Boomeresque:Definition
1. Adj.: Describing a person born between 1 Jan. 1946 and 31 Dec. 1964
2. Adj.: Description of a person, place or thing possessing Baby Boomer je ne sais quoi
3. See also, Boomer, Esq.: A Baby Boomer who is also a licensed attorney (See, e.g., About).

Zentangle Diva Challenge 332 – Not Forgetting Edition

by Suzanne Fluhr on September 11, 2017 · 16 comments

Twin Towers Tangle Zentangle Diva Challenge #332

She’s baaaaacckk! Laura Harms, the Zentangle Diva, is back from devoting herself to quality family time over the summer.

Laura even went camping, like, you know, sleeping in a tent—in Canada (well, I assume it was in Canada. Canadians are mostly staying in Canada these days instead of vacationing in the United States because they have Justin Trudeau (swoon) and we have —–.)

In addition to Justin Trudeau, Canada also has big dangerous animals, i.e. bears and moose, so I am impressed by the whole sleeping outside in Nature thing. I mean, I love Nature. (Look, I’m even capitalizing it). But, I prefer to commune with Nature when I’m awake—and in possession of bear spray. (Of course, I just googled “bear spray” and … uh oh.)

Speaking of Canada, as some of you already know if you were paying attention, I visited Ottawa and Gatineau recently. If you haven’t been there, you should go — after reading this. The only bears I saw during my Canadian sojourn were part of the wonderful plant and flower constructions at MosaiÏCanada150.

MosaiiCanada150 bears in Gatineau

No bear spray needed for these MosaiiCanada150 bears.

Moving right along finally, for this week’s challenge, Laura asked us to use two squares as a string. I didn’t exactly follow instructions because today is what we call 9/11 in the United States. (In most of the rest of the world because they put the month first in dates, it’s 11/9.) It’s a day when we pause to remember the almost 3,000 people who were murdered that day in the most audacious act of terrorism in the United States.

Today is the 16th anniversary of the day the stark rectangular twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were attacked and ultimately collapsed. So, my ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) composition this week, is based on two rectangles in honor of those we lost that day, people from all over the world.

Twin Towers Tangle Zentangle Diva Challenge #332

Our hearts broke and there remains a space for those taken from our world that day.

In the United States, most Baby Boomers can tell you where they were when they learned President Kennedy had been assassinated. Now, we can also tell you where we were on 9/11.

I was in a United States federal building in Philadelphia, attending an administrative hearing with a client. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a cobalt blue, cloudless sky.

That morning, I enjoyed the 25 minute walk from my law office in Center City Philadelphia to the hearing office which took me through the most historic square mile in the United States.

As usual, I crossed the square behind Independence Hall and walked through the portico of the building where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed in July of 1776. I’d done this countless times, but never failed to at least briefly marvel at the fact I was walking in the literal footsteps of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

During my hearing, there was a knock on the door. We were ordered to evacuate the building because it appeared the United States was being attacked using hijacked airliners flying into government buildings.

As I walked back towards Independence Hall to return to my office, I found I could no longer take my usual route crossing through the building’s portico. Independence Hall was “locked down”. The usually merely helpful looking park rangers of Independence National Historical Park were noticeably grim and armed.

The area surrounding Independence Hall remains off limits to passersby. The park rangers remain armed. To visit, you must have a timed ticket and go through airport level security. For me, the “new” security at Independence Hall is a poignant reminder of the day and the people we have promised to not forget.

Do you remember where you were on 9/11?

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

Gudrun S. September 12, 2017 at 12:35 am

Wonderful!!!!

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Annemarie September 12, 2017 at 2:12 am

Thank you Suzanne, for sharing your memories of 9/11, that black day for our world. I was working that day (office manager in day care) and our manager told us that her husband phoned and told about a plane going into a WTC tower. Only later when I got home (it was afternoon here) I hears about the attack.
Last Sunday I was watching a documentary about 9/11 and the impact it had.
What a impressive tribute is your tile; well done!!!

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Suzanne Fluhr September 12, 2017 at 2:43 am

Thank you for sharing your 9/11 memory, Annemarie. Here in the United States, we did feel that most of the world as with us that day.

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Lily Moon September 12, 2017 at 4:17 am

Beautiful! ♥

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Ilse September 12, 2017 at 7:50 am

Beautiful tile – and yes: memories of where I was at 9/11 and what I was doing (team evaluation at work) will always stay in my mind. Unbelievable…

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Ken Dowell September 12, 2017 at 7:54 am

On 9/11 I was working in an office building on the waterfront in Jersey City, pretty much directly across the river from WTC. My office windows faced the other direction so I had no idea what was happening until my wife called and said “you should go look outside, something happened to the World Trade Center.” Down in the lobby of the building a group had gathered in front of the windows facing the Hudson. As we were speculating that it must have been a private plane or a traffic helicopter, we saw the second plane hit. But the thing I remember most about that day occurred later as we were standing by the Jersey City docks helping load supplies on boats headed across the river. Some exhausted rescue workers were returning on those boats and I remember one big, tough looking fireman disembarking with tears streaming down his face.

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Suzanne Fluhr September 12, 2017 at 9:34 am

Thanks for sharing your 9/11 experience, Ken.

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Jean Chaney September 12, 2017 at 4:57 pm

I was getting dressed for work with the news on. When I saw the first footage, I thought there must be some mistake. It was a very dark time for the whole world. Your tile is lovely.

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Trudi September 12, 2017 at 7:40 pm

Lovely tribute to the twin towers! I had four Americans who I had met through an on line game staying with me at the cottage and for the first time in the visit we happened to turn the TV on in the morning and were totally shocked. They ended up being stuck in Canada as there were no planes. Several days later we finally found them a car to rent about 100 miles away as all the displaced Americans in Ontario were renting cars as they couldn’t fly. They ended up driving all the way back to Houston. Canada’s rental cars were mostly in the US for a long time! Until Ed died we called each other on 9/11.

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Nan September 12, 2017 at 9:58 pm

Newfane, Vermont on a temporary assignment. We only had a computer in our apartment, no television. Just as I was able to realize just what I was seeing when the second plane flew into the WTC, the internet went down. I had to call my husband at work to see what he knew (nothing but they were finding out). They went into shutdown (he was working at nuclear plant). We had to wait until we were able to get back online to find out what was going on. Oh my – what Ken Dowell said up there about the fireman. That’s it. That’s what the day was like. That feeling.

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Deanne B September 13, 2017 at 1:45 pm

I love your way of honouring and paying tribute to those affected by 9/11. Thank you. For me in Canada… it was very early that morning. I was checking the weather chanel before going out on my walk. Stumbling through the chanels, I was surprised to see a “movie” on this early. It took me a few minutes to realize that this was real life…. this was happening now! Even now it still shocks me.

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Suzanne Fluhr September 13, 2017 at 3:06 pm

It was surreal. It kept playing over and over again in a loop in my head for many months.

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Susie Ng September 14, 2017 at 3:48 am

What a perfect idea! I mean squares/rectangles…who cares!!! Your interpretation is spot on and very inspiring.

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ria matheussen September 14, 2017 at 10:52 am

Interesting and nice original tile for the Diva.
I will never forget 9/11 the most terrible day for the U.S.A. I know exactly where I was because I visited for the first time the east of Canada to see the Indian Summer. I didn’t see bears but I was impressed by this beautiful country and I saw for the first time whales, exactly on that awful day. A lot have changed since that day but let us don’t give up the hope to become a better world.

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michele September 14, 2017 at 12:57 pm

Beautiful tribute in your art Suzanne. I was still living in Brooklyn then. I had just flown back from San Francisco the day before. The phone woke me up, it was a friend checking to make sure I made it home. I looked out the window to a beautiful sunny morning, slightly to my left it was tarnished by that billowing stream of black smoke.

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Margarete Gilge September 15, 2017 at 3:29 am

I like you interesting interpretation of the challenge and your nice composition!

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