Remembering
"Time is passing.
Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th.
We will remember every rescuer who died in honor.
We will remember every family that lives in grief.
We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."
~~President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001
We arrived just as the New York Fire Department EMS Pipes and Drums finished a tribute performance after placing a memorial wreath.
Can I just tell you that Diana and I love, love, love the "Pipes and Drums"?
We didn't love it as much when we were 12 and 13 years old,
and Dad woke us up bright and early on the weekends playing his favorite recordings.
But now?
Yes, we love them.
A couple of lads who were willing to pose for the cameras.
He only turned to look at me once.
Diana told me to "own it".
I'm working on that.
Here's the "official" picture.
but I'm strictly an amateur.
Good times, good times...
It's amazing how the sound of the water at these fountains muffles the sounds of the city...
The Survivor Tree.
Serendipity.
Rebuilding.
Over the eight months following 9/11,
St. Paul's operated full time as a relief site for emergency workers,
keeping its doors open around the clock in order to provide food, respite and sanctuary.
It was a giant sycamore tree, almost a century old.
Not a pane of glass in the chapel had been broken, nor were any headstones damaged.
On the grounds is the remains of a village green that was the site of the Election of 1733...
...and a historic cemetery with burial stones dating to 1704.
George Washington's box.
The marks left on the pews were made by the boots and heavy equipment worn by members of the fire department and other workers.
The pews became an unintended tribute to the Ground Zero workers and the victims.
Nancy ~ 75/365