So there I was yesterday waiting for the Norwegian Dawn. I was earlier to the river than usual, and I had work to do (novel past deadline...) but I love the sight of the huge thing poking its nose around the end of the pier, then floating silently into view and up the river. But it didn't come and didn't come. The two smaller ones that often come in on Sunday, the Spirit Line ships, appeared more or less at their usual times, but no Norwegian Dawn. I finally decided I was being stupid, and went home. To find on the news that the Norwegian Dawn had been clobbered by a rogue 70-foot wave in the Atlantic, and was at that moment sitting in Charlottesville, VA, getting repaired. Good thing I didn't wait for it.

So this morning I went out again as usual, and sat watching the boats, the birds, and the other people. It crossed my mind that the news said the Norwegian Dawn would be coming in today, but I figured it wouldn't be allowed in until mid-day, to miss ferry rush hour. Wrong. Just about its normal time, here came the giant nose inching around the pier. All ferry traffic stopped. Three harbor patrol boats came with the ship and a tug met it, and the NYPD and Port Authority PD helicopters flew above. Usually it comes in alone, but I guess the patrol boats were to chase other boats out of the way. The tug I'm not sure about, but it may have been to give a little help when the harbor's crowded. You could see the ferries lining up behind it and in the terminal in front, waiting to get moving again. It was quite thrilling, watching all that coordinated effort. And the ship sailed smoothly in and out of sight. And all those passengers got an extra day off from work.

And as for the mockingbird who imitates the cell phone, I heard him this morning doing a very credible car alarm, too. You know, the one with the four-sound cycle, each sound repeated a few times, then the next one? He had it pretty much down.

Nature in the raw, here in NYC.