These Hindu offerings likely started their nautical voyage in Ferry Point Park, on the opposite bank of Westchester Creek.
At left, across the water and beneath the northern approach to the Whitestone Bridge, is Ferry Point Park, where the coconuts from the previous photo were likely launched.
Facing out onto the public waterfront path that hugs the perimeter of Harbour Pointe at Shorehaven, a gated community, this sign is strategically located beside Harbour Pointe's swimming pool.
That's a monk parakeet (a.k.a. Quaker parrot) nest atop the light pole, with a parakeet in flight right above it (zoom in). Brooklyn is the borough best known for its wild parrots, but, as we've seen, there are quite a few here in the Bronx as well. This nest is a couple of miles away from the well-established colony in Throggs Neck.
We've now visited all three of the Bronx's funky, narrow-streeted, cooperatively owned little waterfront communities. While the other two, Edgewater Park and Silver Beach Gardens, are "overwhelmingly" white, Harding Park has a predominantly Hispanic population.
And a homemade window? I didn't notice it at the time, and I can't swear it's not just an odd square of paint, but it looks to me like someone just cut a square hole in the side of the van and put a piece of glass in it to make an extra window. Here's a closer look.
Looks like it's been a while since the Bronx's foremost flouter of NYC Administrative Code Section 10-119 has visited Harding Park.
This car's (former?) companion — an even cooler red '53 Pontiac — wasn't around today.
There were a number of fishermen out in Harding Park today, including the two you can see in this photo (one is bending over).
Just found 'em on the ground! Come to think of it, they look an awful lot like my last pair of new sunglasses.
This hydrant was one of many in the city painted for the Bicentennial in 1976. "2002" is painted at the bottom; I assume that's when it was given a new coat.
I only saw one of these signs in Harding Park today — the old, faded one I posted a photo of earlier — but I was once again immersed in their ubiquity as I headed north into less remote parts of the Bronx.
on Stickball Boulevard.
This guy slid bare-legged into second base! He came up a little scraped and bloody as a result, but that's a small price to pay for taking an extra base — not to mention looking cool on camera.
This memorial mural on Stickball Boulevard features the text of "Our Game", a 2001 poem by Steve Mercado about how stickball deepened his relationship with his father. Mr. Mercado, a firefighter who served as president of the New York Emperors Stickball League, was killed in the line of duty on 9/11 at the age of 38.
at Soundview Park. According to the sign above:
Salt marshes play a vital role in our coastal waters. These ecosystems protect the shoreline from erosion, filter pollutants from the water, and provide a rich wildlife habitat.(That's LaGuardia's air traffic control tower off in the distance, sticking up above the horizon.)
In the last 200 years, more than 80% of New York City's original salt marshes were lost to development. While recent restoration efforts, such as the one here in Soundview Park, have improved the condition of marshes, this invaluable ecosystem will continue to disappear unless we work together to protect it.
This light pole has been in this condition since at least August 2012. It formerly served as a utility pole as well, but after being damaged, it had its top lopped off and was relieved of its utility duties by the replacement pole at right.
