Thursday's Tandem-Cycling Tale: Inwood Park

The photograph atop this entry features Trudy Hutter, an avid (understatement) cyclist, who is also a coordinator for The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. They meet on Tuesdays to ride in Central Park and on Thursdays, they ride to different locations in NYC and its surrounding areas.

I am not a member of this group, because, due to my visual challenges I am not able to ride a bicycle; unless it is as a stoker on a tandem. Therefore, I'm grateful to say that I have been able to participate in tandem cycling, ever since the opportunity was presented (2009) to persons with vision loss. At that time ZW was assigned to be my captain, and we've been cycling ever since.

It is through ZW that I met Trudy, and she she has joined us on her single bike on occasion, including when we've ridden to Piermont, a popular cycling destination for New Yorkers. The town is north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of the Hudson River.

Thursday's Tandem Tales For 2018: Ride Two

This past Tuesday in honor of the beginning of the month of May for 2018, I posted an entry here on Blogger, reminding readers that this month is Gifts from the Garden Month. 

However the month of May is associated with many holidays and observations, not just gardening, and one of the things recognized in May is that it is National Bike Month. 

On evening of the first of May, but not necessarily in honor of this fact, my bike captain and I took our second tandem ride for 2018. The temperatures were much warmer than when we took our first ride for the year of 2018 (which I wrote about in a prior entry here on Blogger).

In any event, this past Tuesday, we did one of our "standard" rides which is cycling up the westside greenway (it  runs parallel to the Hudson River) to the lighthouse AKA The Little Red Lighthouse).

A partial view of it (with a partial view of The George Washington Bridge) can be seen in the photo atop this entry. I have published many entries here on Blogger that feature a more complete view of these structures and if you'd like to see these particular posts, please click here as well as here.

Usually when we cycle to The Little Red Lighthouse, we have a picnic on the grounds and enjoy the sunset. However, it was rather crowded with boisterous people and there wasn't an available picnic table.

Aside from the loud conditions that were occurring at our usual picnic spot, ZW (my captain) made the smart executive decision to have our picnic in an area known as Hudson River Park.

September evening still can make me feel this way! (Sixth Cycling Trip for 2017)

It is very rare that I let anyone take my picture, let alone pose for one. But this past Thursday, when I was at my foot doctor's (Dr Q) office, I asked his admin person to take a photo (which can be seen atop this entry) of me wearing my boot cast, as it's my fifth week of having to do this. 

Monday's Musings: "NYC is the place to be if your'e a bird."

Yesterday, Sunday December the seventeenth, was a mostly overcast day in NYC. The temperatures remained in the thirty degree range, so I layered up before heading down to Pier Eleven (near to the Greenway by the Hudson River) to follow the wisdom of the Negro spiritual and "lay down my troubles down by the riverside."

There is nothing like a walk in the park to clear one's head and Riverside Park is one of the best places to do that in Manhattan. As I made my way across the pier, I came upon a lone Ring-billed seagull (seen in the image atop this entry) who also knew about this respite on the UWS.

Thursday's Testimony: Completed Ride Two (Since Being Back in the Saddle)

As I mentioned last week in an entry here on Blogger, the month of May, is National Bike Month. I also discussed the fact that on Tuesday, May 2nd, I went tandem cycling with my captain, ZW, for the first time since I had an accident (not related to bike riding) in May of 2016. And I spoke about the aforementioned bike ride, recalling that ZW and I cycled up the portion of the greenway which runs parallel to the Hudson River and made our way to The Little Red Lighthouse. 

Last evening and into the night, I returned to the saddle for the second time since my accident; and instead of heading north on the greenway, which had become our routine, we cycled through the West Village heading towards the East Village; and then cycled through Soho; as well as the Lower Eastside, before cycling up the ramp of The Manhattan Bridge; in order to head to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. 

It is a route we've done on a number of occasions, including times when we met up with a group of cyclists to cycle through The Lights (Christmas) in the Heights during the cold winter months. We have also taken this route to witness a ceremony of Mayor Bloomberg lighting the menorah; and we've done the course with reasons in mind that were the same as our motivation for last night: to enjoy cycling a loop in Prospect Park, while being serenaded by an array of birds.

