Matthew Gallaway

The Land and Sea Project

With my parents in town for the weekend, it seemed like a good time to go sailing in the New York Harbor. We boarded from Pier 62 (right behind the north side of Chelsea Piers) and motored out. The Manhattan skyline was impressive -- especially compared to what was across the river in New Jersey (not pictured) -- but there was something kind of sad about One World Trade Center. It's obviously gigantic and powerful, but comes across as a bit arrogant, not someone you want to hang out with for more than a few minutes, or maybe just a wave across the room at a cocktail party. Or maybe someone you don't know but who you ask your friend about. "Who is that guy and why is he talking so loud?" The Statue of Liberty does a lot more with a lot less, I guess you could say. We felt relieved not to have taken the Packed Subway Cruise of the harbor. When you sail in the ocean, dolphins often swim in the wake of the schooner. When you sail in the harbor, douchey guys on jet skis ask you to throw them a can of beer. Still, it was hard to complain about anything, especially when "Captain Kat" (<3) turned off the engine and we sailed around the tip of the island. Flapping sails, slight keel as the afternoon breeze kicked up: what more could you want?  Everyone loved being on the water. Even though the trip lasted just a few hours, it seemed like the city and its many hassles was very far away. From this perspective you could bask in its power and beauty.

It had been a long week, too. In the same way I missed the Twin Towers, I missed the Twin Kittens, who on their last night had climbed to the very top of the tallest stack of towels in the western hemisphere in order to give me one last dose of cuteness before they left on Monday. All weekend I was worried that I wouldn't get a final pic of these two, but they delivered. I still miss them a lot but am glad they're all gone. Meanwhile, Clio is adjusting to life with the other three cats and they are adjusting to her. (We'll cover this process in greater detail in future posts.) Back on shore, we quickly lost our water-induced earnest optimism and enjoyed a kind of hilarious (?) addition to a bus stop advertisement. We braved the High Line, which was horrifically crowded but beautifully planted. It's not hard to imagine why every neighborhood wants one of these. This morning we went to Fort Tryon Park, which was not crowded at all and even more beautiful, not that it's a competition or anything. There's nothing particularly "ruined" about Fort Tryon Park, but I think if I were a butterfly or a bee, I would prefer to live here instead of on the High Line. My father fell in love with these white hydrangeas. Herds of cone flowers galloped across the plains. 

Having left its borders for a few hours, we could now see that the city was filled with magical plants.

The Kitten Project (Week Ten): The End of Kittens

This was the last full week with the kittens, the last two of whom are leaving for their new home on Monday. Miss u. "I'm ready to leave New York City." -- Hodor "When I first got here ten weeks ago, it seemed like there was a lot of opportunity in the city. Artists could afford to live in the city without slaving away 24/7 in a job you hate, there was a real sense of community, downtown wasn't overrun with all these asshole financial types and foreign investors willing to pay $10 million for a sweet-ass Tribeca loft. I'm not sure where I'm going...maybe Detroit."
"I remember having a lot of fun three or four days ago. Now everything seems sort of unobtainable." Meanwhile, the garden showed signs of color thanks to the new cosmos we planted. Here's an aerial shot. We have a light-challenged garden, which means that we have to channel it in like water into Los Angeles. Pretty soon this blog is going to revert to pictures of leaves and statues. "And battle-hardened soldiers in the War of the Flying Snakes." -- Elektra "These kittens need some time in the real world." Hellebores are secretly the most mysterious of plants, as this picture proves. (They're also immortal.) "I guess I'm in New York City for the long haul. I've never even left Manhattan." -- Dante "Do they have shoes outside of New York City, because that's all I really care about." -- Orestes "Nothing fits here anymore :(" "We're thinking of starting a comedy troupe called 'Kittens in the Hall' lol?" "Take care, little ones, you'll fly away with a piece of our soul." "Remember us just as we will always remember you. <3 <3"

