The Heart Specialist

This morning I went to AMC and saw the movie The Heart Specialist. The only person in it that I recognized was Marla Gibbs who played the maid Florence Johnson on The Jeffersons. Another lady looked familiar -- I found out later she was Jasmine Guy from the TV show A Different World. She does not appear to have aged very well. I also recognized Jenifer Lewis, who used to play the receptionist on Strong Medicine.

Perhaps if I had not just seen that terrific film The King’s Secret, I might have appreciated this movie more. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this movie to anyone. Most of it was bizarre and boring.

Ethelyn’s Surgery

My cousin’s surgery went off without a hitch today as scheduled. I just spoke with her and she’s not in any pain from her foot yet, but the novocain  has probably not quite worn off yet. Except for going to the bathroom and eating, she must keep her foot elevated. Her back is already giving her problems from just sitting/lying around.

Writing Prompt

My writing prompt for today was: Remember a sound… There is nothing else that follows the prompt in case you don’t want to read it.

During the time we lived in Canandaigua, New York, my late husband Mark and I loved driving up to Niagara Falls for the day. Since the trip only took a couple of hours each way, there was plenty of time to visit “the Falls” and spend time in the “tourist traps” that peppered Niagara Falls, Canada.

Two major waterfalls, separated by Goat Island, make up Niagara Falls: American Falls (oddly enough on the U.S. side) and Horseshoe Falls (named for its horseshoe shape) on the Canadian side. The much smaller Bridal Veil Falls, separated by Luna Island, is also on the American side.

Most of the water from the Niagara River flows over Horseshoe Falls. Tourists can get very close to the edge of the west side. During the peak season, water falls at an average rate of 200,000+ cubic feet per second. The force and volume of the water falling 173 feet to the river seems to pull you over and down. The roar of the water is a sound you won’t soon forget. Conversation next to “the Falls” is almost impossible. You have to shout to make yourself heard. But, when Mark and I visited in 1969, the volume of water and the roar were even louder.

In 1965, Cliff Spieler, a local reporter from the Niagara Falls Gazette, wrote a number of stories about the “imminent death” of the American Falls. If you compare the talus at the bottom of the American Falls with that of the Horseshoe Falls, you can see a big difference. In fact, it’s difficult to see any talus at the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls. In an effort to study the reasons for this difference in the rate of erosion between the two sections, on June 12, 1969, the water flowing over the American Falls was cut off by a 27,800 pound cofferdam. The effect was astounding: the American Falls dried up. By August, tourists were allowed to walk the dry river bed on a walkway built by the Niagara Falls State Parks Commission.

After the water dried up, the bodies of a man and a woman and a deer were found in the talus, something that could not have been accomplished before they turned off the water. A number of studies were done. Geologists were excitedly doing tests that were previously impossible.

Finally, on November 25, 1969, water began to flow over the American Falls again as the cofferdam was slowly removed, but while the American Falls was dried up, the volume of water over Horseshoe Falls was measurably increased. It was incredible. With that increase, the roar of the water became almost unbearable. In our current nanny state, the government would probably require earplugs before allowing you to visit. It certainly is a sound I remember well.

Until next time…