Up and Down Greenwich Avenue
Today the humidity has broken, and glorious high-summer weather has returned - mid-80s, sunny with fluffy clouds, dry air, and a general zing in the overall atmospheric ambience that makes one glad to be alive.
Thus your scribe found himself perambulating along Greenwich Avenue this morning, where as usual change is the only constant. The movie set at Gaia restaurant that was abuzz yesterday with Robin Williams and John Travolta and dolly grips and best boys is all but deserted today. Speaking of movies, the marquee at the Clearview Cinema informs us that they will be closed as of August 27th after many decades of service to film buffs here in Town. And across the street, the long-time locally-owned shop Wendy's Closet has already shut its doors for good. The rate of vacancies on the main drag is cascading out of control. Will Greenwich become a ghost town?
As your scribe was pondering these things at 11:10 this morning, a droning sound from on high caused him to lift his eyes to the heavens. There he saw an appropriately melancholy sight: a wing of six World War II fighters, passing slowly overhead in the Missing Man formation. What's up with that, dear reader? Who in heaven's name still has that many P51 Mustangs in flyable condition, let alone the pilots to fly them? And what were they doing overflying Greenwich Avenue on this lovely day?
Perhaps Scott Frantz would know...he's an aviation buff and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bradley International Airport up in Windsor Locks. (Who knew, by the way, that airports have directors and chairmen?) Scott was the host, as you may recall, for the President's fund-raising trip to Greenwich last fall that netted half a million or so. He also recently flew a group of Boys & Girls Club kids down to Washington, DC in his Cessna Citation to take them on a visit to the Air and Space Museum. Talk about style - Scott practically defines the term.
So Scott, if you happen to read these words, your humble scribe would love to know more about the Missing Man overflight this morning. It looked as though the wing was heading to HPN (that's Westchester County Airport for you non-aviation buffs), and they may not have been P51's - they were several thousand feet up, and some of us were not trained as aircraft spotters - but that's the general synopsis of what your scribe observed this morning.
As said before, life in this Town is an ever-changing tapestry...there's always something new and different for those who keep their eyes open.
Thus your scribe found himself perambulating along Greenwich Avenue this morning, where as usual change is the only constant. The movie set at Gaia restaurant that was abuzz yesterday with Robin Williams and John Travolta and dolly grips and best boys is all but deserted today. Speaking of movies, the marquee at the Clearview Cinema informs us that they will be closed as of August 27th after many decades of service to film buffs here in Town. And across the street, the long-time locally-owned shop Wendy's Closet has already shut its doors for good. The rate of vacancies on the main drag is cascading out of control. Will Greenwich become a ghost town?
As your scribe was pondering these things at 11:10 this morning, a droning sound from on high caused him to lift his eyes to the heavens. There he saw an appropriately melancholy sight: a wing of six World War II fighters, passing slowly overhead in the Missing Man formation. What's up with that, dear reader? Who in heaven's name still has that many P51 Mustangs in flyable condition, let alone the pilots to fly them? And what were they doing overflying Greenwich Avenue on this lovely day?
Perhaps Scott Frantz would know...he's an aviation buff and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bradley International Airport up in Windsor Locks. (Who knew, by the way, that airports have directors and chairmen?) Scott was the host, as you may recall, for the President's fund-raising trip to Greenwich last fall that netted half a million or so. He also recently flew a group of Boys & Girls Club kids down to Washington, DC in his Cessna Citation to take them on a visit to the Air and Space Museum. Talk about style - Scott practically defines the term.
So Scott, if you happen to read these words, your humble scribe would love to know more about the Missing Man overflight this morning. It looked as though the wing was heading to HPN (that's Westchester County Airport for you non-aviation buffs), and they may not have been P51's - they were several thousand feet up, and some of us were not trained as aircraft spotters - but that's the general synopsis of what your scribe observed this morning.
As said before, life in this Town is an ever-changing tapestry...there's always something new and different for those who keep their eyes open.
posted by Bill Clark | 8/09/2007 12:52:00 PM
6 Comments:
I'm sorry to hear the cinema is closing. It's always sad to me to see the things that have always been around close their doors.
Your town sounds wonderful though. I can envision myself strolling down the sidewalk.
On a sidenote: Erica has taken the test and posted her score. :)
Who in heaven's name still has that many P51 Mustangs in flyable condition, let alone the pilots to fly them?
What? You don't have a P51 Mustang in flyable condition?
*wild cackling as Erica realizes her plan for world domination is more attainable than ever*
Yeah, Vicki, it's a shame. Whatever replaces it will not be nearly as useful or popular in the community.
Come for a stroll any time!
Erica, this is beginning to sound like some kind of James Bond movie, where you and your flying female cohorts plan to steal all the gold in Fort Knox and cause mass panic and distress selling, at which point you will buy everything up for a few mils on the dollar and wind up in total control. Y'know, it just might work! :-)
Where did you get your P51's - at the Pensacola NAS? Next time I'm in Florida, I want a ride!
All I know is when Erica takes over the world...I want to be on her side. :) What a cool world it will be.
On a completely different topic, any commentary, dear scribe, on this article? http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-a1boudreauaug09,0,7231053.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
I find it somewhat odd that someone who loses a criminal case (or at least pleads "no contest"), where the demands for evidence against innocence are more strict, can go on and launch a civil case against the very same people they transgressed against to recover "reputation", "social standing", and gobs of money. Though to be fair, this latest case was "settled", it seems, not because the Town or Library didn't have a case against Ms. Boudreau, but because they just didn't have the time or patience to keep fighting frivolous lawsuits. Interesting also that this woman that used to be a Deputy Director at GL should sue for defamation of character when it is a publicly-known fact that she was picked up not once, but TWICE for shoplifting in the months before her rightful firing from GL for attempting to bilk said institution for expenses incurred as part of the vacation she took immediately after her business trips (sneaky co-mingling of expenses). Defamation indeed.
Ah, Vicki, I am one of those who will worship at Miss Erica's feet when she achieves world domination!
(And even if she doesn't, for that matter...) ;-)
*****************************
Anonymous Bob, your comment squares exactly with the scribal thinking - in fact, you express it even better than he has (so far, at least!). As promised earlier, your scribe is conducting quiet behind-the-scenes investigations into the earlier article about library employee complaints and an alleged hostile work environment, and is beginning to come up with the makings of a story.
I was shocked - shocked, I tell you - to hear and read of the Inga Boudreau buy-off. For that, my friends, is what I think it is. Larry the Lawyer came up to me yesterday in the library and asked my opinion, and as I started to engage my mouth before putting the brain in gear (as often happens) I found myself saying, "They must have bought her off." The more I think about that, the more I think it may be true. She knows where a lot of bodies are buried, I suspect, and could probably cause some major embarrassment to the administration and board as a result. After all, she herself has nothing left to lose in the embarrassment department...
And, as we all know, Greenwich has a long and dishonorable history of buying off those who screw up the worst...former Comptroller Bob Morgan comes to mind. So if you factor in the Town's history of craven appeasement, and the obvious lack of legal rationale as so clearly outlined by Anonymous Bob, you are left with only one conclusion, dear reader: Inga was paid off for her silence. Which would make sense, since the settlement agreement (unlike your scribe's recent one) is wrapped in the shrouds of secrecy.
Thanks for the comment, Bob - there is more to come on this topic, be assured!
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