Loss, Destruction and Idiocy - Excerpts

                                                 

                                                          

     The Death of Winnie the Pooh's Friend Christopher Robin, age 75, April 1996.
     ". . . Owl says that immediately beyond our garden TIME begins, and that it is an awfully deep well. If you fall in you go down and down very quickly and no one knows what happens to you next. I was a bit worried about Christopher Robin falling in but he came back and then I asked him about the well. 'Old bear' - he answered - 'I was in it and I was falling and I was changing as I fell. My legs became long. I  was a big person. I wore trousers down to the ground, I had a grey beard, then I grew old, hunched, and I walked with a cane, then I died. It was probably just a dream, it was quite unreal. The only real thing was you, old bear and our shared fun. Now I won't  go anywhere, even if I am called for an afternoon snack."  
     Czeslaw Milosz  NYRB 2/6/1997.  PX - Winnie and friends at New York City Public Library. _____________

"Almighty Father, Strong to Save,
  Whose arm has bound the restless wave,
  Who bidd'st the mighty Ocean deep
  Its own appointed limits keep,
  Oh hear us when we cry to thee,
  For those in peril on the sea."
      U.S. Episcopal Church - 1940 - (Wikipedia) PX  USS Newport News ____________________

"Day is done. Gone the sun. From the lakes, From the hills, From the sky.
  Rest in peace, Sol jer brave. God is nigh."
      From Horace Lorenzo Trim.  (Wikipedia)___________________________________________

" ' The destruction of the natural world is not the result of global capitalism, industrialization, Western Civilization, or any
   flaw in human institutions. It is a consequence of the evolutionary success of an exceptionally rapacious primate. ' "
       John Gray  The Soul of the Marionette . . .  David Bromwich, NYRB  11/5/2015 ______________

  "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a   tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
     William Shakespeare  Macbeth - Act V; Scene V. __________________________________________

  "I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me."
  "I'm really good with war. I love war in a certain way."
     Donald Trump - See The Hill June 19, 2016. _______________________________________________
   

Utica, N.Y. - the old "Sin City"

                                                   

                                          "The Cardsharps" Caravaggio  - 1594
   
      Utica's branding by a New York city newspaper with the epithet "Sin City" in the 1950's made many youthful residents quite proud. In 1957, roughly a hundred men, America's Mafia elite met to discuss the nation's criminal business in Apalachin, New York. The site was a well appointed stone house owned by Joseph Barbara - a local soft drink distributor. During a late afternoon barbecue the conference was abruptly terminated by raiding New York State Troopers. The Applachin Gangland Conference with hindsight seems an act of remarkable Mafiosi hubris remembered today mostly as comedy. Nevertheless, three participants, the brothers Salvatore and Joseph Falcone and Rosario Mancuso attended representing the Utica region and thus solidified Utica's bona fides as a "Sin City" - at least in our memories.
     "Sin" at that time included all forms of gambling, (games, slots, ponies, lottery) prostitution, loansharking, and bribery. Illegal drug sales and extortion were still deeper underground. But gambling was ubiquitous. The first barber shop I was allowed to visit by myself - "Paul's" across the street from the massive Bossert plant - had a back room with a round table, five chairs and three slot machines.
     Most summer days for several years in the 1950's, Addison Miller playground unofficially hosted
a pitch game in the shade of enormous elms. It was cutthroat pitch, seven hands dealt with pots beginning at $3.00 in early afternoon and rising to $40 - $50 by dusk. The patrons were of high school and college age with some individuals from the neighborhood. Pete Pazik, a proprietor of the Downtown Billiards pool room was a player of note for a few memorable evenings.
     More serious gambling opportunities were always available. My former father-in-law Louie Nicotera, as good a man as I'll ever know, had in youth run his own "joint" and was the dealer - at least until he lost two fingers on one hand in a shotgun accident. A friend of his "Joe the Turk" reported once of a singular experience he had at a game in the 1960's. Twenty plus players were seriously engaged in games of chance at a Bleecker Street location, when three armed individuals - one with a Thompson - swept up the doorkeeper and broke into the room. Players were ordered to line up against the wall and lower their pants. As they did their cash, wallets, belts (some with secret compartments), and a few watches were collected. In spite of the great stress a few began laughing -
one of the players, somewhat obese, was wearing a woman's silk bloomers. The laughter spread throughout the room, including the gangster with the now shaking machine gun. He pointed the muzzle at the nose of the humiliated victim. "I ought a blast you!" and then broke out laughing again. The stickup was rapidly concluded without injury. Three months later the body of one of the alleged thieves was found deceased - drifting in the Mohawk River. The other two gunmen were never seen again - most probably escaping gangland retribution and living to enjoy and squander their ill-gotten swag - perhaps.
     In the 1980's I wrote a piece about Utica that mentioned the widespread illegal gambling of it's past. Days later I was stopped on Main Street in Oneonta, N.Y. by one of that town's leading citizens and proprietor of a downtown restaurant. His face radiated a complete smile - "John, you'll never know how much I miss those games up in Utica."

