Of Mountains and Women and Life
Funny how truly beautiful and inspiring things go together6 total reviews
Comment from karenina
Have we met? Your writing is so conversational, wise, witty...a tad whimsical and self-deprecating...and then SWOOP---back to being romantic and lofty and all things snow kissed!
I could never offer you all of the comments my friend Margaret did (I'm not that smart)--so (lucky me) I get to say "ditto" and leave you six stars because although I earned two cents reviewing this...the truth is it's worth a million.
Life IS serendipitous. Sometimes people we meet will never truly know the lasting impact they had on us. Sometimes? It takes elbow grease and the eye of a newt or elbow grease...but people we think are "peripheral" can become the center of our universe.
I loved this tale of your life. It's as though we were sitting across the table from one another and you were breaking off a bit of that hot apple donut and offering it to me...along with wisdom, humor, a tale of love, and a smile.
Best "read" I've had in quite some time! How smart am I to become your fan BEFORE I read this?
Happy trails to you and your wife!
Karenina
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2023
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Have we met? Your writing is so conversational, wise, witty...a tad whimsical and self-deprecating...and then SWOOP---back to being romantic and lofty and all things snow kissed!
I could never offer you all of the comments my friend Margaret did (I'm not that smart)--so (lucky me) I get to say "ditto" and leave you six stars because although I earned two cents reviewing this...the truth is it's worth a million.
Life IS serendipitous. Sometimes people we meet will never truly know the lasting impact they had on us. Sometimes? It takes elbow grease and the eye of a newt or elbow grease...but people we think are "peripheral" can become the center of our universe.
I loved this tale of your life. It's as though we were sitting across the table from one another and you were breaking off a bit of that hot apple donut and offering it to me...along with wisdom, humor, a tale of love, and a smile.
Best "read" I've had in quite some time! How smart am I to become your fan BEFORE I read this?
Happy trails to you and your wife!
Karenina
Comment Written 16-Feb-2023
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2023
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I should have married you. You say such nice things to me, unlike that mean gal I married. Seriously, what a wonderful review! Thank you so much. Now, after reading some of my stuff, are you sure we shouldn't meet at the Dr Seuss museum over in Springfield?
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What an opening line! (You have a knack for them!) Me thinks you and your wife have quite the good thing going on, especially given your wonderful post... However...if you two ever find your way to Western Mass, The Dr. Seuss Museum is five miles from my home...even closer than Emily D. in Amherst! Perhaps we could all meet for a breakfast? Of 'Green Eggs and Ham?"
(Love your wit!)
Comment from LateBloomer
Hi Reese, I can see why you wanted me to read your story. Not everyone can appreciate or understand the day-to-day living in NYC, and not everyone lived there during the 1970's, but I did. I was actually born there on the very street that my mother was born and the very street that my grandparents came to live when they were first wed. I worked for JP Morgan. Most of the executive employees did not come from NYC. One day, one of them asked me where I was born--I couldn't believe that with my NY accent they didn't know, maybe they were pulling my leg and/or quietly mocking me. I never thought of that before this moment. Anyway, I told them I was born in NYC (Manhattan.) By the way, when I say NYC, there is only One place--Manhattan. The other four boroughs are part of NYC, but they are Not NYC. Lol. Did you follow that? I think that you did after your own personal experience. Anyway, when I said that I was from in NYC, there response was, "No One is from NYC, and my response was "I was born in NYC, the same place as my mother. I am from NYC." I still don't think that I was believed. Unreal. Some people have much education, and yet, they are still so ignorant.
The lines below are lines that I liked:
--It was a bee-hive, it looked like chaos, but it was so organized; ships and junks crossing courses of Ferries and general boating - all under the shadows of the uncountable numbers of office buildings and apartments.
(The wonder of it all. That moment spoke to you. It called to you. It gripped you, and it became part of you.)
--She smiled as she put her arms around me, "I knew you would like it. Not all men really appreciate these things, but I knew you would."
(Oh, she was working you. Years later and looking back, did you ever wonder if she shared her special spot with other Americans? When a person is in the midst of things like this, they cannot see beyond the moment.)
--Lucky me, that warm embrace led to a very soft and sweet kiss. A most unforgettable kiss. A very special kiss in a special place between two human ships passing in the mist, metaphorically speaking...
(Ha, ha, ha, that kiss still embraces you. The fish who got away is always so interesting--not saying that you do not love and adore your wife. It's just human nature.)
