Remembering HNT

It's not often that millions of people watch history being made as it happens, at the same time. Very few people actually saw the bullets that struck President Kennedy. Tens of millions have seen the Zapruder film after the fact, but there were only a few actual witnesses. Perhaps the biggest audience ever to watch history being made was when man landed on the moon, and those first tentative steps by Neil Armstrong. Not a terribly clear picture, but people witnessed it together, wondering if the moon was made of cheese, or if tiny aliens would eat him alive (not that I'm giving away the plot to "Apollo 18"). Jump ahead to the Challenger disaster. While just about everyone around would recognize that white plume heading into the incredibly blue sky, with the ball of fire at the top, I doubt that millions were watching it as it happened (I was though). Shuttle flights were routine at the time, so live TV audiences were small.

Then there's the events from 10 years ago. I don't imagine there were even a thousand people who actually witnessed the first plane smashing into the North Tower. Millions of people have only seen it because of a film crew that happened to catch it at the last second--being in the right place at the right time. But the second plane? A totally different story altogether. By that time, millions of people were glued to their TVs, and unexpectedly witnessed the horrific event that officially put the U.S. under terrorist attack. And then the subsequent collapse of each tower. Not only were millions witnessing history together, they were watching murder of hundreds upon hundreds together. The nation, the world, has not been the same since that day.

I don't want to get into a "where were you?" thing here, but I will say that, being in a rural state thousands of miles away, it was totally surreal. And frankly, a little disconnected from our lives here. Business carried on that day, other than aviation. I seem to remember that federal buildings might have been evacuated, and perhaps the state capitol building, but no one was really panicking. We lived in Montana. Nothing was going to happen to us here. People just shook their heads in disbelief at the visuals. They might have looked at each other with a tear in their eyes. There was a bond of sorts, even among strangers, yet it was still so disconnected.

Until stories came out about relatives who lived there (including a cousin of mine who lived in lower Manhattan at the time). But everyone was pretty much OK, and it still stayed somewhat disconnected. For me, it didn't really start to hit home until years later, when documentaries started appearing on TV. Images and videos that were not part of the original news coverage, taken by "regular" people who just happened to be watching history unfold before their eyes. And who weren't really sure if they would become casualties in a war that had just been declared. Bringing it down to a more personal level is what really brought me out of the disconnect. I now find myself with tears in my eyes if I watch any of it for a short amount of time.

This past week or two have found nightly documentaries about 9/11. Some about why it happened, or how it happened, or even one debunking the conspiracy theories (if you're one of those people--get a life). But the one that I liked best didn't focus on history, but on the future. The future of the site, and the memorial being built to honor the dead.

Maybe it's because I don't live there or haven't visited there, but I never heard anything about the reconstruction. Couldn't find any pictures of the final design. Couldn't find out anything about the clean-up, or any sort of work being done. But this one series of films took care of all that. The entire area has been transformed, and is continuing to transform into a livable area again. So in lieu of my own images, I offer you a look at what the future holds for the site. It's a whole lot prettier than anything I could have come up with.

Be sure to click these to get the full sense of things!


On the left is the architect's rendition of the completed WTC site. The building on the left will tower 1776' above ground, making it the tallest building in NYC. It is already over 1000' completed, and can be seen in the Manhattan skyline. The park area below is highlighted by two pools that occupy the footprint of the two original towers. The pools will have the largest man-made waterfalls in the U.S., and will be lined with the names of everyone who was killed in the attacks, including the Pentagon and Flight 93. On the right is a rendering of the park surrounding the pools. Four hundred oak trees from the various attack sites will be planted here. Most of them are already planted. As well as callery pear known as the "Survivor Tree", which was nursed back to health after surviving the 9/11 attacks at Ground Zero.


Another architect's rendering on the left, showing the 9/11 Museum between the two pools, which will open in September 2012. On the right, an actual photograph of one of the pools with the night lights on and the water running. More photos and stories can be found at the memorial website. I urge you to go check it out.

Finally, I leave you with one of the most powerful images from that day.

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I'd give you a big hug
everyday if I could
along with some kisses,
you know I would

So I hope you like this
that I bottled for you....
kisses when needed
and a big bear hug too!
~ shirleyt@craftayings.com

Or maybe her Cheese-kun, too! This week's huggable Mystery Guest will be revealed Thursday afternoon. Come back to find out who she is!
After worrying about having anymore MGs, Silly Mistress jumped in to volunteer! Be sure to go visit her at Fighting Sanity!

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We've got some new participants over at "...the Other HNT" this week! And for no apparent reason...lots of toys! Glad to see some of you coming out of the woodwork! Be sure to check them out, and leave some comment lovin'! Very NSFW, as usual.