A reader writes:
I went to Rockaway Park, Queens yesterday to help a friend's cousin with the huge task of emptying out the first floor of his house, garage, shed, etc. I had never met him before and may never see him again. To me he was just a nice guy with four kids and a whole house full of ruined toys.
Spirits in the neighborhood are remarkably high, and as I arrived with my wife and our friend, FEMA was already in the house. The FEMA guy was really nice; he had driven up from Texas. The neighborhood was just filled with houses with enormous piles of trash out front. And as we left in the afternoon, we saw the makeshift trash dump the garbage trucks were creating. Impressive. The whole experience has reminded me of the intense coming together after 9/11 – which is the time I began reading your blog.
Here is the picture I took, before we really got to task. I was just opening the windows to air out the disgusting smell permeating through the house. I wish I had remembered to take another picture after we were done for the day, because the trash piles are now far bigger.
The Dish 