--Without a doubt, the experience and memory of that sweet moment with a beautiful young Chinese woman on a mountain above Hong Kong's harbor was like a movie that kept playing and playing and playing
(Just like the song says, "In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night And repeats, repeats in my ear" ~ Frank Sinatra.)
--The "Super" wasn't in, so I just sat on the stoop waiting. That's what New Yorkers do, they sit on the stoop.
(Yes, Lol. New Yorkers sit on the stoop. They watch people go by. They learn body language like no One else can. BTW, I was going to tell you that the Super was probably working his "other" job or that he was just a plain drunk--either getting drunk or sleeping it off. But later in the story, I learned that he was a Cop. Great second job for a cop because they're really not suppose to have another job. He did a great job of walking a fine line 'cause he lived there. Touche, City of NY!
-- Getoutahere!"
(Reese, that word should be put into the dictionary. You really can't understand if you did not grow up in NYC, or at least live there like you did. The word becomes understood as a child when you are sitting on a stoop that is not your stoop. Some old lady will yell out of the window "getoutahere, go where you live. Some use to throw water down on us.
Hysterical. My husband and I still talk about that to this day and make jokes about it. The color and flavors of "old NYC." I'm glad that you got to experience it because it is an experience.
--Good luck with the Super.
(Living in NYC brings out the cynic in the best of us.)
--Mad Hatters
(OMG. That was a place that I use to go to with friends. I don't know if they are still opened. I now make jokes about it to my grandkids when they were silly hats. I tell them that they are the Mad Hatter, and that it was a real place in NYC. They just laugh. They're not really sure what I'm talking about, but it seems sort of funny. Did you ever go to the Second Avenue Deli or an Italian Restaurant called Tre Amici's?)
--In real life, there is a real and significant gap between "Prince meets damsel-causing-this-stress" and "They lived happily ever after."
(Ha, ha, ha. You've got that figured out. Just sharing...I had an aunt who lived to be quite old when the rest of her siblings died quite young. Her son told me that was because she was the One giving the stress and not living the stress.)
-- She had no gun, but she was armed. French bread and brie, two bottles of wine, and dressed like a doll.
(She came dressed for a date and not an outing, even if she didn't know it at the time--but I think deep down she knew it by her response to your marriage proposal.)
--At the bottom line, my life was defined by two mountains and the two beautiful women who led me to them. One introduced me to what my future could be, should be, and awakened me to my personal need for adventure in my career.
(Reese, that's the moment your life really began. Just sharing...college is not for everyone, or not for everyone straight out of high school. Sometimes a few years working and exploring leads a person into a better direction.)
--I'd like to know how Lee Kim Chun made out.
--I'd like to talk to her... At least until my wife arrives.
(Between the internet, face book, and linked in, you could probably find out about her. Many women use their maiden names on line, if they want to be found.)
Overall, your story telling is excellent. It pulled me in from the very beginning, and it and kept my interest to the very end. If it has been a while since you've read this story, I would suggest to read it again and tighten it up--not in content. Some sentences are a little long, and in two or three places, the reading was a little bumpy because a lot info was put into the sentence--something I do myself. After reading this, I would venture to say that you have what they call a "dry" sense of humor. People have to be quick to catch your jokes because they are smooth and subtle.
I wonder if the Mad Hatter is still opened? I don't think that it is. Reese, when I see the state of NYC on the 6 p.m. news, I could cry. Shops vandalized and people living on the street, even on Madison Avenue & 60's Streets.
Not many people really come from NYC, but I did, and I cry for the state of that city. I now live with my memories. Great story. Thank you for sharing this with me, and letting me walk down memory lane again. I walked all the streets that you did--even at 3 a.m., and I had no fear--not then, but now would be a different story. Six stars for you.
Do you follow Terry Broxson? He, too, is from Texas.
I'm assuming that when you married you settled in Texas? If that woman followed you to Texas from New England, you know that she had to love you? LateBloomer ~ Margaret
reply by the author on 27-Nov-2022
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Hi Reese, I can see why you wanted me to read your story. Not everyone can appreciate or understand the day-to-day living in NYC, and not everyone lived there during the 1970's, but I did. I was actually born there on the very street that my mother was born and the very street that my grandparents came to live when they were first wed. I worked for JP Morgan. Most of the executive employees did not come from NYC. One day, one of them asked me where I was born--I couldn't believe that with my NY accent they didn't know, maybe they were pulling my leg and/or quietly mocking me. I never thought of that before this moment. Anyway, I told them I was born in NYC (Manhattan.) By the way, when I say NYC, there is only One place--Manhattan. The other four boroughs are part of NYC, but they are Not NYC. Lol. Did you follow that? I think that you did after your own personal experience. Anyway, when I said that I was from in NYC, there response was, "No One is from NYC, and my response was "I was born in NYC, the same place as my mother. I am from NYC." I still don't think that I was believed. Unreal. Some people have much education, and yet, they are still so ignorant.
