Chester Chatter: Sunset at Windows on the World

By Ruthie Douglas
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

It was a beautiful crystal clear summer morning. Birds were chirping. The sun shown bright and the river in front of my farmhouse flowed along slowly. I was some upset however since I was home sick and had lost a work day.

I laid on my couch and turned on the television. What in the world were the newscasters saying? That was how I learned about the attack on the United States. I quickly called my friend Warren and told him what was happening.

His son had a small office on the first floor of the World Trade Center. But Warren couldn’t get a call through to his son, n0t even with a cellphone. He tried to call him all day long. And it was three days before he finally heard from his son.  He lived in New Jersey and had to walk most of the way home.

For me, I had returned recently from a trip to New York City, where I and a friend had cocktails  on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, at Windows on the World, where we watched the sun go down on the Statue of Liberty. The sun shown so bright that the statue looked like gold. And this was a week beforehand. My question to my friend as we sat on top of the world, “What if this place caught afire?” He replied, “For heaven’s sake Ruthie, they have lots of sprinklers and safety measures.”

But whatever safety measures were in place were not enough to handle fuel-laden jets.  Still a flash-back to my afternoon on Windows on the World showed a very happy Ruth Douglas enjoying a cocktail and the sun setting on the Statue of Liberty.

Scene and heard

Tim Palmer celebrated his birthday on Thursday. How birthday Mr. Tim!

Suzanne Jaquith, now of Colorado, has been home in Chester visiting her family. Her sister Andrea Wilson joined Suzanne in attending the 9-11 memorial service at the American Legion on Saturday.

American Legion Post 67 presented a program Saturday in memory of Sept. 11, 2001. Springfield Fire Department sent a ladder truck over to hoist a huge American flag. The legion band from Brattleboro played for the large crowd gathered. The speakers spoke of the legion’s support of rescue personnel throughout the years.  A lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, muffins and cupcakes was held afterward.

Haven’t we had such great weather these past weekends? It has brought out some wonderful yard sales.

From 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26, there will be an Open House at the new Emergency Services Building at Pleasant Street in Chester.