived early and were almost the first to grab seats on the train. We had a lovely visit with JR and delicious dinner. We missed one train, but drove around these suburbs a little before arriving in plenty of time to catch the next one.

As my mother would say, "No one had to beg us to go to sleep."

Heading into Grand Central. It is definitely a busy place.

In this spot one can whisper into the corner and the person in the other corner will hear you perfectly. See how far away he is?

He whispered, "I love you." So did I. As we walked away we saw another couple try it. The young woman indicated her surprise at the quirk of the design - eyes wide and mouth open - or maybe it was the message.

The train emptied. I should have read this paper. Instead I took notes (to follow).

Checking email.

We were on the express heading out to Rye. On the way back to the city we were on the local and stopped in New Rochelle. I have taken this train from New Rochelle when OC lived there.

Back in Grand Central we found ourselves among the Friday night revelers. God Bless America!

NOTES: 

* https://www.trinitywallstreet.org/about/stpaulschapel/history

** https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/fearless-girl-reactions/523026/

*** https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/fearless-girl-reactions/523026/

**** I could not "make out" the last name on this inscription. I asked for assistance from some genealogy researchers and within a few hours they not only had a spelling recommendation, but also a FB page (and new name). If this pans out I will probably write about it.

Other stuff from the day:

Observed on one walk. We understand "the library way." We believe in it.

We were staying around the corner from the Empire State, but I think I love the Chrysler Building more. It makes me smile.

DH hunts the elusive regular coffee. I cannot order at these places.

Our lunch was snagged from the breakfast spread. We saved these great cups and used them the rest of the weekend. The coffee cups at the hotel were flimsy. These made it 3 days!

Notes for Metro-North:

Ladders and stairs

Tracks and trash

Empty trains 

Lights

Wires and pipes

And darkness

No cell phones

I hate being underground

We saw troopers and their dog

We whispered I love you and then joked

Giggling madly as another couple whispered-the woman responding open-mouthed, eyes wide.

We found our train and boarded.

"Harrison is the next stop. Harrison"

We are on the Stamford train.

"How 'bout layin' off da buzzer!"

Sky now. We are above ground.

City lights

Tracks and trees.

Barbed wire atop fences 

Heading to the suburbs with the briefcases and suits.
 

Stories from DH. He was a young man here. And he did silly, sometimes frightening things. He would have scared his mama to death had she not already been dead. [I worried about that sentence and so I read it to him, as I held his hand. He nodded and smiled. "Boy, that's true..."]

New Rochelle. Our oldest lived here for a time. This train did not stop.  We are on the express.

Only now the conductor is here - click click click - she punches the tickets. 

Click click - "Thank you so much. Thank you, have a good weekend."

Now folks are getting up and pulling on coats.

Ding-ding! "This station is Harrison."

Repeat

"The next station is Rye."

"Go sit over there!"

Two kids plop down. One baby starts crying.

On the way back now.

On the local.

 

"This station is Larchmont."  

"The next station is New Rochelle."

An altercation:

"Get off the train!"

"I was trying to take a dump."

"Get outta my way."

"Please watch the gap between the train and the platform."

"Pelham station first two cars must walk back."

Mount Vernon is next.

"This is the train to Grand Central."

Travel Legs

You need to travel

While you still have legs.

~Terry Hebert*

Balancing Act, 2012**

DH  and I were watching a morning news show the other day and saw that John Lithgow was performing a one-man show called Stories by Heart, his "trunk show." More on that later, but let this explain the unusual, quickly planned, almost spur-of-the-moment trip to NYC.

We gathered up our warm layers of clothing, abandoned the animals to different carers [Hobbes goes to the vet whose team knows him - cranky old cat that he is and Zelda goes to doggy day care where she is allowed to run, dig, play with other dogs (her FAVORITE part), and roll in smells (my LEAST favorite part)] and headed to the airport. We traveled at strange times so that we could get good rates and direct flights.

Pretty good view from my aisle seat (plane was about half full so I had a whole row).

Upon arrival we "Yellow" cabbed into the city as strange people tried to talk us into riding with them. It was ridiculous. Perhaps one might be okay, but this looked a pretty sketchy game. Perhaps we could Uber or Lyft or something or other, but we used the tried and true, knowing what it would cost and that the drive a sure bet. And we won the cabby lottery.

Our cab driver was born in Greece and took us on a little trip back in time - first to his experiences in 70s America and then back home to Greece. He had photos of his home town and its island. He shared with us travel recommendations. "You really need to go to Greece!" We shook hands with him as he left us at the hotel on 32nd.

