Autumn In The City

One of the nice things about being an unemployed bum (if I may be permitted to Pollyanna the situation) is that I have the time to really look at the world around me.  
It is physically impossible for me to stay in the apartment all day. After the job listings have been checked, resumes sent, homework completed and whatever other tasks I can thinks of have run out, I am driven out the door.  
So, I walk.  A lot.  Walks are free and good for me. At least twice a week, you'll find me trudging through High Park. My lungs fill with good air and my leg muscles engage as I navigate hills.  I smile and nod at passers by and remind myself that I am still part of this world.  I watch the seasons change.
I particularly enjoy going to Dog Hill to see the dogs play together. They seem to instinctively group by size but once in a while, a little guy will take on a dog four times his size, jumping and running with such joy that one can't help but laugh. The elderly and timid stick closer to their humans but participate by barking and tail wagging.  Sometimes one of the dogs will frolic over to say hi to me, but mostly they stick with their own species. And who can blame them?
It was unusually quiet when I visited mid-afternoon Friday.  The professional dog walkers had just left and the after work crowd had not yet arrived.  The few dogs there were peaceful.  I got this photo of two of them enjoying a drink together - was just snapping when the poodle looked up at me.  Lovely.