Kings (County) #AtoZChallenge

If you are looking for my Music Moves Me post, please click here.  But I hope you'll stay for this King of posts. (Well, not really, but it starts with K.)

The borough of Brooklyn in the City of New York is also known as Kings County. Fun fact:  New York City is composed of five counties:  New York County (Manhattan), Bronx County (The Bronx), Kings County (Brooklyn), Queens County (Queens) and Richmond County (Staten Island).

I wonder how many people reading this post today can trace some of their ancestors to Kings County?  I can, as per the above  Some estimate (and this is not proven) that one in seven Americans, or some 50 million people, can.

If true, it's not surprising.  Before its merger with New York City, the city of Brooklyn was the third largest city in the United States, and many immigrants passing through Ellis Island settled there, at least temporarily.

My father's father was one of them, and my grandfather settled there permanently.  He was a small business owner, operating a candy store business in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, where my father was born and grew up. along with his several siblings.  My grandfather closed his business in the 1950's but I have a vague memory of visiting him there at least once.  I still have some family in Brooklyn/Kings County.

When my father's younger sister died, the funeral procession wound its way through Brooklyn to pass by the building where she lived as a child.  It was a beautiful tribute.  Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of my father's childhood neighborhood, but here are some pictures I took in Brooklyn over the years while visiting family and friends.

Entrance, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2018.

A Tree Blooms in Brooklyn, 2013. 

Brooklyn brownstones, 2018.

Street art advertising a business on their windows, downtown Brooklyn, 2018.

This is the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower (modern name One Hanson Place). Opened in 1929, this 41 story building was the tallest building in Brooklyn until 2009. 

Roses.

Grave of Louis Comfort Tiffany, a King of decorative arts, Green-Wood cemetery, Brooklyn.

Hopefully, if you ever visit New York City, you have the chance to visit Brooklyn. 

K day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme: Beauty of our Land.

Art #A to Z Challenge #WordlessWednesday

 With the letter A, the Blogging from A to Z Challenge begins on this April Fool's Day.

This is a challenge even in the best of times.  On April 1 (today) our blog post must begin with "A". Tomorrow, "B", and so forth, six days a week, Sundays excepted.  Simple to describe - hard to do, especially when you get to X.

Who am I?   I live in the Southern Tier of New York State, in the United States.  I've been blogging since 2009.  I blogged daily since May of 2011 until 2024, due to circumstances, and, until today, have only been blogging four days a week.   I want to see if I still have what it takes to blog daily.

My theme for this year is "Beauty of Our Land".  My travels have taken me to 46 state of our United States and several provinces of Canada. My goal is to bring some comfort and beauty into these times, as I sort through my nearly 20,000 pictures (yes, you read that right) on my iPhone.

It is also Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus.  And, it's April Fool's Day.

So, what is the beauty of our land?  It is scenery.  Art.  Flowers and gardens.  Really, beauty is anything that can lift our spirits.

In honor of April Fool's Day: April Fool art by Norman Rockwell, Arlington, Vermont.   It's hard to see because of the size, but perhaps you can find some of the 45 mistakes.

Steeplechase Park, Brooklyn, New York City, Coney Island.

Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Carved bear, Skaneateles, New York.

Needlework, New York State fair, Syracuse, New York, 2024.

Tomorrow, the letter B.  

Joining up with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

If you are new to my blog, thank you for visiting, and I hope you'll stick around and visit other of my AtoZ posts.  If you are a regular reader, thank you!!

 

New York City Spring #ShadowshotSunday

On this wintery first Sunday of 2025, let's think spring.

 

This picture was taken years ago on a street in Brooklyn, New York, a borough of New York City.  Yes, there are trees in New York City; more than you might expect.  People think of New York City as the skyscrapers of Manhattan, but there is so much more to the City than that.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

A Friendship Fourth of July

It's been a while since I've repeated this post but I am moved to today, with some new material and new (to my blog, I think) photos from the trip I blogged about.

In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "C") and my childhood best friend (BF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  C has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  

Anyway, C and BF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor growing up, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, my cousin and childhood friend found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BF was diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, C called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, C was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BF, and yes, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and her husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BF, C, and other friends of BF.    We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.    

My friend loved to garden in her small New York City plot.

I can't remember if this zucchini plant (picture taken July 4, 2013) was in my friend's yard, or in the yard of one of her neighbors.  

These were her tomatoes.  She also had rosemary and dill growing.
 

A fig tree in her neighbor's yard.

My friend's dill.

I can't believe eleven years have passed since that day.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.  That night, before the unofficial street fireworks began, my friend, her husband, my spouse, and I, walked to a store and had some ice cream.

Over the frozen treats, she matter of factly told me she had decided where she would be interred after she passed.  She knew her time was limited, and joked that the cemetery was near a shopping center, meaning that people would be sure to visit.

That kind of joke was so like her....

This visit was the last time I saw my BF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

If I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and we wouldn't have spent other quality time with her during that visit.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  

When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of her, each and every year.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  

Cancer sucks.

