hi de hi de hi de ho

It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 1983, At twenty four years old, I’m on a plane home from Western New York, after having visited some relatives.

I can’t shake the feeling that I recognize that old black guy in front of me as a famous musician. “Duke Ellington?” I wonder. “Count Basie?”

At least one of them’s dead.

There’s a middle-aged couple next to him. The wife asks him, “Are you Cab Calloway?”

My anxiety attack is no more. I heave a sigh of relief.

I overhear Calloway say softly, “That handsome young gentleman back there won’t have to go crazy now.”

Each week Rochelle Wisoff~Fields leads us in Friday Fictioneers, as we write a story based upon a photo prompt.

This week’s photo was supplied by Lucy Fridkin.

st. cecilia as a metaphor and warning

“Henry and Peter made their daily trip to Erika’s House of Music at the South Bay Shopping Center.

The owner and her husband, as always, greeted them in their Austrian and German accents.

“The twenty second’s coming up,” Henry intoned.

“It’s interesting that J.F.K.was killed on the feast day of the patroness of music.”

“Yeah,” Peter reminded him. “So much of the nauseating Sexual and Cultural Revolutions of that era was set to such perfect music. A little charisma can be poisonous.”

“There’s good and bad in every era,” Henry noted as they looked around for Jimmy Page’s sheet music.

This week’s photo prompt was supplied by Bjorn Rudberg. Rochelle Wisoff~Fields guides us weekly in Friday Fictioneers, as each of us writes a hundred~word story based upon a photo prompt.

Michael and Erin

On the weekend of my fifty~seventh birthday my nephew (and Godson) Michael, and Erin, got married. The wedding was at Nostrano Vineyards in Milton, New York.

The scenery was perfect. I got a chance to hobnob with our relatives and Erin’s.

I couldn’t help being smitten by the view. Milton was named after the seventeenth~century Jacobin poet, author of “Paradise Lost”.

 

 

the showers of blessing

daily post

my first 1000 photos

doris bolliger

the view from my window Laura

sue bee and kat

reginald and rachel

While visiting family in northeastern Pennsylvania, Reginald and Rachel took a walk on the local boardwalk.

“Isn’t this such a nice change from Long Beach’s boardwalk, honey?” Rachel pointed out.

“If we were there now,” her husband reminded her,”we’d be surrounded by teenagers with surfboards, Hasidic Jews in traditional black garb, and maniacs on bicycles.”

“It’s the perfect cure for our claustrophobia,”she couldn’t help noticing.

For countless hours they stayed there, enjoying the absolute silence and privacy, occasionally passing comments about the enigmatic triangle on the horizon.

“Too bad we don’t have one of those in New York”, she complained.

Adam Ickes provided our weekly photo prompt. Rochelle Wisoff~Fields is our Friday Fictioneers fearless leader.

his ultimate fantasy fulfilled at last

“Honey,” Leo begged Sylvia, “for my birthday, can we please go to Staten Island?”

“STATEN ISLAND?!?” she screamed. “What in the hell kind of complete LUNATIC begs for STATEN ISLAND?!”

He explained, “Until my twelfth birthday I lived in Queens. I’ve been to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan a brazilian times. What am I, cursed, I can’t spend one day on Staten Island?!”

Gazing at him dumbfounded she whined, “Wow! If I’d a known I was marrying such a hardship case, I’d a listened to my parents and married Orville Kruger~”

“Never been to Staten Island~such a heartache!!”

Thank you to Jan Wayne Fields for this week’s photo prompt. Rochelle Wisoff~Fields guides us weekly in Friday Fictioneers, an attempt at hundred~word storytelling.

coming down fast but I’m miles above you

look up

dancing in infinite cerulean blue

look up

allison’s written words

the everyday photographer

hopeful boy

I spent a few hours this past weekend at the Long Beach, New York, annual Arts and Crafts Fair on the boardwalk.  Yesterday I wanted to try to take a picture of a plane with either a banner or skywriting. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite fast enough.

birthday girl at yankee stadium

This picture was taken on my sister’s birthday in 2014.  She, her family, and I went to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  I’ve never been a sports fan, and considering that I’m originally from Jackson Heights, I’ve always told people that I’m an honorary Met fan. I took the picture with my Canon digital camera. As good as that camera is though, I now take pictures exclusively with my Tracfone LG Android camera.

curve ~the daily post photo challenge

pinkpodster

superjangames

myfirst1000photos

st. gabriel’s and st. john’s

If I were ever forced to point  out an era during my lifetime which I could refer to as the very best of times it would be fairly easy.I’ve always thought that there’s a tie between my very early days, up until my twelfth birthday, on 92nd Street in Jackson Heights, when I was attending St. Gabriel’s Elementary School in East Elmhurst, and the time somewhat after that, during my teens in Lindenhurst, when I was attending St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. During my very early days in Queens, I lived in quite an exemplary neighborhood where there were all sorts of colorful characters.  Two thirds of the families on my block were either Italian or Hispanic and constantly spoke Italian and Spanish. I was involved with a lot of activities at St. Gabriel’s, in both the church and school, especially Brother Thomas’ bowling league, and the glee club with Brother Edmond and Brother James.  My friends, many of whom are now on my Facebook friend list, were quite an exceptional group of kids. We spent a lot of time together, visiting each other’s families.  During my teens, at St. John’s, I had such a nice time too. Many of the kids I got to know there are also now on my friend list list on Facebook. It was a time for me to learn about new things and ideas, and to grow into what would become ultimately my current persona. Then, as in Queens,  I was known as the kid with the obnoxious sense of humor. Unfortunately that period was the disco era but once I  got over that I enjoyed all the other things about it. I was involved with lots of activities, including the student council and chess club. I realize that those weren’t perfect times for me. I had all sorts of trouble in certain ways. They were quite exceptional though in the sense that the bad very far outweighed the good.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/salad-days/

http://abozdar.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/drinking-day/

http://abozdar.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/drinking-day/

http://dcmontreal.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/back-when-i-was-young-montreals-angloirish-pubs/

http://rolbos.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/when-the-compass-fails/

http://grieflessons.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/fruit-salad/

…but first take a lopsided tour of all the stuff around here

If a stranger comes knocking and wants to know how he can get to the Long Beach station of the Long Island Railroad, I should ask him if perchance he may enjoy an ice cream cone. If so then he could start his trip by going for a few miles into the opposite direction on Park Avenue, to Marvel. It’s pronounced to rhyme with Carvel. He’ll be headed toward the Loop Parkway, somewhat past there, in case he really wants to go far away. After that he may want to go down past Beech Street to see the several miles of beaches we have around here. Who could possibly even try to resist our enchanting boardwalk? While there he could either rest or exercise. I’ve been there several times since I first got here.  On his way back in this direction he may stop at  the Lido Kosher Deli, as well as the liquor store, Italian restaurant and pizzeria right next door to the Key Food on Park Avenue. Across the street from them is Associated too.  Except for the kosher deli’s French fries I really like all the stuff they have there. Perhaps he could go down to the West End where they have a nice business district with several restaurants, as well as a CVS, and bagel shops.  Maybe he could even stop at Swingbelly’s Restaurant, where my niece works. If he happens to show up on either a Wednesday or a Saturday he can go to the Farmer’s Market at Kennedy Plaza. That’s very close to the train station. Of course for good coffee he could go to the Coffee Nut Cafe and Gentle Brew. Depending on his religion he may want to visit either Young Israel or the Knights of Columbus Council 2626. For clothes he could go slightly over the bridge onto Long Beach Road in Island Park and shop at Kohl’s and Marshall’s. By the time he even remembers that all he wanted to catch a train he will have seen much of what really keeps life interesting around here.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/circuitous-paths/

http://byrnesbeth.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/spinning-fall-tails/

http://linusfernandes.com/2014/10/18/circuitous-paths-deadbeats/

http://lordofsick.wordpress.com/

http://marthakennedy.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/walking-away/

http://thescaredone.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/monologue/

sister rose eugene s.c.

I can’t remember anything of any significance regarding my very earliest interaction with someone else, but my first meeting with Sister Rose Eugene, my first grade teacher at St. Gabriel’s Elementary School in East Elmhurst, has always struck me as quite distinctive. When I first started school, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton were in charge of the kids in the younger grades. Back then each Sister still wore an old  fashioned traditional

black habit, ankle-length, with a gigantic black bonnet,  and and enormous Rosary for a belt. When I first met Sister Rose Eugene, immediately before I was to start the first grade, she must have scared me out of at least fifteen years worth of growth. To this very day I can still remember my not having been able to come up with an answer when she asked me my name. She was still only a young adult so she may not have been professed for a very long time. I assume she was only trying to be friendly with her new young charge. From her point of view it may already have been quite a reasonably familiar experience. That’s all I can remember of what appeared to have been a relatively brief episode. I assume she handled it quite tactfully.  I have no memory of her having been stern.  She was friendly and humored me.  As a teacher and a professed Religious, she must have been very well educated in child psychology. My first year of school went  well and I was so happy there.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/reverse-shot/

http://abozdar.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/beauty-of-unwanted-birth/

http://tombalistreri.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/stranger-danger/

http://abozdar.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/echo/

http://new2writing.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/daily-post-memory-games/

http://grieflessons.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/mommy-talk/