I took my evening constitutional yesterday to enjoy the absolutely perfect weather and to ward off an encroaching salty snicker snack binge. Because it’s Appleton, I:
- Chatted briefly with a man casting his fishing pole the length of City Park. “What are you catching?” I joked, as the only body of water in City Park is a sweet little fountain. “My son, I guess,” he laughed and I saw a young man on the other side of the park holding up the line. So curious.
- Found a rainbow on the far side of said fountain, and snapped a shot of the Ring Dance sculpture children chasing it. So cool.
- Stumbled quite literally into a spontaneous African Dance on the lawn at Lawrence University. I tapped my toe and watched a while, as the dancing crowd grew. I briefly considered joining in, but remembered our more than 30-year age gap and restrained myself. So tempting.
- Appreciated some fine duct tape street art that celebrated the season. So innovative,
- Stopped on multiple occasions to smell the lilacs, my favorite flower. So sweet.
- Tripped on a tree root in Peabody Park and nearly fell flat on my face in front of a large group of frisbee players. (Let’s be honest, we’re all a little relieved at this point that I didn’t jump in with the African dancers earlier in my stroll, right?) So close.
- Made friends with a couple of little doggie divas, who yipped a little and then struck a pose when I asked their owner if I could take a picture. So cute.
- Caught up with a favorite friend when we bumped into each other on the street. So necessary.
- Spotted a couple of lovebirds under a tree and, when they looked up, asked them if they would mind if I took their picture. They cheerfully agreed. So not as awkward as it sounds.
Appleton wears summer about as well as any town I know. I really enjoyed reacquainting myself with both on my random evening stroll.
Here’s a little taste of what I stumbled into…
And then more people joined in. Still, I remained at a dignified, though wistful, distance…
