Shortly after the first plane struck the North Tower, my daughter called to ask if I had heard the news that a small plane had crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, tower #1. Her ‘heads up’ was early and sketchy, and not too alarming, …as these things happen, rarely, but occasionally. Soon however, I was enveloped in what seemed like a nightmare fantasy – grappling with my emotions and becoming increasingly stressed and overwhelmed as reports and images from the TV were now almost too surreal to comprehend.
Below are some photos captured from that day and a week later, as the impact and aftermath of 9/11/01 changed our world forever.
I recall practically gasping for air as I watched it all unfold on the TV. Commentators themselves were grasping for threads of understanding, reporting on near simultaneous events in Washington DC and Pennsylvania. As the onslaught continued I thought: When will it end? Where is this all going? And “What’s that? A truck filled with explosives heading for the George Washington Bridge????” No, that unfounded report was NOT true….but what was next? Later afternoon, from an vantage point in New Jersey, about 20 miles NE, the panic and fear was giving way to quiet disbelief and sorrow.Returning from the overlook, the quiet was palatable – the communities slowely absorbing the magnitude of this insidious act of terror. Contemplative silence underscored the juxtaposition of this otherwise beautifully clear day. 9/18/01, 11:31 PM a week later, …a consoling couple silently contemplates the aftermath as the searching for victims continues, as seen from Jersey City across the Hudson River.The skeletal remains of Tower #2 is seen fragilely standing, surrounded by dark shattered buildings, cranes, and hundreds of the tireless first and second responders in the rubble below.
Summer, 2016
As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂
