October seems to me Amsterdam's proudest month. Days are short enough to tell you winter is coming, but not so short that you don't want to get out of bed in the morning. The air is crisp like a piece of celery, and the sun is set on medium, allowing it's light to simmer between the leaves before falling onto the pavestones.
Except the blaring absence of Dave on such a fine day as this, today was a perfect day.
Number Five and I did our usual rounds at 7 am, weaving in and out of various small streets near our house. We always seem to take the same path. And somehow I'm always surprised by my favorite sites that await me in the same places everyday.
The first of these is the sight of two houseboats on the Singel. But perhaps it's not so much the look of these things, but moreso what happens in the morning when we round the corner to the place where they are. For the first three minutes of our walk, we are still out of sight from the sunlight, walking north through the street that cuts through our beloved alley.
But once we turn the corner, we hit the eighth bar of Brahms' Third Symphony and the beauty of morning glow washes over.
Today was especially glorious.
After some hours writing and playing (also glorious), N5 and I took the tram (his first) to meet Susie and her pup Pixie in Vondelpark for a walk.
If there was ever a place in this city where people come to give thanks to the god of beautiful weather, it is Vondelpark. Adults, children and dogs are everywhere, enjoying each other, enjoying being outside.
Pixie and Number 5 had never met before. Despite a rather large gap between their material sizes, their puppy play mentality couldn't have been a closer match and they batted and panted with each other for over an hour.
As if that weren't enough, we encountered some other dog friends in the alley on the way home. Vito and Spot - another set of Jack Russells from the seemingly endless supply - never miss an opportunity to chase their favorite furry chew toy around the block. And this was their lucky day...Number 5 was halfway to exhausted already after 90 minutes in the park. They had more than a fighting chance at total victory.
While N5 crashed heavily (I heard him snoring from the other room), I snuck out to get a few groceries. On my way, I saw Jenn, Asif, Aleisi and Eliz at the playground down the block. What a great surprise! They were there for a going away party for friends of theirs. I got to hold Aleisi, which is always an aphrodisiac for loving life, and chat with my good friends for a few minutes.
All of this under the canopy of colorful leaves and a soon-to-retire sun.
And now, here I sit, doing one of my favorite things, drinking a Cola Light (my favorite soda), basking in a day filled with everything I could want, knowing that a few thousand miles away, Dave is also doing one of his favorite things...bobbing in the Pacific, waiting for the perfect wave.
Who could ask for anything more...
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