Remembering Sandy

I spent the day alone, remembering what it was like last year after the Hurricane passed... stepping out my door for the first time and seeing the devastation first hand.  

I first spent time at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful, quiet place that was just what my soul needed after the hectic exhibit opening last night.  This is an oasis of tranquility in a city of noise and people and on more than one occasion last year, saved my sanity.  

Leaving the Refuge, I caught the bus to wander the streets and beaches of Far Rockaway as the sun set, talking to locals who were eager to share their stories, watching the light change and listening to the surf. 

The highlight of my day was talking to nine year old Marcos who was selling chocolate bars to help raise funds to replace the books that were damaged in his school.  

"I love reading.  I don't like sports.  Other kids are raising money for soccer balls, but I think books are more important than soccer balls," Marcos.

I was told their was a candle light vigil, but when I tried to find it, no one seemed to know anything about it and when two young guys told me I probably shouldn't walk further down in to the neighborhood, I thanked them for caring and caught a bus back in to Brooklyn...

I'll return to the Rockaways on Saturday to have more time to wander and to visit with some of the families I met last year.