Today would be my brother Rory's 64th birthday. Been thinking about Rory & our 83rd St. roof all day. Happy birthday, Rory.
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| 83rd Street Sunset |
The roof was our oasis from the heat, we had many extension cords and hose extensions to get our stuff from fourth floor to roof, for water (had a baby pool), radio and black & white TV. Dad brought up a standing lamp once so he could see while he sketched at twilight. Mom wanted to kill him. She loved her lamps.Before air-conditioning, I spent entire Yorkville summers with the lights out in our 517 East 83rd Street apartment until it was pitch dark.
Mom could page a calendar in the winter and start sweating when June, July, August flipped by. Dad loved heat. He slept under a pipe in the Navy. Made for nice conversation.
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| Rory Pryor on 517 E 83 St. roof @ 1961 |
One afternoon, I said "I'm going blind here!" I couldn't read my comic. Mom told me to go to the back window and use the sun light. This was one of my first openings to get her to let me play out on our fourth floor fire escape facing the backyard and 84th Street. I'd bring most of my stuff out there with me to play with. Eventually, Rory got out there to. I was afraid of heights and kept my butt glued to the stairs. Rory was not afraid of heights. He'd torture me by climbing over the fire escape to the outside, hang off putting his body in mid-air 40 feet over the concrete below and then he'd twist the knife, " Hey Tommy, look, I'm gonna fall and Mom is gonna kill you." I was frozen and he was right.
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| 83 St Sunset |
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| Tommy on roof @ 1961 |
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| Rory on roof @ 1961 |
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view from 4R fire escape @ 517 E 83St. @ 1962
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1 comment:
My name is Allan Parker You took a picture of my Dad Murray Parker Feb 1966 You also took a picture of my grandfather's grocery store in 1940. My family knew Anne Rode for many years She use to invite me to eat dinner with her grandson She was a power house in the Democratic Party My Dad passed away 2 years ago at 92 He was in the Navy 1944-46 This story brought tears to my eyes I wish my Dad was alive to see this Thank you for posting it I took pics & them on my frig
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