Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Back from New York City - where I looked with wonder upon a painting of a bygone cat and the bygone little girls who loved it

I had spent the afternoon slowly ambling through the Egyptian section of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, but as time ran out on me I finally stepped into the American section. There, I happened upon this painting.

It did fill me with wonder, for anyone who has followed this blog at all knows that it is my children, particularly my daughters, Tryskuit and Nabysko, who influenced me to allow cats into my life.

Now, I found myself looking upon a painting of someone else's daughters, and their cat, all of them long gone from the mortal population of this earth. Thinking about my relationship to my own children and our cats, I used the reflection to put myself into the picture.

I wondered about these girls and this cat, and what their stories were. There was absolutely no information in or near the display, but there were numbers and letters that identified the location of the painting among hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others, in the same room and computers to search for the information on.

So I sat down at one of the computers to find out, but guess what? Just as I did, the museum closed, and a stern fellow came along and told me that I had to vacate the building, "right now!"

So the story behind these girls and their kitty friend remain a complete mystery to me. That's okay, though. 

I did photograph some live, fresh and blood cats and kittens in New York, and will soon tell their stories, or as much of their stories as I happened to learn and can recall.

8 comments:

Taddie Tales said...

OOO - I LOVE the photo at the top with your reflection. If perchance you find the story on the girls and the cat please do tell.

Glad you're back safe and sound.

Taddie

michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...

Oah Wowww..
This is a very very neat window design~!!!!!

I am glad you are back from the trip. :)

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

Hmm, wonder if they argued about which one got to hold the cat for the portrait.

The Activist said...

This is awesome GK. I am sure the girl grew up and loved so many cats in her life time.

How are u doing? I will send you an email soon abt my health, the neutering of Standtall cats and all.

Grahamn Kracker said...

Thanks, all. I was going to make another post tonight, but I guess this trip has left me more exhausted than I realized. I am just too tired to do it.

I am glad to see all of you here. I was gone so long I feared that I would lose most of my readers, but you are still here.

Now, I will go to bed and get some rest and tomorrow I will post a new entry - and I will visit all of your sites and respond to you as well.

The Activist said...

You can't lose us. We are adicted to you

kalamahina said...

Love how the daughter on the left is holding her hammer - like she was just interrupted in her project of nailing two boards together. And the other daughters with their handkerchief and book (?) respectively. Yeah, I bet that zippy, sadie and speedy are right about those girls arguing about who got to hold the cat. Or at least wishing afterward that they weren't the one who got stuck with the hanky. heh. And what's with the random "U" at upper-center-right?

welome back, Grahamn - missed your posts while you were in ol' NYC.

Grahamn Kracker said...

TT - Next time I go to New York, I will try to learn the story.

Me, too, michico - and yet, I am sad to have had to leave NY so soon. But happy I finally found the time to catch up on the crazy antics of adan and lego. lego is really crazy. Poor adan!

zss: I think the cat made the decision.

standtall - glad to see you here... I look forward to that mail. I will do my best to feed your addiction.

Interesting observations, kalamahina. As for the "u" it is on the glass in front of the painting and is part of the identification symbols that I would have used to learn about the painting, if the museum had not closed just then.