Day 635

I was looking through some old Ektachrome slides the other day and was surprised to discover that I'd taken several pictures of Engine Company 18. I used to do a lot of work in New York in the 1980's and I must have taken this picture of the historic West Village station while I was walking from my hotel to the recording studio. Who would have known then that Engine Company 18 would become a specialized HazMat unit known as Squad Company 18 in 1998 and subsequently be put to the ultimate test a few years later on September 11, 2001. Squad Company 18 lost a huge number of firefighters for such a small station on 9/11. When I look at this photograph, I can't help but think that the world will never again enjoy the innocence it felt when I walked by this station on a cool morning in 1985.

When all my other memories have faded, I will still remember the day President Kennedy was shot, the day Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon, and the day the towers fell. These are days that changed history forever. I think the changes set in place by 9/11 aren't over yet. Today's economy has something to do with 9/11. The Arab Spring with its unprecedented fall of dictatorships has something to do with 9/11 as well. History is funny. It's hard to see it when you're right in the middle of it. Maybe in thirty years or so, we'll have a better idea of what opening this particular Pandora's Box has brought us. I just wish we could somehow recreate the sense of unity and determination we all felt on September 12, 2001. If we could do that as a society, we could accomplish anything.

I don't know how to make sweeping changes. I don't think anybody does. That's why I stick to small things. I try to help dogs and avoid being a burden to others. That's about it. Today we took the dogs to the dog park. We did some laundry. We reflected on what we saw on TV. Tomorrow will be a brand new day.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day