Winter In New York

Cold and grey-just like I remember it. It looks like snow and I couldn’t be happier! Now, if you are living in a cold climate, not just visiting like I am, you probably think that I’m nuts. I live in the land of endless (well, almost) sunshine and it’s a treat for me to experience a bit of winter. Part of what I enjoy about being here in this weather is the memories that it invokes.

I just got back from a walk and it’s probably around 30 degrees, which gave me the opportunity to wear a heavy sweater, gloves and a scarf-things I have little use for in San Diego. I explored some of my old stomping grounds, walking along the Hudson River, looking across to the Palisades (cliffs that loom above the river). As I passed by the great homes in the neighborhood and peered into back yards, a rush of memories came flooding back. Sleep overs as a youngster  at the homes of friends who I envied because they lived in these big houses in this beautiful area. Parties in backyards with kegs of beer and who knows what else at the homes of friends whose parents were away for the weekend. I could envision my best friend sitting on the lawn and crying because her boyfrieind had just broken up with her! I passed by the spot where we had slept outside under the stars on a tiny spit of land hovering over the river and remembered being cold and hungry when we woke in the morning.

Before I crossed the road to head home, I stopped to take a peek at the sheep out grazing in the field of the restoration at the foot of the hill from where I grew up. It’s unbelievable that this land and its buildings have been preserved from the 1600s when the Dutch first settled here. I stared at the old mill and the house and wondered what it must have been like to live here 300 years ago, with no heat or running water. As I crossed the street, I walked by one of the oldest churches in the US-also founded by the Dutch settlers in the 1600s. My great friend G. was married here one July on what had to be the hottest day of the year! Around every corner there seems to be a memory , just waiting to pop out and once again I feel a sense of belonging to this place where I haven’t lived in years…