A happier post tomorrow.

Tenth Anniversary of Sandy and a Music Tribute

A strange combination, Sandy and a musical tribute, but that's the timing of this.

Today for the New Jersey/downstate New York area (and many other communities in the Northeast United States), marks the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. 

At 7:30 pm on October 29, 2012, Sandy hit New Jersey just to the north of Atlantic City.  That night and the following day, the storm slammed this area, including Long Island/New York City.

The storm is long gone, but not forgotten.  

Repairs are still being made, and we don't know if precautions being made will be enough. 

The vulnerability of the New York City mass transit system is just one concern out of many. 

Although I don't live in the area most impacted, Sandy is very much on my mind today.

I was born in the New York City suburb of Queens (which is on Long Island) in the Rockaways, one of the severely damaged area.  My childhood best friend, who lived in Brooklyn, and her husband, took in people who were more severely impacted than they were.

My spouse and I visited Brooklyn the following May, when the damage was still fresh enough for me to smell (yes, floods have a smell.)

Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, May 2013

During that trip, we visited Kingsborough Community College, which lies near the ocean.  My friend's spouse (a senior citizen) was a student at the college.

Trees were waking up after the winter although some had been killed by the storm. Spring is the time of renewal and rebirth, and at the time, I blogged:

"This past Sunday, we visited the campus of Kingsborough County Community College in Manhattan Beach (one of the many neighborhoods in the New York City borough of Brooklyn) for their annual Spring Concert.

Kingsborough County Community College is considered one of the top five community colleges in the United States.  One of the perks springtime students enjoy is the ability to use a private beach on the campus - what could be more perfect than a New York City college campus with its own beach?

Well, not when a Superstorm like Sandy hits.

 Meanwhile, at the concert auditorium, people were arriving, many of them (and many of the musicians) senior citizens.  I heard more than one friend greet another with tales of losing their homes or apartments.  That story is all too familiar to me, in my area of upstate New York, due to our own flooding in September, 2011.  But our flood was river water, not the ocean.

Two choruses performed - the "Day Chorus" of day students and volunteers, and the "Night Chorus" of night students and volunteers.  One of my friends is a member of both choruses.  We were also treated to the Brooklyn Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

There were a number of songs with a religious theme, or "river" imagery (as in "crossing over to the other side").   One song in particular, Arlo Guthrie's "Valley to Pray", was an absolute pleasure to listen to, as was a medley of song from Les Miserables.

In the aftermath of Sandy, it just seemed surreal to sit in that audience.  But, after all, life doesn't stop after a disaster - nor should it."

In December of 2018, I visited a different section of Brooklyn.  A cousin drove my spouse and I around to different areas of the borough on Christmas Day after we watched a movie in Kings Plaza.

This area, called Geritssen Beach, was not supposed to be greatly impacted by Sandy.  No mandatory evacuation order was issued this area suffered a lot of damage.  By Christmas Day 2018 things looked a lot better.

But, with all disasters, the memories remain, as they will for people who experienced Ida, Ian, and many other storms since Sandy.

Speaking of memories, it's time to pay tribute to the late Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis died yesterday at the age of 87.  A greatly talented man with several hits in 1956-58, he also entered into a controversial (what an understatement) marriage to a cousin who was only 13 years old at the time.  It collapsed his career for years, but it's also true that he was one of the founding parents of rock n'roll music. 

Lewis was also one of the first inductees into the Rock & Hall of fame, in their first year (1986).  On October 16,  he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

I decided to post a couple of videos today to acknowledge the passing of this great musical talent of my youth.  First,  "Great Balls of Fire".

Finally, a live performance from 1964 of  "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On".

RIP.

Three Cheers for Independence Day

Today, in the United States, it is Independence Day.  For this year, it's going to be cause for great celebration.

Let's celebrate with some flowers.

Red geraniums

White impatiens after a rain (with one pink impatien).

About as close to blue as you can get in a cultivated flower.

Even wildflowers want to celebrate Independence Day

No Red but I do have a White Queen Anne's Lace with a Japanese beetle on it.

The closest one can come to blue in a wildflower - here, chicory.

Independence Day would not be complete without some music, so here is some "America" themed music.  My favorite piece of fireworks music is this song by James Brown: Living in America.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.  Our country is flawed, yes, but we also have a lot to celebrate.  Let today be the day to do it.

July 2013 Revisited

 In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

I was so positive I had written a blog post about what happened next, but if I did, I can't find it on my blog, so here goes (eight years later).

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "H") and my childhood best friend (BFF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  H has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BFF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  Anyway, H and BFF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BFF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor in the Bronx, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, they found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BFF had been diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, H called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BFF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, H was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BFF, and sure, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BFF, H, and BFF's other friends.     We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.   

BFF loved to crochet and knit.  During her treatments, she would work on outfits for pediatric cancer patients, and she showed me some of her work.  Here is one picture of her work.

The next day, we went into Manhattan on the subway and walked (in that 90 plus degree heat) the  entire High Line.  Here's a post I wrote about it at the time.  At one time, this was an elevated railroad track.  Now, it's one of the most successful urban parks in the United States, full of art work.  The neighboring buildings take advantage of its popularity, too.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.

