Losing My Religion?

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, New York City

Losing my religion? Hardly. More like losing my mojo. After a brief burst of activity towards the middle of the year, it should be obvious that I have again become a lapsed blogger. It's not that I have run out of things to write about. God knows I have plenty of ideas to flesh out and expand upon, and hundreds of photographs filed away on my backup drives with which to illustrate those posts, but I just can't seem to motivate myself to do the work. 

However, lately my thoughts have again begun returning to this blog, and today might just be the start of another revival. We'll see. 

Last week, I grabbed an early bird ticket for Europe, flying with Emirates on a return flight from Adelaide, Australia to Athens, Greece. The ticket purchase got me thinking about travel in a concrete way, and this may be the motivating factor in getting me back to writing. After all, the thought of accumulating several thousand more photographs on my upcoming trip - photos I may never make use of - seems pointless if I don't at least use some of them on this site.

U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

As sketchy as my travel plans are at this point - seven months out from my departure date - what I do plan is to spend a couple of months back on the Greek island my parents emigrated from in the 1930s. I have written about Ikaria extensively on this site, and will hopefully write more as time goes on. Two of my sisters have returned to live on the island with their children and grandchildren, and it always feels like 'coming home' when I return to the island.

Following my stay on the island, I hope to return to New York City in either July or August for another apartment sitting stint at a friends apartment in Washington Heights. I have watched over the apartment and the two house cats on two previous occasions (in 2010 and 2012), and if the opportunity allows I will be there again in 2014.

Village church, Kampos, Ikaria

From New York City, I hope to travel once more within the United States before again returning to Greece, although it would be good to include a visit to Canada if time and money permits. After that, who knows. Certainly not me. Not at this point anyway. But I'll keep you posted. 

No, really. I will. See you next time.

New York City Dreaming

Typical Washington Heights apartments

Some days, when I’m sitting here at home in my room surfing the Internet and researching and writing blog posts, it is hard to believe that I ever travelled at all, let along travelled for eight months last year and into the first two months of this one.

I am thinking about this now, as I reminisce about the beginning of last year’s travels.

It was exactly a year ago today, that I flew into New York City’s, JFK International Airport for the start of a two month apartment sitting gig that seemed like a gift from heaven. In fact it was a gift from friends of my sister and husband, whose Australian friends have been living and working in New York City for some years, now.

Chris works in the education sector. When New York’s schools shut down for the summer, Chris returns to Australia for two months. From time to time, friends and other family members are able to stay in his empty apartment for a week or two during their New York stay. Sometimes, nobody visits, and the apartment stays empty – apart from the family’s two cats. Obviously, the cats need to be cared for, and when the apartment is left empty, Chris is obliged to pay a pet sitter who visits the house morning and night to feed the cats and change their litter.

As you can imagine, the cost for this service adds up over two months, so when I offered to stay in the apartment last summer and keep an eye on the cats and the apartment, Chris and his wife were happy to accept my offer.

My niece, Scarlett is about to head to America for an extended vacation, and she has arranged to stay at the apartment in Washington Heights during the New York leg of her trip. Lucky girl! I would love to be there as well, but this year I’m staying home. Hopefully, the apartment will be available next year, and if it is, I hope to stay there again, enjoying another hot and humid New York summer.

I can hardly wait. Only twelve months to go!

I have of course, written extensively about my stay in New York on this blog. To read some of those posts use the Search box at the top left of the page and search for “New York City”.

-o0o-

Good Morning, New York

~ After an long day travelling from Los Angeles to New York, I made it to the apartment in Washington Heights at a good hour, and with plenty of time to settle in and get to know my host better, as well as the two cats I am here to care for.

Now as I begin writing this at 6.00am, still tired, while my body clock adjusts to the change in time zones and the upset my daily routines have been thrown into, I can hear the quiet hum of the city as it slowly begins to wake up and stretch. I’m trying to tune into its rhythms: the early morning calls of unfamiliar birds; the faraway thump of rotors from a helicopter hovering high over Manhattan; the dull thump of car doors as they are closed; the soft panting of the first jogger as he passes my bedroom window; the swish of cars as they carry the first rush of city workers to their labors; the wave of aircraft flying into and out of the three major airports that service the city; voices in the street; strange cadences and accents; someone coughing; these are just some of the aural stimuli my senses are processing on my first New York morning.

But this is the place. This is where I most want to be on the planet today.

And as I write these words I am reminded of a simple piece of homespun philosophy I read in the American Airlines in-flight magazine yesterday. To paraphrase the homily, since I can’t remember the exact quote: It doesn’t matter what your age is – you will never be this young again. So make the most of it.

Amen, to that, brothers and sisters.

And good morning to you, New York.

I’m awake, and ready.

Image from www.luxurylink.com