Sex Education - 1950s - Utica, NY

                                         

     My parents hoped the Sisters of St. Joseph at Sacred Heart Grammar School would educate me in the mysteries of life - especially sex and procreation. It did not happen.  Simultaneously Holy Mother the Church seemed to believe that parents had the responsibility for enlightening children in these matters so fraught with potential mortal sin. (I also feel the need to note that I was never sexually abused.) Whatever sex education I was exposed to registered somewhat imperfectly on my dense psyche. Still by 8th grade I had things pretty much figured out. Life was a perpetual struggle against sexual, carnal  lust. When a man and woman married the struggle intensified. They could sleep together, preferably in twin beds, but never have sex. It was God's test. When God was satisfied with their purity He would allow the wife to become "with child" - a kind of modified immaculate conception for the masses.
     In high school - Utica Catholic Academy - the Sisters of Charity adhered relentlessly to the purity message and occasionally brought in hooded Passionist Priests to stoke up our focus on hell's tortures. After a session with the Priests many of us didn't want to touch a girl for two, maybe three days. When faced with difficult questions the good Sisters also fudged some. A serious sophomore, Jack K. standing next to me asked the Principal, Sister Margaret -  "What does 'masturbation' mean?" Her hands clasped while the sea gulf headgear fluttered. "Well how was it used in the sentence?"
     At noon the school bell would ring and boys with brown bags would rush out the doors, run west on Bleecker Street two and a half blocks, up one flight of stairs and enter the Downtown Billiards pool room. There for twenty minutes we would shoot pool and eat lunch before the dash back. Along with my home and school this eight table pool hall was for four years a critically important educational resource. For instance at some point there was a heated discussion of procreation. My friend Charlie expounded before some fellows a most convincing explanation I thought, of modified immaculate conception. The proprietor of the establishment, Pete P. had even stopped to listen. Charlie concluded with an impassioned question, "IF not with God's direction how could people possibly get here?" Pete, quite incredulous responded, "They fuck!" and walked away. For me an alternative possibility - from an unimpeachable source! This was my "Eureka" moment.
     Around 11:00 PM on a Friday night, Jim, Ronnie and I, after hours of financially unsuccessful labor on the billiard table (unusual in its self) decided to conclude the evening while each of us still had $5.00 remaining (plus 20 cents for bus fare). We left via the backdoor and descended the exterior, wooden staircase, crossed the street under a dim streetlight and knocked on the front door of the brothel. Coke let us in and we began to survey the ladies in the parlor. Then Jimmy surprised us. "Coke, I am a little short of $5.00. Lend me 34 cents - Please!"  Coke's eyes crossed. "Geezzz, now I'm lending them money!" and he reached into his pocket.
     Ten to fourteen minutes later, after making a selection, being examined for STD, then a sexual event, we were out the door and on the corner waiting for the late bus to take us to the west side - home.

A Utica Democrat

                                                     

