Stacy Horn

Paul Krugman speaks for me. And I’m sorry anyone who disagrees with me. But I would not put anyone here in the same category as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and others, so this editorial is not about you, okay? This is about them (I can’t believe Gingrich framing civil rights like it’s a bad thing) and John “There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,” McCain’s total lack of grace.

Taken seconds ago on the roof. Love my pigeons. Sorry I was late guys.

I am so so so so happy about Health Care Reform. I just wish change would happen faster. I believe this will create a competitive environment that will drive premiums down, but that will take years and I can barely afford my insurance premiums now, which, by the way, recently went up an insane amount. No one can convince me that they didn’t do that knowing change was coming and they were going to squeeze everything they could out of me/us before it does. Bastards.

Well, you have to start somewhere. We’re all feeling a little safer now, though. Help is on the way. We can relax. A little.

Really freaking high. For instance, I climbed these stairs to Johnson Avenue. See how high up that is?

Well, right behind me there was another set of stairs, just as long and high, heading up to whatever the next avenue was. I should have climbed them to take a picture of the higher view, but I was anxious to get to the houses on the river.

There are always birds waiting for me each morning. Sometimes I think I’ll stop feeding the them and save myself a little money. But what …

… would I saw to this guy? That’s a vulture, right? Seriously, what is this? A very big starling?

More future retirement possibilities in the Bronx.

This one was not quite as well-maintained, but was in its way more appealing.

From this website I’m reading about the area:

“My parents moved onto Palisade Ave. in 1968, 1 week before I was born. Thirty eight years later, I am still living here in my own apartment on Palisade Avenue with my own family. I am still in love with Spuyten Duyvil. I spent my childhood exploring the woods of what is now called Riverdale Park. My siblings and I would wait near the railroad tracks for the trains to come. We would then very carefully make our way across the tracks to the waters edge (My children better not try that!) I can’t imagine not living here and dying here. Unfortunately with the very recent building boom that we are experiencing I don’t know how much longer this “secret garden” will remain. Every where you go all you see is new construction. It is a heart breaking shame that nothing is being done about it. We are all complaining but our elected officials are playing dumb and doing nothing. I want to share my Spuyten Duyvil with my kids, but I am missing the Riverdale that I have grown up knowing so well.”

A views from above these houses.

Another quote from that website: “My friends and I used to fish in the creek by the tressle, and it was a great place to catch striped bass and, unfortunately, many eels. There was a large striper we called Flanagan, and he was a large and elusive fish indeed. Who knows, maybe he or his descendants still run there during striper season.”

Then there were other buildings and houses, which sat on the hills, further back from the river.

I should have taken one shot of all the ugly buildings though. There were so many box-like, projects-like condo buildings. From the website I mentioned above:

“I lived in Spuyten Duyvil in the 1960s on the Bronx side, in 500 Kappock Street, a small red brick building beside the large Blue building seen in the picture above. The blue building was not there when I moved in. I had nice apartment, reasonable rent, with a view across the ship canal, down the length of Manhattan and across the Hudson to the Palisades. It was a magical place. Two days after moving in they broke ground for the blue building on a spit of land so slim that it was a shock to see that huge building going up on it. Everyone was crestfallen and depressed to lose the view. Then one midnight during construction,the blue building caught fire. A big fire. Everyone in the neighborhood leaned out their windows and cheered and applauded loudly. It was 1967 and the darn thing is still there.”

It’s still there, alas. I didn’t take a picture of it though.