By CINDY TOOPES Browsing Around
September 15, 2008 11:38 am
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OTTUMWA — I don’t like Ike.
In the 1950s that would be a Democrat talking during Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower’s successful campaigns for the White House.
Today’s Ike was a nasty, vicious hurricane that landed on the Texas coast, pounding Galveston and punching Houston.
I have family members in the Houston area so I’ve lost a lot of sleep this weekend. I heard from some of them before Ike’s landfall but then came several hours when no kind of phone I had was getting through.
By Saturday afternoon I heard from everyone. They didn’t have power and some had trees down or trees on the house. But, they’re OK and my prayers have been answered. Ike is done — that’s the main thing.
Years ago, Neil Young wrote “After the Gold Rush,” which contains a line about “Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s.” Folks, I think Mother Nature has turned on us and we’re the ones doing the running. I hear too many people across the country saying, “It’s never been this bad before.”
Thinking of all the emergency crews working around the clock to clean up Galveston and Houston reminds me of Ottumwa Fire Department’s 150th celebration Saturday in Ottumwa Park. I spent most of my time in the house waiting for the phone to ring.
One of the fire department’s fundraisers is selling prints of a beautiful photo collage created in eight-plus hours (personal time) by Kara Riccardo, Hy-Vee Photo Department manager, and has her own sideline, M.E. Studios. The collage contains several old photos of the Ottumwa’s firefighters, equipment and buildings.
I love that collage. Kara said Hy-Vee Drugtown’s photo lab contributed 4-by-6 prints to the Wapello County Historical Museum and 11-by-14 prints for sale to the public. They also made a 16-by-20 print, which the firefighters auctioned off.
I truly appreciate all the effort from Kara, Hy-Vee and all the volunteers who made the 150th celebration a real happening.
To calm myself about Ike Friday, I sorted through a stack of press releases. In the news business, we get press releases from anywhere about anything. Some are fun, like the one about Rockefeller Center Ice Rink opening on Columbus Day, Oct. 13.
Why would anyone in Ottumwa care? That’s not the point in these modern times of the “global village.” Kelly David of 5W Public Relations, New York, N.Y., sent it on behalf of Nick Valenti, CEO of Patina Restaurant Group, which operates the rink and its surrounding restaurants.
News about Rockefeller Center maker me smile because it reminds me of my trip to New York City 33 years ago. On New Year’s Day 1975 I watched skaters blade their way around the rink while I stood on the sidewalk.
A food vendor wheeled his cart close to my area and I couldn’t resist. I bought a hot dog and he loaded it up with Spanish onions, sauerkraut and spicy mustard. I didn’t know such mustard existed.
I haven’t eaten another hot dog quite like that one because I figured it just wouldn’t be the same.
At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I lit a candle and said a prayer for a troubled friend. Radio City Music Hall was closed that day and I never made it back to see the Rockettes. I walked on Broadway, did a little dance on 42nd Street and strolled along the observation deck of the Empire State Building.
Say, I care Nick Valenti wanted this press release sent everywhere. I’ve had some fun with this.
“New York, New York/It’s a wonderful town/the Bronx is up and the Battery’s down.” I love the Internet when it can tell me what movie this song is from and what “Battery” means.
I already knew about the Bronx, which is New York City’s northernmost borough. The Battery is the southern tip of Manhattan, facing New York Harbor, and was named for the artillery battery that was stationed there to protect the harbor.
What film is the song from? “On the Town,” a 1949 flick starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen. It’s about sailors on a 24-hour leave from their ship.
I’m no sailor but I had a good time in New York. But, concrete canyons and driving forever to get anywhere on a daily basis didn’t appeal to me. So, I clicked my heels three times, said “There’s no place like home” and landed back in Ottumwa.
It’s a wonderful town, too. You and I are here.
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.
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Photos
Cindy Toopes