The noise outside, the surf…

Why I like to see the TV series «the Sopranos»? One of the reasons — personal tie with the characters in the film and their place of residence. After all, starred all around, and if you travel or simply go shopping, you suddenly understand that here was a telephone box from which the film was talking, but this store is supposedly the one where you cheated on credit cards. And the show filmed so that you seem to live near characters, participate or witness the event, somehow empathize, but most importantly — understand each shot where it occurs.

Don’t know, maybe it’s just me, and others, the state of new Jersey, probably not notable for anything special, but was in his Board, friends and family. To some ridiculous situations that your head does every time I see it again.

For example, passing the next bridge on local 17 highway, you know that at the junction of the bridge and roads are badly patched hole, and no matter how much I complained — it can’t do better, since we are not a hole to patch, and the bridge in 1928 to be changed. Here, for example, unremarkable bakery in Hackensack. Accidentally discovered that she kept the Germans in a sort of tenth generation and make traditional sweets from old recipes. And anyway, I am glad that Hackensack — the city is quite poor, but with lots of old buildings — is beginning to thrive, and not some drunken profligate sitting on the varnish, and appeared quite normal residents, opened new stores, old railway working again.

The noise outside, the surf…
photo Alexander George.Flint

Well, then, you just need to be interested in the place in which we live. Try to learn its history, to understand its hidden messages and find what forgotten and neglected. Because the truth is that my soul ached when I carried a beautiful complex of old buildings of the hospital of 1872 for the mentally ill. It was built with unprecedented luxury and size. It was rumored that the area of the main building — the second in the USA after the Pentagon. But after a long search, money for restoration was never found and the building is no more. And you see his story and personally involved in the last 10 years of the life of this building. Involved: photographing its shapes, individual buildings, bridges, graffiti. Yes so fiercely that you police arrest for alleged violation of someone’s established boundaries. Because you can once proud to tell someone that your $1200 spent on an attorney, the court and the penalty was invested in the noble cause of saving the building.

Or almost no one knows or notices, but me, an old abandoned railway on the West of the state, which leads to the forgotten bridge over the Delaware river into Pennsylvania. On the bridge waved his hand in the 50-ies. After he had been badly mauled one of the hurricanes, trains are rerouted via the other branch, deciding that the old bridge makes no sense to restore. And here on it occasionally climb somewhere boys or is caught with it’s famous rainbow trout. Almost no one even notices it in the dense foliage of overgrown bushes. I decided to stay, and then find the story of why and how such a bridge is closed for so many years.

The noise outside, the surf…
photo Alexander George.Flint

Very much connected with our children. They’re like living history all around us. Impossible to drive by an elementary school daughter and once again be unable to remember how she and others, such as small children, sang songs about Christmas and Hanukkah. After all, there is specially made a full international and the Christians sing with the Jews, and the Jews sing with Christians. And it seems to be a mere trifle, for this country from year to year repeating, but you went from the anti-Semitism of the Scoop, each time in a special understand and hear these songs. With trembling hands running to the dais, where only the singing of these children, to take photos, as if afraid that the moment will be gone and nothing but your head will have no memory, no feelings of happiness, pride, accomplished the miracle that your children don’t recognize that nightmare, and that you did a million times correctly, it is thinking about their future.

The noise outside, the surf…

Well, or a mountain lake Torati in the state of new York, right on the border of new Jersey, where a small beach, a beautiful forest and painfully familiar stones along the water. I remember how he brought his daughter here and with a little rod taught to catch carp with local stone on the shore. And each time was afraid that the frenzy fishing it will fall into the water. There is shallow — even 20 cm is not at the coast, but still. What kind of kebabs every time with the company there can be! After all, next to the picnic area. How can you stay up late to play the guitar and sing songs, knows that any post-Soviet person… And we here are normal people, spit on all the conventions of the old world and gathered from all corners of the former USSR, in order to sit together, and don’t even understand how we were divided into Nations and languages. Sitting Russians, Georgians, Ukrainians, Jews, Latvians, Azerbaijanis, and anyone with an accent, and some without, but all communicate well with each other and poured along snack. Probably need to get away from this troubled country, to finally have solved all the problems.

The noise outside, the surf…

But probably the most favorite place is a small Peninsula on the ocean of sandy hook. We went there 14 years in a row. And not as single guests, paying for every private entrance to the Park, and how residents and visitors by buying the season pass. And it seems that nothing better than this experience simply can not be. Go to the beach put umbrella, a chair, take out food, cigars and a flask of something strong — and before this ocean, waves, surf and tide to spend eternity. Does not interfere with the people around. Cormorants, requiring bread, perceive as their friends. Fishermen who catch flounder from the shore, noisy share with you impressions. My daughter eats your favorite sandwich with chicken sauce and ranch dressing from the local network quick Check, you just have on the way to go, otherwise the buzz will be all wrong. And the old Fort from days gone by each time impresses with its size and frustrating that it can not be repaired.

The noise outside, the surf…

Grey-yellow of the new Jersey sand, with small pebbles, shells and scraps of seaweed is something that has become their family. And the surf here is something special. You can walk barefoot on the sand along the water and nothing besides surf not to hear. Just like Tony Soprano in the last episode of the 4th season, when he decides to buy a house-a cottage for their children on the coast.

That’s when you, like me, will be able to piece together the details of a movie, the lives of your children and just the story of what you saw — only then it will be your home.

Source