The other evening as I walked home from the office I had my fill of this concrete jungle. When the temperature hits above ninety, the percentage of humidity often surpasses that number. What do you get when you add bus fumes, sewer gas, and fluids seeping
out of trash cans, and even worse, swarms of plodding tourists along
Fifth Avenue? Summer in the city!
My respite from the mania are the verdant green trees of Bryant Park. When I stand beneath their leafy canopy I feel calmer and cooler. There's something about this carefully planted grove of trees that invites one to relax.
As I sit amongst those lovely trees,
I'm suddenly homesick for Montana.
They remind me of the stands of Quaking Aspens nestled throughout my beloved mountains. Trees somehow transform this city, making any shady spot a retreat from stress. Within the virtual reality of these urban oasis one can pretend that you're far away from the summer sights, scents, and sounds!
Who wouldn't love to swing in
a sling stretched between two
of those trees? Can you imagine
swaying through the air above
42nd street while looking up at
a midday azure blue sky through
a lacy canopy of leaves?
If I can't be in Montana, at least I can pretend I'm there as I sit under the Lindens and Ginkos. Nothing soothes the soul like an afternoon spent reading a good book within a green cocoon. Gentle breezes quickly lull me into believing that I'm back home far away from the summer heat. Even the birds know that this is the place to escape and their songs serenade me as I snooze (well honestly, as I snore).
What says summer more than an afternoon
picnic in a grove? While I'm hesitant to
spread out my blanket beneath boughs
along Bowery, nothing transforms a banal
bagel than nibbling on one al fresco!
Within moments the worries of the world
fade. If only I could uncork a chilled bottle
of Sancerre and magically be transported to
our cabin in the Judiths instead of dreaming
amidst sylvan smog and street people just
east of Sixth Avenue. Ah wilderness!
