| A personal story of inexplicable | | | | on the cheerless city; we set out, once |
| unhappiness. | | | | more, for the airport. |
| Several years ago my husband and I left | | | | But that sense of loss and discomfort |
| New Zealand, to travel through several | | | | had grown much stronger and I struggled |
| States of North America and Mexico. | | | | to identify its cause. I was becoming |
| The flight left in the early evening, | | | | seriously depressed, even though I was |
| flying straight out from Auckland, | | | | on a wonderful holiday. Whatever could |
| leaving behind myriads of twinkling | | | | be wrong? I'd slept comfortably; so it |
| lights and dark blue velvet seas. | | | | couldn't be jetlag. I was luxuriously |
| Approximately twelve hours later, our | | | | accommodated, so it wasn't discomfort |
| aircraft descended at Los Angeles, | | | | either. |
| through a sickly soup of greyish-yellow | | | | We moved on, flying from Cleveland to |
| fog. It bumped down on the tarmac, to | | | | Chicago, Illinois, where we stopped |
| the kind of depressing pollution for | | | | overnight, before travelling up next |
| which Los Angeles is famous. | | | | afternoon, to Milwaukee by railroad. |
| Not wishing to venture outside, we | | | | During the morning, we visited the |
| collected our things and scurried to | | | | Chicago Art Museum and I was fascinated |
| transfer on to an earlier flight to | | | | to spy a family of grey squirrels, |
| Atlanta, Georgia. Once clear of Los | | | | frolicking among the frosty, |
| Angeles, it was a beautiful experience | | | | bare-branched azalea bushes in the |
| flying across the United States, viewing | | | | garden, fronting the Gallery, on Madison |
| from the windows of our plane, the | | | | Avenue. |
| moving geography of a mighty country in | | | | Next morning, as the train passed |
| all its beautiful colors. | | | | through the Wisconsin countryside, we |
| We crossed the mountains, their tops | | | | marvelled at the magnificent |
| gleaming with the last of the winter's | | | | German-inspired architecture of farm |
| snow and flew over the chequered plains | | | | homesteads. The spring thaw was just |
| beyond. Below us, we saw the mighty | | | | beginning and what grass we could see, |
| Mississippi River, with its many boats | | | | still had that lifeless, straw-colored |
| scurrying up and down that mighty | | | | look, we'd noticed at all our previous |
| waterway like ants carrying cargoes and | | | | stopovers. Although a pale sun filtered |
| building their nest. After sitting for a | | | | across the landscape, it was still far |
| while in a holding pattern, over | | | | too cold for the bare trees to sprout |
| Georgia, we eventually landed in | | | | leaves. |
| Atlanta, an airport about four times the | | | | On arrival at Milwaukee, we were greeted |
| size of Sydney airport. | | | | by the same sepia tinted landscape, as |
| Apart from the shopping, our stay in | | | | we drove to the hotel, and I felt again, |
| Atlanta was relatively uneventful - I | | | | the grip of unfamiliar unease and |
| did the usual tours and shopped, while | | | | depression. Determined to get the most |
| my husband attended a conference. Two | | | | out of this trip, I tried to ignore |
| days later, with heavier bags, we headed | | | | these unhappy feelings. To combat them, |
| north on a flight to Buffalo - en route | | | | I set about being busy, in an unfamiliar |
| to Niagara Falls, Canada. | | | | city. |
| Circling Buffalo airport five times, | | | | The next day, on our return to the |
| (something that is considered | | | | Phister hotel from a tour of Milwaukee, |
| exceptional over there), during which, | | | | the doors of our hotel lift sprang apart |
| there were several emergencies with | | | | and a large group of women, carrying |
| defective landing gear, the crew | | | | prized tiny poinsettia plants, spilled |
| eventually put the plane down on to the | | | | out into the hotel foyer. |
| tarmac. As we slewed round to a halt on | | | | Memories of my healthy ten-foot high |
| the snow-covered runway, the relieved | | | | poinsettia bush, growing at the front |
| American travellers, more aware of the | | | | doorway of my home flooded back and I |
| emergency than we were, showered the | | | | felt homesick for the first time in my |
| crew with tumultuous applause. | | | | life. Try as I might, I couldn't shake |
| By this time, it was dark and we | | | | off the depression and sense of loss, I |
| shivered, as we emerged from the plane, | | | | felt. |
| to the wintry chill of minus fourteen | | | | Shopping till we dropped, after seeing |
| degrees. Warmed by hot coffee from the | | | | the sights, we finally pushed our |
| airport café, we began the twenty-two | | | | trolleys through the airport, towards |
| mile drive from Buffalo to Niagara Falls | | | | our plane to Mexico City. Once in the |
| in a cab. It was the beginning of March, | | | | air, we enjoyed the flight down the path |
| just around the time of the spring thaw, | | | | of the mighty Mississippi River, which |
| although to us it felt like being in the | | | | wound its way south, to the Gulf of |
| middle of a hard winter in Queenstown, | | | | Mexico. For a while, the deep feelings |
