Day 36

It’s Young!

February 4th, 2012



On a previous walk through Inwood Hill Park, I found some mysterious circles carved into the soil. They contained patterns of different shapes and textures and colors, and were made entirely with materials from the surrounding forest. They were very thoughtfully constructed, and had clearly required a lot of time and effort. A guy (who happened to be Phil Roy) came by walking his dog, and I asked him if he knew what these circles were. He told me all about an older Korean guy, named Young, who comes out to the park every day and works on them. When I got home I searched the internet for information about Young, and stumbled upon an incredible video of him calling a woodpecker and then feeding it in his hand. I was completely transfixed, not just by the beautiful bird, but by something in Young's demeanor, and I watched the video several times.

Ten months later, when I ran into two older Korean gentlemen on a trail in Inwood Hill Park, and I saw a familiar-looking face and hat and scarf, something clicked...


2 Comments

  1. Paul says:

    Wonderful … you’re giving a human face to NYC … and carrying us back in time by hundreds of years … suspect you’ll cause many of us to visit and explore … cheers!

  2. Gigi says:

    How cool! Did he call on any bird when you met? That vid is on this blog, too .. http://wahi.typepad.com/the_streets_where_we_live/2010/03/meetyoungjee.html

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