"He'll throw down His rope"

It has been a fairly quiet week.  On Monday I took some sisters to lunch at Mizumi.  I had the usual plate of sushi and other delicious edibles.  I tried skate wing. I was a little skeptical at first but it was delicious.  Then being curious, I looked up a picture of the fish.  Not really appetizing in appearance but it was good to eat.  And of course, being near The French Workshop Artisan Bakery, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat a Duke.  One of the sisters tried a Crunchie.  She said it was really delicious so I may try that if I am ever in the area again.

Skate wing

Tuesday was transfer day so I was at the Mission Home to help Anthea with the dinner and laundry.  I am ever in awe at the departing missionaries.  The testimony meeting is spiritual beyond description.  There were 5 sisters and 4 elders leaving this week. 

Departing missionaries

It is always interesting to see where people are transferred and who has new companions.  Sister Jenkins from upstairs was transferred to Little Neck so I have a new "roommate."  Sister Zambito is German but has most recently lived in England where her family is now.  She is a delight. She and Sister Anderson will do great work together.  Poor Sister Zambito has been in a car area for most of her mission so she comes home every night with aching, sore feet.

Silly Sisters Anderson and Jenkins the night before transfers

Sisters Zambito and Anderson

Tuesday night after I dropped of Anthea in Jamaica, I pulled to the side of the road to take a call.  There was a car parked in front of me so in order to drive off when I was finished with my call, I had to back up. I don't know what I backed over, but I felt a sharp bump which abruptly stopped me.  I was far enough from the other car so without thinking about it, I drove off onto the expressway.  About halfway home, I noticed the "low tire" icon light was lit on my dash.  It was 10:00 at night and I didn't want to be on the side of the expressway alone so I just kept driving.  It was a rear tire so I could steer with no problem. About a mile or two from home, I could feel that the rear end was a little squishy, if that is a good description.

When I pulled into my driveway and parked, I had a completely flat tire on the right rear.  Before I left Salt Lake, I had my car checked over.  The inspection person said my tires were ok but that I may want to get new ones before winter.  I hadn't bought new tires so it was time to replace all of the tires.

The next day a couple of the elders put on the spare doughnut tire and I went off to get new tires.  A good thing to have done.  In the future, I will be more observant when I pull off to the side of the road to take a call.

The rest of the week has been routine.  It seems I spend more time talking/texting that the average person but it is rewarding to interact with these marvelous missionaries. 

Friday I went grocery shopping and did laundry.  (I am very lucky to have a washer and dryer in the basement so I don't have to go to the laundromat.)  The garden in front of my apartment was beginning to fill with weeds again so in the evening, I cleaned out the weeds and groomed the area.

Saturday, I walked to the fruit/vegetable stand a few blocks away for grapes, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables they might have.  The man in the wheelchair that sells flowers by the fruit stand had marigolds.  Reminded me of Kay.  He always liked to plant marigolds along the sidewalk by the garage.  I decided that since I had cleaned out the garden area in front of my apartment, I would plant some marigolds in remembrance of Kay.  It was fun planting.  Brought back the memories of planting 50 bazillion tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, squash, etc. in our garden every year.  I thought about planting a tomato and pepper plant here but I decided that the marigolds will do.

First roses of the season. I like the lighter green of the new growth

I have missed my family a lot this week.  I know that they have many programs, graduation, games, difficult times, and other things that I am not there to join in with them and to support them.  I think of them often and want them to know that I am with them in thought and with all the love of my being. 

Again this week in my studies and interactions with people, I've thought a lot about the illnesses both physical and mental that people have (not just missionaries), the trials that come our way, and the losses and miseries that people bear.  I know that I often talk about the Atonement.  I read a quote by Elder Bednar that I like:  "Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners.  I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints--for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better."

This is a comforting thought to me.  I find peace in knowing my Savior knows me and understands the difficulties that come my way.  He will and does help me in every way and in everything I do.  He will help you too.  Sister Anderson gave me a poem that I want to share with you.

"Holes"
by Robbie Pierce

I'd been in that hole for a very long time -
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I could see it quite clear,
But there's no way I ever could reach it from here.
Nor could I remember the world way up there,
So I lost all my hope and gave into despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floors, and the walls,
When from off in the distance I heard someone call,
"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder."
This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind,
So I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, the old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I'd get out of that hole.
So I soon had a ladder that was really quite tall,
And I thought, "I'll soon leave this place once and for all!"
Then I climbed up my ladder, it was no easy chore -
For from lifting those boulders my shoulders were sore.

So I worked and I climbed and at last had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short - some ten feet from the top.
I climbed back down the ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.
I went back to my ladder and started to cry.
I'd done all I could do; I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die,
And all I could do was to sit and think, "Why?"
Was my ladder too short? Or my hole much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: "Do not weep."
And then hope, love, and faith entered my chest,
As the voice said to me that I'd done my best.

He said, "Nothing's the matter. There's reason to hope.
Just climb up your ladder; I'll throw down my rope.
You have worked very hard, and your labor's been rough,
But the ladder you've built is at last tall enough."
I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord.
When I stood at the top, there stood the Lord.

I've never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground; his feet did I kiss.
I cried, "What can I do to repay thee for this?"
He looked all around Him - there were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around
.
There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.
Then the Lord turned to me and He said, "Feed my sheep."
Then He went on His way to help other lost souls.
And I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!"

It now was my turn to spread the good word.
The most glorious message that man ever heard.
That there's One who is willing to save one and all,
And we've got to be ready when He gives the call.
He'll pull us all out of the hole that we're in,
And save all our souls from death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just build up your ladder; He'll throw down His rope.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  The Book of Mormon contains all that we need to know to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven and to be happy in this life.  I'm grateful to be a member of the restored church of Jesus Christ and for the gift of the Holy Ghost given to me when I was baptized.

I love you my dear family and friends.

Elders Peters, Opfar, Adams, Carter

Some sisters brought me this plaque because of my "chocolate" notoriety

This man was short but his turban was not short.

Manhattan in the sunset

Love these brilliant pansies

I LOVE being here! Every week is essentially the same yet different.

I LOVE being here!  Every week is essentially the same yet different.  I have been to Staten Island again this week, Plainview for a conference, Woodside for a conference, and Flushing.

Had a missionary in Brooklyn go to the ER with abdominal pain. He was admitted because it was thought he had gallbladder stones and released the next afternoon.  No surgery required and the pain was gone.  Miracles happen.

I accompanied another missionary to Staten Island for a follow up.  My lovely, Joan (GPS) once again took us on the fastest route to our destination which was Flushing.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you choose to look at it, she took us to the FDR Parkway which runs along the Manhattan side of the East River.  Manhattan is out of our mission.  Oops!!!

One goose found a puddle in the roadway/parking lot. Didn't want to move no matter how close we came.

Only one nice turkey.

Dolphin statue on the boardwalk next to the highway.

Saw more geese this trip.

After the week before when we went to our destination via New Jersey, I swore I'd be more diligent about looking at the route we would be driving.  It started out in the correct direction but I didn't follow the route on the GPS far enough before starting off.  We ended up again on a freeway where I couldn't turn around.  It took us through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and directly onto the FDR.   I didn't get pictures because I was driving but the sisters were excited to see Brooklyn and Queens from across the river and they were kind enough to share their pictures with me.

Queens Skyline

This is one of the first views you get as you exit the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

The FDR Drive (officially referred to as the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, and sometimes known as the FDR) is a 9.44-mile freeway-standard parkway on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It starts just north of the Battery Park Underpass at South and Broad Streets and runs along the entire length of the East River, from the Battery Park Underpass under Battery Park north to 125th Street / Robert F. Kennedy Bridge / Willis Avenue Bridge interchange, where it becomes the Harlem River Drive.

The highway is mostly three lanes in each direction, with the exception of a small section underneath the Brooklyn Bridge where it is one lane in each direction. A section near the Queensboro Bridge interchange is also narrowed to two lanes on the northbound side, and the southbound roadway south of the Brooklyn Bridge is marked as two lanes.

The FDR Drive features a mix of below-grade, at-grade, and elevated sections, as well as three partially covered tunnels.

A story in my family history makes the East River important to me and because I traveled almost the length of the East River this week and Jim and I visited Roosevelt Island in the middle of the river when he was here, I wanted to know more about it. Let me first tell you about my history.  My fifth great grandfather, John Blair was captured in Quebec during the Revolutionary War.  He was put on a prison ship and brought to New York Harbor. He was on the ship HMS Jersey. He escaped from the ship.  I love the story but I left it at home in my books there.  I tried to find it on the net (I have found it before but not today) so from memory, he and another man on the ship went to the forecastle of the ship where several large Newfoundland dogs were tied.  They hissed and riled up the dogs.  While attention was paid to the dogs, the two slipped over the side of the ship and managed to get into a rowboat.  By the time they were noticed, they were too far away for the ships guards to re-capture them.  They made their way back to General Washington where they were chastised for their demeanor. 