                                                                       Utica, N.Y
     There was as much chance I would grow up a Republican as there was I would morph into a Klingon. In a household with an Irish, Roman Catholic, Democrat mother and a liberal, Swedish immigrant father - my path was set. Utica was a city of 100,000 citizens, blue collar, with blocks of two family houses on streets shaded by towering elms. We resided on the west side, a neighborhood dominated by Polish, Irish and German ethnics. My very first friend was a blond, blue eyed Polish kid, "Stosch". The NYS Education Department in the 1950s complained that youngsters were graduating from Holy Trinity Grammar School speaking English with a Polish accent. East Utica was Italian, RC and Democrat. (I played basketball briefly for the East Utica Democrats.) WASPs and Jews lived in south Utica, New Hartford and the rural communities of Oneida County - bastions of Republican  power- and almost alien. African Americans had a small enclave in north Utica and voted mostly Democrat. I rarely saw a black face during my first 18 years - mostly at downtown movie theaters - they sat in the balcony.
     America's great presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Jackson had to be Democrats - there were no Republicans yet. In the 1860s, the Democrats lost their way and President Lincoln freed the slaves, saved the Union and unhappily nurtured the Republican Party. T.R. Roosevelt should have been a Democrat, Woodrow Wilson was - but we had to wait through years of mediocrity before the next great Democrat presidents - Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
     Utica's mayors were usually WASP or Irish with names like Boyd Golder and Frank Dulan. But the city was led from the east side. Rufus Elefante (1903-1994) political boss and regional legend managed Utica for perhaps 20 years - from Marino's Restaurant - going booth to booth to consult with politicians, bureaucrats and citizens. In the late 1960s I would bring Hartwick College students to Rufie Ventura's Restaurant on the east side to meet and talk politics with the mostly retired Mr. Elefante. He was perhaps 5'4" in a dark, perfectly cut, pin stripe suit. "We would select someone to run for mayor - kind of attractive but not too smart - like your professor there." Students loved him.
     Yes, there was corruption, gambling and brothels - Utica was the "Sin City". Rumor had it that the mobster Lucky Luciano had been scheduled to be "whacked" during a visit to Utica. But the city also had a sense of stability - there were jobs, wonderful parks, a fine zoo and a belief that things could get done - might need Rufie's assistance and a "deal" but good constituent relations mattered - call your councilman and the City at no charge would remove your dying elm tree. 
     At the national level among the pluses (and yes, there were also minuses) Democrats brought about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Obamacare. I cannot imagine life in the United States without these programs - so I remain a Democrat.

Photo - Jmancuso of EnglishWikipedia

Lt. Col. Donald Marsh, US Air Force and . . .

                                                         

 
      Hartwick College Registrar was Don's title when I knew him four and a half decades ago. A remarkably good man he managed the registrar's office as one moving through a confetti storm of issues and problems at the core of an educational institution; class schedules, registration, class changes, disgruntled faculty, mid-term grades, final grades, disgruntled students, late grades, incompletes, summer courses. Almost always his face showed the contented smile of an innocent
and would occasionally dissolve into laughter when the swirling issues appeared most confounding.
     From afar I would witness and contribute to the flow of minutia and dilemmas wondering how Don handled it. How many times had he heard an anguished student or faculty member announce "I have a problem!" Even I approached Don at least once and uttered that trite phrase.
     "Listen John" he said grinning. "When you can see landing boats on the horizon filled with Japanese soldiers approaching your island intent upon killing you - that's a problem!"
     I understood and still try to never use those four words in that precise order.
     Paradise must certainly be divided into special interest zones. To find Don and wonderful wife Mimi, one would need to visit the US Air Force clouds where they would be found consorting with old comrades. He might also be discovered at a heavenly conference of educational administrators musing about the digital tools now available to manage mind numbing collections of data - but I think not. Don is much more likely to be found tinkering in the celestial auto machine region, an intergalactic space with a limitless but perfectly organized system of replacement parts, a steady, unrestricted supply of acetylene gas - restoring to glory an ancient automobile.

Caribbean Islands

   

     The finest moments of a cruise occur in darkness, standing by a ship's rail watching as a hulled hotel churns forward - the bow creating florescent waves and swirls. Bonuses include stars and a sea breeze. The Caribbean Sea spreads south from the arching Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas, covering a million square miles before reaching the shores of Venezuela, Columbia, Central America and Mexico. It's average depth is 7,200 feet. At the Cayman Trench the depth collapses down 4.7 miles (25,200 feet). A properly weighted body falling, jumping or shoved over the rail would descend to the silken, muddy bottom in about two hours.
     The Caribbean has islands - 7,000 or so including: 13 independent island nations that of course have their own islands. Cuba possesses 19; Jamaica 26; Martinique, a French dependency 50; and the USA's territory, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 142 islands.* To visit many of these islands is simple (sometimes expensive) - to know them far more difficult requiring time (and expense). Through the years I have had the pleasure of visiting perhaps 25 islands and 7 mainland ports of call. As a fact I can unequivocally state that I know abysmally little about these same islands, their people or the Caribbean Sea.
     In January 2016, Carol and I motored in a fine, sea going hotel, the m/s Oosterdam approximately 3,000 nautical miles. The Oosterdam accommodates 2,000 guests. After four island visits the ship tied up at a pier in St. Thomas, USVI. Thereafter another hotel, the something Oasis secured along side. This ship contained a reported 5,000 guests. We joined humanity disgorging from the ships seeking adventure, learning, frivolity and walked the cement pier. At the end a mini mall - diamonds, alcohol, tanzanite, tee shirts - and a center where tourists mustered for their prepaid,onshore excursions. Not inclined to climb into a mini bus packed with other tourists, we hired a minivan and driver. "Vincent" made the good effort - a local fish market, pirate stuff, this and that. We drove up into the hills for the panoramic view. Approaching the peak the inevitable tourist shoppe sign shouted "Home of the World Famous Banana Daiquiri". Thunderstruck! - or simply jolted I remembered being here previously off a different cruise ship. Was this simply inattention? Too much tourism? Too many cruises?  Losing it in the golden years?
     The Caribbean offers splendid experiences: with snorkel and mask I have watched a Jamaican diver entice nurse sharks up off a coral reef with "treats"; from the stern of a Destroyer observed multiple rain storms amid a glorious dawn; on a sailboat in a roiling sea retched into a garbage bag before preparing the crew a delicious breakfast; repeatedly watched the sun sink into a flat sea determined to see the "green flash". No luck yet.
     If you like to shop, eat,  the slots, soak in a crowded pool, fill up a deck chair, see stage entertainment, visit a spa -  take a cruise. If experiencing an island's people and culture is your wish - then arrive on a boat with sails or in an aircraft and plan to stay awhile.
     * See Wikipedia

