This is Ganesha, a deity from the Hindu  pantheon. He specialises in the removal of obstacles. 

We had dinner at his place, that is to say that we went to a Hindu temple in the Bronx that has a basement canteen that does – of course – indian cuisine. Would never have found this on our own – the Big Girl went with an Indian colleague earlier and now took us there.

It is interesting to go see ‘her’ New York, consisting of  interesting food places and art places and garden places. Also she knows the family names of lots of plants and trees that I am on a first-name basis with, which adds to my happieness. Even though the family names themselves slip through my mind like water. Why do irrelevant facts stick to me like burrs, while things I want to remember leave without a trace?