After we completed our Tour de Prospect Park last night, ZW parked her tandem, against a lamp post (as seen in the photo atop this entry); and we enjoyed a picnic of May Day Pesto atop a baguette, while a statue stood behind us who seemed to be interested in the tangerines we were having with our meal. 

The statue I am referring to is statue erected in the likeness of James S. T. Stranahan, and it can be seen in the following picture.

The 5th of July: Morning After Thoughts

The images above were taken less than ten minutes apart by yours truly as I stood by the Hudson River , last evening, awaiting the fireworks. You may notice, dear reader, the pinkish-red colored line (where the  black arrow is pointing towards) in the top photograph, but you may not recognize it to be a fishing line, which indeed it is. It belongs to a fishing pole that was leaning against a railing that separates the Hudson River (on the west side of New York City), and what has become to be known as "the westside greenway" (as it is a well worn path for joggers, cyclists and plain ol' walkers along the river).

Earth Day Eve: I met my ninth new bird!

It is now the eve of Earth Day for 2018 and as I write this post, it's at a much later hour than is my standard in terms of entries published here on Blogger. This is because I spent most of the day taking advantage of the one of the first full spring like day that we've had here in NYC.

I started with a walk along the Greenway that runs parallel to the Hudson River where I encountered many beautiful sites related to flora and fauna, which I hope to discuss in tomorrow's post in honor of Earth Day.

As for today and my walk along the greenway, I exited it at 104th street in order to head east so I could also walk in Central Park.

Winter Solstice in Riverside Park 2017

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT IS FEATURED IN VOL ONE

At an entrance to Riverside Park located at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive in NYC, there is a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, which I've featured in prior entries here on Blogger.* I passed it again today as I made my way down to the Hudson River to watch this evening's winter solstice sunset.

If one enters the park from the statue, a short walk down a sidewalk takes you to a dog run where I happened upon a lone ghost holding a Jack-O-Lantern (as seen in the image directly below).

I came to the conclusion that this ghost had not gotten the memo that Halloween was over, or, that he/she may be the ghost of Christmas past, awaiting the holiday, which is (as of this posting) now only four days away. But whatever this ghost's circumstances were, I may never know, for I did not stop to ask him/her.

"...We're all just people..." (Monday's Memo)

A short clip from the 1983 American comedy-drama movie, Terms Of Endearment, is posted atop this entry, for this week's Monday's Memo. The character  Emma Greenway-Horton  (played by Deborah Winger) is spot on when she says, "We're all just people."

"For the beauty of the earth..."

It's now Earth Day 2018 and in last evening's entry here on Blogger, I promised to post photographs of some of the "beauty of the earth" that I came upon when walking (yesterday) along the Greenway that's parallel to the Hudson River, as well as some of the beauty of the earth that I came upon when walking in Central Park.

Thursday's Tandem-Cycling Tale: A NYC Sunset (Ride 4 for 2017)

The last time I tandem cycled with my captain, ZW, was this past Thursday evening, June 8th. We rode up the greenway from an entrance in the West Village area, to The Little Red Lighthouse and surrounding picnic area. We usually do longer rides, but the air quality was very poor that evening, so we kept it short.

In any event, one of he sightings from our picnic spot was a lone kayaker, making her way south down the Hudson River. She is featured in the images atop this entry.

Because the distance to and from The Little Red Lighthouse, when starting out from the West Village, is a rather short ride for us (see map by clicking here), we finished early enough to park the tandem,

and watch the sunset from the vantage point near to where we began that evening's ride. The following is a set of images of what we saw while the sunset on June 8th, 2017.

Looking southwest (a view that includes The Freedom Tower):

Looking southeast (a view that includes a lone boat on the river and some Jersey buildings):

Looking north (a view that includes a docked-until-an-alarn-rings  FDNY "boat-style fire engine):

Looking west: (a view that included a helicopter making numerous circles and loops around a specific area in New Jersey):

Another view looking west (The Erie Lackawanna Terminal Clock Tower in New Jersey):

And yet another westward view:

And, just incase you in doubt that we were looking westward, a prominent glaring W, acts as a compass:

That's it, dear reader, re my coverage of tandem tales for ride four. Stay tuned.

Honoring & Remembering the Service of Others Heartfelt Thanks to Ms. Susan Grimstead of WBU-NJ (as well as Sarah, D. William, Robert and Chris)

This past Wednesday was the twelfth anniversary of the 9-11-11 attacks and in bygone years I have dedicated blog posts (including ones here on Blogger) to those who lost lives in the attacks as well as to those who mourn losses as a result of that tragedy.

