Summer in the City.

7-28-08 SHORT HILLS: The control [?] of the boys has been returned to parental supervision of Jon and Siobhan, but they are here for a few more days. Yesterday we all went to Ellis Island and Liberty Island from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. It being a summer Sunday, there were as many people on Ellis Island yesterday as immigrated during the entire 32 years it was originally open.

The boys liked the statute better. While ferrying from Ellis Island to Liberty Island, we were in a huge T-storm with tremendous wind blowing us around, and a lot of lightning and thunder that we saw and heard in the distance. The amount of rain wasn't a lot, but enough to require parka purchases at the Liberty Island souvenir shop, along with most of the other thousands of visitors. They sold a lot of parkas yesterday. It was like everyone was in the same uniform.

Today they went to Sandy Hook, and Judy and I went back to Jersey City to take the water taxi across the Hudson to NYC at the World Financial Center marina. We walked east across lower Manhattan through the Trinity Church graveyard and on Wall St. and lunched at South St. Seaport over-looking the East River. We went back to the ferry landing via Battery Park for a great afternoon.

Tomorrow Jon and Siobhan are taking the boys to Philadelphia for Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We have dinner plans at Grammercy Tavern with Alison, Dan and Anna.

There has been plenty of rain here, and all the new plantings look fine. The lawn guys seeded, and the new grass is in its infancy. A week with the dogs should pretty much destroy it all.

In bloom: hydrangea, rose-of-sharon, wild strawberry, hosta and lots of weeds.


Ellis Island-Laughing Gull. Laughing at the Crowds?

Verdigris Statutes.

National Emblem at Work.

South Street Seaport.