Hickey's Fishing Lesson

                   

                                                          Flume Falls - AuSable River (flickr.com)

     The AuSable River's two branches originate in the high peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains. Then cutting through sandstone and granite the branches join at AuSable Forks. The unified river flows northeast churning through its creation, the mile long AuSable Chasm and then into Lake Champlain. Its total length is about 95 miles. The AuSable "has been" or "is" one of the finest trout fishing rivers in the nation. It is home to Brown, Brook and Rainbow trout stocked and native.
The West Branch about two miles from Wilmington, NY includes Flume Falls, a brilliant demonstration of nature utilizing rushing water to shape rock. Below the Falls Tom Hickey led me to a stretch of stone ledge above the flume and suggested I try my luck here. He move further down stream.
     Tom is a fisherman - for the AuSable he was always equipped with waders, a couple of fly rods and the tan, multi-pocketed vest containing flies, nymphs, tools, and little things so esoteric only a trout or real fisherman would understand there function. His friends Terby and Tom M. both now deceased - Bruno, Jerry, Luke, Roger, all possessed such vests. Bill L. did not, nor did I.
     As Tom departed I sat down with my back firmly against the granite wall and prepared my spinning rod for action. My belly pack contained sinkers, extra lures and a package of peanut-butter crackers. I decided to begin with live bait. Out of respect for Tom and trout fishing I did not have the worms in a coffee can. The worm, hook and sinkers hit the white foam - I relaxed, a warm sun was heating the ledge - I napped lulled off by the roar of the flume. Tom reappeared - had I caught anything? I reeled up my line - the worm had disappeared. "No" I replied. Well neither had he - just some small stuff that he returned to the deep.
     Fast forward. Another time and place on the West Branch near the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. Tom and I are on the bank of the river about 50 feet apart. He has equipped me with one of his fly rods, baited with a duplicate of the nymph he was using. For the uninitiated this kind of nymph (as I understand it) was designed to encourage trout action at a depth of 12 inches. Now I am casting with determination, accuracy, then waiting and retrieving. Tom seemed busy - casting, waiting and then pulling in a small trout. He checks the "brookie" and then gently returns it to the stream. A few minutes later he has another, then another that he keeps. Tom and friends eat their catch. He reels in his line and walks over. "How you doing?"
     "No bites, hits or strikes." And I cast again. Tom leads me back to the place where he has been fishing and has me stand in his footprints. "Try it here" and he returns to my previous location and casts out.
     Over the next thirty minutes Tom continues to catch small brook trout. They seem to jump on his hook. To my surprise and some embarrassment I continue my life long record of never knowingly had a bite, hit or strike by a trout. My conclusion - trout specifically, fish generally and people just admire and like Hickey.
     The Scene - a rustic, dark brown, two story camp on a bank of the Schroon River in North Hudson, It is the first night of perhaps the last fishing trip Tom will organize. He is also in charge of the week's menu. Tonight's features steamed clams, Brook's barbecued chicken, Brook's macaroni salad and cold slaw with Foti's Italian bread. Stuffed in around a rectangular table are seven men. Slowly I scan the scene - each has a drink or beer - there are no listeners - all are talking and laughing simultaneously.