This year I acknowledged the anniversary on TLLG's FB Page as well as in an entry on hometalk. Both of the aforementioned posts included the photograph atop today's blogger entry. The image is of One World Trade Center (formerly known as The Freedom Tower), and it was taken by yours truly from a vantage point on the greenway along Manhattan's westside, slightly north of the Christopher Street entrance.

It is hard for me to believe that so much time has passed since that horrific day, but indeed time has passed and the construction taking place at the WTC site (including the building of One World Trade Center) is a physical indication of this fact.

During this year's 9-11-01 coverage, I heard the tail-end of a radio interview where the guests on the program were two brothers, who had lost someone in the attacks, and who were focusing their energy on efforts to promote the idea of September Eleventh being dedicated as a day to SERVE OTHERS, in memory of those both living and deceased, who served (by giving of their time and talents) to others on that fateful day and in the aftermath.

The position of these brothers is that while we still mourn the dead, and while we still feel for those who now have illnesses related to 9-11, a road to true healing is to also focus on how folks came together to help others in their time of need. 

One of the examples they cited was that of a man who came to NYC from Michigan — on a bus — to honor this year's 9-11 by helping folks (who were strangers to him) rebuild their homes (in Staten Island) which had been damaged as a result of a hurricane named Super Storm Sandy.

During the interview it was also brought up how service to others should not be limited to a one day dedication, nor does "service" need to always be in the form of a large gesture. Small gestures of service are essential too; and it is important to offer them as well as to honor them.

In my lifetime, I have been blessed by my interactions with a number of folks, and in today's entry, I'd like to acknowledge how my recent encounters with others have helped me to resolve (hopefully) an issue I am having feeding birds in my urban (NYC) garden; hence, my title for today's post: Heartfelt Thanks to Ms. Susan Grimstead of WBU-NJ (as well as Sarah, D. William, Robert and Chris).

Édith Piaf + "La Vie En Rose" Insights (Wednesday's Wisdom)

One hundred and three years ago on this day in 1915, Édith Piaf was born. Followers of this blog may recall that her singing was a a favorite of my dearly departed friend, Donna De Solis, and that Piaf's rendition of La Vie En Rose, which  she is singing in the video atop this entry is one that I used in a memorial DVD which I created in honor of Donna's memory at the request of her son.

I've just learned via a comment (by Joshua F) on this You Tube video that "La vie en rose literally means life in pink. It's a French expression roughly equal to 'rose-colored glasses', but without the negative connotation of the English expression. It's about seeing the world in a brighter and more idealistic way- directly in the context of the song, this is because of a lover, but because it was released in 1945, it served to soothe and inspire a France still recovering from the horror of Nazi occupation."

Prior to my reading the comment I had read in a Google search "La vie en rose literally translates to Life in pink and it would be better translated to life through rosy (pink) glasses. The idea is to depict a state where everything appears rosy and cheerful to you. It's about a state of bliss when everything around you is a source of joy..." 

And in that search I also read, "Ah, la vie en rose! The quintessential French phrase for non-French speakers, popularized by Édith Piaf's love song. It comes from a very common and popular expression ''voir la vie en rose' which literally means ''seeing life in pink.' In English, it's often translated as ''wearing rose-colored glasses..."

Wednesday's Wisdom: Back in the Saddle (After all, May is National Bike Month)

Last evening I went tandem cycling with my captain, ZW, for the first time since I had an accident (not related to bike riding) in May of 2016. (Incidentally, the photograph atop this entry is of an unknown cyclist who rode in front of me as I was trying to take a picture of last night's sunset!)

In any event, prior to the last time that ZW and I cycled (4-14-2016), she and I had been cycling on a frequent basis since 2009! Much of this has been chronicled in posts on my social media venues. ZW and I have participated in large cycling events that covered between fifty and seventy-five miles; including The Five Boro Bike Tour (five times), The Tour de Bronx (twice), and Twin Lights Ride (once).

Additionally we have participated in smaller group rides in the winter time, including one which took us to The Lights in the Heights (twice). Moreover, we have had persons join us when we cycled to Piermont as well as to the State Park off River Road. And, on our own we have cycled many miles around and outside the city, including a trip to the beach at Coney Island. However, our usual route is to cycle up the greenway (along the Hudson River)

to The Little Red Lighthouse which is in close proximity to The GW (George Washington Bridge).