At the end of the information about the river is more history regarding the Revolutionary War and the East River.

The East River is a salt water tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens on Long Island from the Bronx on the North American mainland, and also divides Manhattan from Queens and Brooklyn, which is also on Long Island. Because of its connection to Long Island Sound, it was once also known as the Sound River. The tidal strait changes its direction of flow frequently, and is subject to strong fluctuations in its current, which are accentuated by its narrowness and variety of depths. The waterway is navigable for its entire length of 16 miles, and was historically the center of maritime activities in the city, although that is no longer the case.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the land north of the East River was occupied by the Siwanoys, one of many groups of Algonquin-speaking Lenapes in the area. Dutch settlement of what became New Amsterdam began in 1623. Some of the earliest of the small settlements in the area were along the west bank of the East River on sites that had previously been Native American settlements. As with the Native Americans, the river was central to their lives for transportation for trading and for fishing. They gathered marsh grass to feed their cattle, and the East River's tides helped to power mills which ground grain to flour. By 1642 there was a ferry running on the river between Manhattan Island and what is now Brooklyn, and the first pier on the river was built in 1647 at Pearl and Broad Streets. After the British took over the colony in 1664, and was renamed "New York", the development of the waterfront continued, and a shipbuilding industry grew up once New York started exporting flour. By the end of the 17th century, the Great Dock, located at Corlear's Hook on the East River, had been built.

RFK Triborough Bridge

Recently renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, few people in New York realize how incredible the story of this Northern-most commuter bridge really is. Rather than a single stretch of bridge, this behemoth is actually three linked spans accessing Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens (thus its original name) and is the product of one of the biggest initiatives ever undertaken in the history of the city. Mayor Jimmy Walker broke ground on the project in 1929, the day after Black Tuesday began the nation’s decent into the Great Depression, resulting in a tumultuous start to the construction. Funding dried up quickly and due to quixotic politics and competing egos in city government at the time, not much progress was made through 1933 when controversial/legendary New Yorker Robert Moses became interested. He sought to improve access from The Bronx and Westchester to the city parks on Long Island and after realizing how derailed the project really was, lobbied Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Governor Al Smith for control of its progress. Funded with the city’s first loan from the new federal Public Works Administration, LaGuardia succeeded in keeping the Tammany Hall political machine out of the project, stating:

We are going to build a bridge instead of patronage. We are going to pile up stone and steel instead of expenses. We are going to build a bridge of steel, and spell steel “s-t-e-e-l” instead of “s-t-e-a-l.” The people of the City of New York are going to pay for that bridge, and they are going to pay for it in tolls after its completion.

Once Moses gained control and had the support he needed, progress came quickly, aided by a country literally starving for jobs and industry. This project was far from just a bridge – it dwarfed anything Robert Moses had attempted before and its total cost would be greater than all of them combined.  The approach ramps were so big that hundreds of large-scale apartment buildings had to be demolished, the anchorages were comparable in size to pyramids of ancient Egypt, the concrete needed to build them and to pave the road across the bridge (not including the approaches) would be enough to pave a four lane highway from New York to Philadelphia. Just to supply the bridge, entire cement factories reopened from Maine to the Midwest, nearly 50 separate steel mills in Pennsylvania were reignited. All elements considered, this was the single largest traffic project ever undertaken anywhere in the world. By its end, the Triborough project had generated an estimated 31,000,000 man-hours of work in 134 cities in 20 states.

The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th St Bridge and more recently renamed for former mayor Ed Koch, doesn’t enjoy the same level of fame as it’s neighbors to the south, but as the only major cantilever bridge, it is quite unique and has actually had a few brushes with celebrity.  From the Simon and Garfunkle song to the poster of Woody Allen’s Manhattan, most people recognize the bridge without even realizing it.  Not only was it the longest cantilever bridge in the United States when it opened in 1909, but it was also designed for heavier loads than any other and had a major impact on traffic patterns. With 10 lanes of traffic on its 2 decks, it allowed for incredibly easy trips between Long Island City and Midtown East, crossing right over Roosevelt Island. (Side note: if you ever drive onto the bride and start to freak out because it feels like you are actually on a bike path sticking off the side of the bridge… it’s just keep going.. might have happened to me once upon a time)

Today, this unique span across the East River is the busiest bridge in all of New York City. According to 2009 estimates, over 180,000 vehicles cross from one side to the other an average weekday.

