Haircut and Sunset in Midwood

Sunset in Brooklyn (Wayne Ferrebee, 2015, colored pencil and ink)

This past Sunday afternoon, I decided to get a haircut: it had been a while and my hair was getting all shaggy and seventies-looking.  Unfortunately I forgot it was Sunday afternoon.  All the local barber shops were closed. So I got on bicycle and cycled south deeper and deeper into Brooklyn until I came to a huge Jewish neighborhood in the middle of Midwood.  There were barbershops everywhere, but most of them were catering to groups of brothers from large Orthodox families.  Finally I found a shop that didn’t have a dozen kids in line before me and I sat down to get a haircut.  The barber swiftly and professionally gave me a short conservative haircut–but big families of little boys started pouring into the shop as soon as he began.  When I asked him how much he counted me and seemed surprised there was only one of me and that I am a grownup (more-or-less). It was a good cheap fast haircut and I am pleased by my choice!

Anyway, when I walked out of the shop it was sunset—and it was one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen.  The entire sky was glowing the bright golden yellow of a toucan’s beak.  Then illegible alien letters made of fire appeared near the horizon before the whole sky blew up into inflorescent pink cotton candy with glowing orange and purple streamers!  It was amazingly beautiful.  Fortunately I had my little sketchbook and a tin of fluorescent pencils! I swiftly drew the picture at the top, but it obviously doesn’t do justice to Brooklyn or to the exquisite sunset!

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