And our usual route was what we did last evening. I am very grateful that I was able to endure the ride (with energy to spare) after not having cycled for over one year; and near to the time of the anniversary of my accident. What a great way to ring in the month of May, which happens to be National Cycling Month!

Tuesday's Truths WK 39: RETURNING TO TANDEM-CYCLING

Welcome to week forty-second of my Tuesday's Truths series with a post dedicated to my anticipated return to tandem cycling. One of these types of bikes can be seen in the image atop this blog entry.

This photograph was taken (in bygone years) by yours truly, just before I was about to have an evening picnic, very near The Little Red Lighthouse, which I had cycled to with my bike captain, ZW, owner of the tandem, which she stores on her ceiling!

In any event, ZW and I had ridden to The Little Red Lighthouse via the portion of the greenway which runs parallel to the Hudson River in NYC. And, now, I am dedicating a post to cycling because the month of May is National Bike Month. Moreover, weather permitting, I plan to be doing my first tandem cycling since my accident in May of 2016!

Even though the accident I had was nearly one year ago, and was not cycling related, a result of my injuries (and the time needed to recuperate from them), means that I have not cycled since that event occurred.

Therefore, I am more than a little apprehensive to cycle, for my accident has made me aware of my vulnerability. However, because the last time I cycled was April 14, 2016, it's high time I return to my routine of tandem cycling on a frequent basis. I'll leave it here for now, dear reader, and I hope to report good experiences in upcoming posts.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID, Bible Readers: Scripture needs to say "AS a sparrow..." (Wednesday's Wisdom)

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

SPARROWS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

The other week I saw a male house sparrow bathing in a puddle that was on the part of a greenway that runs along the Hudson River.

Upon my seeing the little creature I instantly thought of Henry David Thoreau's quote which was in response to how he felt when this bird type was visiting his property.

He is known to have said “I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.”

Mallards Doing the Otis Redding Thing (Tuesday's Truths WK 116)

In yesterday's post here on Blogger, all but one of the bird types included were ones I'd seen when in Central Park this past Sunday.

The birds in the photograph atop this posting (mostly Mallards) are ones I saw the Saturday prior to that when I was walking along the portion of The Greenway (on the UWS) which is parallel to the Hudson River.

Thursday's Testimony: Ghost Bikes are a part of National Bike month.

The month of May is full of a number of observations, including raising awareness regarding the medical condition known as Neurofibromatosis (NF) which I discussed in yesterday's blog post, as the day of May 17th is World NF Awareness Day.

May is also known as National Bike Month, which I mentioned in an entry that I published in the beginning of the month, prior to my first opportunity to tandem cycle since my accident (not related to cycling) in 2016. And according to The League Of American Cyclists, the third week of May, which we are currently in, is designated as bike to work week. Biking to work is not an option for me because I don't have a bicycle and I work from home. Moreover, I only have vision in one eye, hence my cycling is limited to being a stoker on a tandem bike. I'm thrilled that I get to do this and grateful to have a competent captain (ZW). ZW is the one who pointed out the bike featured in the image atop this entry. She noticed it as we were cycling north on the portion of the greenway which runs along the Hudson River.

FOLLOW UP FRIDAY: 2017's T'GIVING PARADE

The Peanuts comic strip atop this entry was something I saw in my Twitter feed the other day. It came to my mind as I pondered what to share re yesterday's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which I attended as its route is less than half a block from my apartment.

Baby, it's HOT outside . . .

On the southern wall of my urban terrace garden, I keep a thermometer (seen in the photographs posted above, taken over two consecutive days respectively, before seven o'clock in the morning). I initially got this outdoor thermometer to keep in a cold-frame which was built specifically to use in the winterizing of my garden. Winter and its freezing temperatures prompting songs like Baby, It's Cold Outside, seem a distant memory. For at 6:41:23 AM, EDT, this Tuesday morning, the thermometer registered a little over 80 degrees as it did yesterday, giving me a good indication that by late morning or very early afternoon New York City, where I live and have my lovely garden, will officially meet the heat wave criteria for the tri-state area on this summer day, July 19th 2011.