Bukowski Rakes it in at Belmont

5/27/13 21:40

Since I mowed and raked into the night I gave myself a rest today.  It is memorial day and a time to consider the men and women who sacrificed their lives for us.  I worked a little, cleaned out the toilets and then took Emma and Bella to Belmont.  That makes two of my summer goals notched down for this year.  A Pawtuckett Red Sox game and horse racing Belmont.  It was a beautiful day to be at the track, not too hot or cool.  The sky was clear although for Bella the ride was longer than she expected.  I took out sixty and came back with less than ten dollars.  Ten for Emma and I to get in.  Twenty for fries and two pretzels, a beer and hot chocolate, and a soda, more fries and drinks except not another beer although I could have gone for another.  And we bet close to ten dollars on two races.  Emma took some great pictures.  I wanted to be there since I read one of Bukowski’s last books, The Captain in Out…it was more of a journal.  Each day he spent  at the tracks and saw the pitiful faces of the betters who were looking for that strike.  The ghosts were there.  Bukowski was contemplating his next wager.  I saw the skeletons and canes, screaming at the horses as they turned the bend, getting up close to the track and waving, holing their tickets or for a few - jumping for joy with dangling cigarettes, small hats, beat up chests...they assumed this is was it feels like to be a winner.  Thin old men with tired eyes some spending $4 on a draft beer.  Man with an opened shirt and gold watches and slicked back hair buying a hot dog like it was his last meal on earth.  The scattered ripped tickets covering the floor; the remnants of lost dreams…the accents of poorly dressed dark men who appeared to contain so much knowledge of the races, speaking Creole, talking out loud and smiling easily. Beer cans.  Cigarettes, cigars, the desperation in the faces as their tired bodies wilt after the race…the men who for the most part sit alone and take in the elements, the flying dirt, the romance of a dying tradition.  I thought of Bukowski.  Imagined he was sitting across from me.  I’d see him circle a winner in his racing forum and follow him up to a window.  Excuse me, Bill Blake I presume?  Yeah or Li Po.  This is what New York is all about baby.  Take some cash and make it happen on the horses.   I am changing my profile picture on Google since Emma’s picture was good.  Came home and Ali was making a BBQ.  Had another beer with dinner.  Ali and I discussed the summer, asking the girls to alternate days to take care of Joe and Bella.  I wanted us to just be.  No plans just chill out.  But that didn’t work.  I had another beer outside. I can fall asleep now.

Thank you for reading this.

Memorial Day USS New York made me proud

Back on the train on a Tuesday morning and I’m feeling beat. I went for a run this morning which transitioned into a morning walk. I have to get into my head to eat lightly the night before. I feel the mass of digested food pushing down inside my kidneys. With the humidity the only break from the run is a good walk, but this morning there were so many breaks…so lesson, eat less the night before or go the bathroom before the run, I would be lighter and able to maintain some semblance of speed.
Yesterday was Memorial Day. Instead of sleeping in we woke up early in the morning. It was raining when we left a house, a passing storm the weather experts predicted and were correct. Joe my father-in-law drove us, who included my son Joe and daughters Emma, and Isabella into Staten Island to see the USS New York and other Navy ships. It used to be a tradition to ride into Staten Island where as Joe my father-in-law explained there are smaller crowds compared to Manhattan. In fact one year, we went in with my brother-in-law Phil to tour the frigate he used to work in, the Klakring. That was a rarity, and Phil had the opportunity to bring his son, Joseph on-board.
This year was different since the New York which holds 7 tons of metal from the World Trade Towers in its hull drew a crowd. It’s the only Navy ship I have a picture of in my office.
We arrived around 10. Already the parking outside the gates was packed. From what we read it would be limited to 2,000 visitors on the New York. By the time we arrived the crowd must have approached 500. At first we toured a Coast Guard vessel, which was interesting, we saw how they manage our buoys and learned more about their responsibilities, protecting our shores. The men and women on-board were very pleasant, and answered the kid’s questions.
We waited outside the New York for about twenty minutes, and finally we boarded the large vessel. Men and women saluted the officer on deck. I was amazed how large the ship was and impressed with our military capabilities. The men and women all of them seemed passionate and took their jobs very seriously.
The oldest serviceman we met was thirty, most of these men and women are in their early twenties. The USS New York ship could hold more than 1,000 marines. There were demonstrations where the kids could hold actual guns and go inside some of the military vehicles. On the deck we were allowed to go inside the helicopters and the crews were very friendly. By the time we left the crowd, more than a thousand (maybe two thousand) were snaked around the dock. I hope everyone got a chance to board, if not I’d recommend - next year getting their earlier.