Meet Mr. Burke, The"'Lucky Irishman" Of 4th Place

Bob Burke of 4th Place in his garden

The heart of marigolds which Bob has planted for 25 years in remembrance of his wife

Bob Burke and his daughter Marcie (with Petey, the dog)

A plaque in Bob's garden to commemorate his loved ones.

This post is for Alicia in North Carolina. A while back she contacted me to let me know about a very special neighborhood garden on 4th Place. She wrote: "My Dad, Bob Burke, has been delighting the area with his garden for more that 25 years. He plants what he calls "Margie's Heart" and young and old stop to admire it. He loves to remember my Mother but also creates this scene to reach out to his neighbors. I think a picture of "Margie's Heart" would be a nice addition to your Blog."
I agreed and contacted Alicia's sister Marcy who introduced me to Bob and to his heart of marigolds. And what a pleasure it was. Bob Burke is a lovely man.

Bob (90) has lived on 4th Place since 1930. He arrived in this country from Ireland when he was just a child and first lived in Carroll Gardens with his aunt. He remembers a simpler time in the neighborhood. "I played fistball on the street. You were lucky if there were three cars on the block."

As a young man he spent three years in the National Guard. He saw action at Guadalcanal and in the Philippines. In between, he spent 2 months in New Zealand. "Those two months there were beautiful." he told me.

When he came back to Carroll Gardens, he never left again. It's obvious that he loves his neighborhood, his home and his family. "I am a lucky Irishman." he tells me with a twinkle in his eye.
Bob, it was a real pleasure meeting you. I will make sure to walk past your garden often.
And to Margie and Alicia, thanks for introducing me to your dad.

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Raising Young'Uns in Carroll Gardens: Neighborhood Opossums Multiplying

(photo credit: Reader J.)

They may not be part of the Carroll Gardens stroller set, but opossums are raising their young alongside right here in the neighborhood.

A few months back, there were quite a few possum sightings in the neighborhood. In April 2009, Reader Rose sent me photos of one of these marsupials running around in her back yard near the Gowanus Canal. Then in September '09, came reports came from readers Sara B. and Kari who spotted two in one night. The first was seen running from 3rd Place at Henry Street, the second was hanging out on a stoop on First Place between Henry and Clinton Streets.

At the same time, Reader J. told me that his wife came across a critter under their fig tree in the back yard on Fourth Place. Last week, he wrote to tell me about yet another sighting, but this time, the guest in his back yard was a baby opossum.

He writes:

Last year I told you about my wife spotting an Opossum under our Fig Tree.
Well there must be more than one Opossum on Fourth Place because tonight we saw this little guy around 10pm. He must be about 6 to 8 inches long (not including tail).
Sometimes at night when the windows are open we'll hear our cats go crazy, pouncing at the screens - we always thought it was squirrels. But this little guy twice tried to to climb the screen and each time our cat pounced. We watched for about half hour as he hid amongst our patio furniture, waiting for the opportunity to come up to the window. The second encounter with the cat sent him off into the night.
I must say, this little guy is quite cute. Has anyone else potted opossums or their offspring in the neighborhood?


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Hey, Neighbor! Pardon Me For Asking, But...

Have you seen an opossum on 4th Place?
Reader Jess sent me the following email yesterday evening:

My wife just went out to the back garden to pull some swiss chard for dinner and spotted an Opossum under our fig tree. They exchanged glances, then he waddled off into the night. He's hanging out somewhere between on 4th Place between Clinton and Henry. Has anyone else seen it? Please let me know.

Back in April, another opossum was spotted in the back yard, near the Gowanus Canal of another reader, who was able to capture her little visitor on camera.

The one on 4th Place can hardly be the same.
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One Of These Brownstones Is Not Like The Others

Say, is that a gangplank?


16 4th Place

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?
If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!

One of these brownstones on 4th Place is not like the other. In the middle of a lovely row of century old townhouses, one has gained an addition which puts it at odds with the rest.
In my humble opinion, the 'topper' neither goes with the house nor with the neighborhood. But as I said, it's just my opinion. What's yours? Read more