Greeted by Elliot Way and Fireflies

After taking care of Mama around 8:20 pm, Paul and I headed for Croton-on-Hudson Landing. Two hours’ crispy evening rain just stoppped and scrubbed the sky and land clean. Once the car was parked at the entrance, we started to walk along the Hudson River. Old familiar memories flooded back to us. All of a sudden, we felt we had never left since last fall.

It is apparently untrue, for the former Elliot Way, fragmented and under construction then, is now complete, with a long wide walkway flanked with silver steel rails. There are no overhead street lamps. The lighting is from a straight stream of low lights shone inside supporting poles of the riverside rail. The pavement is unique too, with the black color on both ends, and light-colored wood patterned concrete in the middle. Gone are the days when we had to dash cautiously through that treaterous stretch in order to go to the Croton Landing and beyond.

It was getting darker, a perfect time for nocturnal creatures to come out and play. Paul spotted a firefly and was overjoyed, for the number of fireflies has reduced drastically recent years, due to environmental pollution and degradation. “Wish I could catch one firefly tonight,” he said. His wish was duly fulfilled. On our way back, we saw hundreds of fireflies in and on top of tresss, bushes, and tall milkweeds on both sides a swamp. One of them was caught. Paul gingerly showed me its light inside his fist. The creature was pretty calm, letting him photograph both upside and bottom of its tiny body, stretching its little paws out to have a stable grip on the palm. Having finished its photo session,  it flew away to do what it had planned to do. “Be careful, next time. Don’t be too trusting,” we prayed at the same time.

An hour and half later, we completed our round trip and returned to Hui’s, happy and satisfied, to take Nick’s FaceTime call.