Queensboro Bridge

Williamsburg Bridge 

The Williamsburg Bridge was the 2nd bridge to be built over the East River and when it opened in 1903, it took over the Brooklyn Bridge’s record as the world’s longest suspension bridge span, a record it held until 1924, and was actually built by the Roebling Company, the namesake company of the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was also the first suspension bridge to feature all-steel support towers – with a span of 1,600 ft and total length of 7,308 ft, this bridge connects the Lower East Side at Delancey St with Williamsburg in Brooklyn.  The impact of connecting these two areas was so profound, the bridge is credited with directly influencing ethnic migration patterns. 1st and 2nd generation Irish and German workers had heavily populated the Williamsburg area, but following the opening of the bridge, many Jewish families moved across from the overcrowded Lower East Side, giving the bridge the temporary nickname of the “Jew’s Bridge.” As a result, many residents of Williamsburg relocated to Queens, giving rise to the Germanic communities that exist there today.

Manhattan Bridge 

Going upriver from the Brooklyn Bridge, the next major crossing is the Manhattan Bridge. Distinguished by its tall, exposed blue metal arches with 4 blue spheres on each support, it also features a beautiful arch colonnade on the Manhattan side. Opened in 1909 and stretching 1,480 ft over the water with an incredible total length of 6,855 ft, this is the newest of the suspension bridges over the East River. While the story of it’s construction was not quite as dramatic as that of the Brooklyn Bridge, it was designed and built by Leon Moisseiff, one of the leading suspension bridge architects of the 1920s and ’30s. However, his reputation was later ruined by the collapse of what he described as “the most beautiful bridge in the world”: the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. If you have never seen the newsreel footage of that bridge blowing like a sheet in the wind, it is pretty trippy. Hopefully we never see the Manhattan doing the same.

Manhattan Bridge

I like this pic of the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. You are looking at the Brooklyn skyline.

Brooklyn Bridge

Possibly the most iconic span crossing in all of North America, the Brooklyn Bridge is easy to spot – its only competition for recognizability is the Golden Gate on the opposite coast.  It is the southernmost bridge on the East river, reaching from Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn over to City Hall in Manhattan. Its span is 1,595.5 feet long (total length is a massive 5,989 ft) and when it opened in 1883 after 13 years of construction it was the biggest, longest, and first in nearly every category. It was the longest suspension bridge, the first suspension bridge built with steel cables, the first bridge to connect to Long Island, the first land connection to Manhattan from the East or West and remains the only stone passenger bridge over the Hudson or East Rivers.

Brooklyn Bridge

American Revolution

Expansion of the waterfront halted during the American Revolution, in which the East River played an important role early in the conflict. On August 28, 1776, while British and Hessian troops rested after besting the Americans at the Battle of Long Island, General George Washington was rounding up all the boats on the east shore of the river, in what is now Brooklyn, and used them to successfully move his troops across the river - under cover of night, rain, and fog - to Manhattan island, before the British could press their advantage. Thus, though the battle was a victory for the British, the failure of Sir William Howe to destroy the Continental Army when he had the opportunity allowed the Americans to continue fighting. Without the stealthy withdrawal across the East River, the American Revolution might have ended much earlier.

Wallabout Bay on the River was the site of most of the British prison ships - most notoriously the HMS Jersey - where thousands of American prisoners of war were held in terrible conditions. These prisoners had come into the hands of the British after the fall of New York City on September 15, 1776, after the American loss at the Battle of Long Island and the loss of Fort Washington on November 16. Prisoners began to be housed on the broken-down warships and transports in December; about 24 ships were used in total, but generally only 5 or 6 at a time.

Almost twice as many Americans died from neglect in these ships than did from all the battles in the war: as many as 12,000 soldiers, sailors and civilians. The bodies were thrown overboard or were buried in shallow graves on the riverbanks, but their bones - some of which were collected when they washed ashore - were later relocated and are now inside the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in nearby Fort Greene Park. The existence of the ships and the conditions the men were held in was widely known at the time through letters, diaries and memoirs, and was a factor not only in the attitude of Americans toward the British, but in the negotiations to formally end the war.

List Of 8000 Men Who Were Prisoners On Board The Old Jersey

List compiled by 'The Society Of Old Brooklynites' in 1888.

"This list of names was copied from the papers of the British War Department. There is nothing to indicate what became of any of these prisoners, whether they died, escaped, or were exchanged. The list seems to have been carelessly kept, and is full of obvious mistakes in spelling the names. Yet it shall be given just as it is, except that the names are arranged differently, for easier reference. This list of prisoners is the only one that could be found in the British War Department. What became of the lists of prisoners on the many other prison ships, and prisons, used by the English in America, we do not know."

