I took a break from writing to go to lunch with some friends. It’s a windy day, but the sun is shining and it’s lovely. As I drove to and from lunch, I saw people doing things that made me smile — there are those quintessential human things that do that, you know? So a few snaps from my drive across the cities:

• Lunch at Loring Pasta in Dinkytown. Piano man used the acoustics to his advantage and filled the joint with glorious music.
• Piano man invites anyone in town for the conservatory show to play his piano. A young woman takes her place on the platform and plays a Beethoven that would knock your socks off (if you were wearing socks in summer — which is kind of dorky looking, especially if you wear sandals — I’m just sayin’).  She was shy at first, but once she got into her groove, she took over the piano.
• Walking back toward the East Bank campus, an older man on a tricked-out bike pulls up to the light we’re waiting at. The back tire on the bike is the fattest I’ve ever seen, and he has a boom box strapped to the handle bars. Better than that, though, is that he’s wearing a tux and a top hat. Very dapper.
• While driving home, I see a semi-truck driver pull over at a Dairy Queen, jump out, take photos of the Dairy Queen sign, and jump back in his truck and drive off. He maneuvered quite well and quickly for such a large rig. But I really wonder — what were photographs were about?

Everywhere people are out: walking, gardening, sitting at cafes with friends. Beautiful flower gardens leading up to lovely shaded Victorians were tended by people of all ages. Parks and lakes were crowded with people enjoying the Saturday sun.

And even though it stuffs me up, watching the puffs from the cottonwood trees float by as if pushed by fairies is a joy.

Yeah. This place ain’t so bad.