An attempt to document Palemale's belly-button. Early Sunday morning a crane was parked just outside 927 Fifth Avenue. I stood at the north corner of 74th Street and watched the tall boom arm positioned more than halfway up the nest building. I walked over to the operators on the ground and began to speak to them. Perhaps the townhouse adjacent to the nest building was having a piano put in or a central air-conditioning unit installed on their roof or something. One man told me it would take either a 60 ton crane with a ‘man basket’ or maybe it was a 600 ton I cannot remember. I wanted to write down the information because for a moment or two I became excited of how easy it would be to hire this very man and his crew to take me up their in that man basket and fix Palemale and Lola’s nest. The man himself was excited and he threw a lot more information at me. He told me about all the permits that will be necessary and how difficult they would be to get but how easy it will be if the mayor gets involved. One of the men looked up at the building and estimated the height of the nest and another offered that a ‘something-ton’ with a man basket will do it. My excitement faded into a sort of embarrassment when I thought of how easy it could be and how hopeless it can be since the obstacles are not the height of the building but the coldness in the hearts of the people within. A woman in a massive fur coat stopped and gazed at me as I spoke to the contractor. She smiled at me as if hoping that I will share some tidbit of gossip which I imagined she believed I was there with so many cameras to document. I got a card from the crane operators and I shared some photographs which I had with me of Palemale & Lola on their nest, and then I went up to my friend’s terrace. Not very long after I arrived on the terrace and surveyed the extents of my view did Lola show up. The sight of this revered being soaring above my head made all my previous thoughts of climbing into man-baskets and clipping and stuffing and prodding and extending appear vulgar and puerile. Many more thoughts attempted to interfere with the happy sight before me--thoughts of the many years of emptiness and thoughts of the people who caused the disappointments and even more disconcerting, the once friends who I now have no use for. But just then Palemale flew into my view to join his mate and I immediately dismissed all unsavory mental images from my mind and I enjoyed the sight of our two precious friends flying merrily into the beastly cold air. Entities far above the selfishness of my fellow man are still on their side and that was quite reassuring to me as I watched them enjoy their beautiful lives together. You do life so well. All images above photographed Sunday January 31, 2010. newitem183717850