In Praise of Front Doors and Facade's in General

In loosing the front door and facade of my building, I have learned the hard way the important services a facade provides:

-- Shelter from the rain (The remnants of Hurricane Hanna came through the other day)

-- Protection from dust and street dirt

-- An interface with the public. (No facade means no buzzer or apartment numbers. Try explaining that to the delivery guy.)

-- ...and a blank slate for graffiti artists

Recently we regained a front door, and we are looking forward to a facade in the near future. 

Shameless Self-Promotion

This summer I've been volunteering at the New York Botanical Garden doing a phenology study. What's phenology? Check this blog post on their website to find out:

www.nybg.org/wordpress

Hudson River Swim

Living on an island, one would think the inhabitants are intimately familiar with the water bodies that envelope the small slice of land on which they live. Not this inhabitant. 

I've been intrigued with swimming in the Hudson since I arrived in New York in 2000, and last fall I felt a call to action after I saw the documentary "City of Water," which advocates getting involved in the maritime community. Contact with the river gives a sense of place, and also, if people are using the water for recreation, the federal government is mandated to make sure water is clean enough. I was inspired to jump in.

After some research I discovered the Manhattan Island Foundation, which sponsors river swims of all types. I learned that to qualify for the swim I was required submit papers that proved a certified swim of a mile in 45 minutes. I worked out all through the 

winter and spring and a few weeks before the swim I  clocked an official pool time of a mile 30 minutes 30 seconds. Despite the preparation, my biggest fear was swimming in the open water. I'm not a fan of choppy water.

On Sunday July 13th, I overcame my fears and did a one mile swim in the Hudson.

Here are a few pictures: