t o m p e r c o n t i

The weather here in Prescott Valley over the past 2 weeks has been pleasantly mild for this time of year. Low humidity (as usual), temperatures in the upper 60's / low 70's, and steady breeze, form a perfect combination.

It was while I was sitting out in the backyard, enjoying a cup of espresso and the mild weather that I had a flashback of spring mornings in Bensonhurst back in the early 1970's.

(photo is part of Kevin Ly's collection)

There was the same comfortable chill in the air. The same low humidity (a rarity before the heat of summer kicked in). Flashback to the anticipation of summer vacation with only 3 weeks of school remaining. The sights, sounds, and smells of 86th St. accompanied that flashback. Vegetables and fruits from the produce markets. Baking pizza and spices threading its way through the air. The sweet bouquet of baked cookies and pastries. Hot pretzels over glowing charcoal of street vendors. The thunder of the train rushing overhead. The woosh of the hydraulic brakes on a city bus. A mom's shout of "Anthony!" at a boy too eager to stay close. Old ladies walking to the market with their wired wheeled carts. Little kids tugging on their mother's skirt wanting a quarter for the mechanical rides in front of the shoe store.

The polish and glitz of indoor malls seems more cold and impersonal.