An Irish Lass, A Blue Tick Beagle, and Other Stuff

(Hobbit and Helix, what's not to love?)
So late this afternoon I headed down to Riverside Park once again. The sun was brilliant and I began wondering why I hadn't come out much earlier in the day (do you ever do things like that?) The first part of the walk was ever so pleasant and the flower beds at 90ish street yielded more surprises - I love the ornamental allium and the bearded iris, there were some roses blooming, some chives and some mint - maybe catmint? also blooming. Several great purple lupins towered over the herbs and columbines were blooming everywhere. Soon the papavers and peonies will splash some brilliant color into the mix.

Things were fairly routine over at the dog run so I carried on to that nice pier at 72nd...it was pretty breezy today and I kept walking all the way down to 56th watching wooden boats coming about in the wind. It's a great walk - try it next time you're in NYC.

On the way back I spied a pair of Canadian geese with their 3 goslings sort of strolling together up the promenade with the proud parents herding them this way and that, pappa standing real tall-like. I was waiting for him to hand me a cigar. The sun was skipping across the Hudson and created a lovely backlit effect on the downy coats of the sweet little birds. Never taking my eyes off them, I moved out of their path and stood very still. A woman came along and joined me in a sort of silent joy. We stood the longest time, watching, until some cavemen in a hurry barged past with their bully dogs and sent the parent geese into a spitting hissy fit.

Anyway the woman and I sort of rolled our eyes and tisk-tisked at the same time and then sat down and talked for awhile. That was pretty cool since I hardly ever meet strangers in NYC. I never asked her name nor she mine but it was nice to share a few minutes there chatting about our respective lives and our common appreciation of this lovely park in the midst of turmoil! Turns out she was born in Dublin, emigrated to London 20 years ago and is working in NYC for a year.

On the way back uptown, I heard...yes! unmistakeable! a hound speaking! Quickening my pace so as not to miss seeing this hound I arrived at the dog run and found a young woman playing with her blue tick beagle. My good fortune coming true. In case you don't know, beagles are hounds. And I'd never seen a blue tick beagle before. It was a sweet little guy, very fit and happy. It did my heart a whole lot of good to see a hound in NYC! Not long after a couple more beagles arrived but they were old and fat and looked like they'd been living in some NY apartment for way too many years. Still, three beagles in one short period in NYC...pretty impressive. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

It's getting so I'm afraid to call my friends anymore. Someone has always died or been in a bad car wreck. Y'all who know him - or love his voice - please keep Ernie Thacker in your prayers. He's got a lot of coming back to do from a terrible wreck. If you're not the praying kind then please keep him in your thoughts. He's got family by his side but it's still going to be a very long road to recovery. God bless Ernie.