i walked out to meet greg and our friend ron on the front step today for a bicycle ride, and as i stepped out i could see that it was raining, "oh," i said, "i don't want to go to governor's island in the rain." however, we did go, and it ended up being a fun adventure, even though it was uncomfortably wet. there were also quite a number of other people there, all traipsing about in the rain. i think we were all nuts.
coming into the governor's island dock from the ferry terminal in manhattan . .
(andy had taken the subway down to the ferry, where he was waiting for us at the terminal, out of the rain!)
welcome to governor's island.
intrepid travelers!
i appreciated the warm hello from the governor's island welcome team (you can see greg with my brown bike on the right).
adventurers! (with our free umbrellas - thank goodness for the kind woman at the kiosk who was handing them out to all visitors so ill prepared!)
i had heard the "may house" was a building in which we could go to get out of the rain. i really was hoping it would have a cafe where i could get a nice hot cup of tea, but it was more like an art display. "may you unplug," was written by the electrical outlet. well, we definitely were unplugged.
this little girl was so sweet, and was very interested in deciphering the sentences sprinkled about the walls and floor.
we walked past the may house and discovered a vegetable farm. it looked quite deserted in the rain, but i could see an awning in the distance with someone working beneath it . . so we investigated . .
reading all the signs along the way . .
see our umbrellas? we actually didn't arrive with them, but a very nice lady at the little concession stand near the entrance called us over and said they were giving out free umbrellas. they were very sturdy and we were all glad to receive them. they have paw prints on them, one is of a tiger's paws, and the other of a polar bear's. we thought they might be from the world wildlife fund, but it was bloomberg . . funny!
bee creative . .
and in the distance were the bee hives . .
we see that: society needs to alter the way waste is treated as part of an integrated long term solution to food, climate and energy issues.
we see that: the power to manifest global social change lies within each of us. the challenge to take action rests on our shoulders.
the workers for the center were an enthusiastic bunch and insisted that we view the compost center. they enticed us with chickens, "come see the chickens!"
the chickens had the nicest little hut. our compost tour guide shared that they try to get them all in at night, but some wander too far, so there's a little side door they can enter when the main door is locked. we thought there might be some fox predators, but the guide said the main danger was from hawks.
a view of the city from the farm . .
a school group came to visit . .
we then walked out of the farm section and turned left to find the hills and the camp area (they have "glamping" on the island - tents with the most beautiful view of the harbor). the only problem was, the further we walked, the heavier the rain became. finally, we decided to walk to the next bicycle dock and ride back to the entrance.
it was just pouring by now!
i managed to get a photo of the statue of liberty, but it wasn't easy; my phone and my hands were very wet.
the view riding back was incredible . . this photo doesn't do it justice. i could not tell that it was blurry when i snapped the pic, but it has kind of a pretty water color effect . .
when we rode up to the entrance, i could see that a ferry was just leaving . . . we had about a 40 minute wait for the last one. i wonder how they get everyone off the island . . there's probably always someone wandering about.
passing the freedom tower on the way home . .
andy took the train back to his and ron's apartment, while greg, ron and i returned via our bicycles. i was so happy to once again be on the bike path home . . the rain had finally lessened (of course) and when i got upstairs, i took the longest hot shower i've ever taken, but i really didn't completely warm up until i had a bowl of piping hot soup - thank goodness there was leftover soup - and chanda made me some buttered popcorn. it was the most delicious meal.