This visit was the last time I saw my BFF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

But if I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and spend other quality time with her before and after.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  Each July 4, I think back on that special July 4 I spent in Brooklyn.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  Tomorrow I will have a happier post - I promise.

Transportation #AtoZChallenge #SkywatchFriday

Today is both "T" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and Skywatch Friday, when I am supposed to be watching the sky.  So I have a double challenge, but as they used to say in an old commercial, "Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun".  Or, Two Themes are better Than one! (OK, I made that saying up.)

I decided to use Transportation as my theme so I could show off several parts of the beautiful state I live in.  So, what do we have for transportation in New York State?

How about a boater at sunset on Skaneateles Lake? 

Or you can take a trip on that same lake on the Judge Ben Wiles.

If you want a Tidbit of history in Transportation, your Teacup of Tea might be the Erie Canal, which was built between 1817 and 1825.  This canal opened up the development of New York State, connecting the Great Lakes of the western part of the state to the Atlantic Ocean in the southeastern section, by way of the Hudson River, which runs north and south in the eastern part of New York State. 

Nowadays, it is still used and, in fact, you can rent a boat and boat on it yourself.  You can also walk on the towpaths (barely visible in the extreme left of the photo), which used to be there for mules to help haul the boats on the Canal.

Here's a picture of another part of the canal (Pittsford, New York) showing some of the machinery. 

The Erie Canal isn't the only canal in New York State.  This canal lock is in Seneca Falls, New York, along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, which connects with the Erie Canal.  What a lock does is connect two parts of the canal that are of different heights.  The boat enters the lock and is raised or lowered to the level of the next portion.

But enough of canals.  How about the subways of New York City?

Here's a station in Brooklyn that is on the National Historical Register - Atlantic Avenue/Barclay Center (taken December 24, 2018).

Inside, it's less ornate, but some of the other subway stops have wonderful tile work.

Let's complete our subway train ride above ground, as we approach Coney Island.

And let's complete our theme with one more type of travel, on a winter day in Skaneateles. Appears we've Traveled a complete circle!

Join Yogi and sky watching bloggers at #SkywatchFriday. 

"T" day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  New York State.

 

Quirky #AtoZChallenge

There are a couple of letters that give A to Z bloggers heartburn (the other is X), but Q, for me, was easy this year.

Quirky. One dictionary gives this definition "Characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits."

Quick, let's quietly go for it!

Taken from the public road - the Pittsford Mushroom House

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned the Mushroom House in Pittsford, New York, just outside the entrance to Powder Mills Park.  I honestly wish I had the money to afford this house, although it would not be an ideal place to do my flower gardening.  But still.  It's in a secluded location right next to a lovely park.

This is the Johnson City Pagoda.  Completed about 1929, this was originally a pump house built to draw water from a large underground water reservoir to cool several of the Endicott-Johnson shoe factories.  C. Fred Johnson, who was put in charge of the construction, liked the Japanese style of architecture and asked his workers to build it in that style.  

The walls are the real quirky part of this.

The park this sits in today (not its original location) is called - no, wait for it:  CFJ Park, for Charles Fred (C.  Fred, as he is remembered locally) Johnson, in walking distance of our state vaccination facility.

These pictures were taken in 2017, before the Pagoda was restored.

Let's move now to Brooklyn (a borough of New York City) for a moment.  This piece of art (some of the right side is chopped off) is called "Coney Island Baby" and dates from 2004.

Still in Brooklyn, the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay Center subway stop is a treasure (it's also on the National Historic Register). I want to go back one day post-COVID and take more pictures - I wasn't feeling well the day I was there in 2018.  I saw this, though, which looks like an art installation more than a piece of graffiti.  I will call it "quirky".  Sorry it isn't bigger; the place was rather crowded at the time.

Wrapping this up, let's return to my area of New York State, with this garden shop.  The nursery it's located in is one I've shopped in for years, but this structure - well, nothing wrong with recycling, is it?

"Q" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme "New York State".

New York Skies #SkywatchFriday #AtoZChallenge

Today is "N" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and is also SkywatchFriday.

How about some beautiful New York State skies?  My theme for A to Z, after all, is "New York State", which leaves things just a little open.

So many places afford views of sunsets, but one of the best is Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, New York, along Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.

Another is Breitbeck Park in Oswego, New York, along Lake Ontario (one of the Great Lakes).

But urban sunsets and skies have their charms, too.  These next few pictures were taken in downtown Brooklyn, New York.

Brooklyn is one of the boroughs of New York City.

These were taken around Christmastime, 2018.

Once you are up above street level, the perspective changes.

 Who says I don't love New York?

My final picture is the sky in my area of New York State on Wednesday.  There was just something about the way the clouds looked, contrasted against the leafing out trees.

Join Yogi and the other sky loving bloggers who meet up every Friday to celebrate #SkywatchFriday.

"N" day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  New York State.