Let it be known that most days I have more questions than answers. One question that has always caused me to question is "if you were on a deserted island..." Before I can answer I must declare that I have nothing but questions. Why am I on the deserted island? Are we talking South Pacific or Patmos? Have I chosen to be on the island or have I been exiled? Should I expect a film crew following or possibly a revelation from God? These are going to need answers before I commit to an island companion. Or maybe I don't want my island cluttered by company. Maybe I will look for a football named 'voit' or a coconut named 'dole' to keep me sanely entertained whilst alone on the island.
I said all of that to see if I could drag you into paragraph two of this, my most recent and long awaited, blog entry.
Work this week landed me in the state of Connecticut. A quaint little postcard state, (little compared to Texas) with beautifully shaded green lawns tucked neatly behind the very busy NYC. Though I have traveled to NYC a handful of times until now I have never rented a car and hit the northbound interstate into the state whose nicknames include the "Constitution State" and ironically, "Land of Steady Habits". No, I have no idea what that means but I am curious by nature and will google it as soon as I lack anything better to do.
I enjoyed the drive through a few small towns on my way to Derby. The homes were settled on small lots with rolling lawns lined with tulips and blooming fruit trees; homes that looked as though they sheltered families that woke singing every morning and closed their eyes smiling every evening. Tongue in cheek and with a pinch of sarcasm, how could anyone living in a house with such a beautifully manicured and fertile lawn have anything less than blissful moments in the sun? As I looked around the shops, restaurants and hospitals I noted no one that seemed to be capable of dressing themselves differently than I (as my daddy said often, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us) so I guess they probably have the same issues, different landscape.
In case your interest as been peaked, Connecticut is home and/or birthplace to both Bush presidents as well as The Carpenters duo of the early 80's, the guy that created Family Guy, Noah Webster, and Mark Twain; the later needing no introduction. I don't know that I would sign up for the home tour but other Connecticut natives of notoriety include Glenn Close, Eli Whitney, and some lady named Katharine Hepburn. Though this is not a travel blog I would recommend a drive through the Connecticut area if you ever find yourself with the time resource and an inclination to see a little bit more of America.
I think I mentioned before that I am a fan of the dramatic series "Law & Order: SVU". If I was at a NYC hotel and a bus bannered "Law & Order: SVU tour of the city" rolled up the driveway I would be crawling over camera toting tourist to get a front row seat! First stop: Rikers! I know you just asked yourself, why? Why not? It's like Alcatraz, New England style!
I never have time for as many tourist stops as I would like when I'm "on the job" but occasionally on a plane or shuttle bus I have time to let Wikipedia explain to me what I am missing. Geographically impaired, I often open google maps to get a bird's eye view of what I am missing. In this case I got a bird's eye view of what NYC is missing. The islands that I found interesting on this trip were North and South Brothers Islands. In the East River just to the left of Rikers Island there are two smaller islands. Zooming in by way of google maps I could see structures on the larger north island. Seems to be real estate of little developmental interest to a very crowded and busy city but to a google enthusiast like myself it's a virtual playground.
Here's what I found interesting in a nutshell. North consist of 20 acres, South is the smaller brother of about 6 acres. The islands are not open to the public now but at one time in the late 1880's North Brothers Island was home to Riverside Hospital previously on Roosevelt Island. The hospital's location lended well to the hospital's mission of housing and treating those with quarantinable diseases. Some of the notable diseases included smallpox and tuberculosis. Apparently exempt from the threat of Hipaa compliance violations, the facilities stakes claim as host to the infamous Typhoid Mary who died there in 1938. The hospital died shortly afterwards but reopened briefly as a housing facility for World War II veterans attending local colleges. If you are following this roadmap closely you will note at the next turn, 1950's, the facility becomes the first treatment center for adolescents with drug addictions. Heroin addicts, specifically, were locked up possibly against their will until clean, not necessarily with intentions to stay that way.
Now only broken down structures covered with heavy foliage designated as bird sanctuaries remain on the island. As recent as 2016 there was at least a preliminary plan to open the island as a park with limited access by the public. Perhaps the black-crowned night heron will enjoy the company.
Do you think the birds were ever asked "if you were on a deserted island...?
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