Walkies

Last night after my post, I sat with the door tentatively cracked and felt the cool night air eddy on my stoop. The temperature was perfect for walkies-"Not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket." Unfortunately, cowardice and a newfound affinity for oxygenation won out over the desire for a stroll about town.

Happily, the antihistamines today made further gains in the war on congestion. So tonight after returning from a lovely fete, I was able to heed the twitching of my toes and indulge in a small nighttime stroll. The air tonight is heavy with lingering warmth from the day, and bloated lazy clouds loll against the stars. Fat squirrels rest in their hollows and the floating eyes of a lone cat glisten from beneath a bush.

The town, at least downtown proper. is small. Dark and still residential neighborhoods abut restaurants and bars. Gaiety spills into the neighborhoods like light in a dark hallway. Walking is peaceful yet safe, conductive to contemplation but also to humor. Couples stroll hand in hand, some heading to entertainment and some home. Groups of relaxed college students swirl from the streets onto sidewalks and into bars.

The curious design of the main downtown streets creates a whirling swirl of people. Parking forms the median of most of the downtown streets. Jaywalking is a necessary consequence and the milling eddies of people in the streets lend a relaxed carnival atmosphere to an otherwise unremarkable university downtown. I weave between the groups, the patchwork of music drifting out from bars, and take stock of the new coffeehouses, restaurants and bars. Here and there a brief hello as I spot familiar faces, but mainly just a quiet night of catching up with the town itself.

The tide has turning, bringing peace rushing in and once again, it is good to be back.