[Wow! All the omens were right for a great trip - quilts of stacked stones, elbow-room on the plane, and maybe the most entertaining cabby we have had in New York - ever!  What do you think? Will it be a good trip? I know what you are thinking - the rest could be a nightmare or a delight. Well? Did John Lithgow get sick? Did our hotel room have bedbugs? Did we catch the flu? Did we lose our wallets/our subway pass?  Read on!]

Back in the day, when we headed to the city to visit friends and relatives, we would stay at a marvelous and spacious hotel - The Murry Hill East. We could fit the whole family in a suite with two beds, a sofa, and a small kitchen. It wasn't cheap, but we ended up saving on nerves (a pretty quiet neighborhood), hassle (cabs could be caught a block or so away and a subway stop a walkable distance), and money (a grocery store was around the corner so we could save on some meals by bringing Cheerios and snacks and buying milk and a few other items). It was in a good spot for hitting the museums and getting to our uncle"s apartment.***

For this stay we found a chain hotel in a neighborhood called Koreatown. Really. Google it. Koreatown is a two block area bounded by Broadway on the west, Fifth Avenue on the east, 33rd Street on the north and 31st on the south. It was a busy street with a number of restaurants and hotels. DH hates crowds and was...well, that's another story.

The doorway across the street. I love the carved beaver AND the "fallout shelter" sign.

The hotel was modern-ish and the staff was great. Our room was a bit of a closet, but plenty big for the two of us. It was not big enough for a chair, however. So we were in the room for showers, naps, and such. but no more than that. Who goes to the city to stay in the hotel room?

On this first evening we headed to the village to see "community theater." It was an off-off (maybe off-off-off-off) Broadway show called "One Drop." It was opening night. The playwright was hustling around with others finalizing the stage set. People started drinking. Folks were in and out of the theater, but most of us stood and waited. The play started 20 minutes late. A fellow theater-goer was clearly not amused and we were not surprised when he exited before the intermission.

We stayed.

The music was WONDERFUL! The band consisted of players of the following - trumpet, violin, guitar, harmonica, and wide variety of percussion instruments. Some of the actors were pretty good...especially the female lead and a supporting actress who was also the music director. But there was much chewing of the scenery, stereotypical characters, and overuse of idiomatic speech. And we weren't really sure if we were watching a comedy, tragedy, musical, or what.

Still, it was better than "The Line" (that we may have walked out of some years ago). And, it was a good enough way to spend an evening recovering from jet lag.

We had gone looking for "a slice" and found a "build your own pizza" chain. It was okay, but it was NOT a slice. We would watch for PIZZA signs the rest of the trip.

"Designer pizza" at &pizza (we aren't really cool enough for this pizza).

I'm not exactly sure what we did after that. I guess we called it a day and went to bed. We knew the next few days would be busy ones.
 

Miscellaneous photos from first day:

Marble Collegiate Church. There are always ribbons hanging on the fence hear for one reason or another.****

My doctor said to wear a mask on the plane "Then you are on your own!" - so I swiped a couple of masks as I left the clinic and wore them on the plane. DH is fearless (his flu shot was more timely than mine as well). I know it looks like we are traveling first class as there is so much room, but we simply had the rows to ourselves. It was pretty comfy.

Waiting for our luggage - Did I mention our bags were first and fourth off the plane? More good omens. It was only after I snapped this photo that I noticed Violet Crawley, the Dowager Dutchess of Grantham, exchanging miffed "looks" with DH.

The view outside our hotel window. It's pretty typical NYC, tall buildings with old water tanks atop, and everything covered in grime.

Okay. I'm not going to make you wait. The trip was wonderful. There were a few "moments." But there was nothing we couldn't handle and almost everything went well. We made some trips for tradition, visited one of DH's high school buddies, and wandered. Feel free to read or not. This is mostly "our" New York. We only hit one museum. We only went inside one church. That surprised us as we usually visit many. I suppose it was a bit like going to a cafeteria. Sometime you order more than your tummy can hold. We planned more than our days could hold.  We expect there will be other trips.


NOTES:

*We ran into some friends the other day at brunch. They are in their 80s or thereabouts, my parents' generation. They have raised and educated four children and are still living at their home, on the edge of the lake. I met them at Mass about 24 years ago. They are open-hearted people and have always been special to me.

So we hugged and visited. I let them know how all the kids were faring. And told them about recent travels and travel plans. That is when Terry admonished me to "travel while you have legs." And I acknowledged that we were trying to do just that. We will take our adventures as we can, as long as we can.

**Our trips are often seeking art. Sometimes the art finds us. The Austin Airport, in spite of construction everywhere, is full of art. Hidden away inside security is a display case I always check. They currently have a group of quilts  made collaboratively.

This is part of a quilt created by Frances Holliday Alford, Barb Forrister, Connie Hudson, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Sherri Lipman McCauley, Susan Lewis Storey, and Kathy York.

Here is their “Statement”: Group dynamics are complicated. Working together is a balancing act. With our mutual fascination for cairns and balanced rock sculptures, we independently created our rocks and worked on the background together. As a group we were able to form the balanced stacks, and as a group, we balance.

***Unk is the one who first introduced us to the Murry Hill. Our last big stay there was in August 2001, I think. No, DH corrected me. We stayed there for our last "spontaneous" outing - with the children then - in 2005. The family traveled in from all over the country - Texas, California and D.C. - to see The Gates. We needed to be there all together - our first trip since 9/11.  [http://christojeanneclaude.net/projects/the-gates]

****  http://www.marblechurch.org/give/orangeribbons/ [Also note there is a good bit to read about the current president's association with this church. Interesting.]

Dead Things

Mama is an adventurous and excellent cook, 

and we have feasted not only on doves, turkeys, and quail, 

but robins, squirrels, and, only once, a possum. 

I draw the line at snakes. 

"But it was still wiggling when I got there," she argues. 

"Let's try it just this once. 

I have a white sauce with dill and mustard." 

"No snakes," I say.

~ From Dead on the Road, by Bailey White

Some days I feel a little ghoulish - like a character out of a Stephen King novel. No, we do not eat road kill, we do not recover road kill, but we do take photos and report road kill. There are projects as part of our citizen science volunteer work that want this information. We oblige.

Why in the world would anyone have a road kill project?*

A creature found dead is an indicator there is a population existing in that location. It is also a tool for those responsible for planning, building and maintaining roads.  I'm sure there are other reasons to monitor road kill, but we just report.

DH gives me a hard time and makes a lot of jokes - gallows humor. But that didn't stop him from coming home the other night, "You want a dove? There's one over by the gym parking lot." "Was it hit by a car? I quizzed. "I have no idea, but maybe - it's next to the parking lot," he replied.**

Some projects ask for details: type of road, speed limit, confidence in identification and other things. Others limit themselves to type of creature (dead birds, for example).  I think they should ask for weather conditions, but they don't.

We have rules too for observations. We don't stop unless it is completely safe to do so. We don't stop when there is no way for us to identify the deceased (although I have a couple I have only been able to identify as "mammal"). And if we have a long drive we will often limit our stops to a small section of the drive (say, from Mountain Home to Leakey).

Why am I writing about this today? Well, why not? I've been driving more lately doing a little favor in the next town. I travel along a busy rural road and the things I have seen! Since my time has been a little consumed with errands and such, we haven't been out and so observed what we could..

So far, including the "questionable" dove, we have observed raccoons, cats, snakes, opossums, owls, squirrels, coyotes, armadillos, foxes, vultures, and skunks. I may have left something out, but you get the drift.

Sometimes it breaks my heart.

I'll end with two of the tough ones (no blood). I observed this Eastern Screech Owl on our block. I love these owls. I love their work (ridding us of rodents) and their crazy call.*** Yeah, I probably cried over this guy. The other photo is of a Great Horned Owl I saw on the way to Victoria. Once I saw it I had to turn back to document.

I saw the  feathers move in the wind and knew immediately it was a GHO.

I've found feathers in my yard before so I was pretty sure this was a screech owl. "Regular birds" don't have this wingspan.

Drive safely, folks.

NOTES:

* Okay. There is also a little bit of competition here. On the database they log observation numbers. I'm not really competitive about it, except with myself. And except on the newest roadkill site. I was surprised to see I was "at the top(ish) of the leader board" one day. It seems I had the third highest number of total observations and fourth highest number of species observed. What? And a guy who lives nearby and is a legend (I follow him too) for taking beautiful photos and traveling to exotic climes was BEHIND me on the list of total species. [When in Ireland HIS were the photos of and first documented additions of numerous species. Really.] So when I was well above him on the lists, I thought I should keep it that way. Or at least I should take a photo of the leader board.

** Yes, we did go back to the gym and, flashlights in hand, photographed the dove. I'm still not sure it fits the "road kill" definition.

***https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Screech-Owl/sounds

It's been a bad few days for raccoons. This is the sixth raccoon I've found in 2 days. Cars always win. This guy was on  the shoulder of I35, on the northbound lane between Walburg and Jarrell.

Three Trips to the Ponds

Life is only a flicker of melted ice.

~ Dejan Stojanovic

Wednesday 

My daily trek to the next town has begun* and I stopped by the ponds to see how the winged creatures fared and if the ponds were frozen.

The ice on the pond was shining in the early morning sun.

