Sunday

I struggled, yet managed to wake up and out the door before 7 AM to get to the boathouse. I rode my bike on the now-familiar route: west to St Nicks', south to 125th, west to the river, then south along the bike path. Our guide was late, and quite a few people had arrived looking for the trip, and we had to hold a lottery to see who got to go. H was our trip leader, and N another volunteer. I got the public ready while they decided where to go and prepped their boats.

It was a gloomy, muggy day; rain was expected, and while it rained a bit before we left, we were spared precipitation on our trip. Due to the current, we headed south, and due to the ongoing recovery operations related to the air crash the day before, we stayed on the Manhattan side of the river.

Heading south along the Manhattan side is always interesting. From 56th street on down there is a lot of river traffic in general, and due to the cruise ships, the Intrepid, and the ventilation shafts for the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, there are lots of areas we have to give wide berth to.

One of our guests was a woman I recognized but couldn't place; I thought she had just been around the boathouse, but it turns out she was a PTA head from my early days at the Lyceum (the private school I worked at). She seemed in good spirits. She went through a very rough divorce. It's always interesting to see people years on from a rough period of their lives, and removed from the circumstances in which you met them.

We made it as far as Houston, where we have another little dock. We stopped to use the facilities and chat a bit, then headed back up. There was talk of crossing the river, but we decided based on time and effort that it wasn't worthwhile. We crossed in front of some ferry terminals - those Ikea ferries are fast, btw - and made it back.

I showered and rode my bike back home, where I finished puttering around the house. So many daily chores fall by the wayside when I am in school. Laundry from a week ago was finally put away, the floors swept and mopped, the skink cleaned out. I'm still catching up.

A short visit to church, then back home, where I watched a bad movie and just relaxed before going to bed.