frying pan, pier 66

http://www.fryingpan.com/

Waterlovers, watercolorlovers, anythinglovers! get together saturday 16may 3pm

Let’s meet here, Friends!
John Krevey said he welcomes us to overrun pier 66 on saturday, 16may2009, 1500h – until ???. Great bar and grill opens at noon. Chance of thunderstorms, so bring your foulies.

Pier 66 is public access space, walk west along 26st, and over North River. Look for JJHarvey and the Frying Pan tied onto the south of the pier.

Bring friends–pass the word around, bring cards, bring dough, and come and meet and mingle. Sorry if you are very far away, at sea, or overseas; sorry if you can’t make this one. This is an informal gathering. If you’d like to, plan the next one and we will send word out. You pick the next venue, time, place, et cetera.

Hope to see you, if not at this one, then at another powwow! warmly, bowsprite

Pier 66

One cold April morning this year, I wandered onto the Lackawanna railcar barge at Pier 66.

Someone was rustbusting a tall anchoring post, another was cutting through metal pipes, sparks flying everywhere. The noise was deafening. I asked if I could make some sketches, and John Krevey smiled and handed me a pair of ear muffs.
I have always been made to feel so welcome there, and I returned day after day for weeks, seeing the pontoon transform into what is going to be a wonderful cafe on the river.

For information about the John J. Harvey, please look here: http://www.fireboat.org/

Fireboat John Jay Harvey and Lightship Frying Pan

half a sketch of the Frying Pan…(http://www.fryingpan.com/)

Everyday, there would be progress. Firehoses, engines, propellers that I sketched one day would be neatly moved somewhere else the next day. Victoria, the chef, looked more like a shipbuilder, wielding a needlegun on one giant iron column. She said could not wait until she could start cooking and grilling lobsters and burgers.

A great crew works there, and like most who work on the water, they know how to tell some good tales.

The early morning light shone through the milk crates and cast a beautiful lattice shadow over the floor and the base of this–uh, shower fountain. I was about to attempt to capture it when Irwin came by and whisked the milk crates away.

creatures of the deep

Creatures of the Deep: this one sank in the Cape Cod Canal, was raised in 4 days and went back to work, busy in NYHarbor.

This one sank in the Wicomico River, was raised after 3 years, came to NYC under her own power (at 4kts), and works hard as a restaurant/bar on pier 66.

And this one sinks and rises for a living, and did so in Lower Bay and left, carrying some of our tugs off, away to the East. Type in Blue Marlin or “Ground Hog Day” to see Tugster’s reportage of her ups and downs.

And this one laid in harbor mud, was salvaged, and now is the Waterfront Museum, the host of the Creatures of the Deep art show. Curated by Karen Gersch, the show is currently on view until August 22. The Artists’ Reception will be on July 22 at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Thank you, Tugster for sinking in the sinking/raising idea which gave rise to this post!

Happy July to all! see you in August!