"I actually enjoy going to Logan now"

"Their presence is very soothing," says LA Cardinal Roger Mahony re our own totemic animal, Felis catus. Baby and Tiny above supervise Tuck's latest landscape project, regrading and relaying the bricks on the sideyard drive.

"Never thought I'd say this, but I actually enjoy going to Logan now. The terminals they've renovated so far are becoming destinations in their own right for me," writes blogfriend Be of Bebere in the comments to our previous post:

Coming back home last January, I ran into this installation and was *completely* blown away by it. The soothing sounds combined with the light streaming in through the windows provided such a soothing transition between the nightmarish travel experience (headwinds caused our flight time to be doubled -- from six to nearly 13 hours) and the upcoming day at work.

My ride home was also impressed by the simplicity (and relatively low cost?) of the setup too. We both agreed that this was public art that we were more than happy to fund.

We sent along her kudos to designer Christopher Janney. 'Can't wait till next week when we plan to walk on over there to experience it for ourselves. Goomp had some good things to say about it all in our imail conversation today:

He: Like walking thru a leaf covered trail with the sun shining and the wind stirring the leaves. I told you I don't really know what I am talking about.

We: LOL. No, but who does?

He: But who will admit it?

We: Few. But I think you've got the sense of what I'm saying about the Logan work, as I understand it. It takes you away for a moment from a dull, stressful place to a place that refreshes. I'm remembering again that favorite Thoreau quote.

He: Yes. The forest trail in the sunlight.

We: "The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him." Cats are a perfect example, little furry oases in the desert of life, except when they stay out too long and make us worry.

He: I couldn't live alone without a cat.

As Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, companion animal to silver tabbies Raphael and Gabriel, told an MSNBC reporter two years back:

Cats are perfect pets for clergymen “because they are wonderful companions. There is almost a spirituality about them. Their presence is very soothing."

Our only quibble would be with the word "almost." There is definitely a spirituality about them that soothes the savage breast.

Comments

[goomp]

Relief from stress is a primary need. Soothing sights and sounds or the spirituality of cats, they all help.

[Tara]

My 2 cats give me great comfort in a mad paced world.

[Teresa]

It sounds like this is for people driving in and out of Logan... at least the article said it's out in the garage area. I wonder if I'll see any of it. Probably not as I never drive to Logan - I drive to the Shuttle and take that out to the airport. I'll try to remember to take a look when I head to DC in about a week.

[Gayle Miller]

My personal preference is to avoid all airports, all the time. In addition, any place that I can't take my cats is becoming an unacceptable alternative for me.

The older I get, the more I find soothing comfort in their presence - even when they are wearing their "goofy" hats. My substitute when I'm not around my two loves is to look at pictures of the Chelsea Greys.

[be]

Gayle: I feel the same as you do about airports, having spent way too much time in them in the past. The problem is, though, that I fell for someone who lives somewhere across the ocean and alternative means of visiting aren't practical.

Over the past year, we've made 24 flights (not counting stopovers) and have ended up in all sorts of airports. So far, our favorite has been Logan. Between the raw bar in terminal C, the adirondack chairs in the concourse between C and E and the Janney installation, it blows the competition out of the water. For me, the second best is Keflavik; for him, Detroit. De Gaulle is our least favorite, though they are renovating.

***

Teresa: We'd have missed it if my friend who picked me up hadn't have parked in central parking (on the roof, no less.) Usually I take the T back...speaking of which, love the improvements at the stop.