John Blair's name was on this list.

We had a member of the seventies, Elder C. Scott Grow, tour the mission.  I helped with lunch at the conference on Wednesday in Woodside.  Thursday I went to Plainview to listen to the conference there and to be with the missionaries.  It was a rainy day.  EVERY time I go to the island, it rains.  It is beautiful none-the-less. 

Plainview is a hamlet and census-designated place located near the North Shore of Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of 2010 was 26,217

Plainview's origins dates to 1648, when Robert Williams, a settler from Wales, bought land in the area. The land was considered desirable for farming because of a small pond named the Moscopas by local Native Americans, meaning "hole of dirt and water". The remainder of the land in the area was purchased by Thomas Powell in 1695 as part of the Bethpage Purchase. The name "Mannatto Hill" had already appeared on the 1695 deed of the Bethpage Purchase, and the settlement came to be called "Manetto Hill". Manitou was the Native American word either for "god" or for "spirit"

The 1837 arrival of the Long Island Rail Road to nearby Hicksville brought a boom to local farming. In 1885, residents of Manetto Hill petitioned the United States Postal Service for a local post office, but were turned down because, according to several accounts, a similar name was already in use upstate.  The hamlet was then named "Plainview", for the view of the Hempstead Plains from the top of the Manetto Hills.

Plainview remained a farming community, famous for growing cucumbers for the huge Heinz pickle factories located in nearby Farmingdale and Hicksville. In the early 1900s blight destroyed the cucumber crop and many farmers switched to potatoes. After World War II, a potato blight combined with the desire of many returning GIs to leave New York City for the more rural Long Island, convinced many farmers to sell their property, leading to massive development in the area, giving rise to so-called suburban sprawl.

Between 1950 and 1960, the hamlet grew from a population of 1,155 to more than 35,000.  Most of the available land was developed during this period or otherwise designated as parkland. While overall development declined it did continue sporadically as smaller remaining parcels of land were also developed. In recent years, some of few large remaining parcels have given way to gated communities, which are in contrast to most housing in the area.

Saturday was a women's training conference. I am conferenced out this week.

Queens Mall Food Court

Sister Urizar and Sister Robinson

I overheard one of the sister training leaders trying to help another sister who was struggling with the trials of her mission as well as depression.  They were discussing the Atonement.  One of the things that stuck in my mind was that as part of the Savior's atoning sacrifice, He took upon Himself our pains and sicknesses. Because He has experienced our trials, He knows how to help us. When we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, He will give us strength and ease our burdens.

In Sacrament Meeting today we sang Reverently and Meekly Now.  The 3rd and 4th verses touched me: 

3. Bid thine heart all strife to cease;
With thy brethren be at peace.
Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
E'en forgiven now by me.
In the solemn faith of prayer
Cast upon me all thy care,
And my Spirit's grace shall be
Like a fountain unto thee.

4. At the throne I intercede;
For thee ever do I plead.
I have loved thee as thy friend,
With a love that cannot end.
Be obedient, I implore,
Prayerful, watchful evermore,
And be constant unto me,
That thy Savior I may be.

I love my Savior.  He is my friend.  He carries my burdens.

I love you my family and friends.

Nursing, the High Line, Roosevelt Island, & Surprise Visitors

I have had a great week!  The virus that has been playing havoc with the missionaries has wound down and gone off to bother somewhere else thank goodness.  Now I am helping missionaries who didn't understand the warning about poison ivy. (I received permission from the missionaries to use their pictures.) The rash doesn't appear for 3-4 days after the exposure and one gets a sense of all being well.  Then in the middle of the night, the rash emerges and screams at you!  One had such a bad reaction that the missionary had to have prednisone injections and creams to apply and antibiotics because a secondary bacterial infection happened.  Word of warning!!!!!  STAY OUT OF THE POISON IVY!!

I went to Staten Island again this week.  I think this will be one of the last times with this particular missionary.  A follow-up next week and I think we'll be good to go.  Coming off the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the traffic was backed up at the exit we needed to take.  Thought it was a traffic accident. Wrong. It was a couple of the wild turkeys with their heads wrapped around each others neck doing a "ritual dance" in the middle of the road.  Cars were honking and people were waving and screaming but the turkeys were oblivious.  Finally a man got out of his car and pushed them off to the median.  Through all of this they never unwound their hold on each other.  Didn't get a picture.

Pretty much a routine week until Thursday when I got a call from Jim asking me if he could come see me for Sunday.  Of course I was elated.  He arrived Friday around 5:00 and he stayed until Sunday around 5:00.  Two wondrous days.  With a Saturday full of food and walking, I got plenty of pictures of our activities.

Mizumi on Friday night. I was so busy eating that I neglected to get additional pictures.
I ate until I could eat no more. We also stopped for that scrumptious Duke from the French Workshop
Artisan Bakery on our way home. (Always room for chocolate)

Farmers market on a corner.

Pizza at Keste-delicious! Our first food stop on Saturday.

Street flowers. The color of these daisy-like flowers blew me away!
I think someone secretly injected dye into their roots........water supply.

Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

Bethesda Court

One of the lakes in the park.

Central Park the light was perfect coming from the west.

Jim wanted these bubble sticks but they were too long to take on his flight home.

Green beans and steamed kale, and spring rolls.
Ok. I ate them but bring on the steamed pork buns!!!

Steamed pork buns - to die for!!

This is a collection of articles from Ground Zero. Gary Marlon Suson was the official photographer
for the NYFD. He collected these artifacts from the trash and took thousands of photographs.
He has set up this collection in a small space and does not compete with the 9-11 Memorial.
The proceeds he gets from the entry to this little museum go to families of fallen firefighters.
It was a touching experience to re-visit this time in our history

The glass on the top floors was 3 inches thick because it has to withstand high winds.

Recovered items

This glass was from lower floor.

Ramen noodle soup at a ramen restaurant. Sorry I forgot the name. I don't need to know the name.
That is Jim's responsibility to take me to only the best eating establishments. He researches
for hours to please our palates. So far he hasn't failed. Only problem is my clothes continue to shrink.

This pizza is one we had to try. The crust is deep fried before the sauce and topping go on
and then it is baked again. Honestly-I wouldn't order it again over the regular pizza.
Perhaps not being hungry played a part in the whole effect. Having eaten pizza and ramen noodle soup
and steamed pork buns, I was shall we say - STUFFED to the gills!!

Rectangle pizza at DI Fara in Brooklyn. Thick crust.

Classic DI Fara Pizza. Thin crust.

Di Fara Pizza is a pizzeria in Midwood area of Brooklyn.
The restaurant has been owned and operated by Domenico DeMarco since 1964.
DeMarco opened Di Fara after emigrating from the Province of Caserta, Italy, in 1959.
He said in a 2004 interview:

    I'm 69 years old. I've been in Brooklyn since 1959. I'm from Provincia di Caserta in Italy, near Napoli. When I got here, I spent three months in Long Island, in Huntington, working on a farm... then somebody put a bug in my head and said there's a good spot on Avenue J. I didn't even know Avenue J existed. So I come over here with my accountant on a Saturday night, and this corner was for rent. It was so crowded, the street. So I take the phone number, I call the landlord, and he says to come see me Sunday, make sure you bring a deposit. When I opened the store, my partner's name was Farina. My name is DeMarco. So when the lawyer made the paper, he put the two names together. Di Fara. Di for me, and Fara for him. I bought my partner out in 1978, I think. I kept the same name; I didn't bother changing it.
    —?DeMarco for The New York Times, July 18, 2004

    Each pizza pie is handmade by DeMarco, so the pizzeria is closed when he is not available. Three of his seven children work in the back area of the restaurant.

He makes 100 to 150 pies a day.  DeMarco uses imported ingredients – flour, extra-virgin olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella cheese from Casapulla, freshly grated grana padano (a slightly salty hard cow's milk cheese), three types of mozzarella cheese, and hand-grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese are all from Italy, and the basil and oregano are from Israel.  In a windowsill flower box, he grows thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, and hot peppers. He cuts fresh basil over each pie with a pair of kitchen scissors.
The pizzas bake for a few minutes at about 800 °F

Serendipity

Menu and history

Having starved all day - NOT!!  We stopped at Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate.
( My motto:  Always room for chocolate.)

 

My steps for Saturday. I may have burned enough calories for one slice of pizza. Just maybe!

We walked the High Line.  Here is a little info about it:

The High Line (also known as the High Line Park) is a 1.45-mile-long New York City linear park built in Manhattan on an elevated section of a disused New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line. Inspired by the 3-mile Promenade plantée (tree-lined walkway), a similar project in Paris completed in 1993, the High Line has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway and rails-to-trails park.

Artistic use of old railroad.

High Line

Artwork along the High Line Flowering shrubs

I think these are really interesting looking plants.

High Line

Cute little guy posing on a rock.