On Thursday the ice edged the ponds and the wind blew. The sun was out and promised a short thaw. And, as I passed the turtle pond** I saw a vision of sunlight glinting off ice between bare tree limbs - I had to stop.



I walked carefully (fire ants) along the fenceline looking back to see if I could capture the sun on the pond ice. It was quiet at the ponds, no sounds but the distant hum of traffic on the highway and crunch of my steps in the dry grass.  I didn't think to be stealthy. I saw no sign of birds, until I reached a small protective curve in the bank just beyond the fence.


A startled group of ducks and a Great Blue Heron exploded up and out. I fell back at first - stunned. And then desperately tried to get a photo. Let's be honest -  who would believe this?

It's a little difficult to see, but the heron is mid-photo.

And the heron flew away.

The ducks flew off and circled a bit before heading to the next pond.

  
As I drove on I thought about what a gift it has been to observe these ponds during the year.  We experienced the same thing in our neighborhood park and the wildlife management area when we followed the flora through a full year or more. And certainly watching the birds - through the wet, wet year just ended and into a dry winter has been enlightening. I wonder what we will see this spring if the rains do not come. The ponds continue to evaporate.

The ducks arrived at the far pond before I made it. A Great Egret (should I say THE Great Egret) was walking between the ponds, as usual. I turned around and headed home just in time to see the egret fly across the area and to the turtle pond where it landed in the shallows. 

See him there?

Thursday
  
Temperatures were still below freezing*** as I headed back to the ponds. Because of my experience the day before I parked and walked the fenceline at the turtle pond. There was no sun and I could see the ice at the edges of the pond with a few large melted areas near the middle.

A bit of ice across the surface of the turtle pond. The logs where turtles bask in the sun are on the right.

As I neared the protective "cove" a Belted Kingfisher flew up and then the length of the pond, calling all the while. It perched on a large tree at the edge of the pond. I had been wondering where this kingfisher had gone. I haven't seen it in weeks and it was more than a little surprise to see it.

Detail of above photo. Really! It was a Belted Kingfisher - another terrible, Hail Mary shot.

I kept walking and saw very little movement until a duck swam out followed by another "mess of ducks" and TWO Great Egrets. I haven't seen any Great Egrets on this pond in months. They usually hang out at a pond further down the road. In fact, there is almost always one egret out there and it was there this day at that furthest of ponds (furthest pond I can see - there are others that cannot be seen from the road).

Of course my photos of the ducks and egrets aren't good, but are good enough to prove my tale, in case you doubt.***

Them are ducks.

And this is a sublime Great Egret

One egret

Two egrets

The "resident" Great Egret. So I will report three for the day, the most I've seen here in weeks. Note the ice at the edge of the pond.

Ducks.

I also saw a large crow at the edge of one of the drying ponds as I drove in. The hogs were out as were the chickens as I made the turn-around. And then I notice three animals around the pond, no hogs, not birds. I'm not sure about two of them, but one was a raccoon (I knew the shape and the walk). I've seen other creatures there and without better binoculars and eyes,**** I will continue to struggle for an identification from this distance.


Friday

Today I talked DH into driving me to the pond. He had heard me tell of flushing ducks and herons and egrets and so he thought we might see something. We passed another birder and were stopped by a resident who asked what we were doing. I suppose birders usually have binoculars and we just had cell phones in our hands. He seemed satisfied with our explanation and drove on.

We saw about 20 crows, 2 American Kestrels, a Red-shouldered Hawk and a raptor I couldn't identify as DH rolled along. There was a tree full of Meadowlarks (we knew them by the yellow breasts and black chest chevron). Three mockingbirds were also out and about. We saw no herons and no egrets. And, sadly, no birds were sheltering along the bank of the turtle pond.

One of the mockingbirds

The background gave me fits and I struggled for a decent shot. Here is a detail.

A couple of raptors.

Once you have seen a few of these guys there is no mistaking the Kestrel.

A tree full of meadowlarks. We talked a bit about how odd it is that light and distance and our sight turn such brightly colored birds into little grey or black or brown birds. I usually see these birds with their vivid tails gliding at the top of the grass and then disappear into the meadow.

It's warming up and I cannot wait to see what the next week will bring.



NOTES:


* Classes have started - back to the art barn.


** It is actually a man-made tank, but we call it the turtle pond because fallen trees have given the turtles a place to sun. I've seen as many as 17 turtles (maybe more, I forget) sunning.


***Reporting in some places requires a photo. And photos help me with future ids. I can always tell a story.


****I have always been near-sighted. Then I started noticing "floaters" in the 80s. More recently, the doctors tell me I have cataracts growing slowly. At some point the cataracts will be resolved. For now, patience and training will have to do.