Grey Brooklyn

I walked a lot, last week.

The proximity of the water is wonderful. While Harlem trained me to leave the house and head for Central Park's North Woods when the narrow days grew too dark for me, Carroll Gardens offers Brooklyn Bridge Park within ten minutes.

And here you find the harbor, the slapping wakes and the rising and falling tides of this great estuary, the Mahicantuck, the North River, the Hudson, the great waters in constant motion, the river that flows both ways.

The Freedom Tower hid.

The berm between the park and the BQE has greened over (I spotted wild mustard growing on it).

Bayberries (Myrica pensylvanica) were covered in fruit - boil enough of them long enough and the floating wax will make candles for you, if you are desperate for light.

And dozens of winterberries (Ilex verticillata), newly planted, showed off their raison d'etre.

Heading home I saw Eshete's cats - he is their Ethiopian boss, a familiar figure in these streets, swaddled in layers of fabric and riding a bicycle, often spending hours at a time with his street pets, who wait for him, and are fed and watered.

I did not see him this day - it was damp, but the cats were waiting.

Yes, I know.