Perfect fall day

Perfect, beautiful fall day in the park today. Blue sky, a bit of wind, just cool enough for a nice cozy hoodie, and dry, dry, dry! JJ was in seventh heaven running across the Peninsula Meadow, and I did a bit of running myself - leg is completely rehabilitated, but I don't want to mess it up.

The park seemed quite full of people. Some Tai Chi'ers by the lakeside - beautiful living mobiles, a bike race, ginkgo nut gatherers, and lots and lots of dogs and their owners.

The three generation swan family has settled by the lake again. grandpa, Mama and Papa, the four cygnets, who now have substantial splotches of white feathers. I may be anthropomorphizing to refer to them in this way, but if that's the worst thing I do, I'm a saint. There's also an American coot (a small, black duck, not a senior citizen) who's come to the lake - supposedly a harbinger of a cold winter. Hope so. The honeymooning children returned from the Alaskan cruise with a genuine Russian fur hat for Ber, and we want to make sure he gets to wear it.

Ginkgo gatherers are rampant. They are all Asian, and they take the nuts. I often see small groups of women with their plastic sacks, but today the men were out. One was using a stick to knock some fruit down. They take the nuts out from the fruit while in the park, leaving the pulp behind. It's the pulp that smells, supposedly to keep animals from eating the nuts. The women seem to take the whole thing, probably doing the depulping at home. Interesting gender difference.

Met a nice couple down from New Paltz for the bike race, really enjoying the off-leash hour with their little dog. If you could capture the dog's joy in a bottle, you'd have the product of the century! Sadly, there seemed to be an accident in the race. I don't think there was a serious injury, but rider and bike were each taken off in their specific "ambulances." This was on the hill coming down the west side of the park. Incredibly exciting when I was younger, now terrifying that I'm at an age where I know I could actually get hurt.