A year or so ago, a sign went up on Route 9 as it passed north through my town, Middletown, CT. A section of the road was dedicated to the memory of Major General Maurice Rose. I decided to find out more.
Maurice Rose was born in Middletown in 1899; a plaque marks the location on Main Street. When he was four, his family moved to Denver. Rose was determined to join the military and served in both World War I and II.
It was in 1944 in Germany, after multiple medals and heroic accomplishments, that Rose was shot by the Germans. His initial grave was later moved to the Netherlands.
In his memory, the following are named after him: a school in the Netherlands, a hospital in Denver, a Jewish War Veterans Post 51 in Middletown, and the Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center.
The most remarkable occurrence at a recent presentation about Rose by Post 51’s Karen Uberti was the arrival of a WWII colleague. Almost ninety-eight year old Bob Swarsky arrived by wheelchair, maneuvered by his friend Glenn, to tell of his personal recollections of the day that Rose was killed. With hearing and mental agility that surpassed most of us in the room, Swarsky spoke about many efforts of the 3rd Armored Division, First Army.
As those who served during that time get fewer and fewer, it becomes even more important and poignant to hear their stories and honor their memories.
Loud live music ricocheting down the stairs and out into the street, the hubbub of many conversation, food and drink – in the LIBRARY (no ‘shhh’ here!!) It was the opening of Pierre Sylvain’s art show Fantastical Journey: voodoo, slavery jazz! at Middletown’s Russell Library. Pierre (who lives in Middletown with his wife, son, and daughter) is a Haitian native who paints about his home country, and the culture and music of African Americans in the United States. His styles and colors vary, but his passion and energy come through all his work. The paintings are on display in the main lobby and upstairs near the information desk through March 31 during regular 
My friend Jeff and I met near his hotel and we began our walk to Chinatown. It was a brisk but sunny day and perfect for our plans. Before long, we reached Canal Street, checked out the Visitors Kiosk on the corner of Mulberry and headed towards Columbus Square. After being distracted by a bakery on the corner, where we purchased some yummies (chocolate roll cake, almond cookies for me), we made it to the Square.
By now it was almost noon so we decided to head to the tasty noodle shop recommended by the 
We left lunch to visit the Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America and sat in Noble Silence for a few minutes. Offerings included fruits and cans of some type of drink. Lilies and orchids beautified the small alter. We purchased fortune scrolls and Jeff was quite pleased with his, although I was slightly disappointed. After a quick stop at the Fay Da Bakery (chocolate/almond bun and coconut tarts), we walked past the Edward Mooney House corner of Bowery and Pell Street (the oldest brick building in NYC, according to its sign) to the old Citizens Savings Bank (now HSBC). With an entrance flanked by lions, the interior dome was stunning with attractive frescoes painted in four corners depicting success, wisdom, thrift, and safety. The Beaux-Arts building was designated a city landmark in 2011.
We then crossed the street to the larger Mahayana Buddhist Temple. There we again sat in Noble Silence and watched a woman clean a sparkling column covered with hundreds of Buddha images. I visited small alters in the rear of the main room, where donors placed papers, sometimes with photos of loved ones, for healing or honoring those who have passed. The sanctuary held a large Gong and two taiko-like drums. Upstairs, we visited the museum/gift store and we tried again the fortune scrolls — I liked this one better! We left the temple, outside of which was the busy entrance to the Manhattan Bridge.
Of course, we have lots to say on the drive there. Cherry has made a list of the things she does that bring her satisfaction and joy and, as a result, eliminated one committee meeting from her busy schedule. I cheer her on, as we arrive at the parking area. Fortunately, most of the trails have been plowed, so we can walk easily around the rose gardens and through the woodland area. We cross Prospect Street to visit Sunrise Park and view the detritus of plastic sled remains. Cherry reminisces about sledding with wooden sleds that withstand much more usage that the modern plastic ones.
We continue to loop around the park and I talk about my wildlife rescue training, one of the outlets I’m rediscovering in my life. Cherry observes that it lights up me and encourages me to keep working on it.
When Cherry tells Keomy about our project, she is impressed (and discounts our ticket 15%). As we wait for dessert, Cherry realizes that the meter time will run out, so I go out to add more money. She is very apologetic, as she was eating slowly. Obviously not a bit deal, we finish up. With our Friendly’s trips now legendary in Cherry’s family, her stepmother has given her a gift card that we use to pay our bill and head for home.
You begin. With bright sunshine and brisk temperatures, small patches of snow sparkling. As your days get longer, the chill will linger and the snow will fall gently. Give us time to appreciate your ways and keep all safe in the process. I watch the birds and squirrels I feed from the warmth and safety of my cozy home and trust that the outside weather will slowly but steadily move toward spring.
As we exit the highway, I am tenuous about the directions to the Hancock Brook section of Mattatuck State Forest, and say we are supposed to walk along a gravel pit and I doubt the area will be well marked. Amazingly, we drive directly to the parking area (which is indeed at a gravel company office) and see the derelict bridge, on the National Register of Historic Places, that was mentioned in the descriptions I’d read prior to coming. And there in front of us are blue blazes! Glory hallelujah! By 9:30 AM, we are off.
When dessert arrives, I give Cherry a card for her upcoming birthday. She shrieks with laughter when she opens it to see a photo of herself tying her boot. It’s iconic; Cherry has to stop on every trip to double-tie her boots yet again. Today had been especially compelling for lace retying – we stopped at least four times, and each time, I had to keep my grin to myself, as I envisioned Cherry opening this card. It is a great way to end our meal and we share the card with our waitress, who hoots along with us.
The first time I attended Taiko drumming, I was taken by surprise. Held in a small concert hall, 20 students stood in front of their drums and, at the appropriate time, whaled on them, to the point of startling everyone from their seats. It reminded me of sitting at the side of the parade, with bass drums vibrations cursing throughout your body, massaging and stirring each organ.
Beth Lapin 