Food fall

Story to share... A few days ago I asked Gus if he remembered any funny stories about Danielle. He remembered a story that I told him many years ago. The incident occurred in July of 2001 while visiting New York City... we spent five days walking and photographing Coney Island to Harlem.

Coffee stops were pretty regular and Starbucks seemed to be all that was available. So... Danielle had just purchased some sort of $5 coffee and we were walking around NYU or Cooper Union I can't remember exactly. I do remember the visual of the street - it ran East to West and there was a bicycle with a super heavy chain latched to a lamp post. The bike had no seat or handlebars.

Danielle started to cross the street...J-walking... and somehow snagged her foot on the street and stumbled. The stumble grew into a spin and some kind of a slow jog trying to counter the impending fall to the pavement.

As she fell to the street backwards, butt hitting and rolling her head to the road - while legs flew straight into the air, finally coming to rest flat on her back in the middle of the street.

The coffee drink never lost a drop and remained in her right hand pointing straight to the heavens... saved.

This memory sparked and earlier from 1999 when Dan was pregnant with Gus. It was a rough nine months because she couldn't even stand the smell of boiled rice without throwing up. Every month or so she would have a good day and get to eat what she wanted without worry.

O.K... so we prepared some kick ass meal and plates were full... I was sitting in the living room with plate in lap - as was the custom before children - Danielle walked into the room plate in right hand and drink in the left. She headed for the rocking chair (8 months pregnant).

She couldn't sit to easily so she would back up to the chair and fall backwards. With plate and drink in hand. The chair couldn't take the gravity of the situation and fell completely backwards. It seemed to happen in slow-motion... from across the room I watched helpless as she slowly dropped. Feet flew into the air and I thought for a moment that she would slam her head on the fireplace.

I jumped up and ran to her aid and found an 8th month pregnant woman flat on her back with a full plate of food plus drink un-spilled hovering in the air above her with magic arms.

She could save food like nobody's business.