Remembering 9/11
Today the weather is perfect blue skies as it was 11 years ago. I find myself reflecting on the horrid events of that day. I’ve written about them in past posts, and will not repeat. Instead, a few images from my second visit to the 9/11 Memorial in downtown NYC, which honors the victims of 9/11/2001 and 2/26/1993.
Above is the South Pool. I have mixed feelings about the reflecting pools of water. While beautiful, there’s something about the water that seems to fall endlessly down that chills me. Maybe it’s the contrast to how the buildings once seemed to climb endlessly up.
The “Survivor Tree”
I learned from the guild book that this Callery pear tree was planted on the original World Trade Center plaza in the 1970s. After 9/11, workers found the damaged tree in the wreckage at Ground Zero. The tree was nursed back to health in a NYC park, and grew to be 30 feet (from the 8 foot stump)! It nearly died a second time after being uprooted by a severe storm. In December 2010 the tree was returned to the WTC site. It now stands just west of the South Pool, a true symbol of survival and endurance.