Another Time(s), Another Place

Life as I knew it changed in February 2005. It happened when I visited New York City for the first time. It was like visiting another world. I didn't realize I had been so isolated and insulated from the likes of New York. It was a culture shock of sorts, seeing and visiting places only "as seen on tv" After taking a bus and the subway from The Bronx, I spent several hours walking the streets of lower Manhattan and Times Square. I visited many noted sights including Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers used to be. I think the thing that stood out the most is the sheer numbers of cosmopolitan peoples, and the fact that nearly everything seems scrunched up almost on top of itself; housing, businesses, cars, people, subways. Space is a precious commodity in New York City. Nice visit. But I'll take my chances in the outland.

Cow's your baby?

One of Jacksonville's
Manatee Artwork Entries 2005

D-Day draws near. Departure day that is. May 1st is the day I plan to head out of Jacksonville on my continuing journey. Not having a plan, I have no idea when I will return. In any case, I will miss Jacksonville. For many reasons. It is the city of my birth and it holds many memories. Most of them are not pleasant. I have been trying to sort out some of the chaos of that time. Trying figure out what happened as I grew up here. I have managed to gather some clarity about some of it. The rest may just have to remain as "unsolved mysteries." And don't ask me why I felt the need to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together. I don't have the answer.

A Contrast of Different Worlds

He was sleeping in the warm afternoon sun. Everything he owned was resting on the bench with him. He probably needed the rest from lugging his life's possessions with him. Ironically, just a stone's throw down the Riverwalk, another world is at play. Revelry is the order of the day at the Landing. Money flows like water. Food and drink flow in abundance. Along the walk and the docks, and cruising up and down the St. Johns River, the watercraft prices range to million dollar figures. The man on the bench snoozes contentedly. He is in his own world. And soon, he will awaken to think about where his next meal is coming from. And where he will sleep for the night. This afternoon, the walkway along the St Johns is a contrast of different worlds.