The foxy pictures of my mom taken in Central Park back in hippie-times are special. Not just because of the foxiness, but my mom met the photographer, whose name has been forgotten, on a New York City bus when she noticed someone trying to pick his pocket. He wanted to reward her kindness and since she was an actress, they struck up a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Here's the strange part: Last summer I met a photographer named Judith Van Ijken who was visiting from Amsterdam to work on some projects. We became friends and she called me when she returned to Williamsburg in March to work on a different project, involving re-creating scenes from the life of a parent on their children, hopefully using the same clothes and location, if possible. I stumbled upon those pictures of my mom in a bookshelf at my dad's and realized it was perfect. Let's be honest, I wear clothes my family gave me all the time, almost everyday. My everyday belt was my dad's from 40 years ago. That belt probably saw Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore East.
Ok, so I show Judith the pictures and she is totally on board and we go to Belvedere Tower in Central Park, where I think my mom's pictures were probably done, and get some good shots in before the "rangers" tell us to scram; that it's too "dangerous" on the rocks. I tell them every inch of the park besides the cement paths wasn't roped off when I was a 4 years old and I used to play down there, which is true, and they shut up for a moment. Judith is a great photographer, and guess what? Yes, I met her on a New York City public bus. I wasn't saving her or anything, she just said hello.
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