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I went to see the tall ships, so you didn’t have to. I was all excited and planned to share great photos of the famous Tall Ships sailing down the Hudson. But like everything else in this country, the ship-show turned into a shit-show. After a long walk and waiting for hours in the oppressive heat, I realized, ain’t going to be any ships to see. The parks people didn’t know themselves what had happened, and hundreds of neighbors were disappointed.

It’s a tall order, but I am determined to entertain you without ANY cool tall ship photos. And let me add what upset me most about this. I was there at the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge for hours and saw the ships make a U-turn in the far distance yet when I asked online if anyone knew what happened, I got different answers. Someone stated the ships went all the way to the George Washington Bridge, where we all waited, then turned around. Why is it so hard today to have a consensus of facts on anything or something as black and white as to whether 60-foot-tall ships went by us or not. I DID hear from others who confirmed I am not crazy and that there were no ships. One explanation was the schedule was running late—the ships stopped while J.D. Vance made that speech I heard, where he tried to be funny (he is not), and that should have been a red flag to me. Okay, I’m done.

People started holding prime viewing spots along the shoreline early in the morning, unaware that the view was never going to improve throughout the day.

Where you see that one sailboat there was supposed to be over 50 historical majestic ships.

Instead, I was stuck with this joke of a lighthouse. There’s some history to it including it being the inspiration to a children’s book. Sounds like a rip-off of the *Little Caboose That Could*. That title may be wrong. Look, I’m just really mad right now.

A park worker kindly let me go inside to cheer me up. It didn’t. When I looked out the top window I didn’t see any tall ships.

Let’s change the subject, okay?

I just found this at a flea market thing.

It includes some of my favorite artists; **Leo Cullum, Chris Weyant, Arnie Levin**… I will definitely use the plates the next time I have *New Yorker* cartoonists over for cheese, which I am actually thinking of doing, especially now that my buddy and colleague, **David Borchart** is going to be a neighbor soon.

I got permission to run this new personal favorite of an old cartoon **Michael Maslin** did for *The New Yorker*. I actually bought the cheese plates for Michael for his *New Yorker* collection, but he’s passing and it’s coming home with me where it will probably stay in storage until he visits with other cartoonists in tow. I have to. He is the unofficial *New Yorker* historian and editor of the popular Substack Inkspill that covers all things *New Yorker*.

It’s hard to tell from this photo, but temperatures reached into the hundreds here in Pennsylvania.

Spotted from the road in the Poconos. Loch Ness deux. It’s not a tall ship, but it’s something,

Happy 4th everyone.

I Have Let You Down

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