| New Zealand. | | | | of unease subsided, as our minds |
| The cab driver, a New York State man - | | | | concentrated on the view below us. |
| born in the Bronx - and his non-stop | | | | Five hours later, we landed at Mexico's |
| humorous patter, kept us entertained on | | | | airport, soaring down through a blanket |
| the long, cold drive to the Falls. | | | | of thick smog that enshrouded that |
| Fortunately, my husband had the presence | | | | mighty city, home at that time, to |
| of mind, to tape the conversation, so we | | | | eighteen million people. |
| have since enjoyed reliving that ride, | | | | Finally emerging through the gates, we |
| many times over. | | | | were swept into a Combi Van, in the |
| On entering Niagara Falls and before | | | | guise of a taxi, to begin the ride of |
| being dropped to our hotel, on the | | | | our lives. In and out of an unending |
| Canadian side, we called to see the tail | | | | flood of traffic, our driver wove his |
| end of the Niagara Falls evening | | | | van, hooting and screaming |
| illuminations. | | | | indecipherable oaths at other drivers, |
| Although slabs of ice, crashing onto the | | | | as he went. Memories of the song |
| river below, seemed enchanting, the | | | | `Tijuana Taxi' were vividly recalled, as |
| colors playing on the cascading water | | | | we hurtled forward - accelerator - |
| and illuminating the fine misty spray, | | | | brake, swerve, accelerator - brake, |
| which rose several hundred feet into the | | | | swerve, towards our hotel, a former |
| air above the river, left us breathless. | | | | Mexican palace. |
| We were entranced to see frozen spray | | | | As our tortured vehicle squealed round a |
| dropping down on to the trees below, to | | | | corner on the Zocalo; the largest - and |
| form perfect icicles. At that moment, | | | | busiest - highway in the world; I saw a |
| were in wonderland. But, oh it was so | | | | sight that brought tears to my eyes. |
| cold! | | | | On a traffic island, in the middle of |
| Next morning, we awoke to temperatures | | | | this amazingly busy highway, stood a |
| of minus eight degrees, which quickly | | | | tree. A tree, so green, it brought a |
| plummeted to minus twelve. Weak rays of | | | | lump to my throat. At that sight, I |
| pale sunshine, valiantly tried to warm | | | | cried like a baby. That tree revealed |
| the frozen landscape, through which we | | | | the answer to my distress. |
| toured the famous sights around the | | | | Green! An absence of green from my life |
| falls. | | | | had deeply disturbed my happy |
| Looking out at the frozen spectacle was | | | | disposition. |
| like stepping back in time. I was | | | | I'd travelled this huge distance, to |
| reminded of my mother's battered photo | | | | find out how important is one of the |
| album with its many sepia-toned | | | | most basic influences on my life. Green! |
| photographs. | | | | It is a color deeply embedded in my |
| The trees in North America are | | | | psyche. The surroundings of my lifetime |
| deciduous, losing their leaves in | | | | were peppered with green, as the |
| autumn, before the bitter winter's chill | | | | dominant flora of New Zealand is made up |
| attacks them. The sepia colors I was | | | | of evergreen trees. |
| encountering in that wintry panorama | | | | During my childhood, many of my spare |
| seemed the same as in the album. | | | | hours were spent happily climbing the |
| Two days later, we left again for | | | | trees surrounding my home, a place of |
| Buffalo, to fly on to Cleveland in Ohio. | | | | exquisitely green lawns and clipped |
| A sharp frost had left an icy terrain in | | | | hedges. In flashbacks, I remembered my |
| its wake and, as we drove to Buffalo, | | | | adolescence, when I'd tramped through |
| through miles of snow-covered landscape, | | | | miles of mountain beech forests, without |
| I began to feel a decided unease that I | | | | ever realising, what a vital part they |
| blamed on jetlag. I was depressed; | | | | played. And now, an adult, I'd created |
| although depression is not something I | | | | luxuriant gardens, featuring lush green |
| have previously suffered. | | | | ferns and evergreen trees. |
| Our stay in Cleveland was unusual; we | | | | Yet, for more than forty years, I'd |
| arrived for St Patrick's Day and | | | | taken those important and fertile |
| witnessed a huge St Patrick's parade, | | | | surroundings for granted - until that |
| where thousands of genuine (and | | | | moment. |
| would-be), Irishmen, turned out for the | | | | In that instant, when I saw that tree, I |
| celebration. It was interesting to see | | | | knew my life could never be complete |
| dyed green hair and to drink green beer. | | | | without the healing and relaxing shades |
| Everything that day was Irish! | | | | of green; the color of Mother Nature |
| A day later, after exploring the tourist | | | | herself. I'll never forget how important |
| haunts and Art Galleries of Cleveland, | | | | a part the color green plays in my life. |
| tempered overnight, by a whiteout | | | | It is the source of my happiness and |
| blizzard, which dumped deep snowdrifts | | | | inspiration. |