Down the river, through the trees

I was crossing Humphrey Bogart Boulevard. Well, maybe it was the next block. And it’s hardly a Boulevard, just one block of 103rd street named for him because he was raised there. There’s a plaque with a quote from John Huston, but I always thought they should use that line from Casablanca where Rick warns the Nazi Strasser (played of course by Conrad Veidt, who fled the Nazis), “there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.” Anyway, crossing 102nd and West End and I hear my name. Woman in sunglasses behind me pushing a pram. Hello, turns out to be the fabulous songstress Laurie Berkner. If you’re prepubescent you’ll know who I mean; if you’re not you just have to bear the pain and suffering of the world with the rest of us as best you can. Stoicism’s good. Those Asian modes are promising. But back to the narrative: I hadn’t seen her in years. How cool. I should have gotten her kid to autograph my shirt or something since she had two pieces of chalk in hand.

Adam and I were on the way to eat some of his cured salmon on the river. He buys a whole fish and does an Asian gravlax number on it that is astounding. Eat this and there is no pain and suffering. Weather looked good, but it moves fast over the water and it poured as we were readying the boat. Then it cleared right up and we scooted down the River with the tide, under the GWB and to the 79th Street dock, where the Clearwater was tied up. Another handsome wooden boat. Then up the Jersey side as it got ominously dark. Started to rain just as we pulled in and was pouring again in no time. I’ve gotten more soaked in the last couple of weeks than ever before in my entire life. OK, not as wet as that time in IC when I was so soaked the paper in my wallet melted. During the first downpour we took shelter under the dock office overhang, where the local admirality was shooting the shit. Talk about seadogs, there was a yard-long beagle named Henry who smelled our salmon. Guy that runs the place actually has one leg. I was thinking, is this boating biz all boys when a boat load of women came in. They were boistrous as all get out and had English accents. Needless to say, I always wanted to be prisoner on an all-girl pirate ship. That's all for now me hearties.