The lines below are lines that I liked:
--It was a bee-hive, it looked like chaos, but it was so organized; ships and junks crossing courses of Ferries and general boating - all under the shadows of the uncountable numbers of office buildings and apartments.
(The wonder of it all. That moment spoke to you. It called to you. It gripped you, and it became part of you.)
--She smiled as she put her arms around me, "I knew you would like it. Not all men really appreciate these things, but I knew you would."
(Oh, she was working you. Years later and looking back, did you ever wonder if she shared her special spot with other Americans? When a person is in the midst of things like this, they cannot see beyond the moment.)
--Lucky me, that warm embrace led to a very soft and sweet kiss. A most unforgettable kiss. A very special kiss in a special place between two human ships passing in the mist, metaphorically speaking...
(Ha, ha, ha, that kiss still embraces you. The fish who got away is always so interesting--not saying that you do not love and adore your wife. It's just human nature.)
--Without a doubt, the experience and memory of that sweet moment with a beautiful young Chinese woman on a mountain above Hong Kong's harbor was like a movie that kept playing and playing and playing
(Just like the song says, "In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night And repeats, repeats in my ear" ~ Frank Sinatra.)
--The "Super" wasn't in, so I just sat on the stoop waiting. That's what New Yorkers do, they sit on the stoop.
(Yes, Lol. New Yorkers sit on the stoop. They watch people go by. They learn body language like no One else can. BTW, I was going to tell you that the Super was probably working his "other" job or that he was just a plain drunk--either getting drunk or sleeping it off. But later in the story, I learned that he was a Cop. Great second job for a cop because they're really not suppose to have another job. He did a great job of walking a fine line 'cause he lived there. Touche, City of NY!
-- Getoutahere!"
(Reese, that word should be put into the dictionary. You really can't understand if you did not grow up in NYC, or at least live there like you did. The word becomes understood as a child when you are sitting on a stoop that is not your stoop. Some old lady will yell out of the window "getoutahere, go where you live. Some use to throw water down on us.
Hysterical. My husband and I still talk about that to this day and make jokes about it. The color and flavors of "old NYC." I'm glad that you got to experience it because it is an experience.
--Good luck with the Super.
(Living in NYC brings out the cynic in the best of us.)
--Mad Hatters
(OMG. That was a place that I use to go to with friends. I don't know if they are still opened. I now make jokes about it to my grandkids when they were silly hats. I tell them that they are the Mad Hatter, and that it was a real place in NYC. They just laugh. They're not really sure what I'm talking about, but it seems sort of funny. Did you ever go to the Second Avenue Deli or an Italian Restaurant called Tre Amici's?)
--In real life, there is a real and significant gap between "Prince meets damsel-causing-this-stress" and "They lived happily ever after."
(Ha, ha, ha. You've got that figured out. Just sharing...I had an aunt who lived to be quite old when the rest of her siblings died quite young. Her son told me that was because she was the One giving the stress and not living the stress.)
-- She had no gun, but she was armed. French bread and brie, two bottles of wine, and dressed like a doll.
(She came dressed for a date and not an outing, even if she didn't know it at the time--but I think deep down she knew it by her response to your marriage proposal.)
--At the bottom line, my life was defined by two mountains and the two beautiful women who led me to them. One introduced me to what my future could be, should be, and awakened me to my personal need for adventure in my career.
(Reese, that's the moment your life really began. Just sharing...college is not for everyone, or not for everyone straight out of high school. Sometimes a few years working and exploring leads a person into a better direction.)
--I'd like to know how Lee Kim Chun made out.
--I'd like to talk to her... At least until my wife arrives.
(Between the internet, face book, and linked in, you could probably find out about her. Many women use their maiden names on line, if they want to be found.)
Overall, your story telling is excellent. It pulled me in from the very beginning, and it and kept my interest to the very end. If it has been a while since you've read this story, I would suggest to read it again and tighten it up--not in content. Some sentences are a little long, and in two or three places, the reading was a little bumpy because a lot info was put into the sentence--something I do myself. After reading this, I would venture to say that you have what they call a "dry" sense of humor. People have to be quick to catch your jokes because they are smooth and subtle.
I wonder if the Mad Hatter is still opened? I don't think that it is. Reese, when I see the state of NYC on the 6 p.m. news, I could cry. Shops vandalized and people living on the street, even on Madison Avenue & 60's Streets.
Not many people really come from NYC, but I did, and I cry for the state of that city. I now live with my memories. Great story. Thank you for sharing this with me, and letting me walk down memory lane again. I walked all the streets that you did--even at 3 a.m., and I had no fear--not then, but now would be a different story. Six stars for you.
Do you follow Terry Broxson? He, too, is from Texas.
I'm assuming that when you married you settled in Texas? If that woman followed you to Texas from New England, you know that she had to love you? LateBloomer ~ Margaret
Comment Written 27-Nov-2022
reply by the author on 27-Nov-2022
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Thanks so much. I've never had anyone so into one of my writings. It is going to take me some time and a new bottle of Cab to respond... But, "she was working you" sure hits home. There was so much dad didn't tell me. Living in New York gave some hints, but fathering three daughters really made it clear. I still thank that beautiful Chinese lady for the memory she gave me, the spark she gave a drifter, the ride and the money I made from that moment. Never made a deal that profitable!
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I can't resist a New York Story, especially "Old NY." I even like the early 1900's when my grandparents arrived. Lol--but fathering three daughters really made it clear.
"I can see clearly now" ~ Jimmy Cliff.
Margaret ~ LateBloomer
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Re: It is going to take me some time and a new bottle of Cab to respond.
I have that affect on people - lol. M
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About every New Yorker I ever met would tell me his borough FIRST! "Hey, I'm Vinnie. I'm from Brooklyn!" I never understood why the boroughs were not as important as zip codes. I enjoyed New York so much. My favorite restaurant back in those days was Asti's down on 12th I think. Great Italian food and live light Opera. In that Rock City office where I started, I was about the only bachelor and I lived up on 77th. So, when we had international guests, I was asked to entertain them in the evening. Talk about a great life. I often took them to the Villiage and let the big dogs take them to 21 or Sardis. Two of my favorite vendors were two Jewish guys who ran the veggie stand around the corner. I loved to debate price and quality with them. Speaking of which, here is a story. Many years later, I was Sales/Marketing Manager for a plastics division down near Houston. Our Tech Support mgr was a Jewish guy from Philly who had never been to NYC. I took him with me on a trip which included an angry customer in Queens. The meeting was difficult. They had issues. I listened, asked light questions to show interest, and took notes. Finally, the ran out of complaints and we shook hands. Harvey, the tech, and I left. I took him to a Jewish deli in the Diamond District, 47th, near where I worked years before. He expected to get some good deals "for their little Jewish brother from Texas" at that market. They beat him up (verbally). On the way out the Lincoln tunnel, he said, "Reese, you are a good friend. You have shown me Jewish life as I have never seen and I appreciate it. I answered, "So, what do you think?" He was quiet for a while, then he said, "You Gentiles are not as bad as I thought!" But, he could not understand why I let those Queens guys so verbally insult me. I said, "I get paid to take that. And, I get to return to NYC. And, I know it is not about me or even our company. Thier contract is coming up for negotiation and this was the opening dance." NYC was great for me... Sorry, but NYC brings back such wonderful memories for this Texan. Breaks my heart what is going on. Better go share dinner with my yankee...
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Pastrami is still a favorite of mine. I difficult to find good pastrami in NJ. They don't steam it. They heat it on the grill. One thing about living in NY, you always have a story. M
Ugh.
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Happened across your response again. I am so proud that so many of my memories of New York are similar with yours. I loved New York and so my attitude was to gather memories, not curse them. Did I mention that my favorite Italian restaurant was Asti's on 12 or 13th? The waiters all sang opera. Great place for a fun date or to entertain international customers. Anyway, reading your response was like a nice visit with an old friend. BTW, my parents introduced me to New York. Their honeymoon had been there in 1942. They were two Texans who met serving America in DC, and married. Anyway, we returned for the 1964 Worlds Fair. I was 16. The Fair was eye-opening to a boy. Best part of the trip was the Circle Line ride around Manhattan. I will always believe that that trip to NYC led to my accepting the job offer from Celanese Corp at 1211 Ave of the Americas. The Navy had shown me so much in Asia, but my foundation of adventure was that trip to your town. Very best Christmas wishes from this New Yorker in Texas. My email is b4reese@yahoo.com. If you will email me yours, I will email you our colorful poetic Christmas Card. But, now, I must GETOUTAHERE!
Comment from Liz O'Neill
I like how true your leading line is: "Funny how truly beautiful and inspiring things go together" What's cool is how you kept the reader in mystery just the way you were wondering what would be a special place. This paragraph has too many examples of alliteration, not to mention it. The s's carry several meanings: "Lucky me, that warm embrace led to a very soft and sweet kiss. A most unforgettable kiss. A very special kiss in a special place between two human ships passing in the mist, metaphorically speaking..."
I'm going to just enjoy the rest.
This could be a good ad for us: "Ever had hot apple doughnuts in Vermont? " Yum
The Gondola rides are not a coincidence. Thank you for sharing this lovely account.
reply by the author on 18-Dec-2021
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I like how true your leading line is: "Funny how truly beautiful and inspiring things go together" What's cool is how you kept the reader in mystery just the way you were wondering what would be a special place. This paragraph has too many examples of alliteration, not to mention it. The s's carry several meanings: "Lucky me, that warm embrace led to a very soft and sweet kiss. A most unforgettable kiss. A very special kiss in a special place between two human ships passing in the mist, metaphorically speaking..."
I'm going to just enjoy the rest.
This could be a good ad for us: "Ever had hot apple doughnuts in Vermont? " Yum
The Gondola rides are not a coincidence. Thank you for sharing this lovely account.
Comment Written 18-Dec-2021
reply by the author on 18-Dec-2021
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How nice for you to review. I love this story, but I lived it! Some might say that I am not far from either illiterate or alliterate. That's me. You can always tell a Texan, but you can't tell him much! What a fun exchange. Thanks so much.
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***smile***
Comment from padumachitta
Hello
A very nice entry for the tell your story contest.
I enjoyed the colloquial speech and the play of it.I did indeed chuckle so you reached your goal:-)
i am glad it turned out all good fro you
good luck in the contest
reply by the author on 11-Dec-2020
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Hello
A very nice entry for the tell your story contest.
I enjoyed the colloquial speech and the play of it.I did indeed chuckle so you reached your goal:-)
i am glad it turned out all good fro you
good luck in the contest
Comment Written 11-Dec-2020
reply by the author on 11-Dec-2020
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Thanks for stopping by and the nice review. Life has been an adventure for me, mostly amusing or I choose that it be. Glad you liked it.
Comment from Wendy G
This was a lovely story, and it was pleasing how it worked out so well ... all in good time! A gentle reminiscence, but with a clear memory for the details made it very readable.
reply by the author on 01-Dec-2020
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This was a lovely story, and it was pleasing how it worked out so well ... all in good time! A gentle reminiscence, but with a clear memory for the details made it very readable.
Comment Written 01-Dec-2020
reply by the author on 01-Dec-2020
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Thank you for your nice review. The story is essentially true, shortened a bit, but Hone Kong and the rest are still much a part of me. 43 years of marriage, 6 grands and an RV by the barn with about 10,000 miles of plans for 2021 if COVID does not stop us. May we all be free to roam again someday!
Comment from robyn corum
Reese,
I have read a lot of these 'share your story' contest entries over the years and I must tell you this is one of the best ever. *smile* It was a lot like pulling at a thread -- but the journey was much more fun and I really appreciated the lessons and the ending. (I love HEAs!)
Your writing is really good - the style is classic and sharp - and quite enjoyable.
A note:
--> We saw the color we came for, but then, the snow we did not expect and especially the feelings we have shared!" What a life metaphor!"
--> delete the quote mark after 'shared'
Thanks and good luck!
reply by the author on 01-Dec-2020
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Reese,
I have read a lot of these 'share your story' contest entries over the years and I must tell you this is one of the best ever. *smile* It was a lot like pulling at a thread -- but the journey was much more fun and I really appreciated the lessons and the ending. (I love HEAs!)
Your writing is really good - the style is classic and sharp - and quite enjoyable.
A note:
--> We saw the color we came for, but then, the snow we did not expect and especially the feelings we have shared!" What a life metaphor!"
--> delete the quote mark after 'shared'
Thanks and good luck!
Comment Written 01-Dec-2020
reply by the author on 01-Dec-2020
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Thanks! You are great. Can't believe you did not find more errors, but I will sleep well knowing you combed thru it. Glad you like my phonetic representation of my yankee wife. After 43 years, she's sunk into Texan, but give her a couple of drinks up East and she can drop those "r"s in a heartbeat. Not sure what you mean by my writing being "classic and sharp". We Texans have a writing and speaking rule: "Why use one word when twelve will do." Merry Christmas!
