By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Juxtaposition.
As we paddle along the East River, freely enjoying the wind and waves, we never fail to glance toward the top of this immense blue and white structure, where there are usually men playing basketball in a razor-wire cage…
It’s the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, the Rikers Island prison barge.
(A second “Juxtaposition” post is here.)
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
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| CurlsnSkirls on Halfway There! |
| Johna Till Johnson on And They’re Off! |
Wind Against Current 
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Perfect for the challenge. Thanks for sharing.
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You are most welcome, Nancy—thanks!!
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Still remember the word “Juxtaposition” from my 7th grade English teacher…She loved throwing out the big words…
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:-)
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Oye. A prison barge. Shades of Alcatraz. Sobering sight.
Thanks for visiting me other stuff – you’re the first!
del
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Thanks, del! Just visited your Juxtaposition, too… :-)
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So I see – thanks! Awaiting Day 2 for visions of moderate temps, water w/o ice, etc. Stay warm!
del
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Day 2 is almost done…
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bless you… may you paddle never slip & your camera never drop!
del
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Just perfect!
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Thanks!!
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very impressive juxtatposition !
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Thanks!!
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How much better to be free to savor the pleasures of life!
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No argument there!
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A unique take on the challenge. I like it very much.
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:-) Thank you!!
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Very good and thought provoking take … I like it!
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So glad—thank you! :-)
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Exellent post Vladimir, several juxtapositions in that photo!
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Glad you like it, Jaime! :-)
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Juxtaposition – your freedom on the river and theirs imprisonment. I’d take the freedom any day. Great photos as always.
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And of course Rikers Island, the main prison, is right on the other side (behind us in these photos). The barge is just an annex. We pass between the two…
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Yup, that’s some serious juxtaposition there.
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We think so…
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Reblogged this on Locating Frankenstein's Brain.
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Thanks for reblogging!
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Nice one. Wonder what happens when the ball bounces too high…….
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At first, I was going to say that the court was enclosed in wire on top as well. But on closer examination of the photos, it isn’t. So if the ball bounces so high that it bounces out, they’ll just have to get another ball…
Actually, it’s surprising how soccer fields (it’s usually soccer) we paddle past in NYC where there are always players desperately trying to fish their lost balls out of the water. In the summer, it’s a regular occurrence at the soccer fields in Inwood as well as at Pier 40, where we keep our boats. We usually oblige and rescue the balls before paddling on. I don’t think it would be a good idea to do the same at the prison barge, somehow…
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You know it’s funny I made the picture bigger to see if there were any basketballs stuck on the wire : ) I can only imagine watching you hurl back those balls!
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The next time, I will document it for the blog… ;-)
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Okey dokey! I would LOVE to see this in action!
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We’ll have to wait for the spring. We go kayaking all year round—but they don’t play soccer (or basketball) in winter ;-)
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I know but the thought and mental picture is really funny!
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Basketballs on the wire? It’s funnier than you think. From the Wikipedia article: “Prior to 2002, an inmate tried to escape from the prison’s recreation area by climbing the 30-foot fence equipped with razor wire. The guards’ uniform boots prevented them from climbing the fence in pursuit, so they threw basketballs at the inmate to stop his escape, but he was able to successfully climb over it. He dove into the East River, where he was promptly picked up and returned by a police watercraft that was dispatched to the scene.”
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He was courages and can you blame him?
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(Your) freedom and (their) lack of it…
Your photo is truly a study in contrast.
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I thought so… Thank you, Imelda!!
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Very nice!
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Thanks!!
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