A little history:  In 1847, the City of New York authorized street-level railroad tracks down Manhattan's West Side to ship freight.  For safety, the railroads hired men called the "West Side Cowboys" to ride horses and wave flags in front of the trains.  However, so many accidents occurred between freight trains and other traffic that Tenth Avenue became known as "Death Avenue".

After years of public debate about the hazard, in 1929 the city, the state of New York, and the New York Central Railroad agreed on the West Side Improvement Project, a large project conceived by Robert Moses that also included the construction of the West Side Elevated Highway. The 13-mile project eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings and added 32 acres to Riverside Park. It cost more than US$150,000,000 (about US$2,067,151,000 today).

 The growth of interstate trucking in the 1950s led to a drop in rail traffic throughout the nation, so that by 1960, the southernmost section of the line was demolished. This section started at Gansevoort Street and ran down Washington Street as far as Spring Street just north of Canal Street, representing almost half of the line. The last train on the remaining part of the line was operated by Conrail in 1980.

The High Line Park is built on the disused southern portion of the West Side Line running to the Lower West Side of Manhattan. It runs from Gansevoort Street - three blocks below 14th Street - in the Meatpacking District, through Chelsea, to the northern edge of the West Side Yard on 34th Street near the Javits Convention Center. An unopened spur extends above 30th Street to Tenth Avenue.

Car made from rubber tires.

Covered portion of High Line has booths and people selling things.

Mural on an apartment building wall.

Hudson River from High Line.

Interesting buildings viewed from High Line.

Looking up at the High Line from the street.

We rode the tram to Roosevelt Island.  There we walked to the southern tip of the island. Next time I'll see the northern end of the island the the light house.  Man!  I enjoy Google and Wikipedia!!  Probably way more info that you want but here it is if you choose to read it:

From tram looking down on Roosevelt Island.

Looking up the East River from Roosevelt Island.

Manhattan street view from the tram.

Roosevelt Island is a narrow island in New York City's East River. It lies between Manhattan Island to its west and the borough of Queens on Long Island to its east, and is part of the borough of Manhattan. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85th Streets on Manhattan Island, it is about 2 miles long, with a maximum width of 800 feet and a total area of 147 acres.

Panoramic view of Manhattan from Roosevelt Island.

Roosevelt Park

The island was called Minnehanonck by the Lenape and Varkens Eylandt (Hog Island) by New Netherlanders, and during the colonial era and later as Blackwell's Island. It was known as Welfare Island when it was used principally for hospitals, from 1921 to 1971. It was re-named Roosevelt Island in 1971 after Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1637, Dutch Governor Wouter van Twiller purchased the island, then known as Hog Island, from the Canarsie Indians.  After the English defeated the Dutch in 1666, Captain John Manning seized the island, which became known as Manning's Island, and twenty years later, Manning's son-in-law, Robert Blackwell, became the island's new owner and namesake. In 1796, Blackwell's great-grandson Jacob Blackwell constructed the Blackwell House, which is the island's oldest landmark, New York City's sixth oldest house, and one of the city's few remaining examples of 18th-century architecture.

Through the 19th century, the island housed several hospitals and a prison. In 1828, the City of New York purchased the island for $32,000 (equal to $689,552 in 2014), and four years later, the city erected a penitentiary on the island; the Penitentiary Hospital was built to serve the needs of the prison inmates. By 1839, the New York City Lunatic Asylum opened, including the Octagon Tower, which still stands but as a residential building; it was renovated and reopened in April 2006. The asylum, which was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, at one point held 1,700 inmates, twice its designed capacity.

 In 1852, a workhouse was built on the island to hold petty violators in 220 cells. The Smallpox Hospital, designed by James Renwick, Jr., opened in 1856, and two years later, the Asylum burned down and was rebuilt on the same site; Penitentiary Hospital was destroyed in the same fire. In 1861, prisoners completed construction of Renwick's City Hospital (renamed Charity Hospital in 1870), which served both prisoners and New York City's poorer population.

In 1872, the Blackwell Island Light, a 50-foot Gothic style lighthouse later added to the National Register of Historic Places, was built by convict labor on the island's northern tip under Renwick's supervision. Seventeen years later, in 1889, the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, designed by Frederick Clarke Withers, opened. By 1895, inmates from the Asylum were being transferred to Ward's Island, and patients from the hospital there were transferred to Blackwell's Island. The Asylum was renamed Metropolitan Hospital. However, the last convicts were not moved off the island until 1935, when the penitentiary on Rikers Island opened.

The 20th century was a time of change for the island. The Queensboro Bridge started construction in 1900 and opened in 1909; it passed over the island but did not provide direct vehicular access to it at the time.] In 1921, Blackwell's Island was renamed Welfare Island after the City Hospital on the island. In 1930, a vehicular elevator to transport cars and passengers on Queensboro Bridge started to allow vehicular and trolley access to the island. In 1939, Goldwater Memorial Hospital, a chronic care facility, opened, with almost a thousand beds in 7 buildings on 9.9 acres.Thirteen years later, Bird S. Coler Hospital, another chronic care facility, opened, and three years after the Coler Hospital's opening, Metropolitan Hospital moved to Manhattan, leaving the Lunatic Asylum buildings abandoned. The same year, 1955, the Welfare Island Bridge from Queens opened, allowing automobile and truck access to the island and the only non-aquatic means in and out of the island; the vehicular elevator to Queensboro Bridge then closed, but wasn't demolished until 1970. As late as August 1973, though, another passenger elevator ran from the Queens end of the bridge to the island.

More changes came in the latter half of the century. In 1968, the Delacorte Fountain, opposite the headquarters of the United Nations, opened. Mayor John V. Lindsay named a committee to make recommendations for the island's development in the same year. A year later, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) signed a 99-year lease for the island, and architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee created a plan for apartment buildings housing 20,000 residents. In 1971, Welfare Island was renamed Roosevelt Island in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and four years later, planning for his eponymous park, Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, started.

Federal funding for redevelopment came from the New Community Act. In 1976, the Roosevelt Island Tramway opened, connecting the island directly with Manhattan. The tramway was meant as a temporary solution to the then-lack of subway service to the island, which began in 1989 with the opening of the Roosevelt Island subway station, on what is now the F trains.

During the 21st century, the area became more gentrified. In 1998, the Blackwell Island Light was restored by an anonymous donor. In 2006, the restored Octagon Tower opened, serving as the central lobby of a two-wing, 500-unit apartment building. In 2010, the Roosevelt Island Tramway reopened after renovations. In 2012, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was dedicated and opened to the public as a state park.

East River and the north end of Roosevelt Island.

I liked this flowering tree.

Cherry Tree Walk

From Roosevelt Island

United Nations Building

I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday about mothers.  I could choose the topic.  I chose to talk about womanhood in general with a focus on mothers.  I told of the Christ-like attributes of my mother through various stories of mine and her own growing up years.  She was caring and comforting, patient (although she had a temper at times and was stubborn beyond reason), frugal, humble, faithful, and endured to the end among other qualities.  She and I knocked heads together from time to time but with other things, she taught me a love of cooking, life, family, the Gospel, and my Savior.

There were other women in my life that were role models and taught me besides my mother:  sister, daughters, teachers, friends, aunts, church leaders, etc.   The role of women is vital.  Here is one of the quotes I used:

 "Most sacred is a woman's role in the creation of life. We know that our physical bodies have a divine origin and that we must experience both a physical birth and a spiritual rebirth to reach the highest realms in God's celestial kingdom. Thus, women play an integral part (sometimes at the risk of their own lives) in God's work and glory "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." As grandmothers, mothers, and role models, women have been the guardians of the wellspring of life and have perpetuated wholesome environments in which to raise secure and healthy children."

Elder Todd Christofferson October 2013 Conference.

I also like a quote from Sheri Dew who was a second counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency for several years and a prominent business woman.  She has never married nor had children. This quote is from October 2001:

"When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman's most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord's language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve "the mother of all living"-and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that "God planted within women something divine." That something is the gift and the gifts of motherhood. Elder Matthew Cowley taught that "men have to have something given to them [in mortality] to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. [They] are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls … and the regenerating force in the lives of God's children."

Motherhood is not what was left over after our Father blessed His sons with priesthood ordination. It was the most ennobling endowment He could give His daughters, a sacred trust that gave women an unparalleled role in helping His children keep their second estate. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. declared, motherhood is "as divinely called, as eternally important as the Priesthood itself.

I know, I absolutely know, that these doctrines about our divine role are true, and that when understood they bring peace and purpose to all women. My dear sisters, whom I love more than I know how to express, will you rise to the challenge of being mothers in these perilous times, though doing so may test the last ounce of your endurance and courage and faith? Will you stand steadfast and immovable as a mother in Israel and a woman of God? Our Father and His Only Begotten Son have given us a sacred stewardship and a holy crown in their kingdom. May we rejoice in it. And may we be worthy of Their trust. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I am blessed to be a wife and a mother and grandmother.  I am the mother of 7 children by birth, but I am also blessed to be the mother of many more souls whom I love dearly. 

I love you my family and friends.