The Kitten Project (Week Nine): The World Cup of Kittens

Let's start off with the good news: these two guys are being adopted together, which means that all of the kittens went (or are going) in pairs to good homes. You guys, it was a LOT OF WORK, but we won the World Cup of Kittens!
There were some complications along the way. Initially, we had arranged to place "Hodor" (the black bear cub) and "Orestes" (the tiny tuxedo) in separate (multi-cat) homes, but then everyone interested in Orestes ended up passing. One person's daughter turned out to be 'allergic to cats' (saddest of all fates?), one person's boyfriend was resistant to the idea of a two-cat household, one person's husband couldn't deal, etc. We began to freak out worry that lil Orestes (the runt of the litter, but maybe the cutest?) wasn't going to find a home at all :(  "Doesn't n e 1 want me?" -- Lil Orestes
To calm our nerves, Stephen and I took walks to the recently refurbished High Bridge, a foot bridge that connects Manhattan to the Bronx. To get there, you have to cut through a forested part of the park that feels like you're ten thousand miles away from the city. The rocks are covered with native sedum and lichen. The walk is worth it, though, because the views are beautiful. On the way back, we stopped by the Morris Jumel Mansion, where there are lots of flowers in bloom. We prayed to the god of kittens and roses to find a home for Orestes. We remembered when echinacea was 'all the rage' in homeopathic remedies. Drops, pills, teas: it was essential for alleviating symptoms of the common cold. In retrospect, it seemed like we (as a consumer culture) might have gone a bit 'too far' with it, but at least we can still enjoy the flower. "That's great, but who's going to adopt Orestes?" -- Dante "Yes, who?" -- Clio Then a friend of Stephen's wrote and said that he wanted to take BOTH kittens. ZOMG. Thankfully, our potential Hodor adopter (who couldn't take two) agreed that it was better to keep them together and graciously stepped aside. Happy resolution! We joined hands and sang Big Star hymns: "Angels from the realm of glory..." etc.
We delivered the news to the kittens, who were equally euphoric.As was Mom, who can now look forward to joining the rest of the house in another week, after the kittens are picked up. "Thank you god of kittens and flowers for giving everyone homes and for keeping the siblings together." -- the orchids

The Kitten Project (Week Eight): Flight of the Unnamed

Last week we had six kittens; we're now down to two. The first four to leave us were the tabbies, who went in two pairs to what appear to be amazing homes headed up by experienced "cat moms" we met through FB friends. (So a big thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word!) None of the tabbies had names, because -- until this week -- they were too difficult to tell apart. Dante: Can you tell them apart?

Zephyr: I can't even tell us apart :( It was another good week for the kittens, though. They ate and ran around and slept (and -- except for a few accidents -- used the litter box, somewhat miraculously). We gave them a tunnel, which was a big hit. We felt relieved that the siblings who were adopted together seemed to enjoy each others' company. We brought them out to the cement fields of the basement so that they could gallop around. Taking care of kittens is a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun. Of course it's hard not to 'anthropomorphize' the situation and imagine what it's like to say goodbye forever to your mother and siblings, but it helps when the mother and remaining kittens don't seem too concerned. "The kittens also craved adventure." (Me, anthropomorphizing again.) So who's left? This black ball of fuzz we've (temporarily) named "Hodor" after the gentle giant from GoT. He's the biggest of the litter. And this tuxedo, who we've (temporarily) named "Orestes," because he looks like he could be Elektra's brother. He's the smallest of the litter, but possibly the bravest. Here's Orestes atop the mountain (aka the cat tunnel). Orestes: Where are those other cats?
Hodor: Hodor. "I'm objectively adorable." "My work is done here, thank you." -- Clio, who also seemed pretty unfazed (albeit wide-eyed as usual) as she said goodbye to her kittens.
Orestes: Where do you think we'll end up?

Hodor: Hodor. "Don't worry, little kittens, someone perfect is looking for you now."

If you or anyone you know would like to adopt one (or ideally, both!) of these guys, please get in touch. They